A Life By Hero

[Adisor Norvegianu]

A Life By Hero is a supermod for M2TW. increased realism. adding new factions. added new units. Features: -New AOR System. -New Map from Newfoundland to Persia, New Interface. -New Battlefields. -New Units as Frisian Townsmen and Bajoras. New Sounds for all units. -New Music. -New Pics for all units. New Events. Increased Attack of gunpowder and feudal units. knights in full plate armour. New Flags. Denmark reskinned. New Factions: Country of Holland, Kingdom of Sweden, Country of Flanders,Republic of Novgorod, Grand Duchy of Lithuania, Teutonic Order,Republic of Pisa, Kingdom of Bohemia, Kingdom of Norway. Wonders Added. New Regions. for Beta of Mod.

[Alkimachos]

From whom consisting the team?

[Conqistador]

Seems like a Pharoah-kind user here...

[Posantio of Umbria]

Sounds cool, but I must warn you: Flanders was a County, not a Duchy and Frisia was a County as well (from the time of Charlemagne). Interesting choice too, Frisia, as it was not a very unified region during the middle ages, the County of Holland (nominally the liege lords of Frisia) would be a more historically accurate faction if you want to include Frisian units (widely employed by the counts of Holland). Especially in the early middle ages other nations did not make distinctions between the Hollanders and Frisians (North Holland is called West-Frisia).

[Adisor Norvegianu]

A Life By Hero offers to players a realism and added unique units as Frisian Knights, Flemish Infantry. Faction List:
The Kingdom of England
Royaume de France
Hre +
Bohemia +
Frisia+
Novgorod +
Crusaders +
Pisa +
Lithuania +
Aztecs +
Holland+
Reino de Castilla
Ducato di Puglia e Calabria
Marca di Lombardia
Basileia ton Romaion
al-Salajiqa al-Rum
Kongeriget Danmark
Condado Portucalense
Egypt
Magyar Királyság
Sweden (Sverige in Swedish) -
al-Murabitun
Kievskaya Rus
Serenissima Repubblica di San Marco
Kinrick o Scotland
Norge
Flanders
Patrimonium Sancti Petri
Królestwo Polskie

[Adisor Norvegianu]

Holy Roman Empire: Unit List:

HRE Generals Bodyguard.

• Light Infantry
  
  • Peasants
  • Sergeant Spearmen
  • Armoured Sergeants
  • Town Militia
• Heavy Infantry
  
  • Zweihander
  • Forlorn Hope
  • Halberd Militia
  • Dismounted Feudal Knights
  • Dismounted Imperial Knights
  • Dismounted Gothic Knights
• Spear/Pike Infantry
  
  • Spear Militia
  • Pike Militia
  • Landsknecht Pikemen

• Missile Infantry
  
  • Peasant Archers
  • Peasant Crossbowmen
  • Crossbow Militia
  • Pavise Crossbowmen
  • Arquebusiers
  • Handgunners

• Heavy Cavalry
  
  • Mailed Knights
  • Feudal Knights
  • Imperial Knights
  • Gothic Knights
  • Early General's Bodyguard
  • Late General's Bodyguard
  • Merchant Cavalry Militia
  • Teutonic Knights
  • Mounted Sergeants
• Missle Cavalry
  
  • Mounted Crossbowmen
  • Reiters

• Artillery
  
  • Ballista
  • Catapult
  • Trebuchet
  • Bombard
  • Grand Bombard
  • Cannon
  • Serpentine
  • Basilisk

[Alkimachos]

Who will do all of these things mate? Are you modeller at least? Without offense, you cannot start a mod without basic knowledges...

~Alkimachos

[Adisor Norvegianu]

Holy Roman Empire's History: The Holy Roman Empire was a loose union of the lands of Germany. It was so-called until the 15th century, when it was renamed to the Holy Roman Empire of The German Nation. The Empire was created in 800 AD after Charles the Great and it lasted until Francis the Second in 1806 AD.

