Grey Estates

[Oznerol]

GREY ESTATES

The Grey family traces their ancestry to a companion of William the Conqueror: such an old family remained baronial through the centuries, but they have been landed nobility for quite as long. Lately, they married to Elizabeth Ferrers, baroness Ferrers of Groby, descendant of Edward I through her mother, Isabel de Mowbray. The current head of House Grey is Thomas Grey, Earl of Winchester, son of Lady Elizabeth Woodville and Sir John Grey, heir to the aforementioned Elizabeth Ferrers. The earldom of Winchester is one of the richest in the whole realm and Lord Grey has been granted numerous properties all over England by Edward IV, only enlarged by his marriage to Lady Anne Neville, daughter and co-heiress of Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick.

GREY ESTATES

Buildings Tier I: - Reinforced Wall: +1 Siege Defence Rolls, -2 raiding Rolls. - Grain Mill: +5% income, +1 Charisma - Castle Smith: -5% professional troops’ upkeep and recruitment cost. Tier II: Tier III: Tier IV: Income Prosperous Income - 40,000 Crowns +7,500 Crowns (Glamorgan) +7,500 Crowns (Astley) +10,000 Crowns (Salisbury) +5,000 Crowns (Monthermer) --------------------------------------------- Total income=70,000 Crowns+20% (bonuses+traits)=84,000 Crowns. Manpower Militia Winchester: Large Militia - 1,500 men. Glamorgan: Average Militia - 1,000 men. Salisbury: Grand Militia - 2,000 men. Astley: 500 men. Monthermer: 200 men. --------------------------------------------- Total=5,200 men. Professional soldiery Retainers: Knightsx2=200 men (8,000 Crowns/year) Tamworth Castle A large and storied castle, built by the Mercians centuries ago, in Staffordshire. With the largest motte after Windsor, the castle had belonged to the Mermion family, champions of the Dukes of Normandy, until they male line died out and it passed to the hands of the Ferrers family; currently, the castle belongs to Thomas Grey, heir to the Barony Ferrers of Groby. Astley Castle Seat and head of the homonymous barony, a crenellated manor in Warwickshire. Middleham Castle One of the most imposing castles in England and one of the prefered residences of Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick and Salisbury. After his death, it remained for more than a decade into the hands of John Neville, Marquess of Montagu, but in 1472 it was recognized as part of the inheritance of Lady Anne Neville, Warwick's youngest daughter. Thomas Grey, Marquess of Winchester, decided to make Middleham his prime residence in the North. Bradgate Hall The lands of Bradgate house of the best hunting grounds in all England, with woods brimming with game. Since 1466 Thomas Grey, Marquess of Winchester, has been building a splendid manor, more a palace than a castle, as symbol of his newfound wealth. The scale and the splendor of Bradgate shall soon be unrivalled in all England, save the royal palaces at Greenwich, Woodstock or Eltham. Hampshire (Earldom of Winchester) Island City: Portsmouth is built on Portsea Island, making it England's only island city. Its natural defensibility was further enhanced with a series of fortifications by Kings who were keenly aware of its strategic value, including Portchester Castle (guarding the upper reaches of the city's harbor) and wooden towers built on opposite sides of the harbor. It further has a history of trade - though its citizens also enjoy significant mercantile privileges granted in the time of Richard the Lionheart, John Lackland & Edward III, including tax exemptions and a charter for a 15-day 'Free Market Fair'. +3 Siege rolls, -3 Raid rolls, +10% income. The Royal Navy: Portsmouth has been a major naval base for centuries, and is home to much of the English Royal Navy. Many of the Navy's ships are constructed and repaired in its extensive facilities, and skilled & experienced sailors can often be found in its docks as well. +1 Naval Battles, access to a special naval squadron (will come up with one when the naval rules are finished). The People of Southampton: Southampton is the largest city in Hampshire, dwarfing even Portsmouth and Winchester, and is known as a booming center of trade where French wine is imported in exchange for English wool & cloth. Though it was sacked by the French in 1338, Edward III rebuilt and fortified the city better than ever, and its residents are determined to never allow a repeat of the city's destruction to occur again even at the cost of their own lives. d2*d1000 Militia (75% Militia Longbows, 25% Militia Footmen) will spawn when the city comes under attack unless its people happen to actually like the attacker more than its present controller and are confident that they won't sack the place upon victory. Winchester Cathedral: Built starting in 1073 and consecrated twenty years later as a successor to the old Saxon cathedral, Winchester Cathedral strikes an imposing presence that befits a house of God built in the capital of Anglo-Saxon England. Furthering the cathedral's association with the Old English, Saint Swithun remains its patron to this day. In recent years, the cathedral became notorious as the base of Henry Beaufort, its cardinal-bishop until 1447 and granduncle to the current Duke of Somerset who is known best for three things: fathering a daughter while Bishop of Lincoln, leading a crusader army to defeat against the Hussite heretics at Tachov in 1427, and playing a role in the ouster and eventual arrest of Henry V's brother Humphrey of Gloucester. +5% income, +1 Charisma, +1 levy and taxation rolls, and characters may also seek refuge within the Cathedral for up to 1 in-game year; unless permitted by the local religious authorities, anyone who would do harm unto them on its consecrated ground will certainly have to face some consequences at the Church's hands.

