Rise of the Capetians
It is the year of our Lord 987 AD. Only fragments of the Carolingian dynasty of West Francia remain. On the 3rd of July Hugh Capet was proclaimed as "rex Francorum" at Noyon in Picardy. Unlike previous Carolingian monarchs, Hugh was elected by the nobles of France, justified at the coronation by the words of Adalberon: "Crown the Duke. He is most illustrious by his exploits, his nobility, his forces. The throne is not acquired by hereditary right; no one should be raised to it unless distinguished not only for nobility of birth, but for the goodness of his soul."
Not yet content that his dynasty was stablised, Hugh had his young son Robert crowned later in December that year, to rule in his stead while on campaign. While this may have consolidated Capetian authority within the Île-de-France, in reality a Capetian monarch could barely travel outside of this area, such was the lack of control over his supposed vassals. Even the royal lands of Laon and Reims are cut off by land held by the Count of Troyes and Meaux, cutting apart the royal domain.
Despite the Île-de-France being home to the only anointed monarchs within Western Francia, in many respects the southern parts of the Kingdom are far more powerful both economically and militarily. The Duchy of Aquitaine and the County of Toulouse both can field many more men than their King to the north. In the more Romanised parts of southern France, there is a much more developed infrastructure with the Meditterranean trade routs bringing great prosperity to the southern ports. The north remains comparatively underdeveloped, with much of it covered in dense woodland and only very basic farming techniques being practised.
Culturally, there is one clear divide within France. In the north, the culture of the Franks is dominant, and is that of the Capetian monarchs. Meanwhile, the south has its own culture, with the Roman-influenced Occitan language being widespread. There are also several smaller cultural groups around the borders of Western Francia. To the north, Brittany is the last continental bastion of the Bretons, a proud and independent people. Despite the end of serious Viking raids after 982 AD, Normandy has been massively influenced by the Norse culture, as can be seen in the ferocity of its knights. Flanders also has an increasingly divergent culture, influenced strongly by both West and East Francia. To the south, Basque influence is strong across the Pyrenees, and most notably in the southern parts of Gascony, a place where Capetian influence seems a world away.
War ravages across almost all of Western Francia. While the Capetian dynasty may appear to bring unity, in reality this will not be achieved until the great lords are subdued. Several states remain loyal to the recently-ended Carolingian dynasty, most notably the Counts of Blois and Troyes and Meaux, who both border the Capetian royal domain. Aquitaine, the greatest of the southern states, refuses to recognise the authority of the Capetians at all. Several of these rebellious duchies and counties would much rather achnowledge a Carolingian as their monarch, and Louis of Upper Lorraine is in many respects an ideal candidate. A powerful lord could even go so far as to proclaim himself king.
As well as dynastic conflict, there are many more localised wars being fought. Brittany has only recently recovered from occupation by Blois, and now must defend itself from the tyrannical Fulk III of Anjou. While Normandy is not involved in any direct conflict at the moment, it's good relations with Anjou and rivalry with Blois could soon see it engaged. Of more immediate concern in the fact that a revolt in Maine has seen a new rival emerge to challenge Norman power in the area, with a nobleman proclaiming himself Count Hugh II of Maine. In the south, Aquitaine is at war with Anjou, and forms a powerful block with Blois and Troyes and Meaux against the Capetians. Meanwhile Gascony is enjoying unprecedented peace with the last serious Viking raid being beaten back in 982 AD.
France is in a period of great turmoil. A strong monarch could unite the great lords to form a superpower of the medieval period. However, this will demand economic prosperity, military strength, and perhaps above all diplomatic genius in a time where civil war or even more widespread anarchy looms over.
I've always planned to do something along the lines of an interactive history for a long time. In the past, my ideas have got pretty bogged down in rules that make things impossible to manage, and so I'm going to keep things simple and use as few numbers and statistics as possible. While most of the mechanics will take place through player decisions and PM's etc, there are some things that need to be taken note of, especially for dealing with succession crises and other complicated issues:
The Map (important for reference):
Royal and Noble Families:
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
Military Strength:
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
Battles will not be fought in the TW sense, but players will have options regarding where in a region battles take place, whether characters should be put at risk, and afterwards how to treat any prisoners. While Knights are generally far superior to Footmen, the latter is made much more effective during ambushes, river crossings, sieges, or in rough terrain. Basically common sense will determine the outcome of battles.
I hope to make around one chapter a week, with one chapter representing a four month period. The first chapter will take place on the 1st of January 988, since Hugh's son Robert was crowned on the 30th December the previous year. Players should PM their decisions to me and can conduct diplomacy between themselves via PM's. They can of course make public statements if they wish, such as summoning nobles to a council (which a king has every right to do), or proclaiming themselves King and other such actions. You raise an army by telling me when sending me your decisions for the chapter. You don't have to raise all your forces obviously, and you must state which characters are to go with the army.
By signing up, you are to be precise representing a noble family of your choice. Of course, in most cases this will have the same effect as representing a major duchy or county, but since hereditary succession will be a major issue it is likely some families could peacefully take control of several titles, if they are smart enough. Or you could even proclaim yourself a Democracy, although it might upset the nobles. Basically, you can try to do anything you like, we aren't limited by hardcoded features here after all! Below is a list of the 'teams' taken:
Factions:
Hugh I (Capetian Dynasty) - Revolting Friendship
Conan I (Duchy of Brittany) - {BHC} King Jan III Sobieski
Richard I (Duchy of Normandy) - Ichigo
Fulk III (County of Anjou) - AggonyDuck
Odo I (County of Blois) - Kagemusha
Herbert III (County of Troyes and Meaux)* - King Kurt
Arnulf II (County of Flanders) - CountArach
Odo-Henry I (Duchy of Burgundy) - |Sith|1|AntiWarmanCake88 Toyosada88
William IV (Duchy of Aquitaine) - Warmaster Horus
William II (Duchy of Gascony) - Quintus.J.Cicero
William III (County of Toulouse) - Ibn-Khaldun
* This is basically Champagne if you are wondering
Sub-Factions (mod controlled):
Louis (Carolingian Claimant, currently in Upper Lorraine)
The Papacy (Pope John XV)
And the Heraldry for each title (ideal for your sig or in posts!):
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
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Originally Posted by Sooh
- for "On this day in History"
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