The Frankish empire was divided by the treaty of Verdun and the Holy Roman Empire only had the central and later only the eastern parts of France. Before the Renaissance period, most Christians in the west regarded the German emperors as heirs of the ancient Roman empire. Eastern Christians and the Byzantine empire rejected these claims. Historians often treat the Holy Roman Empire as a completely different state to the classical Roman Empire.

The Reich (empire) elected an emperor, who was crowned by the pope until 1508 AD. The empire lacked centralization, which made the kingdoms of England and France powerful in the later periods of the middle ages. The territories of the empire were divided and ruled independently by knightly orders, cities and religious figures, sometimes princes or kings. Religion was one of the few things that kept the empire together was religion (which is why the empire had the "holy" prefix).

The empire was ruled by franks of the Carolingian dynasty, until the death of Louis, the last Carolingian. The leaders of the major German states elected Conrad the first of the franks in 911 AD. At this time the empire was only a union of the Germanic tribes. This union was led by franks until the Hohenstaufen dynasty, which came to power in 1138.

A mentionable event before the Hohenstaufens was the investiture controversy during which Pope Gregory the seventh declared a ban on king Henry the fourth (Emperor from 1084 to 1106 AD). This was taken back after the walk to Canossa in 1077. During the time, German dukes elected a second king, whom Henry the fourth defeated after the three year war in 1080.

The Hohenstaufen dynasty restored the glory of the empire even under the conditions of the concordat of Worms. Frederick "Barbarossa" the first was the first to call the empire "holy". Also, under Frederick, there was an attempt to restore the idea of the Roman empire, declaring that the emperor's power was independent from the pope.

After Barbarossa, Frederick the second was the last of the Staufen, who first reigned in Sicily, until he was crowned emperor in 1220. He is famous for claiming power over Rome and that his army managed to claim Jerusalem in a Crusade in 1228 AD, while under the pope's ban. After the Staufen, the Habsburg dynasty claimed power over the Holy Roman Empire for a short time. After the Habsburgs, Henry the seventh from the house of Luxembourg became emperor.

During the 15th century the empire saw many reforms, such as the creation of the Reichstag and the legal acts that gave the empire a structure, which ended in 1806. After the reformation, a great crisis had befallen the Holy Roman Empire. Martin Luther initiated what would later be known as the reformation, which divided the empire into religious states. Bohemians rebelled and the 30 year war (1618-1648 AD) devastated the empire.

The Empire had a long decline until it was dissolved on August 6, 1806. Germany would not become a unified state again until 1871 AD.

[Adisor Norvegianu]

Denmark has a proud History:

It was the famous Harold Bluetooth who, around 980, unified the many petty kingdoms in what is now Denmark, and created a single state. Embracing Christianity, he forged bonds with western and central Europe, particularly the Holy Roman empire and the papacy. The first was necessary as it was a neighbouring state; the second was to further strengthen his position at home, with the help of the clergy. When England broke away from Danish control after the death of Canute the Great (1035), Denmark suffered internal disorder and was frequently raided by vikings from Norway. However, Canute’s nephew Sweyn Estridson (1020-1074) re-established strong royal authority.
The mid 12th century was a difficult time for the kingdom of Denmark. Civil wars rocked the land and created much strife. Eventually, Valdemar the Great (1131-82), gained control of the kingdom, stabilising it and reorganizing the administration. During Valdemar’s reign, a castle was built in the village of Havn, leading eventually to the foundation of Copenhagen, the modern capital of Denmark. Denmark was transformed in this time into a major power in the Baltic Sea, competing with the Hanseatic League, the Counts of Holstein, and the Teutonic Knights for trade, territory, and influence throughout the area. Valdemar and his successors launched various ‘crusades’ to claim territories, notably modern Estonia.
By the late 13th century, royal power had waned, and the nobility forced the king to grant a charter, considered Denmark's first constitution. A weakened Denmark was of great benefit to both the Hanseatic League and the Counts of Holstein. These counts gained control of large portions of Denmark because the king would grant them fiefs in exchange for money to finance royal operations. Consequently, by the 1320s the king was largely bound by the wishes of these counts, who by then owned most of Denmark.
The kingdom continued to fall apart; the territory of Scania passed for a while to the King of Sweden. In 1340 the throne fell to Valdemar Atterdag, or "New Day." He was a skilled politician and was able to reunite the old kingdom of Denmark by turning the counts against each other. His continued efforts to expand the kingdom after 1360 brought him into open conflict with the Hanseatic League. He conquered Gotlandia, much to the displeasure of the League, since Visby, an important trading town, was located there. Their alliance with Sweden to attack Denmark was initially a fiasco since Danish forces captured a large Hanseatic fleet, and ransomed them back for an enormous sum. Luckily for the League the Jutland Nobles revolted against the heavy taxes levied to fight the expansionist war in the Baltic; the two forces worked against the king, forcing him into exile in 1370. For several years, the Hanseatic League controlled the fortresses on "the sound" between Scania and Zealand.
Margaret I was the daughter of Valdemar Atterdag. She was married to Håkon VI of Norway in an attempt to join the two kingdoms, along with Sweden, since Håkon was related to the Swedish royal family. Originally her son, Olaf III was intended to rule the three kingdoms, but due to his early death she took on the role. During her life, the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden (including the Faroe Islands, as well as Iceland, Greenland, and present-day Finland) were unified under her capable rule, in what was called the Kalmar Union, made official in 1397. Her successor, Eric of Pomerania, lacked his predecessor's skill and was directly responsible for the breakup of the Kalmar Union. However, there was still some enthusiasm for the idea, so when Christopher of Bavaria, a distant relative came to the throne, he managed to be elected in all three kingdoms, briefly reuniting Scandinavia. The Swedish nobility grew increasingly unhappy with Danish rule and the union soon became merely a legal concept with little practical application.

[Adisor Norvegianu]

