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Thread: [Custom Mod] Age of Crusades - 1105AD (Roleplay Hotseat)

  1. #121

  2. #122
    cowcow's Avatar Ordinarius
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    Default Re: [RPHS] Age of Crusades - 1105AD


  3. #123
    Mergor's Avatar T H E | G O R
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    Default Re: [RPHS] Age of Crusades - 1105AD

    Celival kicked from the HS for being totally unreliable, late every time (mostly) without any reason whatsoever, and for always making false promises to me in my hotseats. (Attitude could be said too, although that is subjective)

  4. #124

    Default Re: [RPHS] Age of Crusades - 1105AD

    I said i was gonna do AoR today, you just kept saying to me : "So you gonna play it?" i said "leave me be" you are like "i won't bother with you, you are kicked" that's a nice reason isn't it?
    Last edited by CelivalTheGreat; April 06, 2018 at 02:12 PM.

  5. #125
    Mergor's Avatar T H E | G O R
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    Default Re: [RPHS] Age of Crusades - 1105AD

    I won't start an argument here, so don't bother trying to start one, I won't answer after this. Let's just say you don't give context to the situation, and this is not really a first time something like this happened.

  6. #126

    Default Re: [RPHS] Age of Crusades - 1105AD

    how is AoR relatable to AoC anyway kicking a player for being 1 time late and getting subbed here is not a reason. Discussions about AoR( a dead hotseat) is not really a reason to kick me from AoC

  7. #127

    Default Re: [RPHS] Age of Crusades - 1105AD


    Were coming

    A storm is coming your way, flee while you can, leave everything behind...

    https://drive.google.com/open?id=1uQlPKNcPzd1lmFgHK7QVlUdfVwIfG_Ez - Fatimids

  8. #128
    Mergor's Avatar T H E | G O R
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    Default Re: [RPHS] Age of Crusades - 1105AD

    https://www.sendspace.com/file/f2chp1

    Pope 07 up!

    The siege at Vienna

    German military leaders loyal to the now dead Henry IV have besieged the Hungarian controlled Vienna. The defenders saw that they have no hope to sally out and win even with reinforcements, so diplomatic talks had begun, and a peace was made. For 5 years (10 turns - admin enforced) the participants will make a truce, and Hungary is not allowed to intervene in the German civil war until the treaty is in place.

    Scottish Invasion of Normandy

    Seeing that a huge army of scots have landed in Caen, Robert Curthose withdrew from his fief and put himself in a defensive position to defend the capital. A letter was also sent to the Scottish King which says that if the king won't leave the Duke's Domain on its own, then he will personally drive him out of Normandy.

    Marseille was taken back by the HRE rebels with overwhelming odds. Cumans have further pushed into Russia, sieging ever more settlements.

    The Rebellion of the Robber Barons
    (event)




    Since the dawn of feudalism in France, no king could truly rule over all of it's domain. Powerful families emerged from the nobility, gaining vast amounts of land over centuries. These people not only rule over the peasantry, but over lesser nobles as well who own debt to these families making them their own seignours. They call themselfs the barons. It has slowly came to a point where the ruler of France is only a king in name, some barons have more land, and more influence than the Capets. But in the recent years, the current King of France, Louis VI have consolidated his power by seizing, or getting land back from the barons. It only started with minor battles and feuds, but as the royal armies are closing in on the last bastion of the barons, the castle of Elias de Maine, rebellion so that they can keep their power is iminent.

    Effect:
    - Elias de Maine has fled his castle and rebelled against the crown. He recruited 3 mercenary bands and he is going for the castle of Tours.
    - The first supporters of the barons have appeared: Gaston, firstborn son of the most influental Flemish family has rallied elite troops to his side to attack Bruges.
    - Another noble from Britanny is gathering troops to attack Rennes next turn.
    - Lesser barons are expected to rebel in the South as well with smaller armies next turn.
    - These rebels will stay in french territory, won't replenish after the second, smaller wave, but will attack any fort, army or settlement which they can.
    - If a settlement is captured, the rebels will only occupy, and won't sack.


    Last edited by Mergor; April 10, 2018 at 11:02 AM.

  9. #129

    Default Re: [RPHS] Age of Crusades - 1105AD

    oh ...merde!

