In Search of a New Welsh Homeland: The Meriadoc Dynasty (CK)

[Izulde]

"England's throne has fallen to William the Bastard. The Normans have taken over the court and the nobility. Only a few Saxon territories remain and even they swear fealty to William. I worry, Cadgwan."

The marshal was certainly right to worry, mused Count Cadgwan Meriadoc. William's coronation took place only the day before and already there was talk that the Bastard planned to keep going with his conquests, not stopping until all of the island fell under his sway.

"Tell me your opinion of the Scots and the other Welsh lords" ordered the count.

Gwrgant Meriadoc smiled. Although giving up title to the counties of Glamgoran and Gwent was the hardest thing he'd ever done, he sensed the spark of destiny surrounding this young cousin. His own children were worthless and the marshal would be the first to admit that. Iestyn, his lone son, already boasted five children of his own at just 16, the first one born when Iestyn was 11. A lustful lout, that's what his middle child was. Gwrgant's eldest and youngest were both daughters, pretty enough he supposed, but without any reedeeming talent to speak of.

"King Malcom of Scotland rules over a sizeable domain, but a poor one. The Scots are fearsome warriors capable of protecting their homeland, but that is all. As for our own kinsmen, the Duke of Gwynned is a talented man, but the Duke of Deheuberth is as able as my son and his brood." The marshal spat to the side in distaste.

"And neither of them with anywhere near the troops necessary to withstand William's massive armies" concluded Cadwgan as he looked thoughtfully out the window overlooking the forest, "Which means there can be only one solution."

"And that is?" inquired Gwrgant with a small smile.

"We must find a new homeland."

Shock jolted the marshal as the stunning sentence slammed into him. Gaping, he stepped forward and gripped Cadwgan's shoulders with both hands.

"You can't be serious! To run away from our home, from the very country our ancestors paid for time and time again in blood? To surrender our birthright without so much as a whimper?! Cadwgan, tell me this is only a passing fancy! Tell me you will give up this madness and never think of it again!"

The count stood implacably in his only worthy courtier's hold, his face grave.

"We have no choice, Marshal Gwrgant. It is better that we should go far from here and build a new country, a new Wales, than be crushed under the callous Norman boot. We must leave to a new land and a new life. In the fullness of time, perhaps some day some future generation of Meriadoc will be able to return and reclaim these lands."

Pain shot through the old noble's heart at those words and he fought his tears as he nodded his acquiescence.

"Yes, you are right of course. But I have one request of you. I am an old man and do not wish to go to some foreign land. This is my home and I wish to die here. Will you allow me to stay?"

Cadwgan embraced the man who'd given up so much already for him, his voice as firm and strong as his grasp.

"You can do more than stay, Gwrgant. You will be made Count again of whichever you prefer of Gwent and Glamgoran. I owe everything that I have to you and I will it that you will not only die in beloved Wales, but die as the nobleman that you are."

A weathered hand wiped his eyes for the Marshal as he took a step back and exhaled slowly.

"Then give me Gwent, so that when that future Meriadoc does return to reclaim Wales and sails into that harbour, my ghost will be there to greet him with joyful and open arms."


Makes you wonder where he's planning on going, eh?


The loyal Welshman and Marshal, soon to be restored to the County of Gwent

[JeffNights]

woo-hoo!

[Izulde]

Originally Posted by JeffNights

woo-hoo!

Thanks

[Izulde]

The screams of angry men and dying horses clashed against the clang of metal everywhere across the searing desert, the cacophony of Hell's own devising.

Deviltry, too, in the snarls of those dark-skinned men who attacked again and again the brave, yet small Welsh army. It seemed as though things had always been this way. The dark, rich green forests at home only a fairytale, the lakes and streams they once knew the stuff of a child's imagination. Their wives and children never existed. There had only been this; the fighting and the shouting and the dying, only this since time's inception and nothing more.

There was no greenery here, no pleasant and shady leafy bower. Only this torrent of flying sand that stung the eyes, as fine and numerous as dead men's ashes upon a pyre. The corpses that littered the opaque, endless yellow expanse of this barren, jaundiced version of Lucifer's lair were not ash yet, but they shriveled a little more with each passing moment, as the blood drained from their bodies to feed and bathe the ever-hungry, ever-starving sand.

Cadwgan Meriadoc looked to his right as he ran one through one of Lucifer's own Moors. What was that scream and why was it so familiar?

Gwrgant staggered two steps right, another diagonal left. His watery eyes widened with anguished disbelief, the jaw and mouth already losing form and firmness as his face crumpled. Three seconds later, the marshal's heavy body slumped to the sifting earth, an infidel's blade through his heart.

Tears of rage and grief blotted out all semblance of order and shape to the world and Cadwgan roared his disbelieving fury as he swung his sword at whatever moving blurs happened to come near, be it friend or foe.

And then everything vanished, a bright white light descending from the cloudless, windless sky.

"This is what awaits you if you do not change your course, Cadwgan of House Meriadoc. Is this the destiny, the new homeland you dream of for your people?"

Cadwgan started and cried out.

The bed beneath him creaked.

He was no longer in the desert, but in his bedchamber in Glamgoran.

It had been just a bad dream.

But a nightmare he would listen to. Everything must be changed now, the initial plans he'd shared with Gwrgant entirely rewritten.

That horrible vision must never come to pass.

[Abe Sargent]

My fourth fav game, after all

[Izulde]

Originally Posted by Anxiety

My fourth fav game, after all

And an excellent #4 it is

[Izulde]

For three long years, he'd toiled in Finland, seiging the pagans. And for what, in the end? So that the smug Governor of Iceland could swoop in and force his superior numbers to be the ones to take the county when the gates fell as they must.

Cadwgan winced as he shifted in his seat. The fever never left him after that rash storming of the Finnish fort, though the injury had thankfully healed. Untold numbers of priests and medicine men came to him in Finland, but the healing rites he paid them to perform could not heal his sickness.

And now here he was in Wales once more, in the spring of 1070. Glamgoran was a wasteland, having been looted by the Suomi tribe when they attacked the count's main domain. The treasury sat bankrupt to the tune of almost 300 goldoons.

As the Count of two small counties sat there, looking at the faded tapestries of the heroes of Welsh legends, he mused on all that had happened. The King of Norway and the Duke of Connacht had both come calling for an alliance, as had the Duke of Brittany, who was now at war with the Kingdoms of Castile and Navarra. Both those Iberian Kingdoms fought with the Kingdom of Aragon, who looked doomed in any case. The young German King Heinrich took Wolgast from the Mecklemburg pagans and there were signs coming from the East that the Byzantines were having trouble with the Seljuk Turks.

It might be time to revisit these offers of alliance, reflected Cadwgan. Although he hadn't wanted to attack his fellow Christians, such might become necessary in order to secure a new homeland for his countrymen, far removed from the menace of England.

Yes, that would be what must be done.

The Count sighed and reached for the wine bottle near him. Things had taken their toll on him and there wasn't a day when he had a moment's peace.

But if he could just find a new safe haven, then everything would be all right...

Cadwgan soon found that no one was willing to ally with an impoverished Welsh count, particularly not one who'd spurned prior alliances. In need of finding a better chancellor and locating more income, he at last decided to get married.

A dearth of acceptable women in the noble line all across Europe forced him to marry Margaret Athelling, a Saxon courtier taking refuge with a Jimenez and a Ruriovich, among other illustrious familiy names, in the King of Scotland's court.

Although best suited to be a Spymaster, she took the chancellor's position posthaste and set about trying to find an alliance for Cadwgan and to locate a husband for the replaced Eva Meriadoc.

Their wedding took place on June 16, 1070 and two days later, a terrible threat emerged to the Welsh nation.

William the Conqueror and Phillipe Capet, King of France, declared war on the Duchy of Gwynedd and County of Perfweddad in support of William's claims on the latter county.

The Norman lion was spreading his jaws and beginning to devour Wales. Time was running short.


The new bride

[MrBug708]

That looks like a good bloodline bride...

[Izulde]

Originally Posted by MrBug708

That looks like a good bloodline bride...

I went into the game and checked out what information of her bloodline was available as I became curious after that remark.

She comes from largely high marital/high intrigue lines, but low stewardship is a consistent problem along the way.

So my guess is if the ill Cadwgan manages to produce heirs, they'll be in the high marital/high intrigue shape of Cadwgan and indeed, even Margaret's line, and hopefully a boost in Diplomacy as well. In order to get better Stewardship in the blood though, I'll probably have to marry it.

[MrBug708]

Just marry off the future sons into a good stewardship line.