History. England's History: Before 1066, England consisted of multiple smaller kingdoms, sometimes under a single ruler, more often disunited. The famous battle of Hastings changed all that, when the Norman conquest of England brought solidity and unity to the country. Even though the Normans were foreigners, speaking French rather than the Anglo-Saxon dialects used by the commoners, they managed to give England a purpose and identity it had previously lacked.
The Norman kings of England had two main priorities: conquest or overlordship of the British Isles, and claiming the crown of France. At several moments, they seemed closer to achieving the latter goal and failing at the former, but history turned out the opposite.
In the 12th century, the Norman kings were Frenchmen in disguise. Rulers such as Henry II and Richard Lionheart did not even speak English; they preferred the language of their ancestors, the western European court language: French. Henry II was the first to seriously undertake the conquest of Wales, but he was defeated by the Welsh lords. He eventually came to terms with them, if only to restore peace on his western border as he was fighting his rebellious sons in France.
But both Henry II and his heir, Richard I, were pre-occupied with French affairs. Richard hardly visited his English lands, if at all, and set up a system of shire-reeves travelling the shires in his absence, dealing primarily with justice. These we still know as sheriffs. This decentralised the realm, but laid the foundations for the modern justice system.
After king John lost most of his French territories to Philip II Augustus, King of France, the Norman lords were forced to concentrate more on their English lands. A series of small civil wars occurred in the 13th century, the most important of which was the Baronial War, in which the barons captured king Henry III in battle and forced him to accept their ideas of a parliament, where the king's vassals could speak their mind on the king's policy. This was nowhere near the democratic organ we know it as today, but it gave English lords a voice that would otherwise have gone unheard, and helped anglify the court.
The Hundred Years War started in the 14th century; we will discuss this war in more detail in another chapter. The English armies, with a nice amount of Welshmen, Irishmen, Gascons and a variety of other troops thrown in (such as Bretons and Hainaulters) made excellent progress militarily, but their bloody war got them few friends with the French populace, and even though they defeated multiple French armies their territorial acquisitions were usually lost within a decade or two (the only exception being Calais, which held on for two centuries). The war helped make England a more united country, and provided otherwise unruly provinces, such as Wales, with suitable employment.
But the unity didn't last forever, and from the death of King Richard II (1399) to the death of King Richard III (1485), the country was frequented by civil war. In Wales, Owain Glyndwr rebelled against King Henry IV, and soon the prominent English noblemen Roger Mortimer and Henry Percy were up in arms, too. The young prince Henry, later Henry V, was taught the art of war in the Welsh campaigns, eventually defeating Percy at the Battle of Shrewsbury (1403). When he became king in 1413, he proved popular, as his campaigns in France testify. The immortal victor of Azincourt (1415), the most famous battle of the Hundred Years War, his reign was a triumph already. His early death, however, brought back unrest, as his mad son was incapable of governing; the War of the Roses had started. France's History: In 843 the Empire of Charlemagne was split up between his grandchildren. Lotharius got the central part, from the Low Countries to Italy, the heart of this realm being in Lorraine; Louis the German received the eastern part and, because it was the least wealthy, also got the imperial crown for compensation; France, the richest part, went to Charles the Bald. However, the wealth attracted the attention of many seeking riches, including the Vikings. They hit France hard, and Normandy was granted as a duchy to the Northmen, or Normans.
A variety of weak French kings followed, and in 987, upon the death of Louis the Lazy, the Capetians would replace the Carolingians as the ruling dynasty. Hugo Capet, originally the lord of Paris, proved capable, and his successors worked for centuries to improve the French royal position.
When Henry II of England married into Aquitaine (1152), the balance of power in France was seriously disturbed. Henry owned more lands than the king of France himself, and could field large armies to maintain these. However, not all of Henry's offspring shared his martial abilities, and king Philippe II Augustus, an aggressive, intelligent ruler, took back most of England's possessions from king John.
France's growth reflected the international status of its rulers; yet France was anything but a homogenous realm. Many different languages were spoken in it: French, Flemish, Gascon, Basque, Catalan and Occitan, to name but a few. All these languages had their own cultures, sometimes in rebellion against French rule: the Flemish and Gascons traditionally sided with the English, whereas the Occitans were often practicing heretical religions (the most notable being the Cathar faith) rather than being good Christians. Their cultural identity went against the plans of the king, but sometimes sacrifices had to be made to maintain the state, and so an Estates General was created where the clerics, noblemen and burghers could advise their lord. However, its power was only noticeable during wartime, when they would sometimes veto further taxes.
