HRE NES II: Der Aufstieg

[Nimitz]

Duke Vratislaus of Bohemia to Siemowit of the Polans
This sounds a good plan for us. I will mobilize a good section of my army roughly 2000 men strong to achieve this what ever you can contribute would be greatly apprecaited. We shall execute this action before the year is over. You will no longer have to worry about the Usurper who holds that town. Also if you have any idea his troop strength or composition and the towns protections it would be of great use.

[Cyclotron]

Also, OOC: The Magyars are the vassals of Jews? This is a historical development I was unaware of. One rarely thinks of Jews in the Middle Ages as the rulers of pagan nomads. Must do some research...

Start your research here for a quick summary.

The Khazars were a confederacy of largely Turkic tribespeople that converted wholesale to Judaism in around the 7th century. The Magayrs were, for a while, subjects of this confederacy, until they decided to strike out on their own and move west.

Archbishop Pilgrim of Salzburg to Duke Arnulf of Bavaria
My Lord, I honestly know very little about the Jewish unbelievers. There are many in Mainz and Cologne, as well as in other communities along the Rhine, but few in my Lord's Duchy. Charlemagne and his successors had a Judenmeister to keep track of them and collect proper taxes, but this administration has fallen apart since the disintegration of Carolingian power in Germany. I do not have reliable figures, but there is no sizeable population of them here.

Siemowit of the Polans to Duke Vratislaus of Bohemia
I will summon my warriors and be ready to fight this coming year. I do not know precisely how many are there at any one time, but I believe their chieftain has at least a thousand riders at his command. The town, to my knowledge, has no walls - the Magyars prefer to fight in the field anyway.

[Cyclotron]

Important note!
Re-check the "sucessions" part of the update, as I forgot something important earlier - the Magyars have a new leader!

You will also notice that, when the Mercenary billboard is updated, Magyar raiders will now be available for recruitment as mercenaries.

Ducal Herald to All German Dukes
My Lords, messages have arrived for each of you from messengers claiming to have been sent by the Magyars.

Németek Ura -
I, the fejedelem of the great Magyar host, ruler of the Ten Tribes, see no further use to the war of vengeance between us. You have cruelly slain my kindred, Zoltán, and for it I have killed your young warlord and ravaged your lands. The blood-price is paid and I seek a truce with the németek.

I demand the return of the body of Zoltán, as well as that of his horse, so he may be properly buried with his steed in the honor deserving of a member of the family of Árpád.

I demand that no németi, be he a warrior or shaman, cross into the lands east of the town called "Pressburg," for these are the new lands of the magyarok.

In exchange, I will swear that no Magyar who follows my will shall raid the lands of the németek or make war against them, and I will give my solemn guarantee for five years. I will furthermore swear that any such Magyar who does so, contrary to my will, shall be exiled, and his plunder returned to the place from whence it came.

If the király of the németek agrees to my terms, let him come to Pressburg with the body of Zoltán, the body of his horse, and a girl of németi noble blood, who by marriage to the House of Árpád will seal this truce.

If the király of the németek so desires, I will also provide a daughter of the House of Árpád to wed the németi noble of his choosing, in a spirit of reciprocity.

If the király of the németek refuses these terms, the state of war between us will continue, and németi blood will be spilled so long as my kinsman's body remains in foreign hands.

Fajsz magyarok fejedelem, Árpád nagyfejedelem unokaöcs.

[Nimitz]

Bohemian Orders

300d to improve Defences for the town of Brno

300d to the buying of crossbows

Assign 50 archers crossbows to use as a test in addition to there normal bows

Continue encouraging Slavs to move to Vienna

100d to the construction of a Good road from Prague to Brno

Have the Part of the Army of Prague under Ondrej z Trutnov along with 1000 of the tribal warriors march to meet with Siemowit for the attack on Olomouc

Reassign 200 Skirmishers, 100 woodsmen, and 100 Medium Spearmen from the Army of Prague under Hrabì Dalibor z Erce and put them under the command of Leitmeritz Garrison

Call up 60 more Sergeants and 40 more Knights put them in the Leitmeritz Garrison

Send the Leitmeritz Garrison to meet with the others German armys.

50d towards spying on Pressburg

Call up 300 more men for the army train 200 of them to to use the crossbow the other 100 to use the bow. Assign them to the army of Prague in Brno.