[Izulde]

Originally Posted by MrBug708

Just marry off the future sons into a good stewardship line.

Things got kind of... nipped as you'll see in the next update.

[Izulde]

"What are our choices?"

The Count's question weighed heavily on his entire court. Although the Duke of Gywnedd made peace with King William only a few short days before without giving up any territory, all present were well aware that the reprieve was only a temporary one. Furthermore, Gwynedd still warred with France.

"Our offers of alliance continue to be rejected by everyone" replied Margaret, lines in her face from the many hours of dealing with her stressed husband and the courts she'd traveled to in order to find a friend for Glamgoran, "We must find someone who is also friendless and willing to help us."

"We might also consider just giving into William. That'd solve the problem very easily" Iestyn the hated Spymaster suggested.

All of them glared at the unfavoured son, none more so than his father Gwrgant who had just reached his sixtieth year.

"Never! We will never bow to that bastard Norman swine!" swore the marshal as he gripped his sword, "And if you consider such a thing again, I'll slay you myself!"

"Peace, Gwrgant" murmured Cadwgan, "We must not fall to quarreling amongst ourselves, no matter how unworthy the people we are forced to get along with."

Iestyn said nothing, for he knew well enough that no matter how much Gwrgant hated him, his father's inheritance belonged to him and him alone as the only son. The thought made him smile.

After a long pause, the Count stood and looked outside at the lush summer countryside, rubbing his beard and frowning.

"We will take your advice, Margaret, and seek out someone who is also without friend in the world. No doubt they shall be difficult to find, but if we are to establish a new country, we must find a way. Continue to look for a husband for Eva and see about getting a new bride for Iestyn as well. Maybe she will be able to keep him from his fool's talk."

For two months, all diplomatic efforts on each front failed miserably until October 7th, 1070, a single day after the Kingdom of Aragon fell to the Kingdom of Navarra.

The Duke of Brittany, now needing an ally, sent a messenger to Count Cadwgan, expressing a desire to form an alliance. The pact was speedily accepted and at long last, the counties of Glamgoran and Gwent had a friend, and a fairly powerful one at that.

This new friend was still at war with Castile and Navarra however, and so the court decided it was in the best interests of the two counties to wait for the conflict to be concluded before pressing their claims on a territory away from Britian.

By mid-November, hostilities with both kingdoms ceased, Brittany awarded 239 goldoons by the Kingdom of Navarra.

Seeing an opportunity with his ally's armies already in place, Cadwgan Meriadoc made the bold move of claiming title to the County of Asturias de Oviedo in the neighbouring Kingdom of Leon. King Alfonso immediately declared war on Glamgoran in support of his vassal, Duke Hoel following suit by declaring war on Leon.

This in fact was a dangerous undertaking for the Kingdom of Leon, already at war with the Sheiks of Valencia and Castellon, along with the powerful Emir of Toledo. No doubt this information was known to the cunning Cadwgan, who sent Marshal Gwrgant with the Gwent regiment down to Iberia. The Glamgoran troops were still too minimal to bother with, for the county hadn't yet recovered from the earlier pagan invasion.

The campaign was an unmitigated disaster. Despite early gains made by Brittany, the defenses in Asturias de Oviedo consisted of the first actual castle that many of the Welshmen had ever seen and Leon roared back after swiftly making peace with the Muslims, quickly smashing Gwrgant's troops and scattering both armies.

Coupled with this crushing defeat, Iestyn died in December of 1071 and so it was an unhappy beginning to 1072, with the treasury now almost 400 goldoons in the red and things going nowhere.

Heartbroken and depressed, never recovering from his illness from Finland, Cadwgan Meriadoc passed away on March 26, 1072.

A minor clerk in Gwent recorded the Count's life in this way.

Cadwgan Meriadoc the Beatified (r. 1066-1072 Count of Glamgoran and Gwent)

He dreamt of a new Welsh homeland from the moment he assumed power, but never succeeded. A campaign against pagans in Finland nearly succeeded but was taken from him in the last hour by the traitorous Governor of Iceland. An alliance with the Duchy of Brittany gave some small ray of hope, but in the midst of a disasterous effort in Iberia, Cadwgan Meriadoc passed away with no new lands gained.

While he married Margaret Aethling, descendant of the old line of Saxon kings, the couple failed to produce an heir before his death, causing the Counties to be passed to his marshal and cousin, the legendary 62 year old Gwrgant Meriadoc.

His exploits against the pagans and his faithfulness to his noble cause led to his being beatified by the Church, thus earning him a spiritual reward even in spite of his temporal failures.


The ally, no longer such with Cadwgan's death


On the bright side, he's the first guy I've ever had beatified in all my years of CK


Can you say short reign? Oh yeah. I'll try and get him married off anyway, so he can hopefully have a son and not have one of his lackluster grandkids inherit.

[Izulde]

Not long after he assumed control of Glamgoran and Gwent, Gwrgant surprised everyone by marrying an Irish courtier from the Duchy of Ulster, one of four main duchies competing for Ireland along with Leinster, Munster, and Connacht.

Affraic of Ulaid, as she was called, made an even better diplomat than Margaret Atheling and so she became chancellor, the former Countess named Spymaster. This allowed Gwrgant the freedom to accept whatever marriage offers might come for his two inept daughters.

As Affraic was already old at 35, the chances of children seemed remote. Thus, it came to pass that Gwrgant continued the education of Madog, his favourite grandchild and chosen successor and expanded it from the marital arts only into the realm of governance as a whole.

The Count first approached it one late spring afternoon as he and the 10 year old heir traded blows with wooden swords on the lush meadows of the Glamgoran manor.

"You must listen to me very carefully, Madog. I am an old man and there will be no more children of my own. You are the best of my grandsons and it will fall to you to lead us to our new home after I am gone" said Gwrgant as he's blocked Madog's eager thrust.

The boy recoiled from the blow and tottered a bit, but soon recovered and planted the tip of his practice blade in the fertile earth, eyes solemn upon his grandfather.

"Then tell me what must be done and I will do as you say."

"The one who ruled before me, Cadwgan, said that we must have a new homeland for Wales and he is right. But I am an old man and I will not leave my country. It shall be you who leads us elsewhere."

Madog said nothing as he waited and listened.

"I do not know if you will be old enough to lead the armies when I die, but we, the Welsh, are a Celtic peoples, with ancestral lands in Wales, Ireland, and Scotland. We can not gain our territory here or in Scotland. The Normans are too strong, so we must return to our ancestors' homes in Ireland. It will be a new home, but an old one as well. Pledge yourself to one of the Irish dukes and make war on one of the counties as soon as you can and with the help of your liege, seize it. Then you must take your rightful title as the Duke of Deheubarth and that may mean war immediately to the west of here. But it must be done, for once the title is yours, you will be independant again and free as you should be."

The child nodded as he took all of this in. He would remember this. It was too important to forget. There was one objection, however.

"But Grandfather, it takes influence to persuade people into believing that I'm the rightful owner of lands. Won't I be too young to have people accept me as the rightful ruler?"

A sudden, cunning wolf's smile appeared on Gwrgant's face.

"That is why I have married Affraic of Ulaid and made it know that through her lineage, the County of Ulaid should be ruled by the men of our family."

In April, the alliance with the Duchy of Brittany was renewed, a necessary move to tie down the Kingdom of Leon, with whom the Meriadocs were still officially at war. It became an especially prudent tie to have following the collapse of the hill fort in Gwent, which left the county essentially defenseless.

A great embarassment was alleviated and a small amount of money gained after Eva, the Count's oldest daughter, married the Diocese Bishop of the Duchy of Connacht in September, strengthening the Meriadoc ties to Ireland.

An already peaceful reign became even more so in December of 1073, when the Kingdom of Leon, wanting to free its resources elsewhere, extended an offer of white peace that Gwrgant readily accepted. With this truce in hand, Madog would be free to concern himself only with Ireland and not fear Iberian intrusion.

On July 28, 1074, Gwrgant Meriadoc passed away in his sleep. His life was chronicled thusly:

Gwrgant Meriadoc the Free (r. 1072-1074 Count of Glamgoran and Gwent)

Gwrgant Meriadoc, the Marshal under Cadwgan Meriadoc, his predecessor, ascended to the title of Count at the age of 62. He ruled just two years, but in that short time, he did much to repair the damage done during Cadwgan's reign.

The most important things he did were to peaceably end the war with the Kingdom of Leon over Asturias de Ovedio and reduce the debt by nearly 100 goldoons. His marriage to Affraic of Ulaid, while understandably failing to produce a child, also proved critical in that it provided the grounds needed to claim the County of Ulaid for the Meriadoc name.

