Lelling 402 Report post Posted March 12, 2017 A few days ago, Crusader Kings 2 got an update and some new DLC, so I decided to pick it up again! For me, part of what makes CK2 so much fun are not just the wars, but also the the court intrigue - having to appease the Church, your vassals and your liege, joining secret societies, fending off viking raiders and most of all, making sure your family members don't kill each other. It's basically The Sims Medieval, hardcore edition. So I thought I'd make it a bit more interesting by compiling the history of the dynasty I'm going to play as I play it, creating a sort of alternate RL history storyline set in medieval Europe. Initially, I thought I'd just do a simple screenshot at the end of each ruler's life and show what has changed, but some of the big changes aren't territorial, and some of the biggest plot twists take place behind the scenes. So consider this the chronicles of a fictional historical family with a history starting in 769 medieval Europe Game setup and introduction - Year 769: (a look at the setting & situation at the start of the game, as well as basic rules explained) Years 769-788; Count Grgur of Krain Years 788-829; Countess Petra of Krain Years 829-833; Count Grgur II of Krain Years 833-910; Duchess Natalija of Croatia Years 910-915; Duke Matej of Croatia Years 915-916; Duke Mislav of Croatia Years 916-936; Duke Casimir of Croatia Years 936-999; Duke Teodor of Carinthia Years 999-1036; Duke Castimir of Carinthia Years 1036-1088; Duke Teodor II of Carinthia Years 1088-1130; Duke Teodor Lanik III of Carinthia, King Teodor of Illyria Interim: The Rise of a Kingdom Years 1130-1177; King Vid of Illyria Years 1177-1201; King Krasimir of Illyria Years 1201-1266; Queen Natalija of Illyria Years 1266-1306; Empress Katarina of the Illyrian Empire Years 1306-1326; Empress Katarina II of the Illyrian Empire Years 1326-1369: Empress Katarina III of the Illyrian Empire Gameplay notes: I'm playing Ironman mode, meaning there's no way to load if you mess up, it's all one continuous save that autosaves all the time. I'm not using any mods or cheats, only official DLC. I wont be min-maxing, and the way I make decisions is something between roleplaying and just what I feel are the right decisions at the time. I consider each character I play has a general personality that I try to emulate & take into consideration when making decisions. The game starts in a historical setting, with real, historical rulers, and then spirals into whatever randomness happens from there. Note: You don't have to be familiar with Crusader Kings 2 to enjoy this eventual quasi-historical trainwreck 1 Share this post Link to post
Lelling 402 Report post Posted March 12, 2017 Year 769: Count Grgur has ruled Krain for 5 years before becoming playable. He has no family, and the goal to expand his holdings. He looks to the neighbouring Kärnten, which is under the rule of Count Jesen Vit of Kärnten. They are roughly matched in military strength, but through some trickery, he could easily win the title for himself. Detailed setup below: Spoiler Ok, so let's get started! The setup may be a lot of info to take in - but I've simplified it with some pictures Note: you can skip the setup and go directly to the story, you don't need to know all the things; We're gonna see 1) where we are, 2) who we are, and 3) what our goal is! 1) Where are we? So this is the political view of the playable world map at the start of the game. At the start of the game, the player can choose who they want to play as - you can choose from a plethora of major historical characters, as well as minor, insignificant characters from regions so small there's not even historical records of who actually ruled there in reality. We'll be zooming in from the world view a bit, to central Europe: This is Bavaria, a semi-historical Kingdom (historically it was rather a Duchy), and in the year 769, which is the starting year of the game, it's ruled by King Tassilo III of Bavaria, and actual historical person But we wont be playing this story as King Tassilo. Oh no, that would be far too easy We'll be looking somewhere more closer to home - inside of Bavaria, King Tassilo has several vassals, and one of them is Count Grgur Lanik of Krain. Krain is a very minor region, but one very familiar to me, as it is the real-life region I'm from Count Grgur is, as far as I know, not a historical character, and his dynasty of Lanik is not a real one. In-game, he has no family, he is the only member of his dynasty. He has no vassals or special connections, his only minor vassals being the City of Krainburg (where 1300 years later I would go to high school ), Bishopric of Gurk, and the Barony of Görz (all actual places that still exist today). 2) Who are we? Let's take a look at the basic setup in Bavaria right now: So, we'll be playing as Count Grgur Lanik of Krain! The game's only rule is - if you have no more dynastic heirs, you lose! Count Grgur of Krain holds the County of Krain, with its capital Auersperg. The county has three minor vassals - the City of Krainburg, the Bishopric of Gurk, and the Barony of Görz. Grgur is a count in the Kingdom of Bavaria, and is a direct vassal of King Tassilo III of Bavaria. His main ambition now is to produce an heir for his dynasty, and to expand his holdings. If he fails to produce an heir, his holdings will revert to his liege, and history will forget his name. As these are feudal times, he can declare war on any vassal of the same liege, or any independent ruler, as long as he has a cassus belli - a justified reason for war. Thus, he enjoys the protection of the Kingdom of Bavaria from outside forces, but if one of his stronger peers from within the Kingdom decides they'd like his title for themselves, and manages to push a claim on it, he could be in a lot of trouble. What's the game's goal? In Crusader Kings 2, there is no set goal. The game ends when you have no more heirs, or you get to year 1453. But I wanted to add an extra goal for my dynasty, so I have something to strive towards while I'm roleplaying through the ages: This is the 769 political view and the regional (Duchy-level) view of the areas I want to hold. So, to make the whole thing a bit more interesting, the long-term target is; A Lanik must control the duchies of Friuli, Carinthia, Croatia and Dalmatia (Venice would be nice but it's notoriously difficult to cap so count that as a bonus goal ) They must be independent, and must create a new Kingdom that encompasses those areas. Their culture must be Croatian or other South Slavic So these are just my long-term goals, which I'll be attempting to reach through the generations, but bear in mind that each character has different desires, a different situation, and if it makes sense, may even lead us astray from this goal Side goals that might be fun to do - putting another branch of the Lanik dynasty onto the throne of another realm, possibly doing something religiously funky, passing the law to achieve full status of women (I always go for that ) or, if all else fails, attempting to stake a claim somewhere elsewhere in the world, relocating the dynasty. So, the game is set up, it's time to dive into the political life of medieval Europe Share this post Link to post
Lelling 402 Report post Posted March 14, 2017 Years 769-788: Count Grgur of Krain Image: Grgur's profile, with the family tab active, showing his heiress Petra. During his reign, Count Grgur expanded his family's assets, acquiring the Barony of Görz in 773, the County of Kärnten in 774, and the County of Steiermark in 787. Image: Grgur's lands through his active years marked in teal. On January 1st 788, not even a year after capturing Steiermark, Count Grgur Lanik died. Grgur had many children, but he never married, leaving his succession a point of question. The only child he had legitimated was his favourite, his second-born child and first-born daughter Petra. As such, even though she had an older brother, she was first in line to inherit his titles. His full title at the time of his death was: Count Grgur of Krain, Kärnten and Steiermark, Baron of Görz, Marshal of the Kingdom of Bavaria His heir(ess), Countess Petra, is only 6 years old, thus, for 10 years, the fate of her realm will be in the hands of her Regency Council, and as the only legitimate member of House Lanik, the fate of the dynasty rests on her survival and ability to produce an heir. Old (longer) version of the post: Spoiler For almost 20 years, Count Grgur successfully expanded his family's demesne. In 772, he discovered that his minor vassal, Baron Mihajlo of Görz (in Krain) was plotting against him, and had him arrested. Refusing to allow himself to be arrested, Baron Mihajlo put up a fight, but died before the conclusion of the war in 773. Since he had no legal heirs, his title passed to Count Grgur. That same year he declared war on Count Jesen of Kärnten, who surrendered a year later in 774. To commemorate his victory, Count Grgur had a special longsword crafted, which now lies in the family treasury. In 779, Grgur's neighbouring peer, Count Huosi of Innsbruck and Steiermark died of the Great Pox, leaving his two titles to his infant daughters Cecilie and Helene. This gave Grgur an opportunity to conquer the divided realms which were now under regency. Seven years later, in 786, Grgur declared war on Steiermark under the claim that the 9-year old Countess Helene of Steiermark was not fit to rule. In 787, the regency council of Steiermark surrendered, and Grgur seized control. (Image: A timelapse of Grgur's holdings within Bavaria (I sometimes forget to take screenshots as I'm playing so this screenshot just shows the borders of Grgur's realm (which I wrote down the dates for), while the rest of the world remains unchanged) However, this is where the story of Grgur Lanik ends, as he died on January 1st 788, not even a year after capturing Steiermark. Grgur had many children, but he never married, leaving his succession a point of question. The only child he had legitimated was his favourite, his second-born child and first-born daughter Petra. As such, even though she had an older brother, she was first in line to inherit his titles. (Image: the death & succession of Count Grgur of Krain, also showing his (mostly illegitimate) children Peter, Petra, Mara, Grgur, Natalija, Nada, and Jure) His full title at the time of his death was: ~ Count Grgur of Krain, Kärnten and Steiermark, Lord of Auersperg, Villach and Eppenstein, Baron of Görz, Marshal of the Kingdom of Bavaria. ~ His heir(ess), Countess Petra, is only 6 years old, thus, for 10 years, the fate of her realm will be in the hands of her Regency Council, and as the only legitimate member of House Lanik, the fate of the dynasty rests on her survival and ability to produce an heir. Will she succeed? Share this post Link to post
