Lodemiro ‘the Rash’
The Tale of Lodemiro and the 10 Dukes — A Short CK2 Story
Normally, when I would write about my escapades in CK2, I would write them about me, the protagonist. In this game, if you do not know it, you play the character in a dynasty. Either as a count, duke, king or emperor. In my current game I am the ‘Dalai Lama’ of the Buchecklian Empire, named after my dynasty, Buchecklia.
Lodemiro Ua Braenain is an Ölander (culture) from the Eastern reaches of the Empire, from a small county. Lodemiro inherited the county from his father, Ernán. The rule of the land was in the hands of the family Ua Braenain since 811. Lodemiro took control of it as Count from 948. So, for already 137 years the land was ruled by their family. Granted, the Counts of the land were ruled by a Duke, and this Duke by a King, but the land itself paid taxes and tributes to the family Ua Braenain.
Now, Lodemiro is a kind Count. His other traits included being kind, just, charitable, and at times slothful. He is a hedonist and enjoys the finer things in life, which is why he is also fat. His father was well-versed in intrigue and taught his son to be mischievous as well. Despite his harelip, he ended up a diplomatic and a shrewd man, and he could see the angles on all things. He saw the angles very well, after the Emperor had, during his time as Count, passed a law that would have all titles that belonged to the Emperor, pass on to his child, and not to the most senior member of the ruling dynasty. This bothered the vassals and Lodemiro saw the Empire threatened.
Seniority succession ensured that the eldest would take rule from that same ruling dynasty. This ensured that wise, but older men, would rule the land in a peaceful fashion and would, hopefully, not be rash in their decision making. With the introduction of primogeniture, rule of the first-born son after death of the ruler, it would have put Bernhard on the throne, the first son of the Emperor. He was bound not to be a good ruler. Cruel and sinful, he would bring the faith on the wrong path and probably bring down the Empire.
This, the Emperor saw as well, and designated his second son as heir to the Empire, which was his prerogative. However, fate was not kind to the second son, Hehnan. He died of great pox just after his 18th birthday. Thus, Emperor Konstantin perished and his son Bernhard took power. This worried the vassals in the Empire, and the changing of the succession law enraged many family members in the Buchecklian dynasty. Lodemiro lead the faction to reinstate gavelkind (a splitting of all titles ‘fairly’ amongst the males of the ruler) and it gained traction once the Emperor perished of natural causes.
The invasion of foreign raiders from the East, together with the harsh rule of the Emperor, pushed the faction to the edge. Lodemiro and 10 Dukes sent a letter to the Emperor that would ensure the peace within the Empire, and a fair rule. The Emperor would reinstate gavelkind rule for the Kingdom of Buchecklia (one of the three Kingdoms of the Empire). It was the first of what Lodemiro hoped would be three letters: reinstation of gavelkind of the other two Kingdoms, as well as the Empire itself.
The Emperor was livid and declared Lodemiro and the 10 Dukes traitors. A civil war broke out in the year 970. The 37 year old Lodemiro gathered his forces and the forces of his patriots, and set out to fight the Emperor. At that same time, an old Nwrcelynard believer proclaimed the Emperor to be a heretic, and that old Nwrcelynard was the true religion.
Nwrcelynard was reformed, you see, by the first Dalai Lama. It led to the unity of scripture, the founding of temples and increased the strength of the religion of Nwrcelynard. The Emperor now had a two-front civil war at hand. Heretics in the East, traitors in the West.
Lodemiro and his armies managed to occupy a few provinces north of the capital of the Empire, yet the armies and mercenaries of the Emperor were too overwhelming to fight off on the field of battle. As a result, they waited in the North whilst the heretics fought the Emperor in the East. The heretics were 7000 men and quickly devastated the East. The Emperor sent his armies East, and many more provinces could be occupied by the rebels. An emissary was sent to the Emperor’s diplomats proclaiming the end of the civil war, but they were dispatched with their tails between their legs.
In the summer of 972, the heretic army fell apart in the battle of Nuremberg. The besieged city was relieved by an 8000 man strong army. Once the middle front of the heretics dissolved, their leader was captured and hung on the spot. Elated, the Emperor went East. Lodemiro and the 10 Dukes were still confident, for the mercenaries disbanded due to lack of pay. Yet, even then, the armies of the Emperor outnumbered the rebels 2:1, especially after the initial skirmishes. Lodemiro begged, grovelled, and plead that he get money, mercenaries or any men, to fight for the cause.
Yet, seeing the armies of Emperor Bernhard go forth and free the occupied provinces one-by-one, many were reluctant to join the civil war on the rebel side. A few more battles later, and the rebel capital was occupied, including Lodemiro who had been there to advertise for more support.
Thus, in February of 973, Lodemiro and the 10 Dukes were imprisoned. They were stripped of their highest titles, and sent to the dungeons of the capital. Lodemiro had only one title, the County that his father, and his father’s father, and so on, had held for nearly 140 years. With his attempt to increase, in his eyes, the equality in the realm, he lost it all. His title, his prestige, and most probably would also lose, his life.
 |
| Lodemiro the Rash in prison |
Thus ends the tale of Lodemiro ‘the Rash’ — and you can see how he might have gained the nickname — and the 10 Dukes. All of which, too, ended up in the dungeons and relieved of their Duchies.
The main folly of the revolt was the fact that many of the title holders who rebelled, still are in the form of a “tribal” government. This means that their armies are mainly composed of light infantry. The armies of the Emperor are now mainly composed of pikemen, heavy infantry, and cavalry. As a result, the armies of the rebels never really had a chance, nor that of the heretics.
You can also see on this picture, that Lodemiro has a claim to another county, but his children all died of sickness. Perhaps his brother (farthest on the right under siblings) might still have a chance to perhaps release him from prison, and push the claim, somehow. Time will tell.
No comments:
Post a Comment