  10. #130
    Hannibal2001's Avatar Simply Barbaric
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    Default Re: [RPHS] Age of Crusades - 1105AD

    EDIT: Scotland - http://www.mediafire.com/file/i7nuoh...Scotland_7.sav

    The Doge of Genoa, for his military actions and occupation of Florence, has been excommunicated from the church! If the Doge hands the city back, his holiness the Pope will raise the ban.
    Last edited by Hannibal2001; April 12, 2018 at 01:17 PM.

  11. #131
    Mergor's Avatar T H E | G O R
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    Default Re: [RPHS] Age of Crusades - 1105AD

    Sorry, extension because of me, had to make an excommunication.

    Also, if we are speaking about excommunication, it's a bit harder then I thought, mostly because some console commands which are needed for a "clean" excommunication doesn't work, that being "force_diplomacy" and "diplomatic_stance" mostly. That means if If I artificaly excommunicate someone, it can be only done by attacking someone, thus declaring war with a papal unit. This means the following: If you want to make peace with the pope, you'll need a diplomat, and you'll need him to accept the proposal on his turn. (I'll help with teleporting diplomats back and forth if need be because of the distance)

    Also a new rule is added for possible future events/transporting

    "- You cannot move any units you may have at the northeast corner of the map."
    Last edited by Mergor; April 12, 2018 at 05:30 AM.

  12. #132

    Default Re: [RPHS] Age of Crusades - 1105AD

    David Dunkeld had landed on the beaches of Normandy when a messenger had arrived almost immediately, it was from Robert Curthose of Caen the independant King whom had rebelled against the English Crown.

    With orders from his brother King Etgar, David was to take back Caen for what was rightfully the English's. The note from Robert was a strong threat, he demanded the Scots board their ships and return home or he would come to kill our men.

    The scouts returned from the woods up ahead, Robert had left Caen to a small defensive group. With no equipment to siege the walls of the castle, David sent his most trusted negotiator, Edmund, to try to convince the men at the gates that gold was more important than loyalty to some wannabe king.

    When Edmund approached, the guards halted him.

    "What is your business here. highlander?" one of the levy guards asked.

    "I'm here with an offer for you and your good boys?" Edmund flashed a large pocket of gold that intrigued the guards.

    They opened the gates and Edmund entered. All the guards got their fair share of gold and were told to leave these lands freely.

    The Scottish army was watching from the woods and saw the men leaving their garrison. Once they were far and out of distance the army approached and commandeered the castle, thanking Edmund and celebrating along the way. Knights and noblemen were sent to guard the southwestern fort from Robert. Now he has no where to fall back to.....

    Genoa up
    http://www.mediafire.com/file/tc1lyi...C_Genova_7.sav
    Last edited by ScotlandIsBest; April 12, 2018 at 09:15 PM.

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    Default Re: [RPHS] Age of Crusades - 1105AD


  14. #134
    REDBOOSTY's Avatar Ducenarius
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    "I never asked for this, no more than I asked to be king. Yet dare I disregard her? We do not choose our destinies. Yet we must ... we must do our duty, no? Great or small, we must do our duty"

    -Stannis Baratheon

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    BerryKnight's Avatar Kings Guard Commander
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    Default Re: [RPHS] Age of Crusades - 1105AD


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    ArBo's Avatar Senator
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    Default Re: [RPHS] Age of Crusades - 1105AD


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    Dismounted Feudal Knight's Avatar my horse for a unicode
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    Default Re: [RPHS] Age of Crusades - 1105AD

    The King smells war afoot. His reign at home becomes more spartan. His tolerance for those who deviate from his policies, shrinking...

    Onto the Sicilians,
    https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachmen...C_Sicily_7.sav
    With great power, comes great chonky dragons to feed enemies of the state. --Targaryens?
    Spoiler for wait what dragons?



  19. #139
    General Dragon.'s Avatar Champion of Dragons
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    Default Re: [RPHS] Age of Crusades - 1105AD



    "The Dragon is wise, a sage among the ignorant. He knows not all that glitters is gold."