Lelling 402 Report post Posted March 15, 2017 Years 788-829: Countess Petra Image: Countess Petra's profile through her reign (ages 7, 16, 31 and 47), with her titles visible. Notable also her lieges at various times, as the King of Bavaria transferred her contract to the Duchy of Austria twice. Also visible is Prince Adelfonso of Asturias and their children. An effective ruler, Contess Petra not only expanded her family's assets to include Innsbruck in 794, but also built the very first Hospitals in Bavaria all over her demesne. She improved the infrastructure of her realm as well as pursued the sciences to a point to not only be accepted into the Hermetic Society, but eventually become Maga. Image: Petra as Maga of the Hermetic society in 820. She had several children: Sofija Lanik, 13.10.798 [Heiress presumptive until the birth of Castimir] Mojca Lanik, 13.4.801 Castimir Lanik, 13.7.802 [Heir apparent until his death in 825] Grgur Lanik, 13.3.808 [Heir after 825, inherits her titles in 829] Vid Lanik, 13.8.811 [Inherits the County of Steiermark in 829] Ognjen od Krain, 23.2.814 [Bastard child] Image: Map of Bavaria in 788, at the start of Petra's rule, the map shows Bavaria with the dynastic view of the Bavarian rulers. Notable also the Huosi demesne which will be conquered by Petra in 794. In 829, Petra arranges a marriage between her daughter Mojca and King Ragno of Francia and strikes an alliance with the kingdom. After securing the alliance, she declares war on the High Chiefdom on Croatia to claim its lands for herself, but dies leading her troops later the same year. Image: Overview of Europe in 2.3.829 at the start of the war, Petra's demesne in green, Francia highlighted in blue, and Croatia in red, with the contested territories in yellow. With Petra's death in 13.8.829, the Krainian War for the Croatian territories ends inconclusively. She is succeeded by her son Grgur of Krain, who inherits the Counties of Krain, Kärnten and Innsbruck, while under Gavelkind Succession, his brother Vid inherits the County of Steiermark. Her full title was: Countess Petra of Krain, Kärnten, Steiermark and Innsbruck, Baroness of Görz, Countess-Consort of Viscaya, Maga and First-Among-Equals of the Hermetic Society. She ruled for 41 years. Old (longer) version of the post below: Spoiler Years 788-797: Countess Petra, Regency Period It is the year 788; 6-year old Countess Petra of Krain holds the titles of the Lanik household, and is co-ruling with the regency council of Krain. Image: dynastic breakdown of the title holders in Bavaria in 788. Note the larger shield representing the Anniona dynasty of Duke Anniulf of Austria, who was made duke in 779. Later in the same year, Petra's liege, King Tassilo III of Bavaria dies, and is succeeded by his son, King Theodo III of Bavaria. Despite general discontent due to having an underage, female ruler with no heir, the vassals of Countess Petra stay in line, as the child Countess ensures that friends of her father, people she could trust, are on the council. Despite her exercising limited power during the Regency, she is a force to be reckoned with, and her armies, which had up to now avoided major conflicts, are greater in number than anyone else's in the realm. Recognizing this threat, King Theodo III transfers Petra's vassal contract over to Duke Anniulf of Austria in 789. This means that Petra is now a direct vassal of Duke Anniulf rather than the King himself, and can no longer declare wars directly on him, or any of his direct vassals, instead only being able to wage war either with other independent rulers, her peer vassals of Austria, or her liege, the duke of Austria himself. The regency council did not take kindly to this clear clipping of Krain's power, and three years later, in 792, they declared an independence war in Petra's name on Duke Anniulf of Austria. The war lasted for merely 9 months, during which a smallpox epidemic had spread through the land, and Duke Anniulf was forced to surrender. Countess Petra was once again a direct vassal of King Theodo III, who was now increasingly worried. Rightfully so, for in 793, just 5 days after winning their war for independence, the council declared war on the remaining Huosi sibling, Countess Cecilie of Innsbruck, to claim the county in Petra's name. The war was won in January of the next year, and Countess Petra became Countess of Innsbruck, vassalizing the City of Kufstein and Bisphoric of Stams. During the war, however, the 11-year old Countess was discouraged from the bloodshed, recognizing the need for her people to be protected from disease, and ordered for the construction of the first ever hospital in Bavaria, building it in Krain, her regional capital. In 794, she had her regency council replaced, and focused on infrastructure rather than waging wars. She eliminated the smuggler's ring in Steiermark, present since the times of the child-Countess Helene, and continued to build hospitals throughout her realm. In 795, King Theodo III dies at age 28 due to severe injuries. He is succeeded by his son, the 2-year old King Tassilo IV of Bavaria. In 797, as Petra reached the age of 16, the regency period ended, and a period of peace and prosperity would follow. Years 797-829: Countess Petra, adult ruler Petra's concerns were twofold. First, she needed to secure a successor for the dynasty, so she had already arranged to marry prior to coming of age. However, she did not share her father's lust for expansion, and was more concerned with governing her people well. In order to improve her knowledge of worldly subjects, she dedicated her time to studying, and in January 798, she joined the Hermetic Society, an order of scholars around the world, focused on discovering the secrets of the universe. Petra also secured a matrilineal marriage to Prince Adelfonso of Asturias, a minor prince with very little chance of actually becoming King, but marrying into House d'Asturias was a politically advantageous move. Petra did not get involved in her liege's wars, and did not send direct military assistance during wars, instead allowing her liege to levy his allocated portion of her troops, but otherwise not engaging in conflicts. Instead, she focused her time on building the infrastructure of her four counties, and completed a number of scientific projects. In 798, she oversaw the building of an observatory in Krain. From 798 to 814, Petra gave birth to 6 children, Sofija, Mojca, Castimir, Grgur, Vid, and Ognjen, the latter being a bastard, disqualified from succession. In 800, she submitted a theorem paper on the movement of the stars to the Hermetic society, and built a laboratory in her keep at Auersperg. Petra delegated much of the day-to-day administrative business to her council, being used to their meddling before, although now under strict instructions and a complete veto on any decisions regarding war, and instead focusing on her studies. In 810, Petra's husband, Prince Adelfonso of Asturias inherited the County of Viscaya from his mother, Countess Munia, and he left for the Court of Viscaya in modern-day Spain. In 812, King Tassilo IV, like his predecessor, transferred Petra's vassal contract to Austria. Duchess Berta of Austria became Petra's new liege. However, this did not bother Petra as much as it bothered her council during the regency, preferring science to politics. In 817, Petra invented the product of her life's work - the Radius Astronomicus, a tool used to determine angles for celestial measurements, as well as to measure the skies. In 820, due to her scientific achievements, Petra was elected as Maga, Head of the Hermetic Society. In 824, Petra finished her Magnum Opus on Planetary Astrology, maintaining her reputation as one of the best scientists of her time. However, disaster would soon strike, and Petra's scientific spree would come to an abrupt end later next year. In 825, Petra's firstborn son and heir, Castimir, died of Measles at age 22. She too contracted the disease, but survived it, however, one of her legs had to be amputated after an infection during her weakened state. Her secondborn son Grgur became the new heir, but this unexpected death caused a shift in Petra's behaviour. She focused on building an army and pushing her claims on the neighbouring Croatian chiefdom, and in 829, she declared war for the first time since the Regency. She struck an alliance with King Ragno Karling of West Francia by marrying her daughter Mojca to him, and called him into war. Image: Petra's demesne within Bavaria in green, Croatia in red, contested territory marked with yellow striping. Also note Bavaria's growth to the East. Click here to see an image that includes West Francia at the actual start of the war Although Petra was an inspiring military leader, her war did not last long. Having not waited long enough for her leg wound to heal, she contracted an unknown disease in the field and died, only 5 months after declaring her war. Due to the claims on her name being uninheritable, the war ended with her death. 13.8.829 - Countess Petra dies at age 47, and is succeeded by her 2nd son Grgur, aged 21, who inherited most of her titles, while, due to Gavelkind Succession, the County of Steiermark was inherited by his younger brother Vid. Petra's children: Sofija Lanik, 13.10.798 [Heiress presumptive until the birth of Petra's 1st son Castimir in 802] Mojca Lanik, 13.4.801 Castimir Lanik, 13.7.802 [Heir apparent until his death in 825] Grgur Lanik, 13.3.808 [Heir after 825, inherits her titles in 829] Vid Lanik, 13.8.811 [Heir to the County of Steiermark in 829] Ognjen od Krain, 23.2.814 [Bastard child] Petra's title at time of death: Countess Petra of Krain, Kärnten, Steiermark and Innsbruck, Lady of Auersperg, Villach, Eppenstein and Innsbruck Castle, Baroness of Görz, Countess Consort of Viscaya, Maga and First-Among-Equals of the Hermetic Society. Note: I decided that for future entries it's going to be more pics, less text I'm keeping notes of all the dates in a separate doc, so this wont need a full summary of all the minute details. I was already considering cutting some of this, but I thought Petra's life was pretty remarkable, so having written it down I might as well leave it Share this post Link to post
Lelling 402 Report post Posted March 20, 2017 Year 829-833: Count Grgur II of Krain Image: Grgur II's profile. Note his paternal grandfather, Fruela I of Asturias. During his reign, Grgur was constantly hounded by his ambitious sister Sofija. Long before he was born, she was, for a time being, heiress presumptive to Petra's titles, but was pushed back down the succession line by each male heir that Petra produced. She decided to make her own way to her mother's titles, and after the death of Castimir, had her other three brothers murdered. Ultimately, she did not claw her way to any titles other than her father Adelphonso of Asturias's County of Viscaya. Image: on the left, a family tree timelapse of Petra's children, on the right, the heirs in line of succession, with dates for both birth and death of individuals marked. Image: timelapse of Grgur's territories (shown in green). 13.8.829 shows his brother Vid's territory in teal, then showing it in red in 1.9.829 as the war starts, and then showing Grgur's full territory after winning the war in 18.10.830. Grgur's reign did not last long after unifying his mother's demesne under one ruler, as in an effort to gain his territories, his sister Sofija had him murdered in 833. He is succeeded by his two daughters Natalija and Katja, each of whom inherited some of his titles. Natalija inherited the counties of Krain and Kärnten, as well as the Barony of Görz, while Katja inherited the counties of Innsbruck and Steiermark. His full title at the time of his death was: Count Grgur II, ‘the Seducer’ of Krain, Kärnten, Steiermark and Innsbruck, and Baron of Görz. He ruled for only 3 years. Image: Grgur's death message, note the titles inherited by Katja. Older version of this post: Spoiler Year 829-833: Count Grgur II of Krain Count Grgur II's reign was not very long, due to his mother being blessed with ambitious daughters. During his reign, he did manage to reunify his mother's holdings by almost immediately declaring war on his brother Vid who inherited the County of Steiermark, and winning the war shortly after. However, his victory did not last long. His brother was killed shortly after his defeat in Steiermark, and Count Grgur followed soon after. He had two bastard daughters, who were not legitimate heirs at birth. He was killed on 2.1.833 on the orders of his sister Sofija, who was next in line to inherit his titles, but on his deathbed, he named his two daughters as his rightful heirs, putting Sofija back from being a direct successor to an indirect one, denying her of all his titles - at least as long as his daughters are alive. Below is an overview of the family history since the start of Petra's rule: The H represents the direct heir. Other heirs are marked by numbers - direct heirs who stand to inherit some of the titles are normal numbers, while indirect heirs who inherit no titles on the ruler's death are marked by parentheses. The right side shows the titles held by Petra, and later her husband's title, and their heirs, from right to left by order of inheritance. The gif shows the family history slightly into Natalija's reign, showing that in the end, Sofija did manage to get her hands on a title - her father's. She is 2nd in line to inherit all of her mother's titles, and should her 3- and 2- year old nieces meet an untimely death, she will succeed in doing just that. Count Grgur died after ruling for only 3 years. He was known only for his romantic escapades which resulted in the birth of his two bastard daughters. At the time of his death, he was known as: Count Grgur II 'The Seducer' of Krain, Kärnten, Steiermark and Innsbruck, Lord of Auersperg, Villach, Eppenstein and Innsbruck Castle, Baron of Görz. It seems that once again, House Lanik is threatened, although this time by threats from within. Will his infant daughters survive Sofija's murderous rampage? Share this post Link to post
