The Long March: A CKII -> EUIV AAR

[Monk]

Welcome to The Long March: A CKII -> EUIV AAR

Saxony to East Francia to Germany.
Lead Character: Otto I of Saxony

Well now, what's this then? I'LL TELL YOU. I'm about to go head first into a massive game of CK2 and later to convert to EUIV. The purpose? Fun! Well.. fun and seeing a full 1000 years of human history rewritten. Sounds pretty cool right?

I've wanted to do this ever since i played EUIII yeaaars ago but i've never been able to. Either the conversions were a pain or I just didn't have time.. and nothing's changed! Joking of course. With the release of EUIV, the community has been gifted a rare thing: A save game converter which can convert games nearly perfectly, whether they are modded or not! Where as before the conversion process was pretty painful and almost always required a bit of modding to clean up the import result, it's now as easy as pushing a button. For an on the go soccer mom like me, that's a must.

An AAR spanning over 1000 years, two games and one unoriginal title, this is going to take quite a long time to complete.. and it's also possible we'll lose along the way! Our precious dynasty could die out. We could get overthrown. An insane ruler could cause a tantrum spiral.. the possibilities are endless. But no matter what happens i'm sure we'll find some fun along the way.

Da House Rules:

General

1. No Save scum

CK2 (playing with Project Balance)

2. No courtier claim exploits
3. Roleplaying your character (No backstabbing unless you have traits to justify it, for example)
4. No exploiting the AI's willingness for alliances if it doesn't make regional logic. (marrying into the Byzantines as the Timurids...)
5. De Jure drift is OFF for kingdom level entities.
6. No destroying titles. Ever.
7. If the player wins a crusade the main character must do one of two things.

a. Leave their primary titles behind to rule in the Levant
b. Grant the crusader kingdom to a sibling.

EUIV (playing with vanilla)

7. Inflation is ON.

Since I am still learning EUIV this section is a bit blank. The main settings will be keeping inflation on and lucky nations at its default.

Should be a really fun experience! I've already played a little bit and I am loving the concept of a super long game, with goals changing as the game evolves... But first off... just who the heck are we?



Well to start us off, we'll be this guy.

Say hello to Otto of Saxony, historically this guy lived the good life under Autonomous Vassals doing whatever he wanted within his realm. His dynasty would also go on to become the "successors" of the Karlings in Germany. This guy's grandson? He became Holy Roman Emperor. We won't be doing that. But we will be succeeding the Karlings.. just a bit more forceful than happened historically..

Speaking of his realm, it's a pretty good chunk of East Francia.

We're one of the most powerful vassals of Ludwig the German and the other vassals of our good king are relatively weak.

We're in a pretty good spot to contest the rule of East Francia, but with the unification between EF and Bavaria an inevitability, as well as the dynastic power plays that are common in the Karling House, i doubt it will be simple to usurp that title. We've also got a significant border with pagans in almost every direction. If East Francia gets raided from the north it's our people who are going to suffer. We've got barbarians at the gates, an aging king on the throne and a famous character as our leading role.

The hall is rented. The orchestra engaged.. Let's see if we can dance...





A basic outline of my CK2 gameplan:

Early Game objectives (CK2):

1. Avoid imprisonment while we build our power
2. Drive the Karlings from East Francia and obtain the throne for our dynasty.
3. See all major Karling bases of power in central Europe destroyed. (Lotharingia and Bavaria, primarily.)

Updates every Sunday and Wednesday.

first update in a couple days.

[rickinator9]

Looking forward to reading it. The man is heavy-boned, so that might be an issue.

[Monk]

The Turbulent History of the First Founding

The Rise of Saxony during the reign of:

Otto I 'The Pious' of Saxony
Reigned c. Jan 1. 867 - November 16. 906

The strongest vassal of the weakest Karling king is a poor way to begin your tale, but that's where we start. Otto I of Saxony. Not particularly skilled in combat. Not particularly smart. And not particularly inclined to do much of anything when push came to shove, being a slothful bastard and all. Barbarians to the north and east making expansion difficult. An aging king to the south leaving him to his own rule, and the dynastic power plays of the Karlings playing out beyond his borders. Why should he even bother..? An ambitious wife that's why.

