Crusader Kings II Challenge - An Empire Divided

[rickinator9]

yup the Byzantines are definitely faster... (I changed my primary title, hence the latin empire in the pic but I started as the Byzantines)



35 years almost flat. AAR will follow later

You demotivate!

The latin empire, apparently, wasn't enough for the crusaders
'

[Monk]

Very well done rickinator9!

Taking southern italy is a greatstep forward, as is obliterating the Latin empire.

Is that the Kingdom of Byzantium independent from you in Anatolia? How in the world did that form? I was under the impression it was non-formable.

[rickinator9]

Very well done rickinator9!

Taking southern italy is a greatstep forward, as is obliterating the Latin empire.

Is that the Kingdom of Byzantium independent from you in Anatolia? How in the world did that form? I was under the impression it was non-formable.

There was a crusade for Byzantium. I, the greedy one, expected it to go to me, but alas, it didn't.

[Monk]

There was a crusade for Byzantium. I, the greedy one, expected it to go to me, but alas, it didn't.

That.. haha, wow. That's crazy man. The silly (in a good way!) things the game will throw at you sometimes. Just awesome

[The Stranger]

There was a crusade for Byzantium. I, the greedy one, expected it to go to me, but alas, it didn't.

course it wont go to you haha you are not catholic :P

[The Stranger]

ok i replayed from a certain point and managed to knock of 4 more years. i think it can be done perhaps 1-2 years faster if you time certain wars faster but i cba to do it :P

so this is my final time and i will play the challenge with this savegame and make an AAR for this one.

this is a short AAR


The Reincarnation of Belisarius

The Emperor had a vision, he had a plan, he had ambition and he had an army. And he knew that within his lifetime he would unite the squabling states under the glorious banner of the Byzantine Empire.

He married himself to the heir of Bulgaria, he married his brothers to the claimants to the thrones of Serbia, Hungary and Sicily. He pressed a courtier claim for the duchy of Epirus. When leading his men into the Epirote mountains he was introduced to the Iconoclast heresy and he converted. He went to war with Genoa for the Crimea and with helped an Epirote count revolt against the Venetians. After this all went succesfull he offered vassalisation to the counts which had split off. After this he pressed the claim of his brothers wife for the kingdom of Serbia, because the kingdom was a dejure vassal of the Byzantine Empire she became his vassal after he succesfully supported her claim while she was in his court.

The second part of his plan was set into motion, using the casus belli the iconoclast heresy provided he invaded the Kingdom of Armenia Minor in a Holy War. At the same time he pressed courtier claims for the Duchy of Antioch and he also invaded Krete. Within 15 years he had doubled his holdings and seen his wife ascend to the throne of Bulgaria. She also bore him 2 healthy sons within a few years. After the butchering he reverted back to the Orthodox faith.

He was not satisfied and continued his unstoppable march! He pressed the claim of his other brother's wife for Sicily. At the same time he pressed courtier claims for the Duchy of Tripoli and expelled the cretan christians from Krete. Without pause he continued his relentless wars and he drove his armies onwards. After Sicily surrendered and was added to the Empire he pressed the claim of his last brothers wife for Croatia, which luckily bore him a son before he got maimed in battle and died of his wounds not much later. Now, with his dynasty set to inherit the Kingdoms of Bulgaria, Serbia, Sicily and Croatia, the Emperor shifted his gaze east to the kingdom of Jerusalem and Cyprus which had just reached its full dejure greatness after a succesfull crusade. Pressing courtier claims for both dejure parts of the Empire. At the same time he pressed a courtier claim for the kingdom of Trebizond. Within 25 years almost all of the Christian controlled part of the Byzantine Empire had been reconquered. At one point in these years of war he married his heir to the heir of the Latin Empire, securing both empires for his grandson in the process. After this he pressed the claim for Hungary for the Queen of Croatia, adding it to the Empire.

This was the easy part, the emperor contemplated, when watched the map to see his empire stretch out for miles. He now faced a bigger problem, the might of Rum and Egypt. He could no longer press courtier claims because Rum was titular and Egypt was never dejure part of the Empire. Besides even if they were, the claimants would never join because the thought he had a false religion. Holy Wars were too slow and too dangerous because all the sunni lords would join against his agression. But then he had a moment of genius, Matrilinial Marriage it was called! Marrying female claimants to muslim titles would not work because women never inherited. But matrilinial marriage meant that the claimant would join his court. He married such a claimant from Rum matrilinially to his daughter (and thus securing also the kingdom of rum to his Dynasty in the future). The emperor gave the claimant a county to ensure he was his vassal and then he pressed his claim adding the kingdom of Rum to the empire. Prior to this he had done something similar to egypt but even more spectacular! There was no claimant that wanted to marry matrilinially to someone in his court. Despair almost struck but the divine intervened again. He saw the opening and seized it, he married a courtier to a princess of Egypt, then killed the courtier to widow the princess and matrilinially married a male egyptian claimant to the egyptian princess. He gave this claimant the Duchy of Krete and pressed his claim for Egypt, thus adding Egypt to the empire.

What was left were some stray holdings occupied by the Cumans, the Kievan Rus, the Ilkhanate and some of the muslim lords. Within 5 years he conquered what was left.

His plan had unraveled and was executed with near perfection, all that was left was to tie up the loose ends. Thus he got down to the dirtiest part of the job. He killed his wife, son and daughter in law to ensure his grandson would inherit it all when the Emperor would die. He commited suicide the next morning and his grandson inherited the greatest power the world would ever come to see!

[Monk]

ok i replayed from a certain point and managed to knock of 4 more years. i think it can be done perhaps 1-2 years faster if you time certain wars faster but i cba to do it :P

so this is my final time and i will play the challenge with this savegame and make an AAR for this one.

@The Stranger

Good lord you're getting this down to a science

Submit a savegame to me via email or upload and I'll verify it for you. I'll also update the rankings to reflect which save you want to use.

For everyone else: We're nearing the second weekend of the challenge. How are your games shaping up? I'd love to see the progress (or the setbacks ) you've experienced! :nod:

[rickinator9]

@The Stranger
For everyone else: We're nearing the second weekend of the challenge. How are your games shaping up? I'd love to see the progress (or the setbacks ) you've experienced! :nod:

I have played some games as the byzantines. I am pretty fast, but not as fast as the stranger. I think I will try to play a lot in one sitting tomorrow. I've got the next week off, so I will have plenty of time.

[The Stranger]

You demotivate!

The latin empire, apparently, wasn't enough for the crusaders
'

lol that is interesting, im with monk here, how did that form? i never got the option to create it :S

it does seem like you understood the trick ive been using haha good for you! you know you can also use it on muslim nations if you have some creativity! it took me 1 hour to figure out and i was about to give up but then i found a way!