Lelling 402 Report post Posted March 29, 2017 Year 833-910: Duchess Natalija Lanik Holy schnapps folks! Natalija's 77 year reign was certainly a change from the three year reign of her father, and I was not prepared Natalija's reign has so far been the most influential and successful reign of any ruler of the Lanik family. Not only did she survive her mother's failed attempts at killing her, she managed to hold on to power for over 70 years! And a lot has certainly changed in those years. Image: Natalija's profile through the ages. Note the plethora of children and increasing amount of titles, including the ducal title of Croatia. Also visible is her husband, inheriting the Barony of Castelnaudary. Natalija ruled for over 70 years, during which time she reclaimed her ancestral territories, conquered the Duchy of Croatia as well as the Counties of Tirol and Chur. Following her grandmother's footsteps, she also joined the Hermetic Society and eventually became Maga. She invested heavily in infrastructure and expanded her mother's hospital network to her expanded demesne. She also passed several law changes, changing the succession laws from Gavelkind to Primogeniture, meaning that only her eldest eligible heir inherits all her titles. Additionally, she improved the centralisation of her realm, which allows her and any future holders of the Duchy of Croatia to hold more demesne without having to distribute it to vassals. She had many children, many out of wedlock and several legitimate with her husband, Baron Burchard of Castelnaudary, a title which was inherited by her heir after the Baron's death on 8.5.910, just 6 months before she herself also died. After reigning for 77 years, Natalija died of cancer on 18.11.910, leaving all her titles to her son Matej. Her full title at the time of her death was: Duchess Natalija of Croatia, Countess of Krain, Kärnten, Steiermark, Innsbruck, Tirol, Vegl, Zengg, Zachlumia and Chur, Baroness of Görz, Protector of the Bishopric of Chur, Maga and First-Among-Equals of the Hermetic Society. Image: Natalija's demesne throughout her reign, her realm marked in green borders, with vassal lands marked in teal. After claiming the territories, she also revoked her vassals' lands to make them her own. Also note the loss of Usora in 870 due to her liege, the King of Bavaria losing it in a war. One of her most triumphant moments was conquering Croatia, securing not only the ducal title of Croatia for her family, but also almost doubling her demesne. Image: The belligerents of the Krainian War for Croatia - Natalija's demesne marked in green, Croatia marked in red. She ruled for 77 years. Image: Natalija's death & succession card - note the coat of arms of Croatia with the Ducal crown. Older (longer) version of the post: Spoiler Year 833-910: Duchess Natalija Lanik Holy schnapps folks! Natalija's 77 year reign was certainly a change from the three year reign of her father, and I was not prepared Natalija's reign has so far been the most influential and successful reign of any ruler of the Lanik family. Not only did she survive her mother's failed attempts at killing her, she managed to hold on to power for over 70 years! And a lot has certainly changed in those years. REGENCY In 833, the Lanik family's demesne were in a succession crisis. Two infant female heirs, one 13 months old, the other only 5, and their father's realm split between them. Natalija's council acted swiftly, and declared war on Innsbruck and Steiermark to claim the realms. Within two years, the battle would be won - Natalija was named Countess of Innsbruck and Steiermark, and Katja merely the heir of her titles. After reclaiming her father's full titles in 835, Natalija (i.e. her regency council) sought to further expand her realm in Bavaria by first winning their independence from Duchess Berta of Austria in 840, then turning their eyes to Tirol a year later. Image: The situation in 839. Two major events are about to happen in 840 - Duke Baldewin of Alemannia dies, leaving all his titles (marked in yellow) to King Tassilo IV of Bavaria, which almost doubles Bavaria's strength and territories, and Countess Natalija (green) wins her independence from Austria (marked with red border), whose direct territories are now reduced to just Passau. A series of quick events follows in the following year: 20.2.841 - after winning their independence, Natalija and her regency council declare The 1st Krainian Claim on Tirol war on Count Adalhard of Tirol. 21.7.841 - Wanting to stop Natalija's expansion, the King creates a new duchy - The Duchy of Tyrol, and grants it to Prince-Bishop Stefan of Chur and St. Gallen. This means that the county of Tirol falls under his protection, and Natalija's cassus belli against the Count is invalidated, as she cannot declare war on the vassal of another liege. 20.8.841 - Natalija and her regency council declare the 2nd Krainian Claim on Tirol war on Prince-Archbishop Stefan of Tyrol. 18.9.842 - Prince-Archbishop Stefan of Tyrol surrenders, and Countess Natalija becomes Countess of Tirol. (Note: "Tyrol" refers to the Duchy, while "Tirol" refers to the County. This reflects nothing from real life, it is simply two different spellings of the same region) Image: Duchy of Tirol vs. Countess Natalija's Comital demesne. Five years later, the Regency for Countess Natalija of Krain ended, and she took full powers of her Comital seat. ADULT RULE Image: Natalija's profile at age 16, showing her 6 titles - Counties of Kranj, Kärnten, Steiermark, Innsbruck and Tirol, and the Barony of Görz. Also notable are her father Grgur, grandmother Petra, and sister Katja. Shortly after coming of age, Natalija was once again transferred from being a direct vassal of Bavaria to a vassal of Austria, and focused the next dozen years on building up the infrastructure in her demesne, as well as expanding the Lanik dynasty. She took on many lovers, including King Ekkehard of Bavaria, Tassilo IV's son, with whom she bore many illegitimate children, until finally marrying Burchard Nibelunging in 858. In 859, she gave birth to her first legitimate son, securing the titles for her dynasty once again, without them having to fall to her sister Katja. In 860, she was once again ready for war, and declared the 3rd war of Krainian Independence on her liege, Duke Liutbert of Austria, which she won in 861. Later in the same year, she picked a new target - her grandmother's unfulfilled goal, the Chiefdom of Croatia! Image: Countess Natalija's Comital demesne vs. the High Chiefdom of Croatia, with the image switching between normal political view and Bavarian vassal view. In 864, Natalija wins the Krainian War for the High Chiefdom of Croatia, taking the title. Rather than High Chieftess, she styles herself duchess, as is the norm in Bavaria. Together with the duchy, she also seized the county of Senj, which, under the Bavarian crown, was renamed to Zengg. Additionally, the chiefs of Veglia (now Vegl), Usora and Zachlumia became her vassals by law, regardless of whether they liked it or not. This was Natalija's greatest victory, almost doubling the size of land in her control, as well as gaining a Ducal title. Now she could only ever be the direct vassal of a King, not of another Duke. In the following years, Natalija passes many laws which legitimize her possession of larger amounts of land, deposing the Croatian chiefs and taking direct control of the land, as well as organizes an efficient conversion effort of the Croatian people, to properly bring them to Christendom. By the end of her reign, all trace of previous pagan religions in the land was erased. During this time, King Ekkehard's son, King Karlmann, was facing both internal unrest as well as outside pressure, and in order to avoid defeat in a war in the north, he cedes Natalija's territory of the Chiefdom of Usora to High Chief Ulfo of Slavonia in 870. The King himself died 4 years later, replaced by King Karlmann II. By 883, Natalija personally controlled all of the (remaining) counties in her new duchy, and thoroughly modernized the feudal administration laws of her duchy. In the same year, she also changed the Gavelkind law to Agnatic-Cognatic Primogeniture, making her firstborn son the sole heir of all her titles. She also assembled the Krainian mercenary band and put one of her younger sons, Peter, in charge of it, while granting her youngest son Vid the Barony of Görz. In 902, Natalija conquers the County & Bishopric of Chur from Prince-Archbishop Michael of Tyrol. Image: A complete overview of Natalija's demesne through the time of her reign, from 833 to 902. Image: Natalija's profile at age 76, with all her new titles and many children visible. 25.6.910 - Natalija's husband Burchard Nibelunging dies, and their firstborn son Matej inherits the Barony of Castelnaudary 18.11.910 - Duchess Natalija of Croatia dies of cancer at age 78, and is succeeded by Duke Matej, aged 51. Natalija ruled from 2.1.833 to 18.11.910. She sought to continue the work of her grandmother Petra, as well as make her own legacy. She reinforced her mother’s hospitals, continued her scientific work, and expanded her family’s assets. Most notably, Natalija secured the Ducal title of Croatia for her family, and later reformed the succession laws of her realm. A formidable military leader, brilliant scientist and astute ruler, Natalija elevated the standing of House Lanik and raised it to new heights. Her full title at the time of her death was: Duchess Natalija of Croatia, Countess of Krain, Kärnten, Steiermark, Innsbruck, Tirol, Vegl, Zengg, Zachlumia and Chur, Lady of Auersperg, Villach, Eppenstein, Castle Innsbruck, Bregenz, Frankopan, Castle Zengg, Mostar and Glurns, Baroness of Görz, Protector of the Bishopric of Chur, Maga and First-Among-Equals of the Hermetic Society. She ruled for 77 years. Due to her implementation of the Primogeniture succession laws, her son Matej inherited all her titles. Share this post Link to post
Lelling 402 Report post Posted March 29, 2017 After that 70-year long reign this one was a bit sudden I didn't intend to do two in a row but it happened Year 910-915: Duke Matej Lanik Image: Matej's profile - with all his titles, his many siblings, their mother Natalija, grandfather Grgur II and his only child Matej visible. Duke Matej ruled peacefully for 5 years after the death of his mother. He took the seat of power at an old age himself, and thus did not pursue many ambitions other than to further stabilize the realm his mother had built. He drafted a law that increased the status of women, and built several improvements in Krain. He died on 27.10.915. He left behind his only son Mislav, who inherited all his titles. His full title at the time of his death was: Duke Matej of Croatia, Count of Krain, Kärnten, Steiermark, Innsbruck, Tirol, Vegl, Zengg, Zachlumia and Chur, Baron of Castelnaudary and Bishop-Regent of Chur, Commander of Bavaria. Image: Duke Matej's demesne (Green), including the Barony of Castelnaudary in the County of Toulouse (Yellow) which is part of the Empire of Francia. Other than bequeathing the Barony of Görz to his half-brother, his holdings did not change, so there is no timelapse (Baronies are contained within Counties and do not show on the game map). He ruled for almost 5 years. Share this post Link to post
Lelling 402 Report post Posted March 31, 2017 I guess I spoke too soon! Turns out there was a way to rule for even less time than Matej's rule. I think this might be my shortest reign in any of my CK2 games so far . Year 915-916: Duke Mislav Lanik Image: Mislav's profile - with all his titles, immediate ancestors, and his 4 children visible. Duke Mislav didn't get much of a chance to rule. He was the first in the family to be raised with German heritage teachings and embraced the dominant German culture of Bavaria. Due to his military prowess, he also got to serve as a commander, but did not have much of a chance to prove himself before shuffling off his mortal coil. 20.5.916 - Duke Mislav died of the flu, leaving his titles to his son, Duke Casimir. He ruled for only 7 months. His full title at the time of his death was: Duke Mislav of Croatia, Count of Krain, Kärnten, Steiermark, Innsbruck, Tirol, Vegl, Zengg, Zachlumia and Chur, Bishop-Regent of Chur and Commander of Bavaria. Image: Duke Mislav's demesne within the Kingdom of Bavaria and the Barony of Castelnaudary as an external minor vassal (Baronies don't show up on the game map so I put its crest up). Other than bequeathing the Barony of Castelnaudary to his uncle Filip, his holdings did not change, so there is no timelapse (Baronies are contained within Counties and do not show on the map). Share this post Link to post
Lelling 402 Report post Posted April 3, 2017 I updated the older posts to make them a bit more compact and easier to read images pop up in a really cool way on this forum if I do say so myself so I thought I'd just condense everything into posts that are about 50% of the size but contain about the same amount of information Share this post Link to post