  20. #140

    Default Re: [RPHS] Age of Crusades - 1105AD




    The summer of year 1108 , brought crisis for the french throne , as the robber barons , boxed into a corner , gave full fury to there efforts against the french king, at there annoyance , at the crowns cracking down of independent feudal lords , ruling large areas of the country. Lord Elias de Maine had left the city ,of Orleans [a fort] with a nominal garrison as he struck out southwards, with almost all of his strength at Tours, equally there were planned attacks of the city's of Bruges & Rennes on the northern coastline. At the same time , the Scottish forces had occupied Caen and taken the fortress to the southwest of the City, with two large English fleets appeared on the horizon, each with a large accompanying army group. All this strength was happening on the edge of Normandy's borders, but equally it could strike against the towns of Rennes & Bruges , so that if the French crown was not careful, there could potentially be a three way fight for these northern towns, from rebels and English alike. Phillip sat back in his chair , feeling his age , as his advisors gave further problems, as the forces of Robert Curthose ,the English kings elder brother, had retreated from Normandy , seeking sanctuary in France in lue of, support against the Scottish in retaking there lands, if war begin between these nations, just to make things more complicated. Further reports flooded into the meeting , as the spymaster reported that English and Scottish spies were certainly organising within Caen itself , and a noted [and wanted] English assassin loitered around the southern border of Normandy .


    [situation in the north]

    "Entre l'arbre et l'écorce il ne faut pas mettre le doigt!" , [trans:Between the tree and the bark one shouldn't put a finger - or how the English would say"Caught between a rock and a hard place."],remarked the Constable of France , as he observed the map of the region.

    A vein within the French kings head began to throb , against the stress , that his he and his kingdom ,was under , and he cursed his son , Prince Louis , for not being present at the council , as the rebel held town of Orleans [fort] prevented his travel to the capital , with such dire times on the horizon. The Constable of France , stood and began to speak about a kingdom wide recruitment of men at arms , in preparation of the worse case scenario , which was the if the Scottish had become lapdogs to the English , who could possibly have given them Caen and normandy , and then they planned to attack the northern coast of France , dragging the French kingdom back into a full scale war again , which had ended but only ten years or so before. The lesser scenario was that all this strength was to contend with Robert Curthose, but the French king considered it rather over zealous , the numbers they had assembled for such a task, and with neighbours and allies commenting that the English were preparing to attack , he couldn't take any chances.

    "Un malheur ne vient jamais seul!" [trans: misfortune never comes alone ] , sighed the King , observing the blocks on the map which represented the English & Scottish forces on the map , as a general moved them forward , "What preparations , have been made to block the robber barons moves?"

    The Constable moved a few wooden blocks to represent French reinforcements, to the city at Tours on the map, which has been ordered to ready in anticipation of Lord Elias de Maine attack [robber baron event], and the city of Bruges had recruited some of the famous flemish and landskneckt pikemen to help bolster the cities defence's .A messenger broke through the crowd of nobles which had gathered around the map table to present the king with a message.



    King Phillip read the note , noting the flowery latin script , as it seemed a little confused at the start , as the French king had asked the English what was happening on the Normandy estates as he was worried about the situation and the possible refugees who would head for French lands , if war was to restart. He mused that even the English King seemed confused by events , stating that the Scottish forces were there "at our invitation" but they had "taken it upon himself" ,which he wondered was that confusion?..... or was this just to confuse the French king , to there movements? He guffawed at the English response to the refuges about constructed a wall , but finally satisfied , that the note contained little that could effect his planning, placed the note on a side table.

    The planning continued and a attack was proposed on the city of Orleans[robber barons fort], whilst its garrison was weak , the robber baron had headed southwards,and capturing the city[fort] would ease communication and supplies routes from western to eastern France. There was no takers for the job of taking the city , and it was with some reticence that the king said , he would undertake the attack to take the city , and as paris garrison was not to be lessen'ed , at this time , he would equally finance mercenaries to achieve the deed, as he had promised the young noble Evrart D'Orleans, the return of his homeland.As ever the question came back to what the English were planning , and of whether this was just a strike to regain there territories and stop the threat of the kings elderly brother or whether, this was a bigger threat and a invasion of french lands. Until the french crown could distinguish the moves of the English King , Henry , they would increase all there military strength, with the purposes of defence until England's motives were clear. To the Scottish they would adopt a diplomatic outlook asking them to leave Caen , to let the conflict be just between the Norman family members , of which they were not part , of which the French recommended a arbitration from the Pope , to resolve matters, rather than seek further conflict, and depending on there reaction , it would determine the French responce. Of Robert Cultrose , the french king, would not make a decision and would ignore his requests for the moment, saying that he would look into his request, after he returned from his attack on Orleans , when things would be clearer.

