Crusader Kings 2 - Komnenian restoration
I thought CK2 would be a great game for an AAR. The role-playing element is just great. I will give every ruler his own chapter. This is my first AAR, so please point at mistakes I made.
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Since the battle of Manzikert in 1071, the Byzantine Empire has been losing a lot of territory. Aside from Abydos, Trebizond and Rhodes all of anatolia had been lost to the Turk. Now, in late 1081, Alexios I has been crowned emperor. He wanted revenge against the Turks, now divided into two groups: the Sultanate of Rum and the Great Seljuk Empire.
However, that would not be the first war of his reign. In little more than a month, the doux of Adrianople, a relative of the old emperor Michael Doukas, declared war on Alexios. The doux, however, couldn't stand against the might of the Byzantine army and quickly surrendered to the emperor. He was imprisoned and stripped off his title on the duchy of Adrianople. He was released pretty quickly as a sign of mercy.
Just as there was a little bit of peace in the realm, the ground began to shake. Buildings began to collapse and high amounts of manpower were needed to rebuild houses. As he was coordinating the rebuilding and reclaiming effort, a farmer approached Alexios.He said there was a giant crack in one of his fields. Curious, Alexios investigated the crack. It was full of hot flames and when he was standing above it he could hear the cries of the dead. Various men of the court gave many solutions on how to close the wound in the earth. Alexios decided to fill it in with stones. The gravel did it's job and Alexios' decision was praised far and wide.
Shortly after the crisis, Alexios' spouse gave birth to a son, whom they named Andronikos. Alexios saw an opportunity for conquest when the Turkish levies were far off in Syria, fighting independent Byzantine duchies. He declared war for Nicea and quickly occupied the north-west of Anatolia. After a few battles with Rumite armies, a peace offer quickly came rolling in. The Rumite sultan would cede all counties in the duchy of Nicea!
Within a few more years, three more sons were born, named Chrysogonos, Ioannikios and Manuel. In 1091, opportunity for non-violent expansion presented itself. Messages from Croatia suggested the old king died a little too early and now one of his child daughters was on the throne. Alexios proposed a betrothal between Andronikos and Queen Emilija I. They surprisingly accepted his proposal.
Apart from the annexation of Rashka, the following years were peaceful. Alexios finally got not only one but two daughters which were called Athanasia and Maria. He organized a grand tournament to celebrate the first ten years of his rule. Unfortunately, it would not come much further than that as Alexios died at the age of 39. Now it is for his son, Andronikos, to keep the empire together and lead the Anatolian reconquest to victory.
Re: Crusader Kings 2 - Komnenian restoration
Nice start rick, hopefully a nice long reign to come from the boy-Emperor.
Re: Crusader Kings 2 - Komnenian restoration
Quote:
Originally Posted by
johnhughthom
Nice start rick, hopefully a nice long reign to come from the boy-Emperor.
Your wish will be granted, he's in his 50s at this point.
Re: Crusader Kings 2 - Komnenian restoration
Andronikos took the throne when he was twelve years old. In the years that his father educated him, Alexios had told Andronikos about his ambitions and his plans for the future of Byzantium. He wanted to take back Anatolia and reclaim the territories in the west, more specifically the land south of the danube river and the south of Italy. Andronikos inherited these ideals, both because he could understand them and because he wanted to make his father proud.
Andronikos started his reign by declaring war on Duklja for one of his doux's claims on Hum. The small Dioclean army didn't have a chance against the much larger Byzantine army, so the war was over very quickly in favor of Andronikos.
Andronikos grew up to become a Midas Touched. He got married almost instantly when he turned 16. When the ceremonies were largely done, he declared war on the Seljuks of Rum, just as his father would have wanted. The superior Byzantine armies quickly overwelmed the unprepared rumite armies, whom didn't get much support from the greek mayority in their realm. The sultanate also has many problems with rebels who don't want to be ruled by Sunni Turks. As a celebration for his first real victory, Andronikos organizes a grand tournament for all nobles of the empire to join.
A year after the truce with the Turks was signed, Andronikos' wife gave birth to a son, who they named Neophytios. During the truce, Andronikos' chancellor was forging claims on Duklja's remaining counties. However, invasions were delayed because one of our allies, the duchess of Apulia(who was a Komnenos), was being attacked and later decided to be on the offensive herself. Despite these delays, the Byzantine invasion of Duklja commenced in october 1106. Again the dioclean troops couldn't hold the line and Duke Vladimir of Duklja reluctantly signed the treaty that would strip him off his lands.