Lelling 402 Report post Posted April 5, 2017 Year 916-936: Duke Casimir Lanik Image: Casimir's profile aged 12, 16 and 24. Note the additional titles at 24, including the Duchy of Tyrol. Duke Casimir was a fairly efficient ruler, reinforcing his family’s holdings while entertaining himself with his many male lovers. He had plans for greatness, but the wife of one of his lovers took a rather dim view to his flirtations with her husband, and together with her son and Casimir’s own first cousin once removed, they succeeded in a plan to assassinate the young ruler. Nevertheless, Casimir left a mark on the dynasty, securing the Duchy of Tyrol, which granted the family a de jure spot on the Elective Council of Bavaria. Image: Casimir's death & succession screen. In 930, Casimir declared war on the Prince-Archbishop of Tyrol, to claim his County of St. Gallen. In 932, the Prince-Archbishop surrenders and loses the county. With no more lands, the Prince-Archbishopric of Tyrol is dissolved. The next day, Casimir reforms the Duchy of Tyrol. Image: Casimir's lands (green) - 916: succession, 930: war on the Prince-Archbishopric of Tyrol (red), 932: claiming the County of St. Gallen and founding the Duchy of Tyrol. The coat of arms of the Barony of Castelnaudary is in the bottom-left corner. The additional 932 image (22.1.932) shows the Duchies of Tyrol and Croatia (both held by Casimir), and the lands each of the ducal crowns encompasses. With the Duchy of Tyrol, Duke Casimir gains a seat on the elective council of Bavaria, being able to nominate a successor for the Kingdom of Bavaria. Casimir had 3 children: Teodor, 4.11.927 [heir apparent] Natalija, 4.5.930 Vid, 4.2.932 Image: Casimir's immediate family. He died on 2.7.936, murdered on the orders of his lover's wife, at the age of 28. His titles at the time of his death were: Duke Casimir of Croatia and Tyrol, Count of Krain, Kärnten, Steiermark, Innsbruck, Tirol, Vegl, Zengg, Zachlumia, Chur and St. Gallen, Founder of Kraljevica, Steward of Bavaria. He is succeeded by his son Teodor, aged 8, who inherited all his titles. He ruled for 20 years. Share this post Link to post
Lelling 402 Report post Posted April 13, 2017 Year 936-999: Duke Teodor Lanik Image: Teodor's profile at different ages. Note his many injuries over time; throughout his reign, he lost a leg, an arm, and an eye. During his 62 years of being head of the Lanik dynasty, Teodor expanded his family’s lands, secured many advantageous marriages, and became a powerful player in the court of Bavaria. He proved himself as a talented leader, using his court connections to press his claims within the Kingdom of Italy as well as the Byzantine Empire, while also making nearby smaller minor rulers his tributaries. He also focused on strengthening his existing demesne, investing heavily into infrastructure, especially expanding the hospitals built by his ancestors. He also founded the Duchy of Carinthia, and declared it as the family’s main title. An adept scientist, following the footsteps of his ancestors, Teodor also became Magus and First-Among-Equals of the Hermetic Society, being its head for 31 years. Being more interested in the handsome men in his court, he did not have any children with his first wife of 28 years, Princess Agnes of Francia, and throughout most of his reign his heir presumptive was his brother Vid. He only produced only three heirs later in his life with his second wife, Countess Walpurga of Grisons; 18.2.983, Castimir [heir] 18.4.989, Peter 18.6.995, Natalija Image: Teodor's immediate family, with his siblings Natalija and Vid and their descendants visible. He was also the first of his dynasty to make tributaries out of nearby smaller independent realms, expanding his influence outside of the borders of Bavaria. Image: A timelapse of Teodor's lands and relationships, vassals marked in teal lines and tributaries in yellow. The original image is after the end of Teodor's rule and largest extent of his demesne. The last years of his reign were marked by the dark cloud of the Black Plague, which swept through the land, laying waste to county after county, leaving Europe largely depopulated. Nevertheless, the losses in Krain were smaller than in neighbouring regions, mainly due to the investment into hospitals. Even though he died during the epidemic, he did not himself die of the Black Death, but rather of old age. Image: a timelapse of the Black Death making its way through the known world, including the first 3 years after his death. His full title at the time of his death was: Duke Teodor ‘the Wise’ of Carinthia, Croatia and Tyrol, Count of Krain, Kärnten, Steiermark, Innsbruck, Tirol, Vegl, Zengg, Zachlumia, Chur, Istria and Aquileia, Founder of Laibach, Treffen and Lovrana, Magus and First-Among-Equals of the Hermetic Society, Steward and Senechal of Bavaria, Suzerain of Bosnia and Venice, Count-Consort of Grisons. Image: Teodor's death & succession screen, with the coat of arms of Carinthia visible as the main family title (previously featured was the duchy of Croatia). He is succeeded by his son Castimir, aged 16, who inherited all his landed titles. He ruled for 63 years. Share this post Link to post
Lelling 402 Report post Posted May 8, 2017 Year 999-1036: Duke Castimir Lanik Image: Castimir's profile through the years. Castimir continued in the footsteps of his ancestors, expanding and reinforcing his family’s territory to include Zadar and Venezia, adding the Duchy of Venice to his family’s holdings with the latter. He also delegated the ruling of the northernmost parts of his family’s lands to various vassals, shifting his reliance on vassals rather than purely rely on direct rule over his demesne. He also followed his father's example in making a tributary out of the nearby Duchy of Bosnia, extending his power (and coffers). His wife was Chlotsuintha Teduericingi, the Duchess of Friuli, a Duchess in the Kingdom of Lombardy. He often helped her fight off threats, and she assisted him in wars as well. At the height of his power, he also allied with the Empire of Francia, which allowed him to declare a war on the destabilised Byzantine Empire to conquer the County of Diadora in 1027, claiming it in 1030 and restoring it its Croatian name, Zadar. He invested heavily into the construction of cities and castles in the realm, founding Concordia, Cilli, Nin, Caplijna and Novigrad, and granting them to various relatives. Image: A timelapse of Castimir's lands. His realm is marked in green, vassals in teal, and tributaries in yellow. He had 10 children: 13.8.1005, Katja [heir presumptive until 13.10.1010, Teodor's birth] 5.1.1009, Petra [illegitimate] 2.3.1009, Timotej [illegitimate] 13.10.1010, Mojca 13.10.1010, Teodor [heir] 13.12.1012, Kresimir 2.3.1015, Grgur [illegitimate] 13.7.1016, Filip 7.9.1023, Martina 1.10.1035, Nina [illegitimate] Image: Family tree showing Castimir's children and siblings. The end of Castimir's reign was also a unique circumstance, as he was the only member of the Lanik family to abdicate from his position. At age 53, he decided it was time to pass on the rule to his son Teodor, who became Duke Teodor II. His full title at the time of his abdication was: Duke Castimir of Carinthia, Croatia, Tyrol and Venice, Count of Krain, Steiermark, Istria, Kärnten, Aquileia, Zachlumia, Zengg, Vegl, Zadar and Venezia, Baron of Görz, founder of Concordia, Cilli, Nin, Caplijna and Novigrad. Steward of Bavaria, Suzerain of Bosnia, Duke-Consort of Friuli. He ruled for 37 years. Share this post Link to post
Lelling 402 Report post Posted May 17, 2017 Year 1036-1088: Duke Teodor Lanik II Image: Teodor's profile through the years. Teodor II was undoubtedly the most ambitious and powerful ruler of the Lanik dynasty to date. He kept a watchful eye on neighbouring rulers and his own liege, Queen Ermengard of Bavaria, and used their moments of weakness to increase his own influence. Rather than conquering territories, he focused on making entire realms his tributaries, increasing his influence well past the borders of his family’s realm. After forging an alliance with the Empire of Francia and making the King of Lombardy his tributary, he petitioned the Queen of Bavaria for independence. She refused, and thus Carinthia’s war for independence began. Using the wealth and armies of Lombardy and backed by the forces of Francia, Teodor won the war 3 years later, becoming an independent Duke. Teodor kept an iron grip on his tributaries, and at his peak, he held the Duchy of Bosnia, Kingdoms of Lombardy and Bavaria, and the Empire of Francia as his tributaries, securing his independence and becoming the most powerful ruler in Europe. He also forged a massive alliance spanning almost the entirety of Europe, including the Kingdoms of Svea Rike (Sweden) and Saxony. With this alliance, he took up arms against the Byzantine Empire and claimed the duchy of Dalmatia. He had eight comital level vassals, the Counties of Innsbruck, Tirol, Chur, Grisons, Zadar, Split and Verona, and the Grand City of St. Gallen. His reign marks the independence of greater Carinthia and house Lanik. Image: A timelapse of Teodor's lands and influence. War for independence not pictured, as wars are not highlighted, but takes place between 1046 and 1049. Note: Francia is labeled with "Carinthia" as the screenshot was taken in 1088, when Francia was a tributary of Carinthia. Tributaries act almost as loose vassals - paying taxes and having to join wars when called upon, so in-game they keep their borders while taking the name of their suzerain. He had 8 children: 12.7.1050, Teodor [heir] 12.5.1052, Natalija 12.8.1058, Petra 12.8.1063, Tatjana 12.4.1069, Castimir 5.6.1072, Vid [legitimized] 11.12.1073, Filip [legitimized] 7.11.1076, Sonja [illegitimate] Image: Family tree showing Teodor's family - his grandfather Teodor I, father Castimir, his siblings and his children. His full title at the time of his death was: Duke Teodor II ‘the Lawgiver’ of Carinthia, Croatia, Tyrol, Venice, Friuli and Dalmatia, Count of Krain, Steiermark, Istria, Kärnten, Aquileia, Zachlumia, Senj, Veglia, Treviso, Mantua and Venezia. Suzerain of Bosnia, Bavaria, Lombardy and Francia. Image: Teodor's death screen. He ruled for 52 years. Share this post Link to post
Lelling 402 Report post Posted August 29, 2017 Year 1088-1130: Duke Teodor Lanik III of Carinthia, King Teodor of Illyria Image: Teodor's profile through the years. Inheriting not only his father's name, Teodor maintained his father's lands and a large portion of his influence in Europe, but his greatest achievement was founding the Kingdom of Illyria on 10.8.1098, ending the ducal period of house Lanik and elevating the family to royal status. He devoted the rest of his life to reforming the infrastructure of the lands in his newly founded Kingdom, almost doubling the income and levy size of his realm. He also created social reforms, passing a law enabling the full status of women. Like his more recent ancestors, he too relied on using tributaries to maintain the stability of his realm, using the gold gained from them to develop his own lands as well as fund his personal projects. His reign also saw the beginning of renewed religious conflict - the Crusades, Jihads, and the newly reformed Suomenusko Great Holy Wars mark the start of great shift on the known world’s maps, as the lords of powerful religions form massive forces which can change the face of the world. He also restored the Republic of Venice, which had not existed for over a hundred years since Castimir conquered and reformed it into a feudal title in 1015, creating a Merchant Republic within the Kingdom of Illyria. His realm structure (personal titles in bold, vassals in italic, minor (baronial) titles not included): Kingdom of Illyria Duchy of Carinthia County of Aquileia County of Istria County of Kärnten County of Krain Duchy of Croatia County of Senj County of Veglia County of Zachlumia Duchy of Tyrol County of Chur County of Innsbruck Grand City of St. Gallen County of Tirol Duchy of Friuli County of Mantua County of Treviso County of Verona Duchy of Dalmatia County of Split County of Zadar Republic of Venice Grand City of Venezia County of Steiermark County of Grisons Image: A timelapse of Teodor's lands and influence. The Kingdom of Illyria was founded in 1098, and the Republic of Venice was founded in 1124. Like his father, he had 8 children: 28.10.1100 - Martina [illegitimate - Mother: Damiane of Mesembria, Marshal of Illyria] 18.9.1103 - Vid [heir] 18.4.1105 - Kristina 18.12.1107 - Castimir 18.7.1110 - Sofija 18.5.1112 - Petra 25.1.1121 - Melisa 27.10.1126 - Teodor Image: Family tree showing Teodor's family - his grandfather Castimir, father Teodor II, his siblings and his children, including his heir, future King Vid. This makes his full title at time of death: King Teodor ‘the Just’ of Illyria, Duke of Carinthia, Croatia, Tyrol, Friuli and Dalmatia, Count of Krain, Kärnten, Aquileia, Steiermark, Veglia, Senj, Treviso, Verona and Mantua. Suzerain of Bosnia, Bavaria and Lombardy and Magus and First-Among-Equals of the Hermetic Society, founder of the Kingdom of Illyria and restorer of the Republic of Venice. Image: Teodor's death screen, with the royal emblem of Illyria visible at the top. He died on 23.2.1130, and was succeeded by his son Vid, aged 26, who inherited all his titles, except for his tributaries. He ruled for 41 years. Player note: Teodor's rise to royalty does mean that all 3 goals set for House Lanik at the beginning of this fun little project have been achieved! The family is now independent, in control of the Duchies of Carinthia, Croatia, Dalmatia and Friuli (plus Tyrol and Venice to boot), has founded a Kingdom and preserved their South Slavic culture! However, this doesn't mean I'm giving up on the Lanik family, and I do have plans to continue their story, wherever it'll take us. Perhaps an Empire or a religious revolution is something to look forward to! I had a lot of fun making it, so I'll definitely keep on doing it Share this post Link to post
