After starting as a count and usurping the throne of Mercia, I decided to press my Wessex claim. Before declaring war, I check on my rival's alliances. He's buddies with the king of France. Excellent.
But when I looked at France, expecting to see a Big Blue Blob, I instead see a France half the size of rival Middle Francia. It's a c, right? It's been a few days and I forget how it's supposed to be spelled sometimes.
Anyway, I had an of-age daughter, and the king of Middle Franceland had a son looking to marry. And so our children married, we were good friends immediately, and we formed an alliance at the wedding.
With this alliance I declare war, and our allies follow suit. England and France tumble into all-out war between various rivals looking for an opportunity to ruin their enemies. While besieging most of Wessex, the French troops came ashore and prepared to push us back when the Middle Baguettes landed as well and fought them off. both marauding armies stomped across England.
And since the French kingdoms were filthy with Slow Fever and Consumption, the armies seemed to have brought it with them, inadvertently killing more people than the war or any wars before it.
I'm really liking Reaper's Due. It's funny to think that a game has a massive update based primarily on illnesses and diseases. Not many games increase their base difficulty nowadays.