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Miaphysite Tutorial
Part 22: The Pretty Borders Faction (1027-1039)
Even the ten year old Emperor could see the symbolism of the Caliph?s new war. The Empire only held one county in the de jure borders of Tabriz. But the manpower the Caliph?s personal army could bring to bear was enough for Vladislav to call for a grand mobilization of all the Empire?s men.
The Caliph is only a threat thanks to his event troops, once those are gone he can only get eight thousand men tops. I?m shocked he didn?t go for Baghdad, which is a much better take. He would be a legit threat with Baghdad.
Vladislav?s regent had granted amnesty towards the revolters of the numerous claimant wars save for Apollonia, whom he continued to revoke titles from.
Apparently Apollonia was in one of the revolts against me when I wasn?t looking? Either way the White Peaces didn?t label her as a traitor so I could take away another sliver of her power. With the Empire defending against ?heathens? again and getting the opinion bonus, she doesn?t resist. I will continue to revoke titles from her whenever possible.
It is not even a year before the Byzantines force the Caliph to submit to the Empire?s demands. Even with a new dynasty at the helm the future of the Caliphate is bleak.
I?m not kidding. I curbstomped the Arabian Empire in less than a year.
But there were still threats to the realm. A new claimant was growing in popularity, Duke Dragoman II. And Nerseh?s son Gurgen had many reasons to dislike his current place in things.
A King vassal to an Emperor? The authority of the crown was starting to chafe on him even at this age, and he had his own claim ? however weak ? on the Empire from his parents...
The second picture should tell you why King level vassals can be a pain if you're not ready. That?s an automatic -25 penalty to opinion that no investment in Tolerance (mitigates different religion or culture penalties) can mitigate. If you?re going to have King vassals as an Emperor, invest in Noble Customs. It increases the opinion of nobles by 2 points per filled level.
When the Emperor decreed that the Duchy of Tigris ? once dreamt to be a place for the heir?s training ground ? would be revoked from King Gurgen, it was a moment when the Empire feared an imminent power struggle. The Emperor had the right to do it, but would the King accept? The Empire was no longer under attack, he could make a run at the Emperor...
But in the end, Gurgen acquiesced to the demand. His courtiers could see his teeth grit every time someone brought up the Emperor in his presence for years.
And now he completely hates me. Ten of those penalty points are just holding Tigris which I?m not keeping. But I made a pretty powerful enemy in Gurgen just to ensure Tigris didn?t continue to drift towards Armenia. Remember I no longer am King of Armenia though I could revoke the Kingdom title if I wanted to be an ass - I have a Strong claim.
One fine day, the Emperor was confronted by a new faction: the Pretty Borders faction. They claimed to represent ?every disgruntled mapmaker? and demanded the Emperor do something about that horrible patchwork of Muslim land in the Byzantine Middle East.
So the Emperor set about to correct a centuries old curiosity ? he would claim the Duchy of Aleppo at last.
Aleppo was never in a great position for me to conquer prior to this war. It would have been attractive had the Byzantines not already triggered Jihads and if I hadn?t immediately raced to Damascus/Baghdad in response.
It?s at this point I seriously start considering whether I should start creating more Kingdom titles to counter Gurgen as well. I mentioned Kings are usually bad vassals to have. Well, when you get to this size they might be necessary to cut down on vassal bullshit.
The key will be something I forgot to do under Ashot I that resulted in Nerseh and Gurgen?s line getting Armenia.
The Emperor?s tutor seemed? lacking in sense compared to previous ones. Unfortunately, he started to rub off on the Emperor.
Hell. I got the Arbitrary trait. This wouldn?t have been a problem if Ashot was alive but thems the brakes.
No fluff here, just advice.
If you ever end up in a situation where you?ve taken over a high-level title as a different religion ? like I have with the Byzantines as a Miaphysite ? the religion map can be very handy after the initial few conversions at locating vassals that haven?t converted.
With the Caliph?s surrender, Aleppo finally belonged to the Byzantines. The Pretty Borders faction was noted as being ?pleased, but this isn?t the last you?ve heard from us?.
Vladislav thought they were quite silly.
Vladislav?s spymaster politely informed him the day before his sixteenth birthday that not all factions would be so beneficial as the Pretty Borders. Some would want to overthrow him, even!
Faction issues, lovely. But we can start fixing that once I hit sixteen. Yes, I am FINALLY almost out of the regency period.