400d of iron on light armor equip the new troops with it use any extra on the light spearmen.

[Cyclotron]

Originally posted by Nimitz
Reassign 50 archers to the crossbows to test them

It is possible to give more than one weapon to soldiers; you could give your archers bows as well as crossbows, though the more weapons they have the less mobile they will be. You don't have to do this, I'm just keeping you informed.

[Nimitz]

Well actually thats better as this is only a test run.

[appleciders]

Duke Arnulf of Bavaria to Fejedelem Fajsz of the Magyar Horde
I salute your succession to the leadership of the Magyar Horde, and welcome peace with your people- this war has been too much of a strain on both our peoples. I likewise agree on Pressburg as a reasonable boundary between our nations. While I may or may not be able to reach Pressburg myself, my brother will attend in my absence.

I have no objection to returning the body of your kinsman Zoltán, though I will have to consult my ministers to determine the exact location of his remains. I have no moral objection to returning his horse, though this may prove more difficult- we Germans do not revere horses and have likely not preserved or marked the body of his horse in any way. I would allow safe passage of a small group of your men to identify and take possession of both bodies in a fashion acceptable to you.

EDIT: Hey, you said that the Magyar Raiders would become hireable mercs, but they're not listed yet.

[Cyclotron]

Originally posted by appleciders
EDIT: Hey, you said that the Magyar Raiders would become hireable mercs, but they're not listed yet.

Edit: That board is now updated.

[Cyclotron]

Saxony

The Duke’s attentions turned to Meissen this year, and the residents of Leipzig now have a new chapel, and a new ring wall – which, owing to the small size of the village, could be constructed rather cheaply. Saxon settlers have also been arriving in the March, primarily in Zwickau, where Christianity is somewhat more established. Though peasants typically stay on their manors, several hundred freedmen from Saxony, with their families, have settled in Zwickau to escape competition as artisans and free farmers that is more present in Saxony proper. Some Wends, Christian and pagan, are not too happy about the newcomers, but have yet to transform this sentiment into actual rebellion.

A council convened by the Duke to examine combining the March with parts of Saxony has come to the conclusion that a combination with Saxon Thuringia, centered around Erfurt, would make the best addition to the March to help stabilize and Christianize it. They emphasize, however, that strong authority would be necessary to ensure that the March be well-managed beforehand, to ensure that the barons of Thuringia do not start fighting each other over who gets which lands in the Mark Meissen.

The same council analyzed trade opportunities and produced three possible recommendations.

The first is that Saxony retains a sizeable iron surplus, and recent victories against the Magyars have ensured an even greater surplus of arms. With new wars breaking out in France and Italy and a demand for weapons among the Polans, wise iron trades could produce a sizeable profit in the next few years.

Secondly, the Mark Meissen and Saxon Thuringia are the continent’s – perhaps the world’s – richest source of woad, a leafy plant that produces the only known blue vegetable dye. Woad itself is a valuable commodity, but it could be even more valuable if it could be traded to cloth producers – Flanders has a rich woolens industry and Bohemia has a recently started linen industry, and either might find woad to be a useful commodity.

Thirdly, the Baltic Sea and the North Sea are good sources of herring and other trade fish. Friesland already engages in some such fishing, though their ongoing war keeps this trade from being exploited fully. In the future, Saxon conquests on the North Sea coast could yield impressive fishing yields, though the Danes and other Vikings would be a possible problem for such a venture.

Saxony itself has done well, though the defeat of Saxon forces at Martenshoek Bog has given new encouragement to the Danes. Danish raids on northern Saxony have increased, and the Viking Watch system has been only marginally effective at keeping them at bay. The Watch has allowed many people to flee out of the way of a Viking landing, sparing lives and movable property, but typically the raiders are gone too fast to mount a military response.

Corruption in Saxony has remained constant this year, at 8%.

Bohemia

Bohemia seems to be a duchy on the rise. New income from mines, flax, and local trade – helped by the new road system – has started a noticeable boom in the Duchy. Bohemian tailors, provided with local linen and imported leather, have become highly prosperous. Silver jewelry, especially embellished with Polish amber, has become a popular item among the Bohemian nobility and has seen rising popularity in Saxon Thuringia as well. The Duke has been encouraging people to settle near Vienna, but the prosperity of Bohemia compared to the abject desolation in Carinthia have caused these encouragements to be largely ignored. Most freedmen and roving farm workers find that life is far better in Bohemia.