Although Cadwgan was beatified, in many ways Gwrgant was the better ruler by far. He paved the way for his beloved grandson, Madog, to succeed him and have the chance to become the greatest Meriadoc ruler to that time.


The useful old man's wife


Our new ruler, who actually looks somewhat promising

[Izulde]

The Duchy of Brittany once again pledged their alliance to the Meriadocs shortly after Gwrgant's, much to the relief of Madog and his regency council.

Peace continued during the regency years, even as word came of the Byzantine Empire's disintegration into scattered imperial holdings and a conglomeration of petty principalities. Another pulse of significant news came in April of 1076, when Pope Anselm I called for a crusade to liberate Jeruselam.

Nobody in Wales had interest in going, for survival was still the paramount issue in the region's mind.

In January of 1077, Madog's elder brother Caradog turned 16 and was named the new Steward. With two Meriadocs now available for the marrying, Madog and his council of advisors hunted for a husband for Nest, a bride for Caradog.

Seeking to further strengthen ties to the Duchy of Brittany, the council consented to the marriage of Caradog to Gundreda de Ferrers, a French woman in the infant vassal Count of Rennes's court. Eleven years Caradog's senior, this marriage was Gundreda's third. She had four children from her previous marriages, three of whom came with her to the court at Glamgoran.

Nest made for a much more difficult match as proposal after proposal was rejected, many citing her age as the reason for refusal. Finally, in August of 1077, she wed a minor courtier in the County of Perfeddwlad.

These marriages significantly enhanced the prestige of the boy count Madog, even despite the fact that two of Gundreda's children were Norman le Blounts.

Two days before Madog's 16th birthday, he received an early present when an extremely talented military man the likes of which Glamgoran had never before seen came to the court seeking refuge. He was immediately granted asylum and made the Marshal.

Things were looking quite good as Madog entered maturity. It still remained to be seen if he would follow his grandfather's wishes...


Elder Brother Caradog, the new Steward


Married three times? No problem! Let's hope she's a baby making machine with Caradog like she was with her other two husbands


The new Marshal


I know, I'm a sick, sick man to break the heart of the Byzaphiles like this, but the purple blob is no more


Love the hairdo. He might become my favourite ruler since Torstein

[Izulde]

After Caradog's graduation from the seminary in February of 1078, everyone expected that he would take over as Diocese Bishop and that is precisely what happened. The eldest son of the Meriadoc line gave a stirring speech at the festivities celebrating his entry into the priesthood, calling for an immediate military expedition to crush the Baltic heathens.

Madog privately agreed with his brother, but outwardly said nothing. The treasury was still very much bankrupted and to engage in a long and arduous journey such as Caradog proposed would entail even more years in debt and the Baltic provinces were nowhere near wealthy enough to consider such an undertaking, despite the wishes of his predecessors to establish a new homeland far removed from William the Bastard's lusting eyes.

In early 1079, Rhys Meriadoc, the third brother, came of age. While he was still undergoing education from Marshal Brychan, he wished to marry as soon as possible to produce his heirs, for he was next in line. After an extensive search, a match was made between Rhys and Agalina Bercsenyi, an Italian-Hungarian courtier of the Archbishop of Pressburg's. The Archbishop particularly praised Agalina for her great beauty, youth, and most importantly, business acumen.

Unfortunately for the Meriadocs, Agalina turned out to be 32 and deathly ill after the journey from Hungary. Still, she was pretty in an Italian kind of way and her talent for numbers was the most correct thing about her. Hence, she became the steward and brought the two counties to unprecedented financial success.

Peace held throughout the year, but Madog felt a growing sense of restlessness. He had decided ever since his grandfather advised him of what to do that he would not marry until the Welsh had a new homeland. That is what Cadwgan planned to do, Gwrgant told him and Madog considered it only right that he do the same.

The young Dual Count knew he was expected to attack Ireland, but the thought of assaulting his fellow Catholics to get the land offended Madog's sense of justice.

That meant only one thing.

Invading the pagans.

But the longstanding alliance with Duke Hoel of Brittany would be a problem. The Duchy's forces were sure to be there long before Madog's own troops could take a province. On the other hand, the Duke was 48 years old and could not live forever.

So the question became whether to wait until the old Duke died or whether to attack a powerful pagan enemy, one where the two allies could share together in the spoils of war.

After talking the matter over repeatedly with Caradog and Brychan, the three men elected to commit to a daring plan: War against the Tribe of Mecklemburg. It meant war with the Tribe of the Pommerians as well and the combined pagan armies would vastly outnumber the Christians, but this was a crusading era. If they did not have the means to take Jeruselam, surely the Duchy of Brittany and the Dual Counties in Wales could contribute to the greater Christian glory by ridding the European continent of heathens!

But then, a strange thing happened after the war was declared. Neither the Duchy of Brittany nor the Tribe of the Pommerians deigned to intervene.

It was the tiny Welsh counties against the mighty Mecklemberg hordes.

The army of Gwent sent under the command of Marshal Brychan was crushed readily in an embarrasing loss for the Welsh in late July of 1080, but Madog led his men to a counterattacking victory over seiging Mecklemberg tribesmen in Gwent in September, leading to the October white peace that cost him much of his previously pious reputation.

This loss of perceived piety did not bother Madog, though. He could forgive himself, for it meant the survival of the independent counties as free Catholic, Welsh territories.

For now, the Meriadocs concentrated on internal affairs, namely trying to pay back the debt that'd accumulated another 100 goldoons as a result of the aborted Mecklemberg affair and finding a bride for Morgan, the youngest and most worthless of the brothers who came of age in 1080.

A bride was quickly found in Sian ap Heilyn, a 38 year old courtier in the County of Perfeddwlad. Her diplomatic talents were such that she became the new Chancellor, replacing Affraic, Grandfather Gwrgant's one-time bride.

These marriages and the ensuing lack of children born of a lustful father led to many a taunting joke at seasonal festivals by Duke Maredudd ap Seisyll, the Duke of Deheuberth whose lands the Meriadocs largely controlled.

Enraged at the insult to his family, even Madog's forgiving nature could not withstand such mockery. He announced his rightful claim to the Duchy and declared war before Maredudd knew what really happened.

This led to a four-corner war as the Duchys of Munster and Brittany joined in on the side of the ap Seisylls and the Meriadocs respectively. What made the conflict fascinating for those who watched the international scene was that Duke Hoel argued that the Duchy of Munster was rightfully his. Many believed the war certain to end in victory for the Meriadoc side, with a possible French presence on Ireland to go with it.

Virtually unnoticed in the middle of this 1081 war was the fact that the Meriadoc influence in Ireland grew even more with the marriage of Nest, the youngest child who came of age in that year, to the Duke of Leinster.

The conflict became far less assured of a Meriadoc victory when Maredudd, realizing he could not win without further aid, hired a company of 1,000 Swiss mercanery troops who were the sole reason that he was able to annihilate the county's forces in Glamgoran in April 1081.

With the assistance of the Swiss and the Duke of Munster's forces, Glamgoran itself fell in late June and Maredudd marched on to Gwent with still over 1,100 men.

All was not lost, however. Duke Hoel of Brittany landed in Deheubarth a short time later and commenced a siege of Maredudd's lone province with over 1,600 men. A surprise attack by Marshal Brynchan delayed Maredudd long enough that Hoel was able to capture Deheubarth before Gwent fell.

Forced to terms, Maredudd reluctantly agreed to surrender his title as Duke of Deheubarth to Madog on November 12, 1081. Everywhere throughout Europe, Madog was scorned in spite of his elevation. They called him a weakling reliant on the Duke of Brittany for his rank.

While this was in fact true, for were it not for Duke Hoel de Cornouaille of Brittany, Madog Meriadoc would not have his rank, the fact of the matter remained that the Meriadoc family had grown in power and Wales, like Ireland, was now split between relatively equal Duchies.

But the Emerald Isle was not guaranteed to stay so balanced, for Brittany and Munster were still at war...


Ooh that boy so good! For some reason, Rhys is still my main heir though, which sucks, as Caradog has a higher marital score. Maybe it's tied to prestige?


My current heir, which doesn't make me too happy. Caradog's a lot cooler.


I can't complain too much about her illness. She's kept my finances from getting Cadwgan-era bad


He's so bad, he's country cousin bad. May Morgan never, ever, ever come to power.


Another old wife who makes a true talent courtier and won't give me any babies. Man, is my court ever going to shrink once these old biddies die off.


