Emperor Boleslav conquered and created the Kingdom of Syria from some lands formerly of the ailing Mansurid Empire. From these lands the Kingdom was entrusted to Grandmaster Ioannes, vassalizing the Order of the Holy Sepulchre. The Dukes who resided within the Kingdom resented the rule of a King who didn't actually reside within Syria, easily rebelling and winning, forcing Grandmaster Ioannes to abdicate in favour of his son - stripping him of all his titles. I only needed to invite him to my court safe from the viper's nest of the African Sultan's court (easily enough as the Sultan wanted him dead), imprison him and acquire all of his gold. I gave Prince Ioannes enough gold to live the rest of his life in luxury and allowed him to live safe within the Serbian Empire away from African daggers. I believe he ultimately died of illness.
His son and his son, their sons and so on went on to inherit the role of Kings of the Serbian Bank and Grandmasters of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre; average life expectancy of the title holders has been 20 years old with most being assassinated by African Sultans, Sepulchre claimants and Serbian Emperors. The casualty toll is now 1 repatriated, 3 banished, 4 assassinated and 2 deaths by suspicious accidents. I reckon the death toll will decrease once the number of possible claimants has decreased.
In terms of foreign policy Emperor Boleslav had a difficult task. Before him the Emperors of Serbia were tasked with maintaining balance, now balance was lost and he had to effect a change back. The key weapon to effecting change was money. Whilst openly supporting its fellow Emperors from external threats and internal threats facilitated by non-Miroslavs, Emperor Boleslav would often fund independence factionalists or rebels at such times as were convenient. The reason was not to weaken any Empire, but to allow the territory to return to its de jure liege.
There for example, is a moment where lands within one Empire was inherited by vassals from another Empire. This increased tension would inevitably lead to war between the two Empires unless the territory in question became an independent duke or count, much more easily destroyed - and destroyed without any two Empire coming into conflict.
Perhaps more ambitious was the attempt at killing two birds with one stone; the Catholics and Sunni in the East were both funded at opportune times. The Pope, the Teutonic Knights and the Abbasids were unlikely recipients of aid from the Serbian coffer, but with their help the Mansurid Dynasty was finally toppled and the Arabian Empire driven to the weakest it's ever been. The Pope also used its newfound power to start civil wars in all three African Kingdoms, Scandinavia, Britain and the Middle East, with the Pope and the Teutonic Knights gaining a foothold in Arabia from which to recover from the Miroslav onslaught and also spreading Catholicism to Abyssinia. Every time Catholics fought Orthodox, the Pope was bankrolling them. This was also beginning to take its toll on the Pope's purse however, and so paradoxically would begin to show the straining in his power even as Catholicism made its first gains after a century of loss.
There were also times where things went absolutely out of control. Funding the anti-Britannian war effort from when the Britons tried to take over Britanny left their armies depleted and incapable of fighting rebellion. At this moment the Irish King and Scottish King both rebelled, with the Scottish King securing independence.
If he wasn't a weak King, his rebellion might have lasted longer than 5 years.
Perhaps the most severe example came about with the funding of Flanders. The Duchess of Flanders had lands within the Empire of Serbian Hispania and wished to secure independence; she was funded by Emperor Boleslav until Emperor Boleslav was pressed to join the war against her at which point her son was funded. This ultimately wasted the resources of the Hispanian, Francian and Serbian Empires. The Duchess failed to secure her independence. The Hispanian and Francian Empires both lost so many soldiers that new faction revolts began to appear.
The Knights of Calatrava, almost driven to the brink of destruction conquered Aragorn in the chaos and once more became a potent threat to Iberia.
Worse still is what happened to Serbian Francia.
The nation state dissolved.
The Serbian Empire immediately sent a vast army of 20,000 men to crush the French nobles who had overrun Serbian Francia in a bid to save the state from falling apart.
When that army was defeated the crisis reached a breaking point which warranted the deployment of a further 16,000 men and the Varangian guard; when even this wasn't enough 80,000 Gusars were sent to pacify the region with martial law.