    -----------------------------
    I enclose a little of the history of Robert II of Flanders who is the son of Robert I of Flanders [who have mentioned before in my ramblings] who was a good friend to the king [after the disputes of land in flanders] and who helped arrange his marriage.This Count of Flanders will be certainly advising the king , that his fellow crusader and good friend , would be worth supporting but the French king has yet to make a decision , about his problem .As for Robert II of flanders , see below...:-

    He became Count in 1093 and joined the first crusade when it was launched in 1095.After reaching Constantinople, the crusaders were obliged to swear an oath of fealty to the emperor Alexius and promise to return to the Byzantine Empire any land they might capture. Robert, whose father had already served Alexius during his pilgrimage in the 1080s, had no problem swearing this oath, but some of the other leaders did and there was some delay in leaving the city.He fought at the siege of Nicaea, the Battle of Dorylaeum,the Siege of Antioch and helped in the beating back of the reliefing army sent to Antioch by the turks and also the city of attack on Ma'arrat al-numan . Raymond [Raymond IV of Toulouse-see previous history]then tried to bribe Robert and the other leaders to follow him instead of Bohemund; Robert was offered six thousand sous, but each attempted bribe was ignored. Further battles followed at the Siege of Arqa, the siege of Jerusulam ,and the Battle of Ascalon where on after he returned home with Robert Curthose and Raymond.

    On the way back they captured Latakia, which was returned to the Byzantine emperor, as promised years before. Raymond remained there but both Roberts continued home by way of Constantinople, after declining Alexius' request to stay there in his service. Robert brought back with him a precious relic, the arm of Saint George, a gift from Alexius. The relic was placed in the church of Anchin Abbey in Flanders. After he returned, Robert built the monastery of St. Andrew in Betferkerke, near Bruges. Because of his crusade and the spoils he brought home, he was nicknamed Robert of Jerusalem.

    During his absence, Holy Roman Emperor Henry IV had tried to seize imperial Flanders. Robert responded by supporting the revolt of the Commune of Cambrai against the emperor and his supporter, Bishop Gaulcher, and seized a number of castles. Peace was restored in 1102 paid homage to the emperor for imperial Flanders, but after 1105, the new emperor, Henry V, marched on Flanders, with the aid of Baldwin III, Count of Hainaut and an army from Holland. Robert stopped them outside of Douai and a new peace was signed, in which the emperor recognized Robert's claim to Douai and Cambrai.

    In 1103 he made an alliance with King Henry I of England, offering 1000 cavalry in exchange for an annual tribute of £500, but when Henry refused to pay, Robert allied with his nominal overlord, Louis VI of France, and attacked Normandy. With the king diverted, Theobald IV of Blois led a revolt of the French barons. Robert led an army against Meaux; during the battle he fell of his horse and was trampled to death


    [A painting of Robert Curthose during the Siege of Antioch during the First Crusade]

    -------------------------------

    Attack on Orleans city[Fort]



    The Attack on Orleans was a swift victory which took less time , than actually the recruitment of the mercenary company's, the throne purchased to complete the capture. The king grudgingly paid the mercenary companies for the attack, and also purchased some mercenary crossbowmen to march and support the city of Rennes,providing the first of other much needed support which was on the way.

    A company of engineers moved the ballista artillery, which was made some time ago into position of the cities great gates, out of crossbow range , which rather made the enemies garrison lone unit of crossbows rather redundant as the machine of war , reduced the city gates [fort] to so much wooden kindling, before the horde of mercenary macemen charged into the breach. A few score men died or suffered grievous wounds to the defensive crossbow bolt fire on the approach , but against so many numbers , the enemy garrison could do little, and the battle descended into a hand to hand struggle on the walls and streets ,against companies of men , of which it was there stock and trade. The crossbowmen put up a token defence but they soon surrendered the city, to the french king.

    The city [fort] was made secure and a new gate was being quickly made from the nearby wood supplies , so that the city[fort] would be ready if there was any further escaltion of events to the north but the king was at least satisfied ,that another route had been opened across the centre of france , to ease passage of traffic of troops if there was need .




