The Long March: A CKII -> EUIV AAR

[rickinator9]

I think Bogumil actually found another way to Bohemia. He's from Mazovia, so he's a pole. He could have simply holy warred it.

[Monk]

I think Bogumil actually found another way to Bohemia. He's from Mazovia, so he's a pole. He could have simply holy warred it.

Very possible! I missed his rise to power so I wasn't entirely sure where he came from, only that he was rather scary. In the first 10 years of Otto's rule when my levies were destroyed and i was relying completely on mercenaries, Bogumil and his 6,000 strong pagan levy cast a very long shadow on my eastern borders. He never amounted to be much of a threat to Germany, which was of great relief to me. Eventually he'd get crushed by Galich a few times and lose a succession war for the throne.

Bohemia was a pretty powerful force in the late 800s-early 900s but as we near on the first millennial Bohemia is a shell of its former self. I am thinking about usurping the crown and giving it to one of Leopold's sons, or maybe the 'rightful' ruler of Bohemia, the guy i subjugated who is one of the last of the heirs of Great Moravia. Eastern Europe lacks a strong centralized King.. it makes me nervous, and me blobbing into Slavic territory is going to be more trouble than its worth i feel.

[rickinator9]

I would give it to a kinsman so you have backup for an inevitable catastrophe.

[Monk]

Last of the Karlings: The Bavarian Wars

The History of the Kingdom of Germany during the Reign of:
Leopold I Ludolfinger, Son of Otto II 'the Wise' of Germany.

Reigned c. July 1. 999 - September 19. 1014

The passing of Otto II was not a celebrated time. Following his father, Christopher the Cruel, Otto had restored legitimacy to the throne of Germany. He had brought stability beyond the Rhine by subjugating the Frankish lords of Lotharingia, and he had exacted revenge upon Bavaria for the indignities they had forced upon the German nobles. To call him wise, just, fair, it was a small statement that did not capture his true ability.. Leopold knew that to follow in Otto's footsteps would not be easy, the shadows of great men are easy to disappear into.

And his first claim was a bold one..

Bohemia had a long history entwined with the German Kings. At times the kingdom had been a friend, at others an enemy. Ever since the first reign of Bogumil the Bewitched, the kingdom had spiraled into a series of civil wars, each more brutal than the last. Through the subjugation of breakaway counties and duchies, Germany now held half of the lawful territory of Bohemia.. and Leopold used this fact to press his rightful claim as the true ruler of Bohemia. The claim came backed by an army of 10,000 German soldiers and the King himself leading the army. When the Bohemian nobles saw the arrayed strength against them, their unity broke. Bogumil II, who had only recently regained his father's throne, was unable to keep his subjects in line as Leopold pressed his borders.

Piece by piece, Leopold defeated count and duke alike as he united Bohemia in a ruthless march east..

Not even a year after his campaign had started, Leopold had conquered all of the land lawfully recognized as Bohemia. Neighboring Kings were absolutely stunned by the speed at which he had subjugated the once mighty kingdom and laid low the successor of Bogumil.. In truth, Bohemia was a sick beast before the arrival of German troops. Decades of civil war had reduced its standing levy to almost nothing. What it needed was a strong King to see it returned to its old glory.

But Leopold knew well that as long as the heir of Bogumil lived such peace and glory could never be obtained. On the eve of celebrations, the King ordered the heir to the once fearsome warlord removed as a threat to his lawful rule.

The assassins struck without warning and left no trace of who had hired them. With the greatest threat to his rule in Bohemia silenced, Leopold declared his mighty conquest done! A grand tournament was held in the capital the very next month with all of the realm's greatest knights attending. All were invited to watch the display of arms for Germany's conquering heroes returned.

It was a grand age for Germany. After 150 years of struggle, Germany was at peace. Great summer fairs, tournaments, and hunts were undertaken yearly beneath Leopold's reign, no other King had so generously given back to his subjects before Leopold, and his image of being a true ruler of the people spread far and wide. As the celebrations in Germany continued, the King decided that he would not wait until his death to pass on the Kingship of his newly acquired realm. The third son of the King was chosen to lead Bohemia in his father's name. Prince Anselm, soon to be King Anselm, was by all accounts the greatest general in the German realm at this time. Who better to oversee Bohemia's rise to glory once more?

Five years of peace and prosperity for Germany, nobles and commoners alike celebrating their magnanimous ruler without end.. but Leopold's peace was ensured through terrible actions. In the year 1005 one such action would go down in history as the defenitive end of the power of the Karlings..

Bavaria was the last stronghold of Karling power left in Europe. Although it was true that some of the dynasty held minor tittles around the continent, Bavaria was the last Kingly title left in the family. The King of Bavaria had a claim to the German throne, gained through a marriage to his father and a German princess of a previous generation. It was a claim that could prove disastrous if Leopold's rule was ever internally contested. Germany and Bavaria had been at odds for centuries. Growing ever more powerful along side one another. When Leopold learned of the potential threat, he set in motion a series of events that would alter Europe's destiny..

First it was the King's son..


[

The Bavarian King had only one son, and through the succession laws of Bavaria, the title could only pass to a male heir. With the death of the King's son, orchestrated by Leopold's conspiracy, it was not long before the assassins met with the King himself.

His death was swift.. a new family ascended to power in Bavaria with his passing putting to an end over two centuries of Karling rule in Europe.

But that wasn't the end of Leopold's schemes. There was still the potential for Bavaria to prove a powerful threat to his reign in the North, and to that end, Leopold petitioned the Pope to Excommunicate the new ruler of the south..