Lelling 402 Report post Posted October 2, 2017 Interim - The Rise of a Kingdom I figured this was a good point to take a bit of a break and make some overview posts of the history so far, so here's a slightly bigger timelapse of the lands of each of the head of the Lanik dynasty leading up to the formation of the Kingdom of Illyria. It includes the year, main title, and name of the ruler, overlaid over the in-game map of Lanik lands as they are now in 1130. I realized after finishing this that it might have been cooler to overlay this on the starting map I might save that for the end of the game in 1453. I also wish there were some kind of retrospective feature available in CK2 so I could turn back time on not just borders (for which I noted down each change manually), but also stuff like religion, culture, and prosperity. Here are the titles held by the heads of the Lanik family, sorted chronologically: County of Krain [1.1.764] Barony of Görz [15.3.773 - Inherited, 14.4.914 - Granted to relative, 13.8.922 - Inherited, 26.4.927 - Granted to relative, 9.7.968 - Inherited, 3.12.980 - Granted to vassal, 6.5.1035 - Inherited, 22.9.1036 - Granted to vassal] County of Kärnten [8.4.773 - Conquered] County of Steiermark [12.8.787 - Conquered, 13.8.829 - Lost in Succession, 13.12.829 - Conquered, 2.1.833 - Lost in Succession, 14.8.835 - Conquered] County of Innsbruck [21.1.794 - Conquered, 2.1.833 - Lost in Succession, 14.8.835 - Conquered, 7.3.1035 - Granted to relative] County of Tirol [18.9.842 - Conquered, 17.1.1020 - Granted to relative] Duchy of Croatia [22.12.864 - Conquered] County of Vegl [22.12.864 - Conquered Vassal, 23.5.865 - Revoked] County of Usora [22.12.864 - Conquered Vassal, 31.7.870 - Ceded by Liege] County of Zachlumia [22.12.864 - Vassalized, 2.1.0.883 - Revoked, 6.3.965 - Ceded by Liege, 28.6.991 - Conquered, 26.11.1088 - Granted to relative] County of Senj [22.12.864 - Conquered] County of Chur [7.3.902 - Conquered, 26.2.1000 - Granted to relative, 21.10.1041 - Revoked and granted to relative] Bishopric of Chur [7.3.902 - Conquered, 26.4.927 - Granted to relative] Barony of Castelnaudary [8.5.910 - Inherited, 16.11.915 - Granted to relative, 9.7.968 - Inherited, 20.4.969 - Granted to relative, 22.3.1061 - Inherited and granted to relative] City of Kraljevica [22.10.919 - Built and granted to vassal] Prince-Bishopric of St. Gallen [21.1.932 - Conquered, 3.12.980 - Reformed into a Grand City and granted to vassal] Duchy of Tyrol [22.1.932 - Created] Barony of Laibach [5.3.945 - Built, 26.4.947 - Granted to relative, 6.5.1035 - Inherited, 8.5.1035 - Granted to relative] City of Treffen [20.6.950 - Built, 13.7.950 - Granted to lover] County of Istria [4.3.973 - Inherited] Duchy of Carinthia [2.4.973 - Created] City of Lovrana [11.9.978 - Built and granted to vassal] County of Aquileia [16.11.980 - Vassalized, 2.12.980 - Revoked] City of Concordia [8.12.1004 - Built and granted to vassal] County of Grisons [18.8.1006 - Inherited] County of Venezia [14.8.1015 - Conquered, 27.1.1124 - Granted to relative] Duchy of Venice [17.8.1015 - Created, 27.1.1124 - Reformed into a Merchant Republic and granted to relative] City of Cilli [16.3.1024 - Built and granted to vassal] County of Zadar [2.1.1030 - Conquered] Barony of Nin [15.8.1031 - Built, 25.8.1031 - Granted to relative] Barony of Caplijna [25.8.1031 - Built, 11.9.1031 - Granted to relative, 21.10.1041 - Revoked] City of Novigrad [6.4.1034 - Built and granted to vassal] Duchy of Friuli [13.2.1057 - Inherited] County of Mantua [13.2.1057 - Inherited] County of Verona [13.2.1057 - Inherited Vassal, 26.11.1088 - Revoked] Conuty of Treviso [13.2.1057 - Inherited Vassal, 12.2.1060 - Inherited by vassal of a different liege, 9.5.1081 - Conquered] Duchy of Dalmatia [9.5.1081 - Conquered] County of Split [9.5.1081 - Conquered, 17.6.1081 - Granted to relative] Kingdom of Illyria [10.8.1098 - Founded] Share this post Link to post
Lelling 402 Report post Posted July 12, 2018 Year 1130-1177: King Vid of Illyria Image: Vid's profile through the years. Vid’s reign was marked by a massive expansion of the family’s titles. In his early reign, Vid vassalized the Duchies of Bosnia and Slavonia, and legitimizing his rule over them by declaring the Knigdom of Croatia. He also brought his mother’s holdings in Padua into his realm, claiming them in a war with the Kingdom of Lombardy, and later inherited them himself, and secured the Kingdom of Bavaria into a long-term tributary treaty under the Kingdom of Illyria. However, his biggest achievement was the role he played in the Crusade for Jerusalem. Controlling Venice and a large part of the Adriatic coast, Vid was in important player in the holy war, and his contributions were so pivotal that when the Crusade ended successfully, Vid was elected by the Pope to be the protector of Jerusalem, granting him the Kingdom of Jerusalem. During his later reign, however, Vid could not conquer the final goal he had set for his reign - the Kingdom of Lombardy. Instead, in his old age, his son Krasimir was already acting as regent, and focus had to be turned inward after a civil war broke out. The rebellion was crushed, but the faction opposing Vid decided the old king should make room for his younger son, and Vid met an end under suspicious circumstances that were never resolved. His realm structure (personal titles in bold, vassals in italic, minor (baronial) titles not included, any title obtained or altered outside of his direct inheritance has dates included) : Kingdom of Illyria Duchy of Carinthia County of Aquileia County of Istria County of Kärnten County of Krain Duchy of Croatia County of Senj County of Veglia County of Zachlumia Duchy of Tyrol County of Chur County of Innsbruck Grand City of St. Gallen County of Tirol Duchy of Friuli County of Mantua County of Treviso County of Verona County of Padua [23.6.1138 - Conquered Vassal, 18.5.1149 - Inherited] Duchy of Dalmatia [3.2.1131 - Granted to Duke Ulfo Lanik] County of Split County of Zadar Republic of Venice Grand City of Venezia County of Steiermark County of Grisons Knights Templar [1.3.1165 - Vassalized by holy decree] Knights Hospitaller [13.3.1165 - Vassalized by holy decree] Kingdom of Croatia [13.10.1132 - Founded] Duchy of Slavonia [19.8.1132 - Conquered Vassal, includes lower titles, 4.2.1175 - Revoked] County of Krizevci County of Zagreb County of Varazdin County of Dubrovnik Duchy of Bosnia [1.6.1133 - Vassalized, includes lower titles] County of Usora Kingdom of Jerusalem [1.2.1165 - Founded as aftermath of Crusade, all lower titles conquered same day] Prince-Archbishopric of Oultrejourdain Grand City of Kerak Prince-Bishopric of Monreal County of Negev Duchy of Ascalon County of Ascalon County of Beersheb County of Darum County of Jaffa County of Jerusalem County of Hebron County of Tiberias Image: A timelapse of Vid's lands and influence. Not pictured are the lands of his wife & ally, Alice Karling, Duchess suo jure of Orleans, Countess of Chartres and Toledo. Her holdings were part of the Empire of Francia. She was also the head of the historical Karling dynasty. Despite his lack of interest in women, he fathered 5 children with his wife: 22.8.1127 - Tihana [heir presumptive until 14.8.1135], died 17.4.1151 14.8.1135 - Krasimir [heir] 14.8.1137 - Emilija [Basilissa of the Byzantine Empire, married her cousin Theodoros 25.5.1157] 26.2.1139 - Teodor 14.6.1149 - Natalija Image: Family tree showing Vid's family - his father Teodor III, his siblings and his children, including his heir, future King Krasimir. His daughter Emilija became Basilissa of the Byzantime Empire after marrying her cousin, Basileus Theodoros in 25.5.1157. His full title at the time of his death was: King Vid ‘the Just’ of Illyria, Croatia, and Jerusalem, Duke of Carinthia, Slavonia, Tyrol and Friuli, Count of Krain, Aquileia, Istria, Kärnten, Senj, Veglia, Mantua, Treviso, Verona, Padua, Steiermark, and Protector of Jerusalem. Suzerain of Bavaria, Duke of Orleans jure uxoris, Magus and First-Among-Equals of the Hermetic Society, founder of the Kingdom of Croatia and restorer of the Kingdom of Jerusalem. Image: Teodor's death screen, with the royal emblem of Illyria visible at the top. He died on 28.4.1177, and was succeeded by his son Krasimir, aged 41, who inherited all his titles and tributaries. His reign was marked by an internal restructuring of the Kingdom, doubling the number of vassals under the Illyrian crown, and adding the crowns of Jerusalem and Croatia to the Lanik family. He also arranged a number of important marriages, including that of his daughter to the Emperor of the Byzantine Empire, and the betrothal of his sons & nephews to influential members of the various European Empires, in hopes of securing a future for the Lanik dynasty outside of the realm of Illyria. He ruled for 47 years. Player note: Oh hello. It's been 3254235 years but I'm back with an update! I want to bring this game to completion. The Kingdom of Jerusalem was definitely an unexpected turn of events My current goal is the claim the Kingdom of Lombardy and then found an Empire. I think I might stop expanding at that point. I also wanted to see if I could get more Lanik family members on various thrones around the world, but haven't focused specifically on that. We shall see what the future holds! Also, small note on the Kingdom of Jerusalem titles - due to the way holy wars work, for a hot second, Vid owned every single title in it, but I divvied it up to different rulers practically instantly so I didn't remark on that in the "historical" overview. Share this post Link to post
Lelling 402 Report post Posted July 16, 2018 Year 1177-1201: King Krasimir of Illyria Image: Krasimir's profile through his years as king. Krasimir’s reign was not as long, nor as illustrious as his father’s, and he mainly focused on internal affairs rather than expanding the realm, although later in his reign, he did manage to conquer a sizeable portion of Lombardy. He finished the process his father started, rearranging the vassal structure of the realm. Dealing with a major rebellion for a large part of his reign, he was forced to abandon the tributary contract with Bavaria. His realm structure (personal titles in bold, vassals in italic, minor (baronial) titles not included, any title obtained or altered outside of his direct inheritance has dates included): Kingdom of Illyria Duchy of Carinthia County of Aquileia County of Istria County of Kärnten County of Krain Duchy of Croatia County of Senj [18.9.1178 - Granted to Vassal] County of Veglia County of Zachlumia Duchy of Tyrol [18.9.1178 - Granted to Vassal] County of Chur County of Innsbruck Grand City of St. Gallen County of Tirol County of Grisons [18.9.1178 - Included in Duchy of Tyrol] Duchy of Friuli County of Mantua County of Treviso County of Verona County of Padua Duchy of Dalmatia [28.2.1192 - Revoked, 23.4.1192 - Granted to Vassal] County of Split County of Zadar County of Dubrovnik [23.4.1192 - Transferred to Duchy of Dalmatia] Republic of Venice Grand City of Venezia Duchy of Lombardy [22.10.1197 - Conquered, all lesser titles vassalized] County of Brescia County of Lombardy County of Pavia [22.10.1197 - Conquered] County of Piemonte [22.10.1197 - Conquered, 6.11.1197 - Granted to Vassal, 18.11.1197 - Transferred under Duchy of Lombardy] Prince-Bishopric of Trent County of Steiermark Knights Templar Knights Hospitaller Kingdom of Croatia Duchy of Slavonia [7.7.1177 - Granted to Vassal] County of Krizevci County of Zagreb County of Varazdin County of Usora [26.5.1177 - Revoked, 7.7.1177 - Granted to Vassal, Included in Duchy of Slavonia] County of Szekesfehervar [24.3.1200 - Conquered by Vassal] Duchy of Bosnia [26.5.1177 - Destroyed] Kingdom of Jerusalem Prince-Archbishopric of Oultrejourdain Grand City of Kerak Prince-Bishopric of Monreal County of Negev Duchy of Ascalon County of Ascalon County of Beersheb County of Darum County of Jaffa County of Jerusalem County of Hebron County of Tiberias Image: A timelapse of Krasimir's lands and influence. Krasimir is succeeded by his three daughters, Natalija, Kristina, and Petra. 3.1.1186 - Natalija [heir] 3.10.1192 - Kristina 3.4.1992 - Petra Image: Family tree showing Krasimir's family. Note: Krasimir had a number of children with his lover Capeka, who was married to Euphemios Lampinos. None of the children’s lineages were ever exposed, so they were considered legitimate children of Euphemios and Capeka. 26.10.1178, Krasimir 13.5.1180, Vid 13.2.1185, Natalija 13.7.1196, Teodor His full title at the time of his death was: King Krasimir of Illyria, Croatia, and Jerusalem, Duke of Carinthia and Friuli, Count of Krain, Aquileia, Istria, Kärnten, Veglia, Mantua, Treviso, Verona, Padua, Steiermark, and Protector of Jerusalem. Image: Krasimir's death screen, with the royal emblem of Illyria visible at the top. Despite making advances in Lombardy, he did not succeed in his father’s quest for the Kingdom either. Perhaps one of his daughters will have more luck. He died on 29.5.1201, and was succeeded by his daughter Natalija, aged 15, who inherited all his titles. He ruled for 24 years. Share this post Link to post