The Gusars went province to province, patrolling the area and killing every rebel in sight whilst the 16,000 levies joined forces with the 5,000 survivors of the battle of Angers in order to lift the siege of Paris. After the deaths of tens of thousands of peasants, soldiers and nobles at last the state of Francia was restored.
The Varangian Guard were then sent off with 1,600 men to take over the Shetland Islands. The Islands themselves were not that important or noteworthy, other than the fact that they had been taken over by a militant Catholic cult which was an important Catholic stronghold in the Pope's last holds over the West.
Out with Emperor Boleslav and in with Emperor Marko, his reign was an eventful one.
I do love how Emperor Marko's first announcement to Emperor Boleslav's death was 'I'M RICH!'
And for one known as the cruel, he (outwardly) is a nice man.
This is the first time I've seen this event. This man is no man of sins! [Killing infidels in amusing ways is k]
His reign saw the institution of the Serbian Bank become entrenched within the Empire with near-unparalleled economic power, the greatest wars yet seen between the Miroslav families and the first signs of a threat of an unparalleled scale.
The first thing Emperor Marko did in his reign (other than celebrate his wealth) was secure his reign with the loyalty of his subjects. He threw the year's greatest feast, taking note of who criticized him and who insulted him - having them watched by his elite gusars and the varangian guard. Detractors all mostly survived or were won over with gifts, praise and diplomacy, though a few plotted to kill Emperor Mislav or his heirs and had to die. The most high profile killing was of Emperor Zvonimir, of the Eastern Serbian Empire. A good friend, a better ally - during a joint campaign in the deserts of Bagdhad, he was assassinated on the orders of Emperor Marko.
He had founded an Orthodox heresy and became a threat to Christendom.
The second thing he did was host a grand tournament, using it to avoid the great game going on between the Holy Serbian Empire, Serbian Britannia, the Serbian Commonwealth and Serbian Rus.
After the Empire of Britannia momentarily united with the Serbian Empire after succession, the Scandinavian peninsula was conquered and split between six factions. The Merchant Republic of Ostlandet was founded and along with Iceland, retained within the Serbian Empire to further consolidate the Serbian Empire's economic monopoly. The Empire of Serbian Rus already owned most of Serbian Finland and were given the rest. That left the rest of Scandinavia to the Serbian Kingdoms of Denmark, Sweden and Norway.
Soon after wars erupted between the Miroslavs of Denmark and Norway vs the Miroslavs of Sweden, the former backed by the two Western Empires and the latter backed by the two Eastern Empires. The tournament provided a great excuse to remain out of the conflict and test the mettle of the Empire's soldiers; in the end Mihailo Miroslav was crowned winner of the tournament. Neither strong nor a skilled fighter, Mihailo won by virtue of being a cunning schemer, triumphing over far superior fighters with tricks and plans. A suitable winner for any tournament.
The third thing Emperor Marko did was go on a pilgrimage to Antioch. Whilst on the road a landless son of a Duke called Uros saw a fellow pilgrim and decided to join him on his journey. To some surprise he found out they were both Miroslav, to his greater surprise he had just befriended the Emperor of the Serbian Empire. They traveled the road fighting bandits, joined a group of the Order of the Sepulchre and marveled at the birthplace of Christianity. When at last they returned Uros was made Duke of Austria and Caesar of the Serbian Empire, forming a lasting and powerful friendship.
The speed and efficiency with which a hundred thousand men could descend upon Arabia was scintillating! 10,000 raised from Jerusalem to Syria, 20,000 brought in by a fleet of thousands and the rest of the 80,000 arriving to drive the nails in the coffin alongside the auxiliary forces of the neighbouring Miroslavs. In stark contrast with the 20 year Jihad for Armenia that had plagued the Serbian Empire and the Byzantine Empire centuries ago, the Abbasid attempted to renew a Jihad for Armenia. This one lasted only 2 years and didn't even require the involvement of a single elite Gusar.