    ------------------------------------
    -I am gonna overdose on history for the next part , so if you are just reading for game revelance, then skip the rest of the script-

    Actual fate of Robert Curthose



    The Battle of Tinchebray was fought 28 September 1106, in Tinchebray , Normandy, between an invading force led by King Henry I of England, and his older brother Robert Curthose, the Duke of Normandy. Henry's knights won a decisive victory, capturing Robert and imprisoning him in England (in Devizes Castle) and then Wales until Robert's death (in Cardiff Castle). Henry invaded Normandy in 1105, taking Bayeux and Caen. He broke off his campaign because of political problems arising from the Investiture Controversy[see below]. With these settled, he returned to Normandy in the spring of 1106. After quickly taking the fortified abbey of Saint-Pierre-sur-Dives (near Falaise), Henry turned south and besieged Tinchebray Castle, on a hill above the town. Tinchebray is on the border of the county of Mortain, in the southwest of Normandy, and was held by William, Count of Mortain, who was one of the few important Norman barons still loyal to Robert. Duke Robert then brought up his forces to break the siege. After some unsuccessful negotiations, Duke Robert decided that a battle in the open was his best option.

    Henry's army was organized into three groups. Ranulf of Bayeux, Robert de Beaumont, 1st Earl of Leicester, and William de Warenne, 2nd Earl of Surrey commanded the two primary forces. A reserve, commanded by Elias I of Maine, remained out of sight on the flank. Alan IV, Duke of Brittany, William, Count of Évreux, Ralph of Tosny, Robert of Montfort [sighs ], and Robert of Grandmesnil also fought with Henry.

    William, Count of Mortain, and Robert of Bellême, 3rd Earl of Shrewsbury fought with Robert Curthose.The battle only lasted an hour. Henry dismounted and ordered most of his knights to dismount. This was unusual for Norman battle tactics, and meant the infantry played a decisive role.William, Count of Évreux, charged the front line, with men from Bayeux, Avranches and the Cotentin. Henry's reserve proved decisive. Most of Robert's army was captured or killed. Those captured included Robert, Edgar Atheling (uncle of Henry's wife), and William, Count of Mortain. Robert de Bellême, commanding the Duke's rear guard, led the retreat, saving himself from capture or death.

    Most of the prisoners were released, but Robert Curthose and William of Mortain spent the rest of their lives in captivity. Robert Curthose had a legitimate son, William Clito, whose claims to the dukedom of Normandy, led to several rebellions that continued through the rest of Henry's reign after the battle, Robert was imprisoned in Devizes Castle for twenty years before being moved to Cardiff.



    [The tower in Cardiff Castle where Robert Curthose was confined for 26 years]

    In 1134, Robert died in Cardiff Castle in his early eighties. Robert Curthose, sometime Duke of Normandy, eldest son of the Conqueror, was buried in the abbey church of St. Peter in Gloucester. The exact place of his burial is difficult to establish – legend states that he requested to be buried before the High Altar. His effigy carved in bog oak, however, lies on a mortuary chest decorated with the attributed arms of the Nine Worthies (missing one – Joshua, and replaced with the arms of Edward the Confessor). The effigy dates from about 100 years after his death and the mortuary chest much later. The church subsequently has become Gloucester Cathedral.



    [Robert's tomb in Gloucester Cathedral]

    --------------------------

    the Investiture Controversy[one of the major problems for England and others at this time]

    The Investiture controversy or Investiture contest was a conflict between church and state in medieval Europe over the ability to appoint local church officials through investiture. By undercutting imperial power, the controversy led to nearly 50 years of civil war in Germany. According to Historian Norman Cantor, the investiture controversy was "the turning-point in medieval civilization", marking the end of the Early Middle Ages with the Germanic peoples' "final and decisive" acceptance of Christianity. More importantly, it set the stage for the religious and political system of the High Middle Ages.

    It began as a power struggle between Pope Gregory VII and Emperor Henry IV in 1056. There was also a brief but significant investiture struggle between Pope Paschal II and King Henry I of England from 1103 to 1107. The conflict ended in 1122, when Pope Callixtus II and Emperor Henry V agreed on the Concordat of Worms, which differentiated between the royal and spiritual powers and gave the emperors a limited role in selecting bishops. The outcome was largely a papal victory but the Emperor still retained considerable power.William the Conqueror had accepted a papal banner and the distant blessing of Pope Alexander II upon his invasion, but had successfully rebuffed the pope's assertion after the successful outcome, that he should come to Rome and pay homage for his fief, under the general provisions of the "Donation of Constantine".