Well, that, and the reality that on the borders of East Francia, the now fragmented tribes of the slavs could very well unite one day. A united slavic kingdom could be incredibly dangerous to the small duchy and his people. Otto elected to push forward and make the Elbe his new border, and by extension, the border of Eastern Francia. Ludwig the German was busy campaigning in the south, but gave the Duke the freedom to campaign as he pleased.

A brief campaign into Anhalt smashed local resistance, seeing the local chief swear fealty to Otto by right of conquest. The campaign stalled after the capture of the county, and unfortunately, the push to Altmark failed due to lack of proper planning and supplies. Otto I nonetheless returned to his capital at Luneberg and simply proclaimed victory. He turned his attentions back to governing his demesne and growing his power locally through ruthless campaigns of consolidation among his vassals.

Returning home the conquering hero gave the ruler the leverage he needed to contest the rights to the counties of hamburg and Bremen from local rulers. After a brief internal struggle in the Duchy of Saxony, both counties were added to his growing demesne, their local lords displaced. While the actions generally upset local barons, many were quick to point out Otto acted well within the confines of the law. Both sides would be given a chance to vent when, with the ink barely dry on the declarations of peace, King Frirek of Jylland broke free from the central lords in Denmark and proclaimed himself King of Holstein.

His claim was a bold one. One Otto gladly tested.

King Frirek fights bravely but cannot hope to succeed outnumbered as he is by such a vast amount. His forces are scattered and Holstein falls within weeks. Successful wars of conquest in the east and the north, as well as consolidations internally, easily place Saxony as the strongest internal vassal of Eastern Francia, and what's more, Otto's legacy is ensured when only a year after returning from his wars his first child is born. A daughter he will later name.. Ida.

The arrival of his first child only causes the Duke to become emboldened. Before, his conquests were driven by desire for a natural border between Saxony and the lands to the east, but after he captured Holstein, smashed internal dissenters and captured Anhalt, Otto desired a greater prize. His ambition grew with each successful campaign, each successful battle. When he marched his men into Lubeck in the winter of 876 and crushed local resistance at the Battle of Ratzeburg.. the other vassals of the realm had to take note. Ludwig the German was so impressed by the stories from Ratzeburg, stories exaggerated more and more with each year, that he proclaimed Otto I marshal that very year. It was a posting which the Saxon duke excelled at, it seemed he was placed on this earth singularly to wage war.

Saxony was quickly becoming powerful.. perhaps even powerful enough to challenge the far off, aging king in the south. No direct vassal in central europe could claim as much land as Otto I, and certainly none could claim his skill at war. In just 11 short years he had laid low his rivals along the Elbe and secured his northern and eastern borders. None dare raid the shores of Saxony, for they knew what awaited them: a battle hardened generation of Saxon troops. But power breeds ambition, and ambition is only multiplied when combined with sufficient skill. In the North Otto had united a powerful realm with a mighty host to call his own. And in the south? The Karling successors of Charlemagne struggled to restore glory to their fragmented lands..

One such war would come shortly after the Battle of Ratzeburg. East Francia was embroiled in a war against Lotharingia for the right to rule in Burgundy. Ludwig The German, downright ancient at this point in his life, still had the strength to marshal forth in one great campaign into the lowland countries. Unfortunately.. many of his troops would never return. East Francia was crushed in Gelre and the following campaign proved disastrous.

Having lost the throne of burgundy and nearly 3/4 of its standing army, East Francia was weak and had no choice but to rely on its stalwart vassals for defense. The King's demesne had been emptied for the campaign, and the King's persenal retinues were all but destroyed.. and so it was that East Francia put its faith in Otto of Saxony, who had kept the majority of his troops out of the fighting. Otto would betray that trust.