Perhaps the greatest tragedy in Emperor Marko's reign was the peak of the Sultanate of Africa's power finally being reached. Where it once held the power of an Empire, now it held only the power of a Kingdom. The Kingdom of Egypt gained independence, but as it was ruled by a Miroslav the Serbian Empire made no action to conquer it, instead supporting its continued growth.
Clashes between the Miroslav families grew in frequency as the Serbian Empire gradually stopped funding independence factions due to the risks of unforseen consequences. This also coincided with the Serbian Empire beginning to openly take sides in matters, wielding the full gravitas of its influence with pride.
Take for example, the clash between the Serbian Commonwealth and the Holy Serbian Empire. Empire to Empire the two were evenly matched, up until the Empire of Serbian Rus attacked the Commonwealth in the East, starting a war on two fronts. Then the King of Serbian Norway attacked from the North, opening a third front on the Commonwealth. The war would have ended in Commonwealth defeat soon enough had the Serbian Empire not intervened, deploying 80,000 men at Serbian Rus and 50,000 at the Holy Serbian Empire.
This encouraged the unaligned Empires and Kingdoms to pick the side with the larger army, eventually turning the rest of the Miroslav family against them. The Serbian Empire never actually fought the Russian or German Serbs, the enemy Empires were both sorely in need of gold due to a lack of Serbian donations and so were incapable of facing the Serbians in a pitched battle. Once they were defeated the donations rolled right back on in and their problems were resolved.
This economic control of the Empires was further expanded upon. When the Great Empire was split into 9 Empires, the Merchant Republics were split evenly between the Empires to allow equal economic growth. Now however the Serbian Empire controls 5/6 of the Merchant Republics; every time, whether through faction or succession the Serbian Empire accidentally (honestly by accident - I try to keep the Empires separate at all times) gained control of another Empire, the opportunity would be taken to give it back its independence sans Merchant Republic - thereby steadily making each of the Empires wholly reliant on the Serbian Bank for the funds to wage war with the full might of their military.
The rest of the Serbian Empire's military conflicts can be summed up thus:
- Muslims invaded the Eastern Serbian Empire, troops were sent to occupy the Abbasid until they surrendered.
- Miroslav Empire fought Miroslav Empire. Supported whichever one was trying to regain de jure borders.
- Faction members started shit. Faction members destroyed with prejudice.
- Rebellions started. Ignored rebellions unless they affected the Serbian Empire.
Though there was one amusing time during a major rebellion in the Eastern Serbian Empire where 30,000 Serbs fought 30,000 Serbs.
Their faction was fighting to get Emperor Marko to rule over the Eastern Serbian Empire, Emperor Marko was fighting them to not rule over the Empire!
The Jomsvikings were also discovered to be residing in a barony in the Serbian Empire's lands. They're the last Norse stronghold in the entire world, kept alive because they provide recruits to the Varangian Guard. I still see them raiding and pillaging all the way down to the black sea; a nuisance for the world to put up with just so the Serbs can have their vikings.
A second nationalization of bank funds happened.
It finally made Emperor Marko richer than the pope.
In celebration Emperor Marko delivered justice across the land.
Partook in the patronage of sports
Policed Constantinople
With no survivors
Took Marko's imbecile of a grandson on a hunting trip to prepare him for future rule
And indulged in fanfic-tier Romance plots. Agata is one of the youngest daughters and so not in line to inherit much of anything and Marko has nothing to gain from political marriages since everyone is already an ally by virtue of Miroslavness. The marriage was allowed for the sake of her happiness, but much like a disappointed father would be Marko and I were dismayed by his daughter's choice in husband. The Varangian Guard in question was entirely without notable skill, merit or family. SON I AM DISAPPOINT
The Pope and the Emperor both have conversations with one another from time to time it seems, despite both being leaders of opposing sects. I'm sure whoever these Horse men are, they are no match for Serbia stronk Gusars. Or at the very least, they'll crash into Persia or the Turkic tribes instead of Miroslav Europe. Well, at least there are some things the Pope and Marko can share stories on without tryint to throttle one another to death.
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Topic: Crusader Kings 2 is released. (Read 2120579 times)