True to their word, the Pretty Borders faction was back the next day demanding something be done about Cherson. The one province-Russian minor on the peninsula was the next to feel the Emperor?s wrath.
I don?t even have pictures of this war. Technology doesn?t matter if you have a shitton of dudes and your enemy has two or three holdings in the realm. Ruthenia can't save them in time.
Emperor Vladislav I, finally of majority! He was a poor speaker, an unfortunate trait in his father?s line. But he was quite the tactician and one of the most capable managers in the Empire. As long as he ruled, he would in his own words ?make it rain?.
Several LPers have claimed that Midas Touched is the best education trait in the game. Each education line has their own problems, but I?ll just go over my thoughts here.
>Elusive Shadow (Intrigue): I?d call this the best one if you?re preparing to be a plotting character. A major boost to Intrigue and minor boosts to Martial and Diplomacy ensure you?ll have an easy time hitting up other vassals for stuff.
>Grey Eminence (Diplomacy): This is a better education for your daughters or wife if I?m perfectly honest. The high Diplomacy boost helps with vassals and a +10% to your Fertility is a nice perk. But Midas Touched has a better boost.
>Midas Touched (Stewardship): Minor penalty to Diplomacy but Stewardship is an important stat. Directly affecting demense size and income, you want a high Stewardship. It has an even better boost to Fertility than Grey Eminence at +15%!
>Brilliant Strategist (Martial): Your mileage will vary on this one. The high boost to Martial and getting a Leadership Trait out the gate means you will be an awesome general. The entire Martial education line also gives a boost to your Health which will help keep you alive. But the RNG can still end up giving you Maimed, Incapable, or flat out kill you if it feels fickle. Take it at your own risk.
>Mastermind Theologian (Learning): This really is the worst of the Education lines. Learning got a major buff when Technology got revamped, but the -5% to Fertility on the level 3 and 4 version of the trait mean you might have a hard time with kids. If you?re behind on Technology, this could be useful. Otherwise you have better options.
To cement Vladislav?s connection to the golden days of Rome, he had his father?s sword of Damascan steel reforged.
When he proclaimed the news to the Empire, he announced its name: Crocea Mors, supposedly the name Julius Caesar himself had for his own! Was Vladislav daring to claim he was the new Caesar?
WARNING THIS IS FROM A MOD
I can reforge my Damascus Steel Blade given enough time and money, it?s not dependent on traits. I can?t control what sword it turns into, it may be dependent on title or culture. I have not looked into the mod file.
The Emperor moved quickly in the steps of his forefathers ? announcing a tournament for all his vassals, going on a traditional pilgrimage... He was at least applying himself to be the Emperor his father would have been if he had survived.
While the need to boost vassal opinion isn?t as great since I?ve been Emperor since I was a toddler, I figure now is the best time to pull out all the stops and ensure I remain safe.
His clear ambition to be a great Emperor calmed many of his vassals, though Dragoman II and Konstantios were not easily dissuaded.
Plus it helps with factions while I try to build a Long Reign opinion bonus.
Vladislav decided to finish the Byzantine conquest of Amalfi while he was young and healthy. The Amalfi Republic was well-connected, but they were no match.
I?m starting to run out of ?easy? conquests. At this point I have to go through the Sultan of Arabia, the Sultan of Africa, or the Karling blob to get the provinces I need to restore Rome.
A fun strategy for offensive wars is to ship your retinues to the border before declaring war. I literally won this war just using the retinues.
Pope Simplicius III watched the sunset from his papal estates, praying that the purple menace would never return to Rome. Christians they may be, but his backers thought them upstarts...
Also dear god the Papacy is part of Karling blob. A Karling is now the Pope. You are not misreading that money tab either. The Pope has 67,000 Gold.
But instead, the Byzantines turned towards Africa. Assuming the Sultan of Africa to be the last great power of the Mediterranean, the Byzantines struck at their very heart in Tunis.
Tunis is a Jihad trigger but at this point I?ve stopped caring. The Duchy is actually a pretty good one and I need it for Rome anyway.
Caliph Watch: The Abbassids have returned to the Caliphate after shedding a LOT of decadence. They?re still suffering some bad penalties though.
It is while the Tunisian Campaign rages that Vladislav I?s Chancellor has a startling announcement.
He has found a way home.
He has found the road? to Rome.
It's go time.
NEXT TIME: Passing of the Old Guard