Yet another indignity to heap upon the Bavarian throne, the excommunication was a cause of tremendous embarrassment for the southern Bavarian nobles. It was a just reward for their King's actions against Leopold's grandfather, and a supremely satisfying moment for the good King. It would also prove to be the first step into a new ambition for the German king. For years, Bavaria had been blocking German expansion toward the Dutch coast. With the Karling family in shambles, the new King of Bavaria disgraced and his chancellor and spymaster ruthlessly bullying and fabricating claims in Bavaria's coastal provinces, it was only a matter of time until the King of the North claimed the coast for his own.

Leopold's attentions would be temporarily averted to aid his son put down a minor rebellion on Bohemia, but his plans would not be stopped..

Not even by the apparent possession of his son.. wait.. what?

That severely complicated matters.. Leopold II is discovered to be utterly possessed by some terrible spirit! Either that, or suffering from bouts of continued insanity. It is a terrible stain to the royal family's honor, and no exorcism ever proves successful. Leopold II claims he can hear the voice of Jesus Christ until the day his father dies.

Leopold's plans, however, cannot be undone now. He launches his first war against the Bavarian Kings in the south, declaring the German-Bavarian excommunication war to remove his counter-part from the throne.

Bavarian forces launch a quick strike into Bohemia, Germany's tireless ally, attempting to capture the son of the German king and force a white peace. However, Germany's forces sweep down from the north, arriving just in time to throw back the Bavarian invaders. The attack proves Bavaria's undoing and utterly breaks their army at at the battle of Pisek. In disgrace, the Bavarian King is forced to adjudicate to Konrad II von Babenberg.

With Bavaria severely weakened.. Leopold declares war again. No truce exists between he and Konrad and the devious German King uses the legal loophole to force his claim on the county of Oversticht.

Again German forces clash with their southern neighbors in a terrible battle. This second encounter is not so clear cut as the first, with the Bavarians led by Konrad II and occupying a very good defensive position. But Leopold, at the head of his own army of 16,000, will not be denied. His knights smash into the Bavarian left with such ferocity it is thought that Konrad II himself is slain in the first wave. Without their king to lead them, the line collapses within the first week of fighting...

Leopold returns home a hero twice over. Not only has he completely instituted his family's rule in Bohemia, but he has also crushed Germany's greatest rival numerous times on the field of battle. With his fame and prestige soaring to new heights, Leopold seizes the chance to consolidate his rule in Lotharingia. The Kingdom's succession laws are elective, and though many of the electors support his family's claim to the throne, Leopold will not risk seeing such a prize slip away from his dynasty..

The change infuriates the Frankish vassals of Lotharingia, setting the seeds for future discontent and rebellion. But before he can quell the voices of insurrection through his infamous use of assassins, the King's attention turns north. The King of Denmark has accepted Catholicism and turned away from his pagan faith!

The old King is beset on all sides by enemies as he struggles to keep his crown, battling both a Swedish invasion of Skane and a prepared invasion of central Denmark from a renowned adventurer. Leopold acts quickly by offering his aid to the Norse king. His proposal is accepted almost immediately and when the scouts return, they report the situation is most dire..

King Jedvard is besieged in his capital, desperately fighting off the adventurer's forces.. and he's losing. It will only be a few months until the King is forced to surrender at this rate. Leopold has no time to waste, he rallies as many men to him as he can and undertakes the march north with 10,000 strong.

At the battle of Ringsted King Leopold smashes the invasion forces and relieves Jedvard's besieged troops. The arrival of German knights at the head of the vast army is met with resounding cheers from the weary Norse defenders. Leopold and Jedvard are said to have forged a powerful friendship in the days that followed, the two men sign an alliance with the betrothal of the Norse King's second daughter to Leopold's fourth son on the eve after the great victory of Ringsted.

With the alliance formally announced, Leopold marches his knights into Skane to force back the Swedish forces while Jedvard consolidates his strength at his capital.

The Swedes had expected a broken and defeated Danish army to oppose them. What they find is a powerful force with almost all of its strength intact bearing down on them. Outnumbered a full 2 to 1 the Swedish invasion is easily broken at the battle of Varberg.

With his victory complete in the North Leopold returns home in a long victory march through Denmark. He and his men celebrated as heroes and eternal friends of the Knytling dynasty for their intervention at the darkest hour. Denmark was now free to practice their new found religion, and Germany would forever have a friend to the North.

But for Leopold there would be no rest. Just as the king crossed the border back into German held Holstein, news reached the king of a powerful alliance of Dukes who were in open rebellion! Led by the duke of Pomerania, the former Frankish electors of Lotharingia and the Pomerania nobles were in open revolt over the increasing power of the Monarchy.

But the King had one stroke of fortune. The vassals had not expected he and his army to return so soon and were still gathering their forces. The battle hardened loyalists, fresh off their campaign in Denmark, smashed into the Pomeranian forces before they could link up with the Lotharingian vassals.. the result was disastrous for the rebels.

It was the end of the resistance. Without the power of the Duke of Pomerania to bolster their numbers, the Lotharingian vassals were picked apart in numerous skirmishes by he encroaching loyalist forces.

The two most powerful instigators of the revolt were executed...

With the revolt crushed Leopold finally returned home after years spent on campaign. It would prove to be the last year of his life. The old king would die just a year later at the age of 52.. leaving a possessed and possibly insane son to take his place as King of Germany...

Come back Wednesday for King Leopold II and the Reign of Blood.

[rickinator9]

Are you a professional writer? You sure know how to write a good narrative.

[rickinator9]

Will Leopold II's chronicler be sacrificed to Satan for this delay?

[Monk]

Will Leopold II's chronicler be sacrificed to Satan for this delay?

A double feature is planned for Sunday.