Wales after the war. See the army of Munster fleeing for its life in Ireland. More reinforcements are coming from Brittany. I love Duke Hoel. He's stayed faithful to us all these years, constantly re-upping the alliance with us whenever someone dies. In fact, I like him so much I'm tempted to break my Counts only rule and play the Duchy of Brittany once this AAR is done.


This is what happens when you insult someone more powerful and with bigger friends than you. You get punked. I'd love to revoke the bastard's title, but sadly Madog's forgiving and just nature will probably say okay, he lost his title and is my vassal now. That's punishment enough. Too bad. Torstein would've ripped his loins off *and* taken the title.


Can you say pimp? I thought you could! Now, to go in search of that elusive Kingship... but will it be in Wales or elsewhere?...

[Izulde]

In the months following Madog's acension, there was an emphasis on rebuilding both the treasury and the army.

As a result of the Duke of Munster's cowardice in the recent war, the Pope excommunicated him, leading to a rash of rulers claiming both the Duchy and the Counties of Tuadmumu and Desmumu to be under the protection of a truly Christian ruler. Madog did not take part in these ruthless power grabs, for to him it smacked of no compassion and hence, ultimately un-Christian.

In April 1082, Gundreda's eldest son, Gilbert le Blount, came of age. An even mightier and more brilliant warrior than Brychan, he was named the new Marshal over strident objections from the Welsh component of the court, which by this time consisted largely of Meriadocs.

This allowance of a Norman into a position of influence, coupled with an Irishman ascending to the County of Durham in the Kingdom of England, signalled a shift in the Duchy's foreign policy. No longer were Normans automatically the hated enemy, for old King William had not made a move towards Wales in years, either by claim or by war and the growing feeling amongst the populace and in Madog's own heart was that perhaps the Normans weren't so bad after all.

Tragedy struck the Duchy in February of 1083 when Stewardess Agalina, the lifeblood of the treasury, succumbed at last to the illness that never went away.

The remarriage was swift and Eve de Saint-Gilles, a talented and most importantly young, woman came to Gwent from the court of one of Duke Hoel of Brittany's vassals. Madog appointed her Spymaster in place of the ailing Margaret Atheling. Former Marshal Brychan then became the new Steward.

Calls grew for Duke Madog himself to marry following the wedding, but the young Duke refused, saying that he was waiting for the right girl to come along. As one of the leaders of the Welsh nation, he could ill afford to marry badly.

Happy news came in June when Eve announced that she was with child. At last it seemed that the next generation of Meriadocs was on the way.

Although pleased at this turn of events, it also weighed heavily on Madog's mind that he still had no wife and no heir. Then, one night in early July, at the local midsummer festival, temptation came.

She was French, 16, and the most beautiful creature the young Duke had ever seen. Her hair shimmered like gold even under the low lustre of the moon and she was sylph-slender, fae pretty. Her name was Melisande and she came to Gwent from Brittany itself to meet the Welsh Duke she'd heard so much about.

Entranced, Madog offered her the finest wine the local vineyard produced. They spent the entire evening together, discussing their respective lands and their shared conversation piece, Duke Hoel. Intellectualism gave way to passion and nine months later, a boy named Owain came into the world.

In late December, two things happened.

The war between Brittany and Munster finally came to an end, with Duke Hoel named Duke of Munster and awarded the County of Tuadmumu.

And Duke Madog finally married, to Sofie de Toulouse, eldest daughter of the Duke of Toulouse. She became the new Chancellor but proved in one way to be to Madog's disappointment.

Sofie de Toulouse took after her German mother and showed nothing of the French delicacy he'd come to know with Melisande, his first and true love.


Oh happy happy joy joy! A young and talented courtier!!!


Another sucky bastard. I like him, though. Aren't bastards supposed to be more variable in 1.05, by the way?


The Germanphile wife and daughter of a d'Oc Duke


That marriage jumped me up from -36 to +48 prestige. I'd say I married damn well from that standpoint.

[Neon_Chaos]

Nice, nice.

I love 1.05

I've played through one complete game as England, my very first complete game. I managed to politic my way into being King of England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, France, Burgundy, Leon, Castille, Portugal, and Northern Africa.

I might try a Count or Duke game next time.

Did I mention that I love 1.05?

[Izulde]

Originally Posted by Neon_Chaos

Nice, nice.

I love 1.05

I've played through one complete game as England, my very first complete game. I managed to politic my way into being King of England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, France, Burgundy, Leon, Castille, Portugal, and Northern Africa.

I might try a Count or Duke game next time.

Did I mention that I love 1.05?

Thanks

1.06 should be even better, I'm hoping. I've heard they're going to increase the wealth in Wales, Scotland, and Ireland to prevent William from being able to eat the Isles so easily.

Nice complete game you had yourself there!

[Neon_Chaos]

Originally Posted by Izulde

Thanks

1.06 should be even better, I'm hoping. I've heard they're going to increase the wealth in Wales, Scotland, and Ireland to prevent William from being able to eat the Isles so easily.

Nice complete game you had yourself there!

You have no idea how hard it was to hold an empire like that together... it was ridiculous. Every new ruler would have Realm Duress for the first 10 years of his reign.

I might write a dynasty soon... hopefully it won't go the way of my ill-fated Duchy of Trondelag dynasty.

[Izulde]

In March 1084, the minor nobles came to Madog and suggested he call the Estates General to relieve the pressures on the treasury. After consulting with Brynchan and the other members of his court, the Duke refused to call the Estates General. This did much to boost his popularity and acclaim throughout Europe, though if the truth were known, the Duchy was in such massive debt, even the Estates General could do little to alleviate the bleeding.

Around the same time, a daughter named Aelwyd was born to Rhys and Eve, but the auguring priest in attendance portended she would be a mediocre Meriadoc and this disheartened the celebrations of her birth somewhat.

The lower nobility again urged Madog to call for the Estates General in April and once more he refused. As his prestige and influence continued to grow by these refusals, for the common Welshman it became more and more difficult to decide which of their Dukes they should support as King. Duke Maredudd of Gwynedd was the more famed and slightly more powerful, but Duke Madog's rise was something worthy of noting as well.

Spring gave way to summer and a new menace struck shortly before August.

A savage lion, descended from a pair of African great cats dating all the way back to Roman times, appeared out of the hills and began attacking villagers in Gwent and devouring them. The people appealed to Duke Madog for aid and although the drain on the treasury proved horrific, he organized an extravagant hunt and led the finest warriors in the Duchy to track down the beast.

Madog himself slayed the lion and a great feast was held in his honor. Now many considered him the equal in stature to the Duke of Gwynedd and there was a feeling on the air that in not so many years, a move would be made that determined the fate of Wales.

The Meriadocs had an unhappy Christmas after Sofie gave birth to a stillborn shortly before the holidays, but Duke Madog consoled himself with the fact that his family and his people were still far better off than they'd ever been. If the Duchy was bankrupt, at least it was happy despite its bare treasury.

Anti-Norman sentiment arose to previous heights after Marshal Gilbert le Blount was overheard berating a poor serving wench for poisoning his drink when in truth the girl had done nothing of the kind. These and similiar groundless accusations of paranoia that followed led Madog to remove Gilbert from the position and appoint his younger brother Rhys as Marshal.

This elevation made the heir to the Duchy even more arrogant and egotistical than ever and he demanded compensation for his greater duties in May. Madog refused immediately and silently prayed that the child his wife Sofie now carried would prove a boy. There was also the quiet possibility of legtimatizing young Owain, but that would prove a political nightmare. Although the avenue was unthinkable at the present time, the option still remained in the back of his mind.

Cadwaladr was born to Rhys and Eve in November and the birth of the child caused Rhys's prestige to arc even higher. The distance between the Marshal and his brothers in the race to succeed Madog should he fail to produce a legitimate heir grew that much greater after the line's continuance was furthered with the boy's arrival.

Fortunately for the Duke's mental state of mind, Melisande came during the winter festivals and consoled Madog. That consolation produced another bastard son nine months later, named Dogfael.

As they lay on the blankets in one another's arms after they were spent, Madog spoke at length about the troubles he and the Duchy had undergone over the last few years.

She smiled and stroked her regal lover's hair in response before offering her opinion.

"You must stay true to who you are, my love. That is the most important thing. Even if you should die still in poverty, your family are Dukes now because of you. That is more than your cousin or even your grandfather ever did. I don't think he would have been upset about your not going to Ireland, for you are free of any liege, still in Wales, and even have a vassal. From what you've told me, your grandfather loved his homeland and his people, and wanted the best for his family."

