A Lone Swedish Count Takes On The World (CK Dynasty)

[Izulde]

"Greatness comes not from piety or chivalry, but from the willingness of a man to take advantage of the opportunities given to him."

So spoke Count Sigvard of Kalmar to his tiny court of three just after the year of 1067 dawned upon the world.

Despite being a small county, Sigvard's domain, Kalmar Lan, was a fairly prosperous one and had the added advantage of being beholden to no one. It had been Sigvard himself who only a year earlier waged such a costly rebellion against the Swedish king that Stenkil I agreed, with his laboured and dying breath, to grant the fief its independence.

The newly titled Count swiftly suppressed any sign of insurrection. It had taken almost half a year, but at last, his authority and right of rule in Kalmar Lar was unchallenged. Now greater opportunities awaited the ambitious aristocrat.

None of the three spoke, for they sensed Sigvard's desire to continue his point, and this he did soon enough.

"Our greatest opportunities lie in the frigid north, where small tribes of savages wait for the glory of our armies to put them under our dominion. They are pagans, so the Church will not only allow our campaign without lambasting us from the pulpit, but we will in fact be lauded for 'saving the souls of the heathens and bringing the glory of God and Christ the Saviour to them.' "

"But it is quite far to there", argued Sophia of Kalmar, the Count's distant cousin and steward, "Let us use the prestige we have won in our fight for indepedence to press a claim upon our neighbours in the County of Finnvenden. Their army is even weaker than the pagans and they are next door. We will have a shorter campaign, for they have no allies and they are a free county as well. It is imperative that we strike quickly, before they listen to King Erik of Sweden's entreaties to return to the kingdom."

"Aye, and that Count of theirs, Algot, knows nothing of war. He is a fair diplomat and administrator, but he's as like to impale himself on a spear as an enemy", added Marshal Sigurd of Kalmar.

Sigvard smiled tolerantly at both of his cousins.

"There is merit in what each of you are saying. However, I do not like the idea of upsetting the rest of Europe so soon after we have gained our independence. Cousin Sigurd, you are the match of any man on the islands or the continent, even Rodrigo Vivar of Valencia. Cousin Sophia, we will still flatten his motley army when the time is right. No, I believe that we should go north."

Chancellor Sigtryyd Knoppe cleared his throat.

"If I may, Your Lordship. The influence that you fear to lose can easily be recovered by marrying. Like your dear cousins, I too, support a swift strike against Finnvenden. Adding another county to your demense will give you more men to attack the pagans in the north with. While it is likely Finnvenden will actually decrease the amount of money you earn each month, the extra manpower alone will be worth it, even if it is relatively minor. It will also serve notice to the rest of the peninsula that you are a growing force to be reckoned with."

"I will decide on my own terms what is to be done, Sigtryyd" replied the Count a touch frostily, "Now, court is adjourned. You will be informed of my decision at the appropriate time."

The three courtiers bowed and exited in silence. Once out in the hall, Sophia broke their quiet.

"Do you think he'll listen to us?"

"He didn't say for certain he'd be going north at the end, did he now?" smiled Sigtryyd.

"In any case, we'll have a war on our hands and probably a wedding too", Sigurd remarked.

Indeed, war looked inevitable before anything else. The bloody bride of conquest would be Count Sigvard's first true love in the opening days of the year.

All that remained to be seen was if he would invade her in the west or in the north.


The ambitious new Count


His cousin and Steward


His other cousin and Marshal


No relation, but his Chancellor


Count Algot, a potential target


Kalmar Lan = gold with white border; Finnvenden = green with magenta border; Heathen lands Sigvard presently eyes = red border at the very top of the map

[Runtheball]

That's quite a court you have. You're fortunate to get such qualified help at the start of the game.

[Izulde]

Originally Posted by Runtheball

That's quite a court you have. You're fortunate to get such qualified help at the start of the game.

No kidding, especially being blessed with two men who aren't so old.

[Izulde]

Upon receiving the declaration of war from the Count of Kalamar Lan's messenger, Count Algot of Finnvenden immediately mobilized his army and prepared for the oncoming assault.

His forces camped and waited. And waited. And waited.