The next few years are peaceful. Apart from a few family related matters, nothing really happens. Andronikos' brother Ioannikos asked for a title and he was granted the barony of Deuteron. Andronikos' policy on relatives is to let them marry dukes/duchesses so they are as far away as possible. In this time, Andronikos' wife gives birth to a son and a daughter, whom are named Alexios and Eirene. Andronikos was becoming restless and bored at that time and declared war on the Sultanate of Rum. His goal was to get Samos from the Turks. Because there was too much rum in Rum, the rumite soldiers didn't perform well against Byzantine soldiers. But when the rumite Sultan saw the incompetence of his soldiers, he called the sultan of the great Seljuk Empire into the war. The armies of the Seljuk empire reached Anatolia sooner than expected. Although Andronikos was victorious in the bulk of the battles, the seemingly endless stream of Seljuk armies didn't seem to stop. Calling in the 6300 man strong Varangian guard had no effect. Andronikos was forced to sign a white peace. The only real good thing that was a result of the war were the prisoners. By ransoming them, the empire gained a reasonable amount of gold.
Andronikos' wife, the queen of Croatia, begins a war for the throne of Hungary, which is in a pretty big civil war. Andronikos declines her call of arms, hoping to keep Hungary as a buffer between the empire and the Rus dukes.
The queen of Croatia gives Andronikos another daughter, who is named Alexeia. After hearing about internal struggles in the Seljuk empire, Andronikos breaks the truce signed with the Sultanate of Rum. Again, the rumites aren't able to resist the Byzantine soldiers. The Seljuk empire is called into the war, but their armies didn't come to the help of the Rumites. Now it is the Rumite sultan who wants a truce. Andronikos gains the duchy of Cibyrrhaeot. However with all of the wars going on, heretics have converted a great amount of the population in Anatolia.
Using his great diplomatic skills, Andronikos convinces the southern Italian duchies of Apulia and Capua to become vassals of the Byzantine empire. Andronikos reclaims the county of Capua for the duchy of Capua.
After some time, Andronikos' truce with the sultanate of Rum ran out. This time, he desired the duchy of Thracesia. The war was won quickly as the enemy was fighting in Georgia.
During the war for Thracesia, the duchess of Vidin decided to take Belgrade from one of the Hungarian Dukes who had risen up against the Hungarian king. The duchess of Apulia crowned herself queen of Sicily, which was tolerated by Andronikos because now the Italians would be able to take land themselves.
Andronikos proposed to educate his grandson, possibly the future emperor. The proposal was accepted. Andronikos also plotted to kill his wife, the queen of Croatia, because he thought she had become too expansionist. However, the plot was discovered when the kill attempt was made.
Ten years had passed since the last truce, so Andronikos thought it was time for war yet again. Without it's allies, the sultanate was quickly overwelmed and the peace treaty was signed quickly. Apart from some islands in the Aegean sea, all of western Anatolia is now in imperial hands.
The last years of Andronikos rule were less documented. The Byzantine empire attacked the county of tripoli, but not much is known about other events. Meanwhile, in the north, there was a lot going on. The queen of Croatia imprisoned and banished many dukes and duchesses. Their titles were given to one duke, one of her kinsmen. She later crowned him king of Hungary, so her dynasty would not die out. Andronikos didn't care about her decisions. It was her land afterall and there would be more penalties than advantages of having that land.
When Andronikos died, he had ruled for more than 50 years. His son, Neophysitos, was fourty-five when he took the throne. Will he be as good as his father?
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I'm sorry if you don't like meddling with factions. I don't to go across the danube, I want to stick to the old Byzantine or Roman borders.
Re: Crusader Kings 2 - Komnenian restoration
Nice AAR! :2thumbsup:
Btw, pictures from the first post are missing.
Re: Crusader Kings 2 - Komnenian restoration
Quote:
Originally Posted by
The King
Nice AAR! :2thumbsup:
Btw, pictures from the first post are missing.
Fixed now. I moved the pictures to another photobucket album.
Re: Crusader Kings 2 - Komnenian restoration
Nice update. :yes:
Quote:
Originally Posted by
rickinator9
I'm sorry if you don't like meddling with factions. I don't to go across the danube, I want to stick to the old Byzantine or Roman borders.
It's your game, you don't need to justify how you play, or decisions you make.
Re: Crusader Kings 2 - Komnenian restoration
Very impressive. I've been thinking about a post Manzikert start date for the Byz and trying to rebuild the old glories, and this AAR is some good inspiration @rickinator9 .
You've taken a good bite out of the Rum sultanate, if you can keep the momentum you'll be golden.
Re: Crusader Kings 2 - Komnenian restoration
I will be following this AAR very closely. I really like the direction of the Byzantine Reconquest. Historically, Alexius I and John II adopted a similar course.
Good luck!
Re: Crusader Kings 2 - Komnenian restoration
Thanks all, I will be continuing this shortly. Exams are almost here, but I think I can squeeze in some posts.
Re: Crusader Kings 2 - Komnenian restoration
Because of Paradoxs' patch, this AAR is ended. The save game is now incompatible with the game.
Re: Crusader Kings 2 - Komnenian restoration
Quote:
Originally Posted by
rickinator9
Because of Paradoxs' patch, this AAR is ended. The save game is now incompatible with the game.
You're not alone rick... Check out Monk's challenge in the Arena thread for some inspiration for a new go.
Re: Crusader Kings 2 - Komnenian restoration
Yes, I have started to do some stuff.