    At the time of Henry IV's death, Henry I of England and the Gregorian papacy were also embroiled in a controversy over investiture, and its solution provided a model for the eventual solution of the issue in the empire.


    [A medieval king investing a bishop with the symbols of office]

    English investiture controversy (1102–07)

    Henry's ability to govern was intimately bound up with the Church, which formed the key to the administration of both England and Normandy, and this relationship changed considerably over the course of his reign. William the Conqueror had reformed the English Church with the support of his Archbishop of Canterbury, Lanfranc, who became a close colleague and advisor to the King. Under William Rufus [williams 2nd son] this arrangement had collapsed, the King and Archbishop Anselm had become estranged and Anselm had gone into exile. Henry also believed in Church reform, but on taking power in England he became embroiled in the investiture controversy.

    The argument concerned who should invest a new bishop with his staff and ring: traditionally, this had been carried out by the king in a symbolic demonstration of royal power, but Pope Urban II had condemned this practice in 1099, arguing that only the papacy could carry out this task, and declaring that the clergy should not give homage to their local temporal rulers. Anselm returned to England from exile in 1100 having heard Urban's pronouncement, and informed Henry that he would be complying with the Pope's wishes. Henry was in a difficult position. On one hand, the symbolism and homage was important to him; on the other hand, he needed Anselm's support in his struggle with his brother Duke Robert.


    ["Anselm Assuming the Pallium in Canterbury Cathedral"]

    Anselm stuck firmly to the letter of the papal decree, despite Henry's attempts to persuade him to give way in return for a vague assurance of a future royal compromise. Matters escalated, with Anselm going back into exile and Henry confiscating the revenues of his estates. Anselm threatened excommunication, and in July 1105 the two men finally negotiated a solution.The Concordat of London (1107) suggested a compromise that was later taken up in the Concordat of Worms. In England, as in Germany, the king's chancery started to distinguish between the secular and ecclesiastical powers of the prelates. Employing this distinction that was drawn between the secular and ecclesiastical powers of the prelates, under which Henry gave up his right to invest his clergy, but retained the custom of requiring them to come and do homage for the temporalities, the landed properties they held in England. Despite this argument, the pair worked closely together, combining to deal with Duke Robert's invasion of 1101, for example, and holding major reforming councils in 1102 and 1108.

    Henry I commissioned the Archbishop of York to collect and present all the relevant traditions of anointed kingship. "The resulting 'Anonymous of York' treaties are a delight to students of early-medieval political theory, but they in no way typify the outlook of the Anglo-Norman monarchy, which had substituted the secure foundation of administrative and legal bureaucracy for outmoded religious ideology."

    A long-running dispute between the Archbishops of Canterbury and York flared up under Anselm's successor, Ralph d'Escures. Canterbury, traditionally the senior of the two establishments, had long argued that the Archbishop of York should formally promise to obey their Archbishop, but York argued that the two episcopates were independent within the English Church and that no such promise was necessary. Henry supported the primacy of Canterbury, to ensure that England remained under a single ecclesiastical administration, but the Pope preferred the case of York. The matter was complicated by Henry's personal friendship with Thurstan, the Archbishop of York, and the King's desire that the case should not end up in a papal court, beyond royal control. Henry badly needed the support of the Papacy in his struggle with Louis of France, however, and therefore allowed Thurstan to attend the Council of Rheims in 1119, where Thurstan was then consecrated by the Pope with no mention of any duty towards Canterbury. Henry believed that this went against assurances Thurstan had previously made and exiled him from England until the King and Archbishop came to a negotiated solution the following year.Even after the investiture dispute, the King continued to play a major role in the selection of new English and Norman bishops and archbishops.

    Henry appointed many of his officials to bishoprics and, as historian Martin Brett suggests, "some of his officers could look forward to a mitre with all but absolute confidence". Henry's chancellors, and those of his queens, became bishops of Durham, Hereford, London, Lincoln, Winchester and Salisbury. Henry increasingly drew on a wider range of these bishops as advisors – particularly Roger of Salisbury – breaking with the earlier tradition of relying primarily on the Archbishop of Canterbury. The result was a cohesive body of administrators through which Henry could exercise careful influence, holding general councils to discuss key matters of policy. This stability shifted slightly after 1125, when Henry began to inject a wider range of candidates into the senior positions of the Church, often with more reformist views, and the impact of this generation would be felt in the years after Henry's death.