Lelling 402 Report post Posted October 4, 2018 Year 1201-1266: Queen Natalija of Illyria Image: Natalija's profile through her years as queen. Natalija continued the family's tradition of great female rulers, as well as her namesake's longevity, ruling for over six decades, and her reign saw great expansions into the Italian territories, as well as the Middle East. Advances in culture and technology, as well as investments into local development, were a focus of her rule, as were relationships with other rulers. She also ensured that her husband Unulf was crowned King of Lombardy, reforming the Kingdom into the Kingdom of Italy. She herself was the hand behind several men in positions of power, establishing, among others, distant cousin Lutbert as King of Scotland, brother-in-law Angelbert as Emperor of Hispania and her son-in-law Sa’d as the Sultan / King of the Lubbunid Andalusian Sultanate. She also established an antipope after being excommunicated by Pope Victor IV - her distant cousin Vid, who became Pope Hadrianus II. Her reign also saw a major political shift as invaders from the West, calling themselves Aztecs, descended upon Europe, conquering Wales and most of the Iberian Peninsula. Natalija was an efficient and powerful ruler, and her reign was marked as a period of great prosperity and stability across all of Illyria. She was also a reformer, introducing the Absolute Cognatic succession law, making women inherit on the same grounds as men for the first time in history. Note: Yep, the Aztecs are a thing. It's a much-debated DLC since it's an alternate historical timeline but then again, so's everything else that's been happening Image: Family tree showing Natalija's family. Natalija had four children, but only two of them managed to outlive her. They're marked in bold. 24.4.1212 - Katarina [heir] 24.9.1215 - Peter [heir apparent until his death] - died 1.5.1218 24.5.1217 - Natalija (Duchess Natalija II of Ivrea and Modena) 24.11.1219 - Jelka (Queen consort of Andalusia) - died 19.5.1263 Her full title at the time of her death was: Queen Natalija of Illyria, Croatia and Jerusalem, Duchess of Carinthia and Friuli, Countess of Krain, Aquileia, Istria, Kärnten, Veglia, Mantua, Treviso, Verona, Padua, Steiermark, Maan, Petra, and Protector of Jerusalem, Maga and First-Among-Equals of the Hermetic Society. Image: Natalija's death screen. Natalija furthered her family's advances in Lombardy / Italy, and by establishing her husband as King, managed to already exert an amount of influence over the realm. However, her husband was a rather incompetent ruler, losing territories in the South to the Byzantine Empire, and Natalija herself later vassalized many of his northern territories. She died on 24.5.1266, and was succeeded by her daughter Katarina, who inherited all of her titles. She ruled for almost 65 years, dying just five days before her the 65th anniversary of her succession. Will Katarina be able to conquer the Kingdom of Italy, or will her reign crumble under the new threat of the Aztec invasion from the West, or the perpetually looming Byzantine Empire in the East? Image: A timelapse of Natalija's lands and influence. Small changes such as revoking a title, then granting it to a different vassal within a few days, have been omitted. Note: I added a little change - the map now overlays the territory over the map of the world at the time of succession, rather than time of death, and shows the changed map at the end of the animation. Also, for some reason the gif is refusing to animate?? Here's an imgur link. Her realm tree (personal titles in bold, vassals in italic, minor (baronial) titles not included, any title changes during their reign have dates included): Kingdom of Illyria Duchy of Carinthia County of Aquileia County of Istria County of Kärnten County of Krain Duchy of Croatia County of Senj County of Veglia County of Zachlumia Duchy of Tyrol County of Chur County of Innsbruck Grand City of St. Gallen County of Tirol County of Grisons County of Schwaben [22.3.1206 - Conquered by Vassal] County of Zelezna [11.9.1222 - Inherited by Vassal] Duchy of Friuli County of Mantua [26.7.1211 - Granted to Vassal] County of Treviso County of Verona County of Padua Duchy of Dalmatia County of Split County of Zadar County of Dubrovnik Republic of Venice Grand City of Venezia Grand City of Ferrara [15.7.1264 - Conquered by Vassal] Republic of Genoa [26.7.1243 - Created, Granted to Vassal] County of Genoa [26.7.1243 - Conquered, Granted to Vassal] Duchy of Lombardy County of Brescia County of Lombardy County of Pavia County of Piemonte Prince-Bishopric of Trent Duchy of Sinai [18.5.1237 - Usurped, 26.8.1238 - Granted to Vassal] County of Eilat [12.3.1230 - Conquered, 26.8.1238 - Granted to Vassal] County of El-Arish [12.3.1230 - Conquered, 18.5.1237 - Granted to Vassal] County of Farama [12.3.1230 - Conquered, 18.5.1237 - Granted to Vassal] County of Sinai [12.3.1230 - Conquered, 26.3.1230 - Granted to Vassal] Duchy of Ivrea [26.7.1243 - Conquered, Granted to Vassal] County of Saluzzo [26.7.1243 - Conquered, Granted to Vassal] County of Monferrato [26.7.1243 - Vassalized with Duchy] County of Piemonte [9.7.1263 - Conquered by Vassal] County of Ravenna [26.7.1243 - Conquered] Duchy of Modena [26.7.1243 - Conquered, Granted to Vassal] County of Modena [26.7.1243 - Conquered, Granted to Vassal] County of Parma [26.7.1243 - Vassalized with Duchy] County of Steiermark Knights Hospitaller Knights Templar County of Maan [14.8.1238 - Conquered] County of Petra [14.8.1238 - Conquered] County of Tabuk [14.8.1238 - Conquered, 26.7.1243 - Granted to Vassal] Kingdom of Croatia Duchy of Slavonia County of Krizevci County of Zagreb County of Varazdin County of Usora County of Szekesfehervar Kingdom of Jerusalem Prince-Archbishopric of Oultrejourdain Grand City of Kerak Prince-Bishopric of Monreal County of Negev County of Tiberias [19.9.1205 - Transferred to Oultrejourdain] County of Madaba [1.10.1217 - Conquered in war and granted to vassal] Duchy of Ascalon County of Ascalon County of Beersheb County of Darum County of Jaffa County of Hebron [19.9.1205 - Transferred to Ascalon] County of Jerusalem During her reign, the size of her realm increased from 173 to 254 holdings. Lelling note: Hey everyone! Here's another long overdue update! I've been super busy with all the OC stuff lately but decided to take some time to power through another ruler, and boy was I not ready for another Duracell Queen. I made some changes to the layout of the posts - I've now clearly separated the mostly flavor stuff (in the left column) from the technical stuff (right column), so now the left column is very much biographical and focuses on the achievements of the individual ruler, as well as completely arbitrary flavour stuff like their "full title", and the set up for the heir. The right column is focused more on the realm expansion and titles, and I'll see if I can extract some more statistics for future rulers for anyone who likes that kind of thing . Share this post Link to post
Lelling 402 Report post Posted October 8, 2018 Year 1266-1306: Empress Katarina of the Illyrian Empire Image: Katarina's profile through her years as queen. Katarina’s rule was not as long as her mother’s, but was definitely not unimpactful. She not only added the Crown of Italy under Illyrian rule, but also reclaimed the historical territories of Italy for the crown once in her control. By skillfully negotiating a marriage between the Aztec Emperor’s daughter and her son, she secured peace between the two realms until her son’s death, by which point the Aztec Empire was weakened by its overextensions. 1291 began a series of reforms, founding the Illyrian Empire. The three crowns of Illyria, Croatia, and Italy together with the Kingdom of Jerusalem, the proverbial crown jewel of the empire, form the newly founded Illyrian Empire. Katarina’s reforms also moved the realm into Imperial administration, and local civil wars became forbidden, and she introduced Viceroyalties to the realm, allowing her to convert hereditary Duchies to Viceroyalties, which are ran in the name of the Empress by her vassals, but not inherited by their children. After founding the Empire, Katarina mostly looked inwards, and worked on improving the economy and infrastructure of her realm, although she did halt the advances of the Aztec in mainland Europe by liberating Aquitaine from their grasp and returning it to Catholic rule. She spent most of her late reign converting vassal Duchies to Viceroyal positions. Image: Family tree showing Katarina's family. Katarina had four children, but just like with her mother, only two of them managed to outlive her. They're marked in bold, and her grand-children by her daughter Natalija, which includes her heir, are noted as well. 15.1.1245 - Natalija [heir apparent until her death in 3.6.1286] 16.1.1273 - Katarina [heir] 16.11.1274 - Sofija 16.11.1279 - Natalija 15.1.1245 - Nejc [died 17.1.1283] 15.2.1250 - Katja 15.9.1251 - Vid (9.1.1301 - Becomes Prince Mayor Vid II of Venice) Her full title at the time of her death was: Empress Katarina of the Illyrian Empire, Queen of Illyria, Italy, Croatia and Jerusalem, Duchess of Carinthia and Friuli, Countess of Krain, Aquileia, Istria, Kärnten, Veglia, Treviso, Verona, Padua, Steiermark, Rome, Protector of Jerusalem and Baroness of Görz, Maga and First-Among-Equals of the Hermetic Society. Image: Katarina's death screen. Katarina completed her family's recent goals of expanding into Italy, and her ambition drove the family to new heights, emerging as one of the most powerful families in the known world. She died on 15.8.1306, and was succeeded by her granddaughter Katarina, who inherited all of her titles. She ruled for 40 years. Katarina I left many unfinished plans, including the plan to expunge the Byzantine Empire from the Apennine Peninsula, and to install her son-in-law as the Emperor of the Byzantine Empire, with hopes that the title would pass down to her granddaughter. Perhaps Katarina II will be able to secure those goals. Image: A timelapse of Katarina's lands and influence. Small changes such as revoking a title, then granting it to a different vassal within a few days, have been omitted. Her realm tree: Spoiler Personal titles are marked in bold, vassals in italic, minor (baronial) titles not included, any title changes during their reign have dates included. Illyrian Empire [6.5.1291 - Founded] Kingdom of Illyria Duchy of Carinthia County of Aquileia County of Istria County of Kärnten County of Krain Duchy of Croatia County of Senj County of Veglia County of Zachlumia Duchy of Tyrol County of Chur County of Innsbruck Grand City of St. Gallen County of Tirol County of Grisons County of Schwaben County of Zelezna Duchy of Friuli County of Mantua County of Treviso County of Verona County of Padua Minor Viceroyalty of Dalmatia [3.1.1300 - Converted to a Viceroyalty] County of Split County of Zadar County of Dubrovnik Kingdom of Croatia Duchy of Slavonia County of Krizevci County of Zagreb County of Varazdin County of Usora County of Szekesfehervar Most Serene Republic of Venice [29.6.1291 - Founded] Republic of Venice [29.6.1291 - Transferred to Most Serene Republic of Venice] Grand City of Venezia Grand City of Ferrara Republic of Genoa [29.6.1291 - Transferred to Most Serene Republic of Venice] Grand City of Genoa Kingdom of Italy [23.10.1273 - Conquered along with many lesser vassals*] Duchy of Ancona [*] County of Urbino [*] County of Ancona [22.5.1278 - Conquered and granted to vassal] Duchy of Benevento [*] County of Foggia [*] County of Benevento [22.5.1278 - Vassalized in war] Minor Viceroyalty of Ferrara [12.8.1267 - Created, 23.10.1273 - Granted to vassal, 28.1.1302 - Revoked & converted to Viceroyalty] County of Bologna [*] Duchy of Ivrea [23.10.1273 - Transferred to Italy] County of Saluzzo County of Monferrato County of Piemonte Minor Viceroyalty of Latium [12.4.1279 - Usurped, 28.1.1302 - Converted to Viceroyalty] County of Orvieto Duchy of Lombardy [23.10.1273 - Transferred to Italy] County of Brescia County of Lombardy County of Pavia Prince-Bishopric of Trent Minor Viceroyalty of Modena [23.10.1273 - Transferred to Italy, 4.9.1297 - Converted to Viceroyalty] County of Modena County of Parma County of Pisa County of Ravenna Duchy of Pisa [*] County of Cremona [*] County of Nice [*] County of Piombino [*] Duchy of Sardinia [22.5.1278 - Usurped and granted to vassal] County of Cagliari [22.5.1278 - Conquered and granted to vassal] County of Corsica [22.5.1278 - Vassalized in war] County of Gallura [22.5.1278 - Conquered and granted to vassal] County of Ogliastra [22.5.1278 - Conquered and granted to vassal] County of Torres [22.5.1278 - Vassalized in war] Duchy of Spoleto [*] County of Aputium [22.5.1278 - Conquered and granted to vassal] County of Spoleto [*] Duchy of Tuscany [*, 28.1.1302 - Revoked and converted to Viceroyalty] County of Lucca County of Siena County of Florence County of Rome [22.5.1278 - Conquered] Kingdom of Jerusalem Prince-Archbishopric of Oultrejourdain Grand City of Kerak Prince-Bishopric of Monreal County of Negev County of Tiberias County of Madaba Minor Viceroyalty of Ascalon [1.6.1298 - Converted to Viceroyalty] County of Ascalon County of Darum County of Jaffa Minor Viceroyalty of Jerusalem [25.3.1296 - Created, 1.6.1298 - Granted to Vassal] County of Beersheb [1.6.1298 - Transferred to Jerusalem] County of Hebron [1.6.1298 - Transferred to Jerusalem] County of Jerusalem Duchy of Sinai County of Eilat County of El-Arish County of Farama County of Sinai Knights Hospitaller County of Sijilmasa [30.12.1300 - Conquered by Vassal] Knights Templar Duchy of Arabia [18.1.1268 - Created, Granted to Vassal] County of Maan [29.7.1266 - Granted to Vassal] County of Petra [18.1.1268 - Granted to Vassal] County of Tabuk County of Steiermark Lelling note: There's a lot of titles now so I put them in a little hidden thingo ^^ Her wars: Spoiler Major wars are marked in bold. 1.12.1266 - 25.3.1267 - Peasant Revolt for Schwaben 1.3.1269 - 5.5.1269 - Peasant Revolt for Innsbruck 5.7.1272 - 23.10.1273 - Illyrian Claim on Italy War 7.3.1277 - 22.5.1278 - Illyrian-Byzantine Great Conquest of Italy 26.12.1279 - 27.12.1280 - Papal Claim on Latium War 1.6.1280 - 12.7.1280 - Peasant Revolt for Aprutium 1.3.1283 - 27.5.1283 - Peasant Revolt for Arborea 14.6.1283 - 13.5.1284 - Papal Claim on San Severino War 1.11.1290 - 8.1.1291 - Illyrian Cathar Revolt 3.1.1292 - 12.2.1294 - Illyrian-Aztec War to Religiously Liberate Aquitaine 10.10.1294 - 16.2.1296 - Illyrian-Byzantine De Jure War over Rama 10.7.1296 - 29.5.1298 - Revolt against the rule of Empress Katarina the Shrewd 16.8.1298 - 6.1.1300 - 2nd Revolt against the rule of Empress Katarina the Shrewd 1.11.1299 - 4.2.1300 - 2nd Illyrian Cathar Revolt 1.2.1300 - 25.3.1300 - Peasant Revolt for Kerak 20.4.1300 - 20.1.1302 - 3rd Revolt against the rule of Empress Katarina the Shrewd 10.1.1303 - 6.7.1303 - Peasant Revolt for Ancona 21.2.1306 - - Illyrian-Byzantine Great Conquest of Sicily Lelling note: I think next time I'll include some more info about the wars, like the belligerents, who declared them, etc. During her reign, the size of her realm increased from 254 to 348 holdings, and she went from 54 to 70 direct vassals. She was involved in 18 wars, and never lost a single one. She died during the Illyrian-Byzantine Great Conquest of Sicily. Lelling note: I'm not sure about this layout with the hidden fields, so I'll continue to experiment. Maybe by the time the game is over, we'll see what's best Share this post Link to post
Lelling 402 Report post Posted November 1, 2018 Year 1306-1326: Empress Katarina II of the Illyrian Empire Image: Katarina's profile through her years as queen. Katarina II’s rule was a period of constant warfare, and peace during her reign was rare and tenuous. One of the largest revolts, resulting in a 9-year civil war, broke out during her early attempts to centralize and imperialize the administration of her realm. She eventually succeeded in crushing the rebellion, and her later reign saw many ducal titles be reformed into imperial viceroyalties - uninheritable titles which can be given and taken by the Emperor at will. Katarina also claimed the Kingdom of Sicily for the Illyrian Empire, adding a fifth crown to the empire, and further destabilizing the Byzantine Empire, a destabilisation which both she, and her mother before her, used establish several members of the Lanik family. Towards the final years of her life, she secured a marriage between her daughter Katarina III, and the future Byzantine emperor, Bartholomaios, who is also a member of the Lanik dynasty, in hopes of uniting the two empires under a single ruler. Perhaps not insignificant are also the conquests of the Knights Hospitaller, who act as a vassal of the Illyrian Empire. They pushed deep into West Africa, claiming the region of Timbuktu. Image: Family tree showing Katarina's family. Katarina had only one child. 8.1.1308 - Katarina [heir] Her full title at the time of her death was: Empress Katarina II of the Illyrian Empire, Queen of Illyria, Italy, Sicily, Croatia and Jerusalem, Duchess of Carinthia and Friuli, Countess of Krain, Aquileia, Istria, Kärnten, Treviso, Verona, Padua, Steiermark, Rome, Protector of Jerusalem. Image: Katarina's death screen. Katarina continued her family's ambition to expand fully into the peninsula, claiming the Kingdom of Sicily as well as continued the administration reforms started by her mother. She died on 8.7.1326, and was succeeded by her daughter Katarina, who inherited all of her titles as Empress Katarina III of Illyria. She ruled for nearly 20 years. Katarina II completed her mother's ambition to conquer the entire Apenine peninsula, and helped secure a succession of Lanik dynasty members in the Byzantine Empire, which would eventually be inherited by her grandchildren. But will her daughter be successful in maintaining her family's position in the Byzantine Empire? Image: A timelapse of Katarina's lands and influence, also featuring the 9-year revolt. Her realm tree: Spoiler Personal titles are marked in bold, vassals in italic, minor (baronial) titles not included, any title changes during their reign have dates included. Illyrian Empire Kingdom of Illyria Duchy of Carinthia County of Aquileia County of Istria County of Kärnten County of Krain Minor Viceroyalty of Croatia [12.12.1308 - Converted to viceroyalty] County of Senj County of Veglia County of Zachlumia Minor Viceroyalty of Tyrol [2.3.1324 - Converted to viceroyalty] County of Chur County of Innsbruck Grand City of St. Gallen County of Tirol County of Grisons County of Schwaben County of Zelezna Duchy of Friuli County of Mantua County of Treviso County of Verona County of Padua Minor Viceroyalty of Dalmatia County of Split County of Zadar County of Dubrovnik Kingdom of Croatia Minor Viceroyalty of Slavonia [2.3.1324 - Converted to Viceroyalty] County of Krizevci County of Zagreb County of Varazdin County of Szekesfehervar Minor Viceroyalty of Bosnia [2.3.1324 - Converted to Viceroyalty] County of Rama County of Usora Most Serene Republic of Venice Republic of Venice Grand City of Venezia Grand City of Ferrara Republic of Genoa Grand City of Genoa Kingdom of Italy Duchy of Ancona County of Urbino County of Ancona Duchy of Benevento County of Foggia County of Benevento Minor Viceroyalty of Ferrara County of Bologna Minor Viceroyalty of Ivrea [2.3.1324 - Converted to Viceroyalty] County of Saluzzo County of Monferrato County of Piemonte Minor Viceroyalty of Latium County of Orvieto Minor Viceroyalty of Lombardy [2.3.1324 - Converted to Viceroyalty] County of Brescia County of Lombardy County of Pavia Prince-Bishopric of Trent Minor Viceroyalty of Modena County of Modena County of Parma County of Pisa County of Ravenna Duchy of Pisa County of Cremona County of Nice County of Piombino Duchy of Sardinia County of Cagliari County of Corsica County of Gallura County of Ogliastra County of Torres Duchy of Spoleto County of Aputium County of Spoleto Minor Viceroyalty of Tuscany [9.11.1309 - Converted to Viceroyalty] County of Lucca County of Siena County of Florence County of Rome [16.12.1312 - Granted to Vassal, 4.5.1319 - Inherited from Vassal] Kingdom of Sicily [29.8.1307 - Conquered, all lesser titles vassalized] Minor Viceroyalty of Apulia [2.3.1324 - Converted to Viceroyalty] County of Apulia County of Bari County of Lecce Minor Viceroyalty of Calabria County of Catanzaro County of Reggio County of Kroton [19.2.1321 - Lost via Inheritance, 4.2.1326 - Usurped for Vassal] Minor Viceroyalty of Capua County of Capua County of Napoli County of Palermo County of Siracusa Minor Viceroyalty of Salerno County of Amalfi County of Salerno County of Taranto Minor Viceroyalty of Sicily County of Girgenti County of Malta County of Messina County of Sofia County of Trapani Kingdom of Jerusalem Prince-Archbishopric of Oultrejourdain Grand City of Kerak Prince-Bishopric of Monreal County of Negev County of Tiberias County of Madaba Prince-Bishopric of Ortobello Minor Viceroyalty of Ascalon County of Ascalon County of Darum County of Jaffa Minor Viceroyalty of Jerusalem County of Beersheb County of Hebron County of Jerusalem Minor Viceroyalty of Sinai County of Eilat County of El-Arish County of Farama County of Sinai Minor Viceroyalty of Moesia [29.8.1307 - Conquered under Sicily, 2.3.1324 - Transferred to the Illyrian Empire] County of Dorostotum County of Nikopolis County of Euboia [2.3.1324 - Transferred to Viceroyalty of Moesia] Knights Hospitaller County of Sijilmasa County of Oualata [15.10.1324 - Conquered by vassal in a Holy War] County of Taghaza [15.10.1324 - Conquered by vassal in a Holy War] County of Timbuktu [15.10.1324 - Conquered by vassal in a Holy War] County of Araouane [15.10.1324 - Conquered by vassal in a Holy War] Knights Templar Minor Viceroyalty of Arabia [2.3.1324 - Converted to Viceroyalty] County of Maan County of Petra County of Tabuk County of Steiermark Her wars: Spoiler 21.2.1306 - 29.8.1307 - Illyrian-Byzantine Great Conquest of Sicily Attackers Empress Katarina I of the Illyrian Empire (1306) [Declarer] Empress Katarina II of the Illyrian Empire (1306-1307) [Victor] Defenders Basileus Theodosios VI of the Byzantine Empire (1306) Basileus Bartholomaios II of the Byzantine Empire (1307) [Defeated] Result Illyrian victory Empress Katarina II claims all titles in the Kingdom of Sicily 1.2.1308 - 28.6.1308 - Illyrian-Papal De Jure War over Latium Attackers Empress Katarina II of the Illyrian Empire [Victor] Defenders Pope Victor VI [Defeated] Result Illyrian victory The County of Ortobello is conquered by Katarina and given to Pope Honorius III, Illyria’s Antipope 18.12.1309 - 28.5.1310 - Revolt against the rule of Empress Katarina II of Illyrian Empire Attackers Duke Ognjen of Sinai [Defeated] Defenders Empress Katarina II of Illyrian Empire [Victor] Result Empress Katarina imprisons Duke Ognjen, and revokes all of his titles on charges of treason and heresy, spreading them to catholic rulers. The Duchy of Sinai is reformed into a Viceroyalty. Katarina grants the County of El-Arish to Ognjen’s son, and makes him Viceroy of Sinai. 11.10.1310 - 26.3.1312 - Illyrian War for Hereweard’s claim on Essex Attackers Empress Katarina II of Illyrian Empire [Victor] Defenders Queen Ffelis the Great [Defeated] Result Hereweard Uib becomes King Hereweard II of Essex 15.9.1312 - 29.7.1315 - 3rd Aquitanian Civil War for Gavelkind Attackers Aymar of Aquitanian Revolt [Defeated] Defenders King Bertrand of Aquitaine [Target, Victor] Empress Katarina II of Illyrian Empire Result Aquitaine retains its Agnatic-Cognatic Primogeniture succession law The leaders of the rebellion are arrested 6.2.1313 - 1.3.1316 - Byzantine Revolt War for Count Theophylaktos’s claim on Byzantine Empire Attackers Countess Agne of Seleukeia, Leader of the Byzantine Revolt Defenders Empress Jelka of the Byzantine Empire [Target, Victor] Empress Katarina II of Illyrian Empire (1314-1316) Result Countess Agne is arrested, and Empress Jelka secures her throne 14.2.1315 - 2.3.1324 - 3rd Illyrian Civil War to increase Council Power Attackers Minor Vicereine Dubravka of Ascalon, Leader of Illyrian Revolt (1315-1318) Count Erlembald ‘the Black’ of Darum, Leader of Illyrian Revolt (1318-1324) Grandmaster Bataul of Knights Templar Grandmaster Irkhan of Knights Hospitaller Defenders Empress Katarina of Illyrian Empire [Target] Empress Jelka of the Byzantine Empire [Ally] Result The revolt suffers a crushing defeat and surrenders unconditionally. The Duchies of Tyrol, Lombardy, Ivrea, Slavonia, Apulia and Arabia are revoked from the Dukes of the failed revolt, and transformed into Viceroyal titles. A large portion of Sicily’s Greek Orthodox rulers involved in the revolt have their titles seized and are replaced with Lanik family Catholic rulers. 