A diary later recovered from a minor officer in the force explains conditions the best:

"We've been waiting for well over a month now and there's no sign of Kalmar Lan's forces. The men grow restless and they long to return to their fields and families. Count Algot refuses to disband the army, saying that the enemy will come soon. Morale plummets with each day and it will take a miracle now for us to survive when the snake does come slithering in."

That miracle came when King Erik of Sweden, smarting from his father's being forced to grant Kalmar Lan's independence, declared war on the upstart county and made ready to invade, swearing to bring Kalmar Lan back under the kingdom's heel.

Just as Stewardess Sophia feared, the Count of Finnvenden quickly pledged his loyalty to King Erik in gratitude to his liberator. Alarmed, Count Sigvard just as hastily made an alliance with the King Olaf of Norway, a surprisingly shortsighted move, considering his plans to take on the heathens in the far north.

Things grew from bad to worse, and after a catastrophic battle in Kalmar Lan in the spring of 1067, the siege was on. Forced to swallow his pride, Sigvard appealed to King Olaf of Norway once more, this time offering to give up the very independence he had so recently won and pledge fealty to the Norwegian regent.

Olaf immediately accepted and declared war on King Erik, thus the Scandinavian War of 1067 began. The conflict was a pitched one, both sides bringing to bear numerous troops, the Kingdom of Sweden's armies swelled to even greater numbers when the independent county of Medalpad pledged fealty to Erik as well.

Although the proposition was a losing one, Count Sigvard repeatedly raided the Swedish royal troops in Kalmar Lan, in hopes that they could delay the fight long enough for his new liege's armies to arrive and free the beleagured county.

And then December 16, 1068 happened.

The county was just about to fall to the Kingdom of Sweden and another skirmish was being waged in Kalmar Lan between Sigvard's largely irregular troops and the Swedish royal army when a lone archer's volley arced through the air and landed in King Erik Stenkilsatten's throat.

He died a few hours later.

A new King Erik, this one from the av Munso dynasty, was coronated shortly thereafter, and although the war continued to rage, the immediate threat to the County of Kalmar Lan was gone, banished by a single arrow.

But it had come at a terrible price, for Sigvard now bowed to King Olaf of Norway, the proud Swedish nobleman gone from free lord to Norwegian lackey.

It was a humiliation that Count Sigvard of Kalmar seethed at and privately vowed to ressurect.


The new liege lord


I'll probably call him Erik II, even if that's not historically accurate

[Izulde]

Just two short years ago, he'd be the Count of an independent domain, with ambitions of expanding his demense and becoming a power in Scandinavia. Now, he was a toadie of the Norwegian king, still officially embroiled in a war with Sweden.

The fall from grace still displeased Sigvard on this snowy early December morning of 1068 and the cascading white blur covering the landscape did nothing to improve his humour.

His cousins chose to spend the day attending to other pursuits. Just what those were, he neither knew, nor cared to know. It was only him, a few snowbound servants, and Sigtryyg that remained in the manor that seemed far too tiny on winter days like these.

The chancellor smiled slightly as he watched his liege staring out the window. Sivard's snit could only mean he was plotting something. He'd said not a word for almost half a week now, and that wasn't like the Count to go without dispensing commands or advice to at least one member of the household.

Finally, Sigvard sighed and spoke.

"Sigtryyg, you have been there with me from the very beginning. My cousins I knew would help out of familial devotion, but you, you were putting yourself on the line. There was a bright future ahead of you in your father's business and I dare say you could have been a very astute merchant. But you turned your back on that obvious comfort and fought the revolution with me. I've always wondered why."

A low laugh came from the son of the Knoppe family's throat as he rose from his chair and crossed the room to rest a hand on his contemplative friend's shoulder.

"Because, my dear friend, sometimes there are things in life more important than what profit a man can make out of a situation. Besides, you are too blunt and forceful in your negotiations with others and doubtlessly would've gotten yourself killed without my help. I wouldn't have wanted your blood on my hands, so it wasn't entirely altruistic if that makes you happy."

The Count chuckled and nodded, eyes taking on a reflective cast.

"I remember that company of Danish mercaneries we hired. We only got them because you were able to talk them down from that ridiculous price they wanted into something more reasonable"

"And you would have gotten us all slain in our beds by that very same group if they'd taken your threat to neuter Asbjorn seriously" added the chancellor cheerfully.