    The norman succession of Williams the conquerors lands or how Henry came to power [pt1/2]



    In 1087, William was fatally injured during a campaign in the Vexin,The King was fighting a counter-offensive against the French in July 1087 when he fell against the pommel of his saddle and badly damaged his intestines. Henry joined his dying father near Rouen in September, where the King partitioned his possessions among his sons , the rules of succession in western Europe at the time were uncertain; in some parts of France, primogeniture, in which the eldest son would inherit a title, was growing in popularity. In other parts of Europe, including Normandy and England, the tradition was for lands to be divided up, with the eldest son taking patrimonial lands – usually considered to be the most valuable – and younger sons given smaller, or more recently acquired, partitions or estates.

    In dividing his lands, William appears to have followed the Norman tradition, distinguishing between Normandy, which he had inherited, and England, which he had acquired through war. William's second son, Richard, had died in a hunting accident, leaving Henry and his two brothers to inherit William's estate. Robert, the eldest, despite being in armed rebellion against his father at the time of his death, received Normandy. England was given to William Rufus, who was in favour with the dying king. Henry was given a large sum of money, usually reported as £5,000, with the expectation that he would also be given his mother's modest set of lands in Buckinghamshire and Gloucestershire. William's funeral at Caen was marred by angry complaints from a local man, and Henry may have been responsible for resolving the dispute by buying off the protester with silver.

    Robert returned to Normandy, expecting to have been given both the Duchy and England, to find that William Rufus had crossed the Channel and been crowned king, as William II. The two brothers disagreed fundamentally over the inheritance, and Robert soon began to plan an invasion of England to seize the kingdom, helped by a rebellion by some of the leading nobles against William Rufus. Henry remained in Normandy and took up a role within Robert's court, possibly either because he was unwilling to side openly with William Rufus, or because Robert might have taken the opportunity to confiscate Henry's inherited money if he had tried to leave. William Rufus sequestered Henry's new estates in England, leaving Henry landless.

    In 1088, Robert's plans for the invasion of England began to falter, and he turned to Henry, proposing that his brother lend him some of his inheritance, which Henry refused. Henry and Robert then came to an alternative arrangement, in which Robert would make Henry the count of western Normandy, in exchange for £3,000. Henry's lands were a new countship based around a delegation of the ducal authority in the Cotentin, but it extended across the Avranchin, with control over the bishoprics of both. This also gave Henry influence over two major Norman leaders, Hugh d'Avranches and Richard de Redvers, and the abbey of Mont Saint-Michel, whose lands spread out further across the Duchy. Robert's invasion force failed to leave Normandy, leaving William Rufus secure in England

    Count of the Cotentin, 1088–90


    [showing position of cotentin within normandy]

    Henry quickly established himself as count, building up a network of followers from western Normandy and eastern Brittany, whom historian John Le Patourel has characterised as "Henry's gang". His early supporters included Roger of Mandeville, Richard of Redvers, Richard d'Avranches and Robert Fitzhamon, along with the churchman Roger of Salisbury. Robert attempted to go back on his deal with Henry and re-appropriate the county, but Henry's grip was already sufficiently firm to prevent this. Robert's rule of the Duchy was chaotic, and parts of Henry's lands became almost independent of central control from Rouen.

    During this period, neither William nor Robert seems to have trusted Henry. Waiting until the rebellion against William Rufus was safely over, Henry returned to England in July 1088. He met with the King but was unable to persuade him to grant him their mother's estates, and travelled back to Normandy in the autumn. While he had been away, however, Odo, the Bishop of Bayeux, who regarded Henry as a potential competitor, had convinced Robert that Henry was conspiring against the duke with William Rufus. On landing, Odo seized Henry and imprisoned him in Neuilly-la-Forêt, and Robert took back the county of the Cotentin. Henry was held there over the winter, but in the spring of 1089 the senior elements of the Normandy nobility prevailed upon Robert to release him.