Gifts to the church have helped, in a minor way, to spread the faith of the Duke to the more pagan parts of the Duchy, though progress is fairly slow. The church of Prague could perhaps be built up to a cathedral one day, but a cathedral requires that a bishop be present – and so far, Bohemia has no local bishops, something that only the Pope can give.

The conquest of Moravia has so far progressed well. Brno has gone to the Bohemians without a fight; local warlords seem interested in Bohemian protection, if it can actually protect them against the predations of the Magyars. The Duke’s dream of reconstituting Great Moravia, however, may be difficult – Silesia is largely in Polan hands, and Nitra is held strongly by the Magyar tribes. Much of Moravia still needs to be taken, however, and much of it Christianized if it is to become an integral part of the Kingdom.

Corruption in Bohemia has decreased by 2%, and is now at 14%.
The Principality of Moravia will now appear on the stat block. It is not feudalized, and like Meissen, will not contribute demesne income until it is feudalized. Mines and other sources of income, however, may still be collected, and Moravia will provide a moderate amount of local troops until it is feudalized. As it is not feudalized, it has no corruption rating at present.

Bavaria

The Duke of Bavaria seems to be finally recovering power and influence after a long series of misfortunes, from rebellions to church antagonism to Magyar raids. His reliance on the new Norman and Frankish knights has been met by grumbling from his “true” German vassals, but the nobility of Bavaria has been enervated and sorely weakened by rebellion and war and is in no position to challenge the Duke. The rift between the Duke and the Church seems healed at this point, with the Duke’s visit to Rome acting as a powerful symbol of this. When the Pope calls Arnulf “Dux Boiorum,” the local churchmen know he’s here to stay.

Though the past year saw no great Bavarian tactical victories, the Duke has achieved a kind of strategic victory against the Magyars – Bavaria seems fairly secure against the worst of their raids, and they have finally abandoned Carinthia. The cost for Carinthia, however, has been high. Except for Vienna and the corridor of settlement along the Danube, almost nobody remains in the March. Most peasants that were not killed or enslaved have long since fled. No infrastructure remains outside Vienna, save Eppenstein’s burned-out wall. Carinthia may be on its way back into Bavarian hands, but it is in far worse a state than it was in 911, and will take some time to return to its pre-Magyar level of population and production.

The Duke has continued his construction campaign, completing a chapel in Passau and a ring wall around Linz. A modest monastery has been built in Regensburg, though it has few monks currently – the learned men sent by the Pope are still held up in Venice with the Duke himself. A string of wooden border forts and watchtowers have been planned, and some constructed, though the border between Carinthia and Bavaria is long and the task will require considerably more money; some estimate as much as five or six hundred more denarii, though others say less.

The road through Brenner Pass has been considerably improved. Results might be more noticeable if trade with Italy had not been entirely stopped. Interestingly, however, the sudden interest of the Duke in his trans-alpine possessions has served to increase the loyalty of the Altgraf of Brixen and other nobles in Bavarian Italy, who are now more aware than ever of their Duke’s interest in the area. It has also served to ease the hardship there caused by the suffocation of local trade due to the Italian embargo.

The Duchy has, all in all, done well despite the fact that its Duke is “trapped” in Venice. For his part, the Doge has been nothing but a cordial host – he has offered a possible escape route, by landing the Duke in Pula and for there moving though no-man’s land to Carinthia, but the Magyars seem to have made this an impossibility – Pula has been sacked and all of Istria has been ravaged by them, and many bands still remain. Such a course of action might be far too risky.

Corruption in Bavaria has decreased by 1% this year, to 16%.

Franconia

Not much has happened of interest in Franconia. The Duke has continued to try and establish a rapport with the nobility and diffuse factional tensions. He has been aided somewhat by the efforts of the Bavarians, whose attempts to secure their borders have translated into reduced Magyar raids in Franconia.

Corruption in Franconia remains constant, at 16%.

Swabia

The big news from Swabia this year has been their involvement in the war of succession in Italy. With the marriage of his daughter to the King of Burgundy, the Duke has secured ties with a powerful local monarch, and is in a position to benefit a great deal from Rudolph’s ascension to the Iron Crown of Lombardy. Swabia has joined the war on Burgundy’s side, and with apologies to Bavaria, has withdrawn its Carinthian contingent and redeployed more than 3,000 troops to Lombardy. Though they have not yet taken part in any action so far, the King of Burgundy probably appreciates their presence in Milan as reinforcements. The Duke has personally accompanied the army, and is making preparations for the continuation of the campaign in the Spring.