THOMAS GREY, 1st MARQUESS OF WINCHESTER, 7th EARL OF SALISBURY

Grey LORD THOMAS GREY 1st MARQUESS OF WINCHESTER, 7th EARL OF SALISBURY, 8th LORD OF GLAMORGAN, 8th BARON MONTHERMER, 8th BARON ASTLEY. Born 1453 (19) Titles: 1st Marquess of Winchester, 7th Earl of Salisbury (de jure uxoris), 8th Lord of Glamorgan (de jure uxoris), 8th Baron Monthermer (de jure uxoris), 8th Baron Astley. Status: Married to Lady Anne Neville (born 1456), de suo jure Countess of Salisbury and Lady of Glamorgan. Estates: Bradgate Hall, Middleham Castle, Tamworth Castle, Astley Castle, Warblington Castle. Children: Edward Grey (born 1469), Eleanor Grey (1471-1473), Elizabeth Grey (born 1473). Traits (5): +1 Battles. +1 Joust. +1 Charisma (+1). +1 Wealth. +1 Survival. BIOGRAPHY: Lady Elizabeth Woodville, eldest daughter of Sir Richard Woodville and Jacquetta of Luxembourg, married Sir John Grey in 1452. The young knight was heir to Elisabeth Ferrers, the 6th Baroness Ferrers of Groby and a grandson of Thomas Mowbray, 1st Duke of Norfolk; John Grey’s firstborn son would be finally named after him. Grey’s loyalties were staunchly Lancastrian: he rode for Henry VI on the outbreak of the war triggered by the bloody rivalry between Richard Plantagenet and Edmund Beaufort. Alas, he died on the Second Battle of Saint Albans, predeceasing his mother, the baroness. He left two sons by his wife, Elizabeth: Thomas and Richard Grey, who stood to inherit the barony of Ferrers of Groby. Their fortunes changed drasticallu when Edward IV fell in love and married their mother, Woodville. In 1466, after the birth of their first half-sibling, Elizabeth of York, and through his mother’s assiduous endeavours, Thomas Grey was created Earl of Winchester by the Yorkist king. The King personally brokered his marriage with Anne Neville, co-heiress, along her elder sister Isabel, of the fabulous fortune once belonging to Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick and Salisbury. Such an advantageous marriage placed him among the wealthiest and most powerful noblemen in England. Surely, such a fast and unexpected promotion would arouse suspicions and jealousy all over the realm. His coat of arms as Earl of Winchester depicts the full achievement of the late Richard Neville impaled with the quartered arms of Thomas Grey: first and four quarters for Grey and Woodville, the second for Mowbray and the third for Hastings, Ferrers in scutcheon. Thomas himself is a rather mild-tempered teenager, particularly prudent, patient and well-mannered. Orphan at young age and raised to high fortunes while still a mere boy, he is rather melancholic and introverted. He completely idolizes his guardian, the King himself, Edward of March, who he considers a fatherly figure of sorts. Grey is somewhat learned, being moderately fluid in Latin, Greek, arithmetic, astronomy and philosophy. His uncle, Anthony Woodville, personally trained him and his younger brother Richard; Thomas is both a good rider and a fine jouster. In 1469 his mother, Elizabeth Woodville, was acknowledged as rightful wife and queen of Edward IV; the next year Grey was created marquess of Winchester, with remainder to his heirs lawfully begotten. In 1471 his wife Anne was acknowledged as countess of Salisbury, a title her uncle Montagu had held for years, since Richard Neville's death; Thomas Grey thus was raised as seventh earl of Salisbury. Household RICHARD GREY De jure uxoris 7th Baron Harington, 2nd Baron Bonville. Born 1457. Status: Married, to Lady Cecily Bonville. Children: None. Traits (5): +1 Duels +2 Joust +2 Survival Biography: Lord Thomas' younger brother; they are both truly close. Richard is very different from Thomas, however, a hot-headed, bold and increasingly unruly teenager. Better at a saddle and with a sword than his brother, he'll likely become a man as strong as Anthony Woodville, the Earl Rivers, his maternal uncle. SIR EDWARD GREY Born 1442. Status: Single. Children: None. Biography: Sir John Grey's younger brother, second surviving son of Elizabeth Ferrers of Groby and Sir Edward Grey. A dark haired, broad-shouldered individual. A stripping young man, avid hunter and jouster. Rather foul-mouthed but deeply loyal to his kindred. LADY CECILY BONVILLE. 7th Baroness Harington, 2nd Baroness Bonville. Born 1460. Status: Married, to Richard Grey (born 1457). Children: None. Biography: The wealthiest heiress in England, as only daughter of Sir William Bonville (Baron Harington and Baron Bonville) and Katherine Neville (sister to the Kingmaker), a child still. However, she is very headstrong, willful and as unruly as her young husband is. Few can endure one of her tantrums and she is very stubborn and determined for a lass of her age. Cecily is quite smart, amazing all her tutors with her sharp, independent mind. Remains to be seen how such a hot-headed wife will be as the equally stubborn, but far less smart, Richard Grey.