"But how to get us out of debt?" frowned the Duke as he enjoyed her touches.

"That will just have to come in time. You were right not to call the Estates General, for that is who you are. Now come, tell me about our son Owain." demanded the French temptress, "And afterwards we can love as only we can."

"Owain is being raised by Baron ap Gwion, my most trusted vassal here in Gwent. He's turning out to be an average boy, according to the baron, though I'd hoped for genius. Still, he's our son and I love him for that. But let's see if we can make a brother for him" smiled Madog as he reached for her.

Thus the late December night passed, Melisande making Madog's holidays merry after all.


Rhys's legitimate heir. I'd rather have one of my bastards sons than have to play Rhys's line, though his traits would make for interesting story I have to admit.


A much improved version of Owain

[Izulde]

The peace of Europe was soon broken with a massive war declared. On one side stood the Kingdoms of England and France, on the other, the Emirates of Jeruselam, Tripoli, and the Kingdom of the Fatimids. Minor counts joined in as well, portending chaos as 1085 gave way to 1086.

Even Wales itself was not immune from the sudden outbreak of conflicts, for on New Year's Day, Duke Madog Meriadoc delivered a missive to the Duke of Gwynedd declaring both his rightful claim to the Duchy and open war to make good on that claim.

Amidst all of this hostility sweeping through the region, Sofie gave birth to her second stillborn child. The Duchy of Deheubarth once again fell into deep mourning.

Death's visit to the Meriadocs stayed longer, with Aelwyd's passing in early March, but the worst blow of all came in mid-April.

The crazed formal Norman marshal Gilbert le Blount, shouting that Rhys was intent on killing him to ensure he'd never get his post back, stabbed the heir to the Meriadocs through the heart as Glamgoran's troops were seiging Gwynedd.

The murder sent shockwaves through the already suffering Duchy. Caradog Meriadoc was moved from Diocese Bishop to Marshal, with the pneumonia-stricken Humbert le Blount appointed as the duchy's spiritual head.

In late May, Madog beat back Duke Maredudd's forces and drove them from Gwent, but the heroic victory was canceled out by the crushing of the now leaderless troops in Gwent, bringing in a temporary stalemate.

By the end of September, Gwent fell to Gwynedd and the Deheubarth duchy's counties were expected to not be far behind.

Still, in spite of all the misery that visited the Duchy, Sofie once more became pregnant during the Welsh War and people quietly prayed for brighter days to come.

Glamgoran fell in February and Madog was once more ridiculed throughout the land. People remarked that Duke Hoel had not aided his friend in this war and the Meridocs' weak position was exposed for what it was at last.

In other theatres of Europe, the Kingdom of Poland largely controlled the territory formerly belonging to the Kingdom of Croatia, but the Croatians were conquering new territory in the Middle East and owned two provinces there, with the Kingdoms of France and England as neighbours.

These were dangerous times to live in, indeed.


My oh so lovely drawing of the Middle East situation. All the green you see is the Kingdom of Fatamids, but I figured you could guess that.

[Izulde]

The tide of misfortune that'd so egregiously assailed the Meriadocs at last subsided their stormy tempest on April 4th, 1087, with the birth of a son, Llywarch. Finally, a legitimate son and heir to rest the fragile family hopes on.

Even more pleasing, Sofie became pregnant again shortly thereafter.

As the hot summer months wore on, war waged on throughout the searing desert climates of the Middle East and in sun-drenched Iberia. The French expansion proceeded so rapidly that their total provinces soon equalled that of the English and the Croatians put together.

In Iberia, all the Christian crowns were united under 18 year-old Osorio Jiminez, King of Navarra, Aragon, Castila, and Leon. While the titles lay on one head, the land itself did not. The peninsula was fractured, splintered into numerous Muslim factions and a few independent Christian lords outside of High King Osorio I's rule.

A club-footed daughter, Gwenhyfar, was born in early February, 1088. Although she was ugly because of her deformed feet, to the Duke and Duchess, she was beautiful, for she was another healthy and whole living child after so many years of heartbreak.

April 1088 proved a troubling month for the Kingdom of Croatia. Driven out of their homeland by the Polish, the royal court now resided in the Middle East, facing a menacing and resurgant Kingdom of Fatimids, who'd already recaptured two provinces, one of which was a Croatian hold. There remained just two vassals of the once mighty kingdom and they were back in the ancestral territory.

Brynchan the Steward died in September, forcing out of necessity the restoration of Gilbert le Blount to the court, this time as the new Steward. He'd long since overcome his madness and although he was not entirely trusted, there was no one else in all the realm capable of handling money matters in any degree.

The Fatimids drove the Croats out of the Middle East in December 1088, the same month that the Count of Delta, Abelard de Normandie, son of Duke Robert, heir to the throne of England, rebelled against his father and declared a newly independent Christian state.

Things were very quiet for the Meriadocs through these years as their lands still had yet to recover from the various invasions over the years and they were still earning just a quarter of a florin a month.

But on May 24, 1089, a miraculous event happened.

Mathonwy Meriadoc was born.

The pneumoic Humbert le Blount had a vision at the christening a few days later.

This boy would restore the Meriadoc dream of a new homeland and lead the family against the infidel. Once Mathonwy came to power, they would leave Wales... forever. Even if it meant the end of the House...


Future chancellor or bishop coming right up!


Pretty sweet to see, no? I forgot to screencap Iberia, but they control most of the northeast of the peninsula, as well as a few islands. In short, Osorio's doing pretty well at holding off the Muslims


A veritable god in terms of my usually sucky breeding programs

[Izulde]

The fortunes of the Meriadocs continued their modest rise in mid-June of 1089 with the recovery of Glamgoran from the ravages of war. However, the Duchy was still impoverished and indebted to a great degree and the happy news further muted with the death of Bishop Humbert le Blount on the 16th. Seeking to both gain continuity in the ecclesiastical office and bolster the family's fame, Madog appointed his youngest brother, Morgan, to the spiritual head of Deheubarth.

Word came in July that the former ancestral lands of the Kingdom of Croatia, still largely occupied by the Kingdom of Poland, now housed Moors from both the dread Kingdom of the Fatamids and the emerging power Kingdom of Hammadids, a North African empire that started to spread its influence in Europe with those new territories.

But these news would prove trivial events compared to what transpired in late August. The aging Count of Dwyfed, Mardedudd ap Seisyll, former Duke of Deheubarth, called for an elective law of succession to be instituted, citing that with his superior troop numbers and wealth to his liege Madog, they were in fact equals.

Furious, Madog refused the request outright and drove the point home by sending Maredudd's messenger back to Dwyfed in the nude with the message, "Without me, your overlord, you are as naked as this man. Respect your place in my domain and speak no more of this treachery."

When word spread of how the Duke had asserted himself and rejected being cowed by his inferior, Madog's acclaim among his peers grew prodigously, so that he once more became admired and welcomed within aristocratic circles.

Robert de Rennes, Gundreda de Ferrer's youngest son, begotten by her second husband, the Count of Rennes, came of age and immediately became the Duchy's steward. While not brilliant at the craft, he made for a better financial overseer than his hated half-brother, the murderous Gilbert le Blount, now a former Steward in addition to being a former Marshal.

The happy tidings of Sofie's pregnancy in June 1090 was wiped out a month later by a new, much more personal crisis within the realm. Spymaster Eve de St. Giles, the portly blonde French former wife of the deceased Rhys Meriadoc, announced to the court that she had given birth to a bastard and that Madog was the father.

While it was well known by this time that the Duke had sired bastards from his lover, Melisande, the idea that Madog would do such with a grotesque blob as Eve enraged him and he vehemently denied it before the open court. Although he considered banishing her from the court, the Duke realized that to do such would be to turn popular opinion against him and cast suspicion on the matter and so he simply proclaimed that it was a lie the Spymistress spread. It was later discovered that the boy had in fact come from a stable lad and the Duke was exonarated, believed to be more pious and chaste in his devotion to his wife.

But there was still Melisande out there and doubtless she would find reason to visit her royal love again.

And what of Owain and Dogfael, their lovechildren? How would they fit within the realm of the future, particularly alongside Duke Madog's legitimate heirs and the annointed successor Mathonwy, who was being personally raised by the Duke and Duchess?

On such questions hung the eventual fate of the Meriadocs, the Duchy, and Wales as a whole.

[Izulde]

After years of suffering from the repeated ravages of war, the County of Gwent at last returned to prosperity in early 1091. Although the Duchy was still poorer than most of its peers, light glimmered at the end, promising, if not debt recovery, at least a large enough army to make conquest somewhere removed from the always tense English Isle.