Otherwise, little of note has happened in Swabia. Magyar invasions are down, while trade continues to provide ample additions to the Ducal coffers.

Corruption in Swabia remains constant at 16%.

Friesland

The year has been rougher for the County of Friesland. Martenshoek Was not a crippling defeat, but it has stalled the rebellion and seriously discredited the Count. The Vikings, having lost one of their warlords and several hundred men, have not been able to do anything but maintain the status quo – but that status quo still involves holding much of Frisian territory. The Count now has a much more serious problem on his hands, and may face internal threats if the situation is not dealt with firmly. The war in France has alleviated fears of a French-Lotharingian invasion for now, but that problem may return in the future depending on who the future King of France turns out to be.

Corruption in Friesland has increased by 1%, to 15%.

[Micha]

OOC: Cyclotron, this is truly amazing! This update deals us another twist to work with, while we were still struggling with the former threats... Now the response to all this has to be thought through carefully...

One little nitpick: You confused Bavaria with Bohemia several times in the Bavarian update section

Great work, Cyclotron, my hat is off to you!

[Cyclotron]

Originally posted by Micha
OOC: Cyclotron, this is truly amazing! This update deals us another twist to work with, while we were still struggling with the former threats... Now the response to all this has to be thought through carefully...

One little nitpick: You confused Bavaria with Bohemia several times in the Bavarian update section

Great work, Cyclotron, my hat is off to you!

I fixed the naming error. But anyway, thanks! It's a complicated year, with possible conflicts on multiple fronts. I'd like to emphasize again that things will not necessarily turn out how they did historically - don't assume that the winners in history are going to be the winners in this NES. With Germany's limited resources, you'll have to pick your battles carefully, without knowing the outcome of any.

The stat block, generals, and PMs are coming in the next few days. The map is already done and will be posted with the stat block when that's done.

[appleciders]

I did notice the Bavaria/Bohemia naming swap, though it hardly matters- we know what you meant. And as to complications... oh, for the days where I knew where my enemies stood! Now I'll have no choice but to utterly obliterate them all!

[Nimitz]

At least I still know where my enemies stand though I worry about italy.

[Cyclotron]

Except for Saxony's generals, I do believe that everything is updated. Wooo!

Carinthia has been re-added, though stats are fairly minimal this year, as it's still in the middle of being re-conquered. Because it's been depopulated, the Duke gets a chance to re-allocate land between demesne, church estate, and enfeoffed land as he wishes. Demesne will increase income, church lands will make the church happier and improve population loyalty and conversion, and enfeoffed land will give you more knights and sergeants. When this is decided, the Norman Adventurers and Frankish Chivalry will disappear and re-appear as knights and sergeants of Carinthia, respectively.

The Principality of Moravia has been added as well. It is not feudalized, but can contribute a certain amount of local soldiers - see description for details. Like levy soldiers, these men have an upkeep of 1 denarii each when they are active. Moravia will produce no demesne income or maintain any knights until feudalized, but once feudalized it will lose its native troop compliment.

Duke Burchard II of Swabia to Duke Arnulf of Bavaria
It seems I have 400 new crossbowmen without pavises, and you have at least 400 pavises without crossbowmen. What would you say to some sort of arrangement? Regrettably, my treasury is quite empty this year - perhaps there is some other kind of agreement we can reach.

[appleciders]

Originally posted by Cyclotron
No German anything can pass through Italian territory. Thus, your routes to Venice are cancelled.

A tiny little nitpick about the update: Not to rain on my own parade, but the stat block doesn't reflect that- I still have a big old surplus from Venetian trade. Should I assume a loss of 1100 d. from that? That would be the value of the Venetian trade for me. Also, does this collapse my trade deal with Bohemia, because I was trading Venetian goods? Because if it does, then I'll do this:

Duke Arnulf of Bavaria to Duke Vratislaus of Bohemia
My friend, when the emperor cut off my trade deal with Venice, he cut off my supply of leather and wine that I currently trade to you. Until that trade is resumed, would you accept a substitution of an equal quantity of salt?