    Although no longer formally the Count of Cotentin, Henry continued to control the west of Normandy. The struggle between Henry's brothers continued. William Rufus continued to put down resistance to his rule in England, but began to build a number of alliances against Robert with barons in Normandy and neighbouring Ponthieu. Robert allied himself with Philip I of France. In late 1090 William Rufus encouraged Conan Pilatus, a powerful burgher in Rouen, to rebel against Robert; Conan was supported by most of Rouen and made appeals to the neighbouring ducal garrisons to switch allegiance as well.

    Robert issued an appeal for help to his barons, and Henry was the first to arrive in Rouen in November. Violence broke out, leading to savage, confused street fighting as both sides attempted to take control of the city.Robert and Henry left the castle to join the battle, but Robert then retreated, leaving Henry to continue the fighting. The battle turned in favour of the ducal forces and Henry took Conan prisoner. Henry was angry that Conan had turned against his feudal lord. He had him taken to the top of Rouen Castle and then, despite Conan's offers to pay a huge ransom, threw him off the top of the castle to his death. Contemporaries considered Henry to have acted appropriately in making an example of Conan, and Henry became famous for his exploits in the battle.

    Fall and rise, 1091–99



    In the aftermath, Robert forced Henry to leave Rouen, probably because Henry's role in the fighting had been more prominent than his own, and possibly because Henry had asked to be formally reinstated as the count of the Cotentin. In early 1091, William Rufus invaded Normandy with a sufficiently large army to bring Robert to the negotiating table. The two brothers signed a treaty at Rouen, granting William Rufus a range of lands and castles in Normandy. In return, William Rufus promised to support Robert's attempts to regain control of the neighbouring county of Maine, once under Norman control, and help in regaining control over the Duchy, including Henry's lands. They nominated each other as heirs to England and Normandy, excluding Henry from any succession while either one of them lived.

    War now broke out between Henry and his brothers. Henry mobilised a mercenary army in the west of Normandy, but as William Rufus and Robert's forces advanced, his network of baronial support melted away. Henry focused his remaining forces at Mont Saint-Michel, where he was besieged, probably in March 1091. The site was easy to defend, but lacked fresh water.The chronicler William of Malmesbury suggested that when Henry's water ran short, Robert allowed his brother fresh supplies, leading to remonstrations between Robert and William Rufus. The events of the final days of the siege are unclear: the besiegers had begun to argue about the future strategy for the campaign, but Henry then abandoned Mont Saint-Michel, probably as part of a negotiated surrender. He left for Brittany and crossed over into France.

    Henry's next steps are not well documented; one chronicler, Orderic Vitalis, suggests that he travelled in the French Vexin, along the Normandy border, for over a year with a small band of followers. By the end of the year, Robert and William Rufus had fallen out once again, and the Treaty of Rouen had been abandoned. In 1092, Henry and his followers seized the Normandy town of Domfront. Domfront had previously been controlled by Robert of Bellême, but the inhabitants disliked his rule and invited Henry to take over the town, which he did in a bloodless coup. Over the next two years, Henry re-established his network of supporters across western Normandy, forming what Judith Green terms a "court in waiting". By 1094, he was allocating lands and castles to his followers as if he were the Duke of Normandy. William Rufus began to support Henry with money, encouraging his campaign against Robert, and Henry used some of this to construct a substantial castle at Domfront.

    William Rufus crossed into Normandy to take the war to Robert in 1094, and when progress stalled, called upon Henry for assistance. Henry responded, but travelled to London instead of joining the main campaign further east in Normandy, possibly at the request of the King, who in any event abandoned the campaign and returned to England. Over the next few years, Henry appears to have strengthened his power base in western Normandy, visiting England occasionally to attend at William Rufus's court. In 1095 Pope Urban II called the First Crusade, encouraging knights from across Europe to join. Robert joined the Crusade, borrowing money from William Rufus to do so, and granting the King temporary custody of his part of the Duchy in exchange. The King appeared confident of regaining the remainder of Normandy from Robert, and Henry appeared ever closer to William Rufus, the pair campaigning together in the Norman Vexin between 1097 and 1098.

    Next turn , i shall complete the rise of Henry to kingship, with some very game of throne like moves which might seem familiar
    Apologies for the overdose of history , as Henry has some rich backstory and the investigure stuff , was revelant to the timeland [bows in humble apology]
    -----------------
    Turn to holy roman empire
    https://www.dropbox.com/s/gzd5vrwhce...anE_7.sav?dl=0
    Last edited by paladinbob123; April 23, 2018 at 05:45 PM.

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