A daughter named Arianrhod was born to Madog and Sofie in April, giving them an equal balance between female and male offspring at two a piece.

All the known world was chaos in the early 1090s. France and England continued to expand their domain and territory in Northeast Africa and the Middle East and the Kingdom of Hungary staked claim in the central part of North Africa. The Venetians gained possessions as well, but one of those fell to the Knights Templar in late 1091.

As for the Meriadocs, things were by and large peaceful. Many of the youngest children were sent to the monastaries to be educated, a fact the Church used to impress upon Madog the necessity of taxing the free peasantry, who were operating outside the natural feudal order. An increasingly religious man, the Duke agreed to the request and so the clergy in the capital county of Glamgoran grew in power.

In May 1093, the Duke finally made his move. The war machine had refortified itself to the point where it was once more ready to go on campaign. Eager to further prove his newfound piety and correct the wrongs of the past, Madog struck out for the Muslim territory of Tripoli.

The journey, as before, was long and arduous, and over three hundred men died or deserted during the eleven month voyage, but when twelve hundred strong Welshmen landed on the North African shores, they were greeted by the sight of a defenseless fort. Joyous at his good fortune, Duke Madog immediately ordered the start of the siege in early April 1094.

Tripoli surrendered just three months later, in July. The new Welsh homeland was now secured. Afterwards, Madog discovered that the former Sheik had thought to sieze the Welsh domains and went around Iberia to assail the County of Dyfed, but were easily repulsed by the angry Welsh men and women.

Ecstatic with his success, the Duke quickly pressed on to the island that lay north of Tripoli, Malta. It, too, fell, at November's close, but Madog's joy at fresh new conquest was marred greatly by word from Glamgoran that his beloved wife Sofie had died along with the child during birth.

He did not allow himself time to grieve, but struck out posthaste for the county of Trapani which fell on June 7, 1095. It was after this conquest that Duke Madog allowed the Welsh troops to be sent home, so that he might reorganize and consolidate his territories.

The Meriadocs truly became powerful as a family in the restructuring of the Duke's new domains. Marshal Caradog, Madog's favourite brother, received the choice county, Gwent, and the other brother, Diocese Bishop Morgan, became Count of the backwater Glamgoran. This ensured that the Duchy could not not be usurped by Maredudd ap Seisyll or his descendants, as two of the three counties would always remain under Meriadoc control.

This assignation of Countships to his brothers allowed Duke Madog to move his capital to the County of Tripoli, where he hoped that having the new base of power would allow him to both more quickly put down the ongoing Arab revolt and expand his influence in the New Wales, particularly on the island of Sicily, which stood ripe for the plucking.

As the Duke stood out on the railing, revelling in the glorious warmth of the Northern African sun, he couldn't help but smile.

The ghosts of the pasts were banished and the family had at last achieved one of its longest-held dreams.

They were now far from the English menace, in a land they could call their own.

New Wales.

So beautiful a name.


Marriage and Chancelloress bait


White = Meriadoc family. I'll post the new count portraits after they actually get some courtiers


Sorry for the illegibility of this map. I couldn't remember the name of the Muslim kingdoms on either side of Bei Hai and Tripoli or the shiek with 3 territories until just now (Palermo) hence the Muslims designation. We need to get Hungary and Bei Hai off the map, though. It should *all* be Welsh/Meriadoc grey, damn it.


Our hero after the Tripoli war. Yeah it's an ugly debt, but I'm also making 3 florins a month now and that's with Tripoli being looted because of revolts and efficiency at 85% cuz Madog has jack for Intrigue. I made a grand total of 1.73 florins before with everything recovered from looting and full efficiency.

[Izulde]

In the midst of all this celebration and warring, electrifying news swept through Europe. King William the Conquerer, the Bastard, the Great Lion himself, was dead. The much less capable Robert de Normandie now ruled England.

The message was one the Meriadocs, Duke Madog in particular, had to consider and weigh very carefully. King Robert, although inferior, might well try to establish his credentials as a monarch to be reckoned with by attacking Wales. Eventually the family decided that what this acension meant was that they would take a defensive position in their homeland and for the time being put away thoughts of the Welsh crown.

Increased Muslim agitation in Tripoli led Madog to move his court again in July 1095, this time to the rich and more strategically important County of Tripoli on the island of Sicily. More and more the Duke dreamt of conquering the isle and making it the center of New Wales.

In late summer, Madog received another visitor, none other than Melisande herself.

As they lay in the bed after a communion that this time would not result in a child, she smiled and toyed with the Duke's splendid curls.

"My love, our sons are growing into fine young men and I am happy beyond all words for you. However, we can no longer be as we are. I have my life in France and you have your new life here. No," she interrupted, pressing her lips to Madog's protesting hand, "We can not marry. I am only a common girl and I will not have you ruin all that you have built up for me."

"What then shall I do?" cried the distraught Duke, "You and our sons are my life's greatest happiness!"

Melisande shook her head, kissing his temple, "Come now, love, do not be so miserable. We have been happy with one another and we might yet reunite in the Kingdom of Heaven. Until then, I have a solution for you. Wales lies vulnerable to King Robert's schemes. If you marry one of the royal Dunkelds from Scotland, the ties between the Scots and the Welsh shall be made stronger and with the threat of your combined armies, that coward Robert shall be paralyzed in fear."

Although Madog's heart was filled with much grief, he agreed to the wisdom of her plan. Envoys were dispatched to Scotland and in late September, he married Aufrica Dunkeld, second daughter of Duke Maelmuire Dunkeld of Atholl, brother to King Malcom himself.

When she arrived in Tripoli for the wedding, the Duke found himself stunned and greatly pleased. She was a breathtaking beauty who resembled in some small ways his lost love Melisande. The recovery would not be so difficult and harsh as he'd feared. In what was becoming a Meriadoc wifely tradition, she was appointed the Chancelloress.

Peace settled in comfortably over New Wales following the union, with the only incidents of note being Dogfael, Madog's second son by Melisande, falling ill in November, Aufrica's swiftness to get with child, and the Christmastime arrival of Arthfael Guerrazi, a Welsh-Italian cleric in his 50s, who was even more skilled at war than Marshal Gilbert le Blount himself. Nonetheless, the old man with the curious ancestry was named Diocese Bishop until one of the new generation of Meriadocs presently in the monastaries came of age.

This tranquility lasted until June of 1096, until the Duke, having kept abreast of the events on the island, decided that now was the time to call forth the troops of his Welsh vassals, for Siracusa was under siege by a small band of Christian soldiers from the Duchy of Apuila. The distraction provided opportunity for Madog to try and expand his holdings in Sicily. His own troops were not summoned, for he wished them to have the extra months to grow and build in power. While understandable from a military standpoint, the summons and decision greatly angered both the ap Seisylls and his own brothers Morgan and Caradog.

The tactic proved to be one of wise foresight, for on August 1, 1096, the Sheikdom of Palermo and their traitorous Christian allies, the County of Salerno, declared war on the Duchy of Deheubarth.

Just before battle joined, a son was born, Dyfnwal, but much to Madog's horror, it was revealed shortly after his birth that the infant was sired not by the Duke, but by one of his own minor courtiers from Deheubarth. The servant was immediately banished back to Wales, Dyfnwal grudgingly allowed to stay in Trapani.

Fearing the Salerno menace, Madog sent an envoy to the rich county, reminding him that to join the infidels against a fellow Christian would be to risk excommunication. The Count, fearing for his soul, immediately withdrew from the war, leading to a Palermo-Deheubarth showdown that lasted until May 1096 and ended in a stalemate. The balance was preserved.

In the midst of the battle, a young Norman knight named Bohemond Mocenigo established himself so valiantly under Marshal Gilbert le Blount's banner that he was invited to the court. Madog privately planned that the man, then in his 20s, would marry one of his daughters when the time was right. The revolt in Tripoli also ended during the First Sicilian War, a great relief to the Meriadocs.

Yet, not all was so happy on Sicily. Fairly early in the campaign, the Duke had been gravely wounded in the defense of his new home and some whispered that he would not be overly long for this world. Indeed, those same people took his bastard Dogfael's recovery from illness as a sign that the father was soon to die.

If that happened, the Duchy would be in great peril indeed, for it would mean that a boy and a council as Deheubarth's head...

[Izulde]

A portrait of the cuckolding wife shortly after marriage


It broke my heart to see him turn out a bastard, but it's like the priest said: Mathonwy is destined to lead the Meriadocs to true greatness. Now let's hope he was right


So many militant Normans in this court!