With so many different cultures in a single realm, the unifying factor within the kingdom of France was the Christian faith, and the French gave serious support during every Crusade – so much so, that the Muslims habitually referred to the Crusaders as ‘Franks’. The popularity of the Crusades was, however, more of a thing for the population than for the royal family – only three French kings actually went on Crusade, the first, Louis VII, achieved little; the second, Philippe II Augustus, left very quickly, after taking Acre, which he considered enough to satisfy the clergy. The final crusading king, Louis IX, was the only French king to muster any real enthusiasm: he was a devoted man, but his military skills proved inadequate to turn either of his Crusades into a success: he died of old age before achieving anything, but was sanctified afterwards.
Following the Investiture conflict between the Holy Roman Empire and the Papacy, in which the emperors fought for the right to appoint their own bishops, the Papacy severed its ties with the emperors as their long-standing protectors. In search of a new powerful ally, they chose the growing French empire and settled in Avignon in 1309. A strong bond grew between the kings of France and the popes of Avignon, as they shared similar interests, and France proved more than receptive to the Papacy's ideas of persecuting religious malcontents. Already in the 13th century they had religiously weeded out all traces of the Cathar heresies. When that mystic branch of Christianity sprung up again, in the first two decades of the 14th century, there was no hesitation to teach them the Church's message. Contrary to popular belief, executions were limited and punishment was primarily dealt with prison terms, forced conversion and 'Cathar crosses' stitched to the offender's clothes, to mark him or her as a former heretic.
French court culture was defining for the period, with many other courts mimicking or copying French royal customs. Literature flourished and so did art, often in combination: the manuscript collection of the National Library of France serves as a testament to that. Architecture was refined, with symbolism and the most complicated techniques intertwining to create outstanding structures, standing to this very day. But where French culture became defining, for a period the French royal line collapsed into mediocrity and suffered a string of serious setbacks against the English.
The Hundred Years War was a conflict named thus in the 19th century; for those who lived through part of it, it was mostly a continuation of earlier conflicts; it can easily be argued that the war lasted from roughly 1150 to 1450. Despite occasional setbacks, it was a clear victory for the French. English conquests or battlefield victories were usually lost within a few decades, with the French resurging each time to reclaim their territory. Largely, it was a struggle between the French ruling classes of both countries: but as the Normans who had conquered England in 1066 became increasingly English, they lost their touch with France, and could eventually count on little sympathy from the French populace.
The end of the war was marked by an increasing growth of French royal power, the roots of the absolute state it would be under Louis XIV becoming clearly apparent. Both Charles VII and Louis XI faced multiple revolts of the higher nobility, but these were crushed or talked into a cease-fire, noble powers being curbed after each attempt. Only the Burgundians could maintain their independence for some time. However, the middles ages ended on a high note for France, when duke Charles of Burgundy was killed in Lorraine. French armies were quick to seize the initiative and reconquer their lost Burgundy province, meanwhile extending their influence over Lorraine and Savoy. Country of Holland and West Frisia's History:
The exact origin of the Frisians is unknown, but it is thought they came from Scandinavia and settled in a large area of coastal lands stretching from just west of Denmark to the modern day Dutch province of Zeeland, shortly before the fall of the western Roman Empire. Throughout the Dark Ages, the Frisians were busy traders, travelling from settlement to settlement, mostly trading their surplus food for more valuable objects. Roman glass has been found in old Frisian settlements, and it seems clear that the Frisians were a vital component in the trade between the Scandinavian and southern, Frankish, lands.
When the Vikings started raiding the coasts of Europe, the Frisians, never far away from the shores, were hit hard, and the Norse quickly set up their own settlements, especially in the southern half of the Netherlands. But the Frisians themselves had come from Scandinavia too, and they were no less fierce. They copied the tactic of raiding and plundering, and in the 11th century the King of Denmark complained to the Frisians for raiding his lands!
By the 12th century, the Frisians had already lost in influence. No longer did they form a Kingdom, and the southern part of their territory, the county of Holland, had been trying to get rid of the shackles that tied it to the Frisians. Friesland suffered another blow when a massive flood split their lands in two and created a treacherous inland sea in 1170. The county of Holland was then separated from Friesland Proper, and only a small part was still considered Frisian - this was West Friesland, which the Hollanders conquered by 1289.
From about 1100 on, there was no central authority in Friesland and all Frisians were free. Only a small higher class existed, but, as in the Swiss territories, this never managed to achieve political power. The peasants operated in communes, and all men carried arms and were expected to defend their lands in case of invasions. Contrary to popular belief, the arms of these peasants were actually of good quality; yet because they were few in number, they often preferred guerrilla style tactics, harrassing supply lines and ambushing lonely contingents. This proved highly effective against the Hollanders in many wars, the most important of which would be the invasions of 1256, 1345 and 1396-1411.
In times of war, a commander for the entire army was elected by representatives from the communes. The new leader would command for only one year and was drafted from the upper classes. Despite this haphazard organisation, the system appears to have worked very well. These elected generals won multiple battles against invaders and were responsible for the deaths of two kings (of Denmark and Germany) and numerous lesser lords, including Viking chieftains and counts of Holland. Even though ambushes were preferred, the Frisians excelled in the open field when it turned out to be necessary.