Otto launched a general insurrection the very next year, dividing the already weakened kingdom into North and South. Saxony and its vassals loyal to Otto making up the Northern forces, and the Karling King and his supporters in the south. One only great battle would be needed to decide the fate of the coming struggle..

East Francia forces were utterly decimated on the fields at Corvey, the already decimated ranks of the levies for the southern king were reduced even further. Saxony declared full independence the following year with little further resistance from the south.

Just a few short years after the birth of his first Son, Otto II, the Duke of Saxony had declared full independence and thrown off the protection of his Karling masters in the south. With his new found freedom Otto began laying great plans to ensure this new found freedom would not be short lived. Succession was all but secured with one son and two daughters. His armed forces were some of the most experienced in Europe.. and great wealth promised access to many mercenaries.. but there was one thing Otto had not accounted for in his great plans. The fury of the Norsemen.

The Saxon warlord had forgotten about the great and powerful fiefdoms of the north, which were quickly being solidified. Norway and Sweden were two of the greatest kindgoms to be forged from those fires, and barely ten years after his great declaration.. his ability would be tested. A huge Norse invasion force landed in Holstein, spilling forth over five thousand warriors intent on claiming Saxony for their own. It would be the first step into Fancia. The first step to a European Danelaw.. Otto was desperate. He drew up his defense around his capital, hired as many mercenaries as he could and waited for the Norse attack.. but just as he was preparing for his world to come crashing down, a message arrived...

The King of Bohemia, impressed by the legendary skill of the Saxon warrior, offered his aid in crushing this invasion. Otto accepted! Together they marched forward on the field of battle and met the Norse at Itzehoe.. and what a battle it was. Even with a numbers advantage, Bohemian forces were delayed by poor weather crossing the Elbe. A mis-communication saw Otto's forces launch their attack prematurely while the Bohemians were still on the march.. and it nearly lead to a disaster! On the fourth day of combat the allies at last joined together and pressed their assault, defeating the Norse invaders and sending them back into the cold north.

This was the start of the long winter for Saxony.. for the next twenty years, Otto would fend off invasion after invasion. War after war. Norway. Sweden. The various petty kingdoms of Denmark. Each one would attempt to invade the newly formed Duchy. Each time Otto would route them. Each time, the day was won by the great Saxon warlord.. and many times.. the margin of victory was razor thin. But through it all, Otto perservered. As he struggled in the North, the South was overrun at last. His overthrow and declaration of independence from the Karlings had sent East Francia into a spiral she never recovered from. Seizing the chance, in 892, Otto declared himself "King of the Germans."

After this Otto was quick to consolidate his power by ruthlessly confiscating every title upon which he had a claim. Two counties were added to his growing demesene, which was fast becoming very wealthy from the tribute he exacted from defeated invaders.

Unfortunately... the next great test would be the strong yet. The Swedish King had been preparing an invasion for years, targeted to topple this newly formed Kingdom of Germany. When it finally came nearly 7,000 men came with their king.. far too much for Otto. Otto was forced to turn to taking out loans to pay for a huge mercenary force to counter this invasion. He would spent the next 10 years of his life repaying that loan.. but his kingdom would stand.

Otto was hailed a true hero in the aftermath of the assault on Germany by the Swedish king. Having successfully defeated the strongest Norse realm, and in a prepared invasion no less! Otto and his son fought many smaller defensive actions over the next decade.. but none would truly match the scale of the great invasions of the past. One such defensive action was the Battle of Haldensleben. A young King in Denmark wanted to test his mettle against the famed Saxon defenders. His forces were crushed and utterly routed.. It was an easy victory! And one that Otto planned to celebrate with good drink with his son, the newly come of age prince Otto II.. but when he went to find his son after the chaos of the battle died away.. he found his son among the dead being counted.

Stabbed from behind.. and the man responsible? One of the priests who had been sent to bless the saxon warriors before the battle!