I give thanks daily that he's so poor a ruler

The scandal caused by Dynfwal's birth was so great that Aufrica fell into a prolonged depression and in July 1097, she renounced the mortal world and became an anchoress. She was given her last rites and sealed away in her homeland of Scotland as per her wishes. It was there that she became a woman mystic and even to this day, many consider the writings she left behind to be equal in quality and thought to the more famed Julian of Norwich.

Once more wifeless, Madog cast about the known world, looking for a new bride. After a lengthy search, he elected to wait until the right woman came along.

Death affected the Meriadocs indirectly in November, when Duke Hoel Cournailles of Brittany, the Dukemaker himself, died. Although the old Frenchman had long since ceased to intervene in Madog's affair, the entire court of Trapani fell into mourning and elaborate mass prayers and vigils were held for the deceased nobleman and ally's soul.

Wedding bells rang out for Duke Madog Meriadoc a third time in April 1098. The bride was an Irish girl, Maire Ui Mordha, eldest daughter of Duke Donnchad of the Duchy of Leinster. As the 33 year old Donnchad presently had no sons and his younger daughter was still some years away from marriage, Madog secretly hoped to sire a son who could succeed Donnchad as the Duke of Leinster and so make the Meriadoc presence even greater in the northern domain.

A month later, Madog consented to finally call the Estates General after years of refusing to do so. The expanded wealth of the Duchy and his enhanced prestige through his marriages and conquests meant that the head of the Meriadocs could command vast sums with little impact to his stature in Europe. Thus did 100 florins come in, cutting the debt by almost one-sixth.

In October, it came to the Duke's attention that the breakaway Countess of Bizerte, who defied the Kingdom of Hungary by declaring independence and allying with the Kingdom of Beli Hali had died. Citing that it was his duty to rid Northern Africa of such traitorous lineages, Madog claimed the right to rule and invaded, using only his own troops from Trapani and Tripoli and appointing Marshal Gilbert le Blount and Steward Robert de Rennes as the heads of armies, for he was still too wounded to go and fight.

Bizerte fell in April 1099 and Madog received the County in the peace treaty signed on the 16th. Marshal Gilbert le Blount, who had greatly atoned for his sins ever since the murder of Rhys Meriadoc all those years ago, was rewarded for his service with the County of Malta, by far the weakest and poorest of Madog's African possessions. Bohemond Mocenigo, as expected, was named Gilbert's successor.

The net result of this war and the changes to the Duke's realm was that Madog stood as an even more prestigious man than ever before and even though he did not have the full command and capacity of all his troops yet, were his Welsh and African armies to be assembled, they would prove the equal in number to the rival Sheik of Palermo. Even more happily, the monthly profits now reached five and one quarter florins, instilling hope that the bulging debt might yet be paid in full within Madog's lifetime.

The Meriadoc star was rising higher and higher and it had all been thanks to Madog's willingness to take advantage of the opportunites that luck afforded him.

But there was another possibility for enhanced family greatness that would be determined very soon.

For in Maire's swollen belly, there lay the chance of a future Meriadoc Leinster Duke.


Wedding portrait of new wife


Light blue outline = Bizerte, the newest Meriadoc possession. Note the tiny island of Malta between Trapani and Tripoli, where the redeemed Gilbert le Blount now rules as vassal

[daedalus]

Fun! Keep up the good work.

[Izulde]

Originally Posted by daedalus

Fun! Keep up the good work.

Thanks. This is more of a history book style dynasty than the Agder one, but it's been in many ways more exciting to play out. I started off terribly in this game, but have made a very nice rebound.

[daedalus]

True, it's been a heck of a run with Madog. Especially the last few years/posts. Everytime you do one of these dynasties, I have the hankering to try to get my hands on a copy of CK. Damn you. And thank you.

As an aside, if it's not entirely too much work, would you be able to give the rundowns on Madog's, uhhh, I don't know the terms but I guess "character traits"? My understanding is that they develop as the game goes along and I was curious which he has developed in the last picture of him you have up. Thanks!

[fantastic flying froggies]

So, if your new Marshall defeats a hungarian army to make your latest wife a Queen, is it a 'Bohemond Rhapsody'?

*groan*

[Izulde]

daedalus: You're welcome. And it's an immensely fun game. And Madog's character traits are things that modify his stats, which is probably what you're really asking for. I can tell you offhand that his Intrigue stat is now a 1, due to being severely wounded. As for the rest, I'll post another screenshot the next update, provided he doesn't die during it of course.

fantastic flying froggies: That made me laugh more than it should have. Nice work! Incidentally, there's now a Kingdom of Bohemia, which formed sometime during the last update. I just didn't report it because my main areas of focus in this dynasty are England/Wales/North Africa/Middle East.

[Izulde]

A major obstacle to contentment within the Meriadoc demense was removed shortly after Bizerte's absorption when the infant bastard Dynfwal died. Old joined young in passing through Death's door as Diocese Bishop Arthfael went to the next world in his sleep two weeks later.

In April 1099, Duke Madog fell ill and all within both halves of the Duchy prayed for his swift recovery, fearing the worst.

May 20th, 1099 was a monumental date in the Meriadoc family history for a son, Zakariyah, was born to Madog and Maire. Desiring to keep the family posessions consolidated, the Duke named the newborn his heir for he was also first in line to the Duchy of Leinster.

What is interesting to note and what contemporary history, which seeks to lionize Madog, often forgets to record is that Duke Donnchad of Leinster was married to Nest Meriadoc, Madog's sister, a union that Madog himself arranged as a young man back in 1081. This made Maire his niece. While modern minds abhor such instances, from the Meriadoc perspective, it made perfect sense. The family was the only unit that could fully be trusted.

The Duke's sickness became even graver in the scorching days of mid-July, taking a turn into pneumonia. More and more it appeared that he would not live to see the new century, for Madog was now so weak that the day-to-day affairs of governing were turned over by and large to his council of advisors.


I've never had a ruler degenerate this badly before. Wow.

Madog at last succumbed to pneumonia on September 9th, 1099. In churches in both Wales and New Wales, untold numbers of his subjects came to mourn the greatest man they had ever known, the one who'd led them to a new domain, a new life, and a new hope.

As per his wishes, he was buried in Trapani, that crown jewel of a county that for him signified his great triumphs.

A steady stream of visitors visited his elaborate gravesite throughout the next year, including one who left a pair of intertwined red roses along with a short note that read: "Mon amour, ma vie. Le ciel sera à nous bientôt."*

His chroniclers recorded his life as thus:

Madog Meriadoc the Liberator (r. 1074-1099 Duke of Deheubarth, Count of Trapani, Tripoli, and Bizerte)

The grandson of Gwrgant the Free, Madog assumed control of the dual counties of Gwent and Glamgoran following his grandfather's death. Just 12 years old, he nonetheless was able to continue the alliance with Duke Hoel de Cornouaille of Brittany established during his grandfather's reign.

Despite the alliance that would later prove critical, the young boy's reign after maturity began inauspiciously, with an ill-advised 1079 invasion of the Tribe of Mecklemberg that resulted in a 1080 white peace.

The early years were also marked by a series of marriages between male Meriadocs and older women that in most cases would prove childless. This led to Duke Maredudd ap Seisyll of Deheubarth's insulting of the dynasty. In revenge, the still green Dual Count claimed the Duchy for his own and attacked with support from Duke Hoel. Thanks to Brittany's assistance, Madog wrested the title of Duke from Maredudd on November 12th, 1081, although the ap Seisylls were still allowed to rule Dwyfed.

His first marriage was to Sofie de Toulouse, daughter of the Duke of Toulouse in December 1083. Before her death in childbirth in 1094, she would bear him two sons and two daughters, in spite of a series of stillborn births.

These would not be Madog's only offspring, however, for a young French woman known only by her first name of Melisande, had two bastard sons by him and it is believed that she was the true and great love of his life.

Madog also sired a son by Maire Ui Mordha, daughter of Duke Donnchad of Leinster, his third wife.

The financial ruin caused during the early wars plagued Madog throughout his entire reign, particularly when he refused the Estates General repeatedly during the beginning years of his rule. Making matters even worse was the 1086 war with Gwynedd, in an effort to seize the Duchy and make himself King of Wales. Madog was defeated resoundingly and the resultant crippling of the treasury and loss of prestige made many think that the Meriadocs were by and large finished.

Things remained quiet for some years afterwards, as the family concentrated on letting their domains heal from the fallout of repeated wars in the territory. Then Madog launched a surprise attack on the Emirate of Tripoli in 1093, succeeding in capturing the territory in the summer of 1094, most significantly without Brittany aid.