We are better informed on events during the 14th and 15th centuries, and the conflicting reports on the situation long misled historians. While local wars ('feuds') were well documented by pessimistic chroniclers, it was long thought these conflicts had appeared out of nowhere and seriously undermined the economy. However, recent research indicates that Frisian economy made giant leaps forward in the 15th century, when its cities started to attain respectable sizes. It is now thought that the feuds had always been there, even if barely mentioned before, and were little more than self-regulating justice systems that were actually effective in limiting violence. For example, the so-called Donia-war, a large-scale feud that ravaged central Friesland in the 1450's, claimed only about 250 lives. Commanders were careful to commit their men or attack, because they were held accountable for casualties and had to pay indemnities if necessary. This explains why people not involved in the conflict could keep out: warriors had nothing to gain and a lot to lose by assaulting innocents.
After conquering Holland, the Dukes of Burgundy claimed Friesland, too, but they were too busy elsewhere to actually invade it and establish effective ownership. Friesland remained in relative peace until the beginning of the 16th century, receiving little outside attention. A few prosperous families tried to transform the decentralised lands into a unified state, but this was effected only in East Friesland, by the Cirksena family.
From about 1500 on, German mercenaries ravaged Central Friesland, and Greate Pier led a peasant militia on land and on sea to drive them out. Aided by Karel van Egmond, Duke of Guelders, the Frisians were successful and even raided deep into Holland, plundering fortified cities such as Alkmaar. But the war effort could not be sustained by either the Duke of Guelders or the Frisians, and in 1524 the house of Habsburg conquered Friesland. Flanders's history: Flanders was the most important French province since the 1100's. Situated on the border of the Holy Roman Empire and speaking Flemish rather than French, they were always different and more independent minded. They were part of France and could not connect to the other peoples speaking related languages, but they never considered themselves French. Apart from that, their advanced culture made them stand out even more.
The Flemish had been very much involved with the British Isles ever since the 11th Century; a large group of Flemings accompanied William the Conqueror to England in his invasion of 1066, and a lot of them settled in Wales and Scotland as well as England and Ireland. They brought their advanced knowledge of wool manufacture with them, knowledge that was put to good use, as it later became one of the British Isles' most prosperous trades. The Flemish connection with England was thus strong, and it was not uncommon for an English king to seek out an alliance with these people to help him in wars against France.
One of the earliest of these instances was in 1214, when the Flemish were one of the allies of King John of England. The count of Flanders was one of the 140 nobles captured, after the battle of Bouvines (1214), and he was led in a triumphal procession through Paris, a humiliation no count or duke from the Low Countries suffered since.
Flanders' economy was at its peak in the 13th century, when it was the richest of all French provinces. In 1302, the wealthy Flemish began a war for independence, culminating in the famous battle of Kortrijk (1302) also known as the Battle of the Gulden Spurs. The rebellion proved in vain in the long run, though, but it was still a vital part of the formation of Flanders, for it gave it its pride and strengthened nationalism, and the battle is still celebrated today.
Another sharp clash with French authority came in the Hundred Years War, when an alliance was made with King Edward III of England. Large Flemish forces served in English armies, and they played a vital part in the siege of Calais (1347). Surprisingly, the count of Flanders was very much pro-French and died fighting the English at the battle of Crécy (1346). Had he survived, he would have been fighting his own Flemings, too!
The semi-independence of the Flemish cities and guilds was eventually lost when the county fell to Philip the Bold, duke of Burgundy, in 1384, through a fortunate marriage. Flanders was a wealthier province than Burgundy, and it became the heart of the Burgundian state. Despite their importance, the Flemish again rebelled several times, but the Burgundians defeated each attempt. So it happened that Flanders eventually passed in to Habsburg hands at the end of the Middle Ages, and would change ownership from Spain to Austria to the Netherlands, until they finally gained their long-sought independence in 1830.

[Adisor Norvegianu]

A Life By Hero is in working.

[Emperor of Hell]

What can you do? Modding I mean

[lolIsuck]

He does nothing, he makes posts...

[Lord Hamilton]

These "faction descriptions" are all directly ripped from the following URL: http://ageofchivalry-hegemony.wikia.com/wiki/History

Please properly source your material.

[Ishan]

Given your history and my last thread warning to you:

Yeah it's high time now that you should drop this nonsense that you have been doing here in the WIPS forum. The pics you posted are from vanilla game, so it's just a spam thread meant to fool fellow members.

Unless you have a detailed preview with your own material or with permissions backed up, you will not open another mod thread. Failure to comply will result in triggering of certain appropriate measures as per the terms of service of this website. Your choice, PM me with any questions you may have regarding this. Thread closed.

You leave me no choice, this was your last thread. This place is not for spamming and posting nonsense, sorry.