6.2.1317 - 12.2.1294 - Aquitanian War for the Sheikhdom of Mursiya and Wilayah of Medina Siyasa Attackers King Bertrand of Aquitaine [Declarer, Died During War] Empress Katarina the Just Defenders Emir Shujah of the Anakirid Emirate Result Due to King Bertrand’s death, the war ended inconclusively 31.5.1317 - 19.6.1318 - French Ducal War for Duke Raynaud’s claim on Limousin Attackers Emperor Mathieu II of Francia Defenders King Bertrand of Aquitaine (1317) [Target] Queen Denise of Aquitaine (1317-1318) [Target] Empress Katarina of Illyrian Empire [Ally] Result Duke Raynaud of Burgundy is assassinated and the cassus belli is no longer valid, the war ends inconclusively 10.6.1324 - 28.2.1326 - Illyrian Ducal War for Minor Viceroy Saba’s claim on Kroton Attackers Empress Katarina of Illyrian Empire Defenders Strategitissa Demetra of Aegean Islands, Leader of Byzantine Revolt Result Illyrian victory, Minor Viceroy Sabas of Calabria gains the County of Kroton Lelling note: So I added some more info about the wars, but I might still play around with how exactly they're presented. But I think it's pretty cool to have an overview *shrug*. During her reign, the size of her realm increased from 348 to 450 holdings, and her personal direct vassals grew from 70 to 76 in number. She was involved in 10 wars, and never lost a single one. Lelling note: I'm starting to like the hidden fields a lot more now Share this post Link to post
Lelling 402 Report post Posted November 8, 2018 Year 1326-1369: Empress Katarina III of the Illyrian Empire Image: Katarina's profile through her years as queen. Katarina III was a much more peaceful ruler than her mother, and during her reign became known as ‘the Gentle’. During her reign, she preferred to let her vassals expand her realm, while she focused on internal improvements and imperial politics. She was married to Basileus Bartholomaios III of the Byzantine Empire, who lost the title due to faction pressure, a loss she spent 17 years of her reign reversing in order to secure the inheritance of the title for their son. Image: Family tree showing Katarina's family, including close family as well as her family connection to her husband. Katarina had five children. 5.5.1328 - Nejc [heir] 5.10.1332 - Jurij 5.3.1334 - Bartolomej (becomes Pope Ioannes IX on 31.12.1357) 5.6.1335 - Leon 5.8.1342 - Katja Her full title at the time of her death was: Empress Katarina III of the Illyrian Empire, Queen of Illyria, Italy, Sicily, Croatia and Jerusalem, Duchess of Carinthia and Friuli, Countess of Krain, Aquileia, Istria, Kärnten, Treviso, Verona, Padua, Veglia, Steiermark, Rome, Protector of Jerusalem, and Maga and First-Among-Equals of the Hermetic Society. Image: Katarina's death screen, absolutely roasting this poor 61-year old lady who was actually quite nice. Except for all the assassinations. Katarina's biggest achievement was putting her husband back onto his rightful throne as Basileus of the Byzantine Empire after he lost the title to internal political factions, while still keeping peaceful relations between the two Empires. She died on 5.9.1369, and was succeeded by her son Nejc, who inherited all of her titles as Emperor Nejc of Illyria. She ruled for nearly 43 years. Katarina III secured her son's position as the heir to both the Illyrian and the Byzantine Empire, paving his way for greatness. Will Nejc make full use of the potential to unite two of the most powerful Empires in the known world, or will his opportunities be squandered before the ink is dried on the deeds of inheritance? Image: A timelapse of Katarina's lands and influence. Her realm tree: Spoiler Personal titles are marked in bold, vassals in italic, minor (baronial) titles not included, any title changes during their reign have dates included. Illyrian Empire Kingdom of Illyria Duchy of Carinthia County of Aquileia County of Istria County of Kärnten County of Krain Minor Viceroyalty of Croatia County of Senj County of Veglia [30.7.1359 - Revoked from Vassal] County of Zachlumia Minor Viceroyalty of Tyrol County of Chur County of Innsbruck Grand City of St. Gallen County of Tirol County of Grisons County of Schwaben County of Zelezna Duchy of Friuli County of Mantua County of Treviso County of Verona County of Padua Minor Viceroyalty of Dalmatia County of Split County of Zadar County of Dubrovnik County of Buchan [12.12.1351 - Inherited by Vassal] County of The Hebrides [12.12.1351 - Inherited by Vassal] Kingdom of Croatia Minor Viceroyalty of Slavonia County of Krizevci County of Zagreb County of Varazdin County of Szekesfehervar Minor Viceroyalty of Bosnia County of Rama County of Usora Most Serene Republic of Venice Republic of Venice Grand City of Venezia Grand City of Ferrara Republic of Genoa Grand City of Genoa Emirate of Tunis [10.12.1362 - Vassalized by Prince Mayor of Venice, along with all lower titles] County of Gabes County of Kaiwan County of Mahdia Grand City of Medjerda County of Tunis Kingdom of Italy Minor Viceroyalty of Ancona [22.9.1368 - Converted to Viceroyalty] County of Urbino County of Ancona Minor Viceroyalty of Benevento [22.9.1368 - Converted to Viceroyalty] County of Foggia County of Benevento Minor Viceroyalty of Ferrara County of Bologna Minor Viceroyalty of Ivrea County of Saluzzo County of Monferrato County of Piemonte Minor Viceroyalty of Latium County of Orvieto Prince-Bishopric of Ortobello Minor Viceroyalty of Lombardy County of Brescia County of Lombardy County of Pavia Prince-Bishopric of Trent Minor Viceroyalty of Modena County of Modena County of Parma County of Pisa County of Ravenna Duchy of Pisa County of Cremona County of Nice County of Piombino Minor Viceroyalty of Sardinia [27.4.1363 - Converted to Viceroyalty] County of Cagliari County of Corsica County of Gallura County of Ogliastra County of Torres Minor Viceroyalty of Spoleto [22.9.1368 - Converted to Viceroyalty] County of Aputium County of Spoleto Minor Viceroyalty of Tuscany County of Lucca County of Siena County of Florence The Papacy [31.12.1357 - Claimed for Antipope] Prince-Bishopric of Rome [26.5.1356 - Granted to Pope] Kingdom of Sicily Minor Viceroyalty of Apulia County of Apulia County of Bari County of Lecce Minor Viceroyalty of Calabria County of Catanzaro County of Reggio County of Kroton Minor Viceroyalty of Capua County of Capua County of Napoli County of Palermo County of Siracusa Minor Viceroyalty of Salerno County of Amalfi County of Salerno County of Taranto Minor Viceroyalty of Sicily County of Girgenti County of Malta County of Messina County of Sofia County of Trapani Kingdom of Jerusalem Prince-Archbishopric of Oultrejourdain Grand City of Kerak Prince-Bishopric of Monreal County of Negev County of Tiberias County of Madaba Minor Viceroyalty of Ascalon County of Ascalon County of Darum County of Jaffa Minor Viceroyalty of Jerusalem County of Beersheb County of Hebron County of Jerusalem Minor Viceroyalty of Sinai County of Eilat County of El-Arish County of Farama County of Sinai Minor Viceroyalty of Moesia County of Dorostotum County of Nikopolis County of Euboia Knights Hospitaller County of Sijilmasa County of Oualata County of Taghaza County of Timbuktu County of Araouane County of Figuig [14.1.1343 - Conquered by Vassal in a Holy War] County of El Rif [14.1.1343 - Conquered by Vassal in a Holy War] Minor Viceroyalty of Marrakech [25.1.1353 - Usurped and granted to Vassal] County of Anti-Atlas [20.4.1351 - Conqured by Vassal in a Holy War] County of Canarias [20.4.1351 - Conqured by Vassal in a Holy War] County of Marrakech [20.4.1351 - Conqured by Vassal in a Holy War] County of Tamdoult [20.4.1351 - Conqured by Vassal in a Holy War] County of Taroudant [20.4.1351 - Conqured by Vassal in a Holy War] Knights Templar Minor Viceroyalty of Arabia County of Maan County of Petra County of Tabuk County of Hum [2.9.1350 - Usurped by Vassal in war] County of Steiermark Her wars: Spoiler 19.2.1327 - 17.1.1329 - Illyrian-Byzantine Revolt De Jure War over Jersualem Attackers Empress Katarina III of the Illyrian Empire Defenders Queen Demetra of Syria, Leader of Byzantine Revolt Result War ends inconclusively as Queen Demetra disbands the Byzantine Revolt by accepting a White Peace from Basileus Bartholomaios. 20.6.1330 - 24.1.1332 - Northamptonian War for Sofija’s claim on Rome Attackers Count Petre of Northampton Defenders Empress Katarina III of Illyrian Empire Result Count Petre surrenders, and Sofija Lanik is arrested. 30.8.1331 - 11.2.1333 - Nejc’s Host Claim on Illyrian Empire War Attackers Nejc’s Host Defenders Empress Katarina III of Illyrian Empire Result Nejc is captured in battle and is imprisoned. 1.1.1332 - 25.2.1332 - Peasant Revolt for Trapani. Attackers Michael of Trapanian Peasant Revolt Defenders Empress Katarina III of Illyrian Empire Result The peasant revolt is crushed and Michael is arrested. 9.5.1332 - 27.2.1337 - Aquitanian-Anakirid Vassalization War Attackers King Barthélémi of Aquitaine [Declarer] (1332-1337) Empress Katarina of Illyrian Empire [Ally - Joined 1333] Queen Ekaterina of Aquitaine (1337) Defenders Emir Shujah of the Anakirid Emirate (1332-1336) Emir Bilal of the Anakirid Emirate (1336-1337) Result Queen Ekaterina of Aquitaine vassalizes Emir Bilal. 27.6.1333 - 1.8.1335 - Aquitanian Revolt War for Princess Bourguigne’s claim on Aquitaine Attackers Count Aubry of Marsan, Leader of Aquitanian Revolt Defenders King Barthélémi of Aquitaine [Target] Empress Katarina III of Illyrian Empire Result King Barthélémi wins the war and imprisons Count Aubry and other vassals involved in the revolt. 6.8.1333 - 7.10.1337 - Papal Claim on Sijilmasa War Attackers Pope Lucius V Defenders Empress Katarina III of Illyrian Empire Result Katarina defeats Pope Lucius V and retains control of the County. 17.4.1336 - 8.6.1337 - 5th Byzantine Civil War for Elective Monarchy Attackers Prince Bartholomaios ‘the Wise’ of Byzantine Empire Defenders Basileus Bartholomaios ‘the Holy’ of Byzantine Empire [Target] Empress Katarina III of Illyrian Empire [Ally - Joined 1337] Result A powerful faction installs Bartholomaios ‘the Wise’ as Emperor, and the war ends. 1.4.1341 - 1.7.1341 - Peasant Revolt for Lombardy Attackers Ugolino of Lombard Peasant Revolt Defenders Empress Katarina III of Illyrian Empire Result The peasant revolt is crushed and Ugolino is imprisoned. 2.11.1345 - 1.5.1348 - Illyrian War for Princess Bourguigne’s claim on Aquitaine Attackers Empress Katarina III of Illyrian Empire Defenders King Aldebert the Hunter Result Empress Katarina wins the war, and Princess Bourguigne becomes Queen of Aquitaine. 1.3.1350 - 6.7.1350 - Peasant Revolt for Usora Attackers Ladislav of Usoran Peasant Revolt Defenders Empress Katarina III of Illyrian Empire Result The peasant revolt is crushed and Ladislav is imprisoned. 30.5.1356 - 31.12.1357 - Illyrian War for Pope Ioannes IX’s claim on The Papacy Attackers Empress Katarina III of Illyrian Empire Defenders Pope Leo X Result Katarina defeats Pope Leo X, and Bartolomej becomes Pope Ioannes IX. 4.11.1358 - 14.2.1360 - Illyrian-Muhallabid War to Religiously Liberate Africa Attackers Empress Katarina III of Illyrian Empire [Declarer] Basileus Bartholomaios III of Byzantine Empire [Ally] Defenders Sultan Hammud of the Muhallabid Sultanate Result Katarina wins the war, and establishes Sultan Tacfin in the Kingdom of Africa as a Christian ruler and a tributary to Illyria. 1.10.1361 - 8.2.1362 - Peasant Revolt for Grisons Attackers Meinhard of Grisonian Peasant Revolt Defenders Empress Katarina III of Illyrian Empire Result The revolt is crushed. 27.1.1366 - - Byzantine Holy War for Hamadan Attackers Basileus Bartholomaios III of Byzantine Empire [Declarer] Empress Katarina III of Illyrian Empire [Ally] (1366-1369) Defenders Samrat Ramadeva of Deccan Empire Result War still ongoing at the time of Katarina's death. During her reign, the size of her realm increased from 450 to 525 holdings. Lelling note: I'm rushing to finish this before the patch comes in on November 13th and changes the maps! About a hundred years to go - Halp! Share this post Link to post