Sigvard laughed more fully, roaring with the mirth of the memory, "Ah, yes.. 'Oh no, Sir Asbjorn, don't pay any attention to what he's saying. He's still angry about your winning the drinking game last night.' I wanted to kill -you- for saying that, but it worked. They laughed and Asbjorn agreed to the price you named."

After their shared humour had died down, the Count rubbed his chin, "So where did our new Spymaster get off to?"

"Oh, the old goat's down at the tavern bleating about how he should be the one who's Count of Finnvenden. I don't see why you took him on. I think the man's more of a threat than you realize."

"Hmm. Perhaps, but he's old and will die before he gets the title and he knows it. His value as an information source about the rest of Europe is simply too good to pass up, I'm afraid."

Siggtryg nodded his defeat with a short chuckle and turned his eyes to the crackling hearth by which his chair sat.

"Very well. And now that I've gotten you talking again, what are your plans? You've been too quiet lately."

Sigvard smiled ruefully, shaking his head as his friend once again had manuevred him into the corner he'd wanted all along.

"As you suggested once upon a time, I will need to get married to recover lost influence. If can I marry an older family's daughter, I'll gain some much needed legitimacy, especially if she's of this region."

The chancellor nodded his agreement, "And then?"

"We lay low, rebuilding our armies and waiting for the right moment to strike. This war between Sweden and Norway will not last forever. I am certain Erik II does not his early reign spoiled by a prolonged war. Once the troops are ready, we will make our move."

"Have you given thought to improving the infrastructure? It will get us that much more money each money if we handle it right", suggested Siggtryg.

"No. Where I am planning on going, Kalmar Lan will become only a place I knew once."

Although Count Sigvard of Kalmar proved unsuccessful in his efforts to find a regional noble daughter to marry, his prestige soared throughout all of Europe when, after almost a month of searching, an extremely prestigious match was agreed to.

On January 25th, 1069, Count Sigvard of Kalmar married Princess Mariam Bagratuni, daughter of old King Bagrat of the Kingdom of Georgia.

Once again, Sigvard was being viewed as a man worthy of consideration.

His new wife's skill in diplomacy was reknowned, so much so that Siggtryg voluntarily gave up his post as chancellor. In compensation, the Count named his closest friend the new Spymaster. With his new position, Siggtryg had the ultimate victory over the elderly man he so mistrusted.

The war between the kingdoms of Norway and Sweden finally ended on May 30th, 1069 with King Magnus of Norway publically humiliating Erik II and becoming one of the most feared monarchs in Northern Europe.

Yes, King Magnus I, for just as Erik II's predecessor had fallen in battle, so too did Olaf die in that terrible three-year war.

Scandinavia had lost two great, young kings in a conflict started because of a single upstart Count. The fallout would prove to considerably affect the course of the region's and in turn Europe's history.


Once a Danish mercenary captain, now Marshal for a Duke. Not a bad career promotion, I'd say


The old Spymaster before he got removed for Siggtryg. Has a claim on Finnvenden, but he'll never live to get his hands on because, well, he's not Berardo. Ten points if you can remember what that alludes to.


Mariam on her wedding day. I haven't included father-in-law or the new Norwegian king, I just realized, but I'll put them in next update since I've already saved and exited out the game.

[Izulde]

The summer of 1069 proved a pleasant and peaceful one for the province of Kalmar Lan as the citizens enjoyed the good weather and went to their local festivals, even as the army quietly continued to be built up.

Autumn proved much more exciting, as a daughter, Ingrid, was born on October 2nd. In mid-November, there was even more cause for celebration after Spymaster Siggtryg Knoppe married Stewardess Sophia of Kalmar in a fairly elaborate wedding. The match had been arranged by none other than Count Sigvard himself and both Siggtryg and Sophia proved quite enthused about the notion, as they had gotten along together quite well even in the earliest days of the revolution.

Sigvard was most pleased to see his cousin and his closest friend in all the world wed. It would ensure that their group remained close-knit. There was, however, still the problem of Sigurd. His other cousin privately voiced his concern in the days after that November wedding that he had yet to find a bride and Sigurd asked Sigvard to find him one.

"Find someone pretty who understands war if you can" Sigurd gruffly requested, "You know I care about religion as much as you do, so it doesn't matter to me if she's Catholic, Muslim, Jewish, heathen, Orthodox, whatever. She can be whatever race, too. Come to think of it, I might like a lovely little dark thing to come home to at night."

Inge Trolle, who stayed on at court even after his removal, showed his value when he heard about the search for a bride for the marshal.

"I've traveled a lot since my family was wrongfully exiled from Finnvenden and I tell you now to go to the court of the Duke of Navarra. There the women are plentiful and quite knowledgeable in the arts of war from years of fighting the Moors" advised the elderly gentleman.

His words were correct and in early December, a Castillian woman close to Sigurd's age named Teresa de Aza left the Duke of Navarra's court to marry Sigurd of Kalmar.

Quiet settled once more in Kalmar Lan, lasting until August of 1070 when Sigvard, his army fully prepared and ready, made his move.

War was declared on the Tribe of Prussia, a fair-sized territory of pagans on the northern coast of the continent. King Magnus I, sensing an opportunity to expand his own lands, immediately declared war on the Prussians as well.
His lord's following suit played well into the Count of Kalmar Lan's hands, for it allowed Sigvard to relax and allow the Norwegian king to tie himself to another land while the Count went after his real target.

The Chiefdom of Angermanland to the far north, one of the lands he'd originally eyed.

It was not until after the December 26th birth of his son and heir Olaf, that Sigvard allowed himself to declare war. In fact, it would take until January 17th, 1071 for the Count to issue his proclamation, for Angermanland was a militarily powerful tribe and they were at war with the Republic of Iceland and a bisophoric. The Kalmar Lan lord waited until the main force was well towards Iceland, the remaining soldiers left in the hands of minor commanders, before announcing his intentions.

But sadly for Sigvard, his strategy backfired. Duke Orm of Hedmark, Duke of Trondelag, a clubfoot known for his generosity, marched into Angermanland with a paltry two hundred men and declared that as the one of superior title, he was taking command of the campaign forces. The chief surrendered on July 23rd, 1071 and just like that, 93 florins so carefully saved up by Sigvard and all of the Count's plans were lain to waste.

The war in Prussia was also not going well for the Norwegians, as King Magnus was spotted sailing into the newly liberated county of Angermanland with half the men that he'd originally set out with. Although word of what happened still hadn't reached Sigvard's ears, the count refrained from setting out to see what was happening in Prussia. No, better to let Magnus order the rest of the kingdom's forces there and try to sneak his way in at that time.

The lone bit of happy news during these miserable months was the birth of Sigvard's second son, Erik, on February 3, 1072.

Finally, in the fall of 1072, Sigvard could take it no more. He mobilized his forces in September and set out for the province of Marienberg in the wake of King Magnus's next expedition towards Prussia.

Desperate to get something out of this costly war, the Count of Kalmar Lan redirected his troops to Chelminskie immediately to the south while King Magnus besieged Marienberg. For many months, it looked as though Magnus would win Marienberg and Chelminskie would fall to Sigvard.

But then the Prussians attacked Kalmar Lan's forces to take as many of the Swedish-born troops as they could. The delay caused by the battle allowed Magnus to come riding in and take command a mere day before the province surrendered on May 28th, 1073.

Sigvard had lost everything. Now in debt to the ghastly sum of 270 florins, he added nothing to his empire and in fact, had only greatly enriched and expanded the prestige and dominion of the Norwegian king Magnus I.

All his dreams were broken there on that unhappy field in Chelminskie. There would be no greater empire, no fear in Europe of his name.

Sigvard of Kalmar was now viewed throughout the known world as nothing more than King Magnus's dog.

Or, should it be said, the plaything of the child-king King Arnvid I, son of King Magnus I?

Once more, a Scandinavian monarch fell in battle due to a war instigated by the Count of Kalmar.

The news gave Sigvard no comfort.


I hate this guy. I hate him very, very much. Bastard.


Bagrat rules. He kicked some pagan ass in his 50s. I forget who he smoked, though. Oh and thanks again for the daughter, Bagrat!


Sigurd's pretty hot, militaristic Castillian wife. Too bad no kids out of them yet. So much for my military breeding machine.


I can't wait to be Duke so I can steal sieges with a couple hundred men like this jerk.


My daughter. Marriage courtier bait like every daughter ever born in CK. Well, she might get to marry an actual noble since she's the eldest daughter.


Oldest son. Pretty uninspiring kid overall.


Second son and heir! He'll be a pretty good one, I think. No events fired for him yet and already he looks decent. The treasury'll probably still be bleeding red ink, though. Damn siege stealers.


Oh please, please, please.. make something bad happen so I can break free of being part of the Kingdom of Norway.

[like a dog]

Wid up, Jestor.

[AlexB]

Missed the 'o' in the fourth word of the thread title: thought it was about Sven for a second there

[Izulde]

like a dog: Not much. You?

Jari Rantanen's Shorts: Oh there's certainly enough people that qualify for the C-designation right now. I'm going to be set back for at least Sigvard's lifetime.

[Izulde]

As if Sigvard had not faced enough humiliation, the regency council ruling in the infant Arnvid's stead awarded the county of Chelminskie to the Bishop of Bergunhus for "aiding our great and mighty King Magnus I in the wars against the heatens in Prussia."

The irony lay not only in the fact that it had been Sigvard largely responsible for the conquest of Chelminskie, but in that Bishop Brynjulf was not even an authentic cleric. He was a marshal, whose ecclesiastical rank was obtained through some sort of deceit that history to this day has unable to ascertain the specifics of.

Tragedy for the Kalmar lord and his family struck again on August 19, 1073, when Stewardess Sophia, his cousin, had a stillborn child. Although the entire household mourned, Siggtryg pointed out very gently to his wife that they still were the parents of two beautiful children, a son and a daughter and who was to stop them from trying again? Happily, a short time later, Sophia was pregnant once more.

But Sigvard remained discontent and he soon formulated a new plan to strive for greater glory glittering on the House of Kalmar.

"The Kingdom of Denmark is closeby and it is a small one. Surely, the Kingdom of Norway's armies are vast enough to handle them. It will cost me all the influence that I've built up and the treasury shall be even bloodier, but what of it? The chance for becoming a respected and rich man in my lifetime is gone. If I can arrange future prosperity for Erik and Olaf and give those in my line who follow me a chance to succeed where I have failed, then so be it" lectured Sigvard to Siggtryg.

The Spymaster said nothing for a moment as he thought these words over. It would be a gamble, but one that could be worth it. His closest friend in all the world was in his middle 30s after all, and by the time the infant king came to majority, it might too late for the Count to fulfill his plans.

"What exactly do you intend to do?"

"You and Mariam must draw up documents proclaiming me the rightful heir to Slesvig, both the Ducal title and the county itself. We will have the papers sent out and declare war."

Siggtryg pondered this as he instinctively glanced at a map of the world hanging on the room they were in. It was easy enough to see why the Count chose that precise location. With Slesvig in hand, he would have direct access to the Continent without having to pay exorbiant shipping fees. If there were a cost involved, it would be minimal. Duke Harald Knytling was also the weakest of the Danish dukes.

"Consider it done, old friend." smiled the Spymaster.

The evidence was written up, the claims sent forth, and war declared on, all of days, New Year's, 1074. The entire kingdom also declared war against Denmark.

But then something happened that no one anticipated.

In the islands to the west, a certain supreme Norman lord declared himself the faithful ally of the Danes and a sworn enemy of the Norwegians.

Mighty England joined in on the side of Denmark.

Suddenly what seemed to be an easy battle looked anything but.


Who says lying's a bad thing? Not this guy!


The intended target


Military genius? Check. Huge armies? Check. The Pope's secular confidant? Check. What's Norwegian for screwed?

[Coder]

Who cares what the norwegian word is.. Sigvard is still Swedish and the word is "rövknullad"...

Gotta say I love your CK-dynasties Izulde.. especially the ones where you start in Scandinavia

So stop toying around and keep going.. I want to read more!!!

[Izulde]

Originally Posted by Coder

Who cares what the norwegian word is.. Sigvard is still Swedish and the word is "rövknullad"...

Gotta say I love your CK-dynasties Izulde.. especially the ones where you start in Scandinavia

So stop toying around and keep going.. I want to read more!!!

Thanks, both for the compliment and the linguistic information, Coder.

