Crusader Kings seems to generate realistic but new stories for the ages between 1066 and the 1400s, and I love seeing how to historic struggles play out and are replaced by other, different struggles. In the only game I played all the way from 1066 to the end, I took some time to find all of the first ruler's descendants, and I discovered a whole branch of muslim "nobles" descended from my first king because of a strange sequence of marriages and intermingling of Spanish muslim and christian lineages. I also discovered a duchy lead by distant descendants of my first ruler.
I've played long games as Bavaria, and as the Western Isles, a set of islands off the coast of Scotland, and this time I searched around for an interesting duke to take the reigns of. Starting with a kingdom seems too easy, and I don't want to start with a count this time, so duke it was. I ended up drifting towards the area of the map that was once greek and picked the Principality of Hellas. My domain is Greek Orthodox, which is also a new challenge for the game. Because of that, dukes become princes, and duchy's principalities, but apart from the different names, its the same thing.
I forgot that I was under the thumb of the very scary and powerful Byzantine, but it did lead to an interesting start to the story of Nikephoros Argyros.
When I loaded up the game, I noticed that he only had one land in his demense, but he had three vassals. Later I noticed one of the three was a bishop. Next I noticed that I don't have the nice and handy Primogeniture laws to follow. Those laws are the sort that govern how kings and dukes and such pass down their titles in places like France and England.
Instead, the Greeks use another system (can't remember the name), based on the strongest son, or grandson, etc, instead of the first. So I give land to two of Nikephoros' eventual sons, and the second son becomes more powerful than the first, then he will inherit Nikephoros' title. In much of Western Europe, the first son inherits regardless of the power of his holders prior to inheritance.
I can see downsides to this new system, which I haven't used before, but on the plus side, I can deliberately support a more competent 2nd or 3rd son over their brothers by giving more land to the later sons.
Third, I noticed that Nikephoros is young and unmarried. I looked around in the nearby courts, and arranged a marriage with Anastasia Kabakes. She is not related to anyone significant, but she is very competent and can help fill out my court. Also, its important to have descendants asap, in case Nikephoros were to die suddenly. Nikephoros' succession chart was empty, because he seems to be an only child with a dead father.
Nikephoros' father was a renowned theologian, and his wife Anastasia is pretty good with churchy stuff too.
Before long, Anastasia and Nikephoros are married, and the Prince seeks out "donations" to fund a grand wedding. He collects a decent sum from the people and petty nobles.
Unfortunately, his army has to march off to war under the Byzantine banner. The Byzantium empire is at war. The muslim nations to the east of the Empire are seeking to take lands, while Byzantium is eager to try to take the holy lands. Nikephoros tries to keep up with the news of where his men are stationed, but before long, they are absorbed into the larger effort of his liege.
He had hoped that the empire of Byzantium would return his men in a year's time, but Hellas remains defenseless for two years, before the strangest of diplomatic manuevers established that this alternate history will be one to remember.
A vast number of Byzantium's rebels were declaring independence and often fighting the emperor as well. There numbers were sufficient to even achieve gains in Northern Greece. Nikephoros' community of equal vassals of the mighty empire was falling apart, but the Prince held onto his loyalties for longer than he might otherwise, when he discovered that he was third in line for the succession of the empire.
But the dismantling of the old order became too much when the Aegean Isles, friend and ally to Nikephoros, declared its independence from Byzantium. Let's call him Nike from now on. The Aegean