The conquest of Tripoli was so swift and so successful that many troops still remained, enough so that the Duke was able to rapidly conquer the friendless and still weak from previous wars island of Malta and county of Trapani throughout 1094 and 1095.

Upon the conclusion of the Tripoli War in 1095, Madog reorganized his territories, naming his brothers as Counts in his Welsh domains as he focused his efforts on solidifying New Wales in his recently acquired demense.

The Sheikdom of Palermo, unwilling to countenance a Christian lord on the island of Sicily, attacked in the summer of 1096. Despite being vastly outnumbered, superior generalship by Madog, his vassals, and his courtiers forced a stalemate and white peace later in the year.

Unfortunately, the Duke was wounded early in the campaign and it would be this injury that led to his death in the fall of 1099.

Even in spite of his health troubles, Madog still found himself able to organize the conquest of the rebellious County of Bizerte, formerly of the Kingdom of Hungary, under the auspices of his superior general-courtiers a few months before his demise.

Duke Madog was greatly mourned following his death. In his quarter century of rule, he'd established a new Welsh homeland and overcame both his own modest talents and early missteps in his rule to become the greatest Meriadoc ever. More importantly, he placed New Wales in such a position that their removal seemed less and less likely as the years went by.

But nothing was certain, especially since his successor, his youngest son Zakariyah, was not even a year old upon inheriting the Duchy and his other sons, particularly Mathonwy, the former heir, still dreamt of seizing control for themselves."

Yes, things were quite uncertain now. How would the regency council rule? Would Zakariyah even live to to take his birthright in a time when so many infants died so frequently? How would his half-brothers both legitimate and bastard, including the former heir Mathonwy and the recently matured Owain, take this new babe's acension?

So many questions, with no clear answers.


It's cool that he's first in line for Leinster and all, but blah. I wanted the line to stay Welsh. I'll admit, I'm half-hoping the kid bites it so Mathonwy can take power again.

*-"My love, my life. Heaven will be ours soon." Note: This is taken from Babelfish English to French, so not only is it incorrect in that it's not Middle French or Old French, or whatever the vernacular of the time is, but it's also probably butchered in terms of modern French too and for that, I apologize.

[Izulde]

There was much unrest and discontent on the part of the vassals over the baby Zakariyah's acension and tensions ran high in the Trapani court. Fearing for her life, his mother Maire Ui Mordha agreed to accept the first marriage offer that came her way, which turned out to come from Aed ap Seisyll, the second son of Maredudd ap Seisyll, the vassal Count of Dwyfed.

The prestige garnered for the infant Duke from that marriage led the regency council to further bolster Zakariyah's acclaim by seeking a bride for Owain Meriadoc, eldest son and bastard of Madog. Scotland provided a match in Aufrica of Atholl, daughter of Gospatrick the Younger of Atholl, heir to the Duchy of Atholl. Owain and Aufrica were married shortly after the new century began and she turned out so skilled in matters of finances that she became the new Stewardess, launching the Duchy's profits up by another full florin a month.

As so often happened in the Meriadoc realm after a war, things remained calm and peaceful in the main. Then in late June 1100, Muslim peasants in Bizerte revolted against their Christian overlords. Marshal Bohemond quickly crushed the insurrection, but religious tensions continued to flare up all throughout North Africa.

These problems were used as a pretext by the Shiek of Palermo to declare war again on the Duchy in September. An early November victory for Palermo in Trapani proved phyrric, for the Duchy of Apuila, seeing the chaos on the island, declared war in early 1101.

Recognizing that Apuila would be swift to swallow the territories with their superior armies, the regency council ordered all forces concentrate on the counties in the island with forts, as they made much easier targets to capture. Following this policy, Agrigento fell to the Count of Malta, Gilbert le Blount, in June 1101.

Siracusa followed suit in September, only this time Caradog Meriadoc, Count of Gwent, was the head of the armies and so claimed the territory for his own. With no sign of the de Hautevilles, who were rumoured to still be bogged down in Italy fighting Palermo, the combined forces pressed on to Palermo itself, Count Gilbert le Blount aided by 1,000 mercaneries he'd hired.

Simultaneously, another revolt occured in Bizerte, but for the time being the County was left alone, as Palermo was deemed a greater prize. These plans were changed the instant Duke Bohemond de Hauteville's forces were seen marching towards Palermo. The Bizerte rebellion was put down and Palermo surrendered to Apuila in January 1102.

During the Sicilian War, as it came to be known, the Estates General were called twice to pay for the war effort. The regency council, sharing nothing of Madog's ideals, demanded large contributions both times. This did much to drive the Duchy's debt down to its lowest amount in decades.

The conflict witnessed birth as well as death, for Owain became a father to Ada. Despite his happiness at his new daughter, the bastard Meriadoc became depressed, for he was without title or position at court in spite of his considerable martial skills.

There was no rearrangement of the realm following the war, but a significant change did occur. The Count of Salerno, needing a new ally, came to the court and requested friendship. His application was unanimously accepted, for the regents felt that war with Apuila in the future was a real possibility and the powerful independent count with his mighty army would be a welcome support.

Indeed, despite the turbulence of the first couple of years in the regency's rule, things were going extremely well, far better than could honestly be expected. The Meriadocs ruled most of Sicily and they'd rid themselves of a very worrisome religious foe.

The possibilities for expansion from the resulting increase of manpower and income now looked endless. From poor Welsh counts, the family had risen to the status of a significant Mediterrean power.


Owain's wife. I like her quite a bit.


Poor Owain. He might get a title sooner than he thinks, though... His daughter's of no talent whatsoever, hence why her pic isn't posted


Despite the religious troubles and periodic revolts in Bizerte, we're now on relative easy street in my opinion. It's just a matter of picking off those lush Muslim territories and hoping my new friend Salerno doesn't take many of them for himself.

[Izulde]

In late January 1102, the Meriadocs faced another grave crisis. Caradog Meriadoc, Count of Gwent and Siracusa, was excommunicated by the new Pope and numerous nobles across Europe swarmed to lay claim to the territories.

The regency council immediately asked him to give up the County of Siracusa. He refused, and Gilbert le Blount, requested to give up Agriegito, also declined. Faced with these rebellious vassals, the council declared war on Gilbert in February, as he was the easiest target.

Emboldened by the distraction, Maredudd ap Seisyll proclaimed his independence in the County of Dyfed and made war on the Duchy. Making matters worse, Morgan Meriadoc died and Llywarch Meriadoc, Madog's eldest legitimate son, assumed control of Glamgoran and plotted with his own regents against Zakariyah, though they did not move at that time.

Things became worse yet when a peasant insurrection broke out in the capital province of Trapani in March, about the same time that Dogfael Meriadoc, Madog's second bastard by Melisande, went mad.

Gilbert le Blount was quickly being crushed when he fell in battle and his lands reverted to the Duchy of Tirol in Germany through some obscure succession mechanisms. Thus did the Meriadocs lose Malta and Agriegtio.

As if the situation were not bad enough, both Apuila and the Kingdom of Germany declared war on Deheubarth in July, seeking to claim Siracusa and Gwent.

The combined forces proved far too much for the Meriadocs to overcome and before Dyfed could be seized by loyalist troops and turned back over to Zakariyah and his regency council, Trapani, Tripoli, and Bizerte all fell and all titles were surrendered to King Heinrich von Franken of Germany in late summer 1103.

The German King then swept through Gwent and Glamgoran, claiming and annexing those territories a few years later.

The Meriadoc dynasty was dead by 1105 and no more than a curious, brief story in the pages of history, a short episode of Welsh greatness.

Thus ends the tale.

[John Galt]

Well, that sucks. What a bad ending.

[Izulde]

Originally Posted by John Galt

Well, that sucks. What a bad ending.

Yep! I could've probably survived Caradog's excommunication, but when Gilbert's lands went the way of Germany, I knew it was only a matter of time.

[fantastic flying froggies]

damn!

[daedalus]

Damn. That was a harsh ending.

[Izulde]

fantastic flying froggies: Yeah, I thought I was going to coast the rest of the game into a kingship and maybe even world conquest. Didn't happen though.

daedalus: You aren't kidding! Talk about a house of cards quick to collapse!

[daedalus]

So, any plan in the works for the next Izulde dynasty?

[fantastic flying froggies]

Originally Posted by daedalus

So, any plan in the works for the next Izulde dynasty?

's already started:

http://www.operationsports.com/fofc/...ad.php?t=53184