Oh, I'll definitely keep going. This three-way dance coming up certainly is going to be an interesting one to see.

[Izulde]

Situated as it was as the easternmost province of the Kingdom of Norway, Kalmar Lan appeared to have little to fear from the Norman lion. With that in mind, Sigvard summoned his troops and set sail for Slesvig.

Unfortunately, upon landing on the shores of Skane, Sigvard and his army were set upon by Count Benedikt Svendson Knytling's forces. Although outnumbered, the Count of Kalmar Lan was winning the battle when Duke Harald himself arrived with fresh troops. The combined forces were too much for Sigvard's troops to bear and they were forced to retreat back home in March.

Later that month, Danish soldiers arrived in Kalmar Lan and began seiging the Count's residence. Marshal Sigurd's death in mid-April only added to the court's woes. Bereft of any truly talented fighting man, it was with heavy heart that Sigvard appointed Sigtrygg as Marshal, old man Inge Trolle reappointed as Spy Master.

Yet, even these indignities were not enough, for in early May, the King of Denmark himself, Svend I, arrived to lend his 3000+ plus troops to the siege of Kalmar Lan and none other than the Bishop of Bergenhus, fresh off of adding the heathen land of Memel to his ever-swelling bisophoric territory, marched through the county without offering even so much as a single man to aid in Sigvard's defense.

In June, Kalmar Lar fell, the county ransacked and plundered of all value by the Danish troops. Sigvard's influence fell to almost nothing, all of Europe laughing at the foolish little Swedish count under the infant Norwegian king's banner.

But then an avenue of hope opened up. King Svend I, feeling flush with his easeful handling of the Norwegian front, declared war on the pagan kingdoms of Mecklemburg and Pommerania, intent on expanding his domain in the same manner that Norway had only a year before.

An avenue of hope that quickly shut down when King William I of England arrived and spent all of the fall rampaging through Norway, even plundering the crown province of Askerhus. A new Pope came into power in late November, but William stayed the most influential secular man in all of Christendom.

The ghastly war for the Norwegians continued well into the spring of 1075, when a new menace threatened Kalmar Lan.

A force of 1300 strong Pommerian pagans, viewing the county as Danish lands as it was controlled by the King of Denmark, attacked with the intent of conquest.

Tragedy continued when three-year old Erik, the heir to the county, took ill in May.

The child-king Arnvid I died in June, leading to his even younger brother, Svein, to assume the throne, though the regency council's rule continued unabated. The council made peace with England and Denmark at a cost so high, it would cripple the Norwegian royal treasury for years to come.

Despite the peace, the county of Kalmar Lan was still too crippled to raise the troops they needed. The land was also still under the provisional rule of the Kingdom of Denmark.

And so it was that on August 17, 1075, with King Svend's forces just about to break the borderline into Kalmar Lan and free the county, the Pommerian horde broke through the doors of the manor.

Sigtrygg and Inge were the first to be executed. Then the diocese bishop, who no one remembers.

They were the lucky ones.

Sigvard of Kalmar was forced to watch while the laughing heathens violated his wife and his cousin in front of him, his children and Sophia and Sigtrygg's children shackled in chains, to be sold in some far-off market as slaves.

Only when all the men that wanted to had spent themselves on the women were Sophia and Mariam likewise put in chains, the sobbing girls forced to watch as the Pommerian commander's axe swung up in the air.

On the downswing, Sigvard of Kalmar's head fell from its shoulders, a flood of blood staining the floor.

And so the House of Kalmar's dreams died that very day, in the same manor that it'd been born, where independence for the county was granted. Its descendants were sold into slavery, to become in the end no one ever knew.

What is more, no one cared.

In the whole of the known world, only an old King, whose lands bordered on Muslim territory wept.

King Bagrat of Georgia had lost his only beloved daughter.

***End***

[Coder]

Noooooooooooooooooooooooooo


Start over.. New game!! I demand it.

[Izulde]

Originally Posted by Coder

Noooooooooooooooooooooooooo


Start over.. New game!! I demand it.

Oh I'll definitely be starting a new game.

I just really got my ass handed to me this time around and caught all the bad luck breaks you could possibly get.

I'll be starting with a county again, I'm sure, because that's always the most fun for me.

It's just a question of where.