Before the old man passed he revealed the conspiracy.. Ida Ludolfinger, second in line to the throne, had conspired with the nobles to assassinate Otto's only son to pave the way for her rise. Enraged, Otto tracked down every conspirator and ensured they were thrown into prison for their crimes! But when it came time to enact judgement upon Ida, the King could not bear himself to go through with it. Already he had lost a son.. could he really put his daughter to the sword?

Otto turned to denial and the expansion of his kingdom instead. The powers of the south were shifting and if he would see his legacy survive at all, he knew he had to complete his work.. soon.

The Karlings had lost their hold in France and Burgundy. Lotharingia was a single generation from losing the Karling dynasty from power.. would his own realm be the same? He rearranged the marriages with his daughters to ensure matrilineal ties.. and then? The poor king passed, exhausted from his earthly work. Or.. did he? Perhaps the Kinslayer had claimed another, ready to accept the denial she had forced her father into. History shall never know the truth.

Come back Wednesday for the reign of Ida the Kinslayer.

This was a crazy first reign. I nearly lost like 6 times in the first twenty years alone! This is likely the hardest start i've had since i played Harold Godwinson in the 1066 start and defeated both invasion forces. Absolutely crazy and would recommend for anyone looking for a fun Old Gods Catholic start. There's a few things i omitted here.. like a few bastards running around that my vassals actually believe are their children. Oops!

The biggest surprise was my of a daughter Ida. She kills her own brother and gets caught, kinslayer trait and all! I would have executed her (tyrant be damned) but Otto's other daughter is a bit worse than Ida is. Otto was in love with his queen so it didn't make sense to divorce/kill her for another one.. so I had to let Ida get away with her deed. Her reign should be fun.

Forming Germany was always gonna be the easy part.. the hard part was the Norse attack when I broke away. I decided to break early from East Francia.. which was a huge mistake and put me into debt for over a decade. If i had been playing vanilla i'd have lost. Easy. Playing Project Balance though i had access to the loan mechanic which, again, very nearly bankrupted me. Still it gave me the chance to win. Otto paid off all his debts just before Ida poisoned him i mean died of old age.

[Arjos]

Ahahahahahah XD

Long live Ida, Regina Germanorum! Now that was a former NPC with balls :P

Keep 'em coming Monk

[Chaotix]

Nice job so far!

Posting to let you know I'm watching...

[Monk]

Changing the Fates of Kingdoms and Men

The History of the Kingdom of Germany during the Reign of:
Ida 'the Kinslayer' Ludolfinger, daughter of Otto I 'the Pious' of Saxony.

Reigned c. November 17. 906 - April 11. 937

With her conspiracy complete, Ida Ludolfinger seized power in 906 after the untimely passing of her father that year. Though she was never truly implicated in his death, many historians argue that the first Queen in Germany's history had a less than peaceful ascension to the throne. This believe is largely based around the sudden, violent political upheavals that followed her rise to the fledgling kingdom's leadership, as well as the already proven kinslaying of Otto II.

Sieghard Karling rallied a large banner of support for himself as the true leader of Germany in 907, shortly after Ida had taken power. Though he was married to Ida and already King in his own right, he was simply a figurehead with no real say in the rule of the realm. Every noble at court knew who truly had the power in their marriage. When Seighard learned of a growing resentment to the new ruler.. he quietly poured funds into the faction from the background hoping to ignite a spark. Just a year later, simmering tensions turned white hot.

The marriage between Ida and a member of the Karling dynasty had been an olive branch on her Father's part. A way to tie his dynasty to the former overlords and make peace with his one time enemies, the Karlings, who were quickly consolidating power again in the South. It was meant to be a way to keep Germany free of their grandiose ambitions. Of course.. the Old King never accounted for his daughter's ambition, nor her willingness to murder her own kin. When Ida came to power, Otto's olive branch had inadvertently put a Karling on the throne, one who was apparently quite difficult to control.

Duke Humburt of Holstein and numerous counts from the Duchy of Brunswick backed the rebellion. Humburg hoped to sweep down into Germany's capital and sack the numerous holdings before Ida could muster a response. He had hoped to forcibly put his claimant on the throne in a quickwar... He and his troops met a well prepared army as they crossed the Elbe. The battle was a disaster for rebel forces.

Rebel forces were thrown back in assault after assault on the capital until the Duke of Holstein was finally forced to sign a treaty of peace. He and his claimant, King Seighard, were thrown into the darkest dungeons beneath Ida's fortress in Luneburg. Ida had passed her first test as ruler, organizing the defenses and putting down the deadly revolt, but she would get little time to consolidate her power. Only a month after the internal conflict had seen a fourth of her levywasted on a petty power play, a huge invasion force from nearby Greater Poland arrived.. intent on claiming the county of Brandenburg.

It wasn't until almost 6 months later that constant marching and campaigning paid off, where the invaders were cornered in the wilderness of Stettin. Fighting uphill, hungry and tired, the brave German soldiers utterly routed their foe at great cost to their own host. Greater Poland's invasion force was picked apart as their invasion turned into a disgraceful route. The soldiers who returned home were once more celebrated heroes of the new Kingdom, and Ida? The very same Kinslayer who had been the most hated woman in Europe? She was seen as Germany's savior. Who else could turn back both a Karling plot and a heathen invasion at the same time! Germany had a new Queen, and she wasn't going anywhere. The only question now in the aftermath of the wars was what to do with the imprisoned King?

It was obvious that the man could no longer be trusted. In June of 908, Ida and her traitorous husband were divorced with the Pope's blessing.

Ida would have to choose a new King. One who had no claim to her throne. One whom she could trust, but more importantly, one whom she could politically control. A young landless noble, Wigerich Von Tecklenburg, adviser to the Queen's Steward was the perfect candidate. He was a nobody. Had no claims of his own, and was weak enough to accept direction no matter what that would be.

Unfortunately.. Karling intervention was not so easily thwarted in Germany's affairs.

To the south the thrones of Bavaria and Italy were once more united beneath Jacques the Fat. who was eyeing the north greedily with plans for expansion. Fortunately, or unfortunately depending on your perspective.. Germany's ruler was no longer Otto the Pious. The first great King of Germany likely would have instigated a war with Italy, bringing in allies and sending both realms into a terrible spiral of violence. Ida was far more pragmatic. She soothed the Frankish lords of Italy with many diplomatic meetings. Her chancellor worked overtime, convincing Jacques of the value Germany could offer the southern powers. After all, it was Germany who stood as the vanguard between the terrible Norsemen and Europe. It was Germany who had turned back northern aggression every single time it had came down from the icy waters of the Baltic. Having German soldiers on your side was a very, very good thing, or so the diplomats claimed!

Their efforts paid off. In 910, it was made official as Ida's first daughter, Ida the Younger, would become betrothed to Prince Helie. It would be a new occasion for both Kingdoms and usher in a new era of peace for central Europe, surely! With the newly cemented alliance making her nobles and diplomats rejoice, Ida pressed the borders of her Kingdom further. She claimed the island of Rugen, Mercilessly crushed Sorb resistance in the east, and forcibly incorporated the province of Werle into her growing realm. The ability of the Queen's soldiers seemed to match that of her diplomats..

Just as her armies were returning home from their numerous victories abroad, news of a terrible tragedy made its way north. The great King of Italy, Jacques 'The Fat' was killed in a most terrible carriage accident. Many suspected foul play as the driver of the carriage was found dead just a week later! The King had many enemies... but which had acted..?

The resulting chaos of having a one year old infant betrothed matralineally to a foreign princess was prolonged, bloody, and ultimately decisive conflict which tore the kingdom of Italy into pieces..

After three years of intense factional infighting, Aquitaine seized control of the throne of Bavaria. Four years after that, Bavaria obtained independence.

Through the turmoil of the next seven years of fighting in the south, Bavaria, Aquitaine and Italy are all lost to the Karling throne. Only years later do the Karlings manage to claw their way back into power in Bavaria. By 920, a dynasty that had ruled all of West and central europe was now confined solely to the Kingdoms of Lotharingia and Bavaria, with France, Italy and Germany being the strongest of the successor states to arise out of the Karling collapse. In a way it's quite fitting that it was Ida of Germany who was pulling the strings of the conspiracy that toppled Italy's attempts to stop the decline... who better to engineer their fall than the daughter of the first man to successfully break away from their centralized rule?

Ida's meddling in foreign politics would not end there. Historians also claim her to be responsible for the death of the Bohemian king, Svatopluk II, in 917. Just as the south was engulfed in flames. It cannot not be a coincidence that the Bohemian King should die so soon after the German army invaded the duchy of Messien.. A war the Germans won handily after their forces smashed the greif stricken armies of Bohemia on the field of battle in early 918, claiming the duchy and adding it to their growing realm.

For the next two decades the reign of Ida the Kingslayer passed with relative peacefulness. Raiders from the north would at times attack Germany, but her valiant defenders would always rise to her aid. Ida ruthlessly consolidated her power in the peace her grand schemes had won her. Her web of intrigue and intelligence so horrifyingly efficient that few vassals could make any attempt to further their power while she reigned. Her network of spies subverted numerous attempts to remove her from power. Dozens of civil wars were averted solely by her cunning, and after the initial civil strife that marked her rise, never again did the vassals manage to raise their banner against the throne. It was said that not even the lowliest of commons could sit down for dinner without the Queen of Germany knowing exactly what sat upon their plates that evening...

But despite how great her knowledge of internal politics was, her attempts to meddle in foreign politics had made her a few enemies..

In 931, at the end of her long reign, Ida's first born daughter was murdered in the Duchy of Tuscany. The Queen had married her daughter, Ida the Younger, to the son of a powerful noble in one of Italy's many political factions. For twenty years, since the death of Jaqcues, factions and their politics had dominated the Italian court. Ida had tied her dynasty to one of the many ruling families there hoping to gain greater leverage in the constant bids for the throne of Italy. It had paid off in many respects. Her daughter was granted the great honor of becoming spymaster, giving the young woman.. and by proxy her mother.. immense power inside Italy. All that ended when Basilio di Cascina, jealous of the German born spymaster, had her murdered so that he could take her place on the ruling council..

The act didn't go without punishment..

It was the last great act of the old Queen, and it was one which in part helped further define her reign. Ida's legacy was one of intrigue. Assassination and shadowy deals became the norm of court politics in Germany during the 30 years in which she ruled. She fell ill in 937 and died, leaving behind Prince Christopher, her only son, to succeed her as King.

Come back Sunday for the reign of King Christopher I

Thus passes Ida the Kinslayer, most memorable NPC to be cpu generated in a long time. I will miss her.

Ida allowed me to do some pretty great things. Assassinating kings almost at will to invade a weakened neighbor. The domino effect that happened when she killed the king of Italy? That was amazing, it really put the nail in the coffin for Karling dominance. I don't think they will ever have as much power as they did previously.

Next reign will be a make or break moment for the Kingdom. Christopher's traits SUCK but he's a badass commander. Every vassal absolutely hates his guts and a civil war is brewing in Germany. Tensions are high after Ida's highly effective murder-spree and ruthless revocation. She consolidated up to her demesne limit which was 5. Wish it was higher, but that's the price of having an idiot king for the sake of controlling him like a puppet.

The European successor states have almost completely thrown out the Karlings. Two realms remain under their control but I wonder for how much longer. France is the most powerful Christian kingdom as of right now. They can topple anyone if they wanted to. My Germany is still one of the outlier powers, mostly thanks to low opinion from vassals, and having a large part of my realm not catholic.

Oh and i almost forgot. Current map:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

the piece in denmark isnt mine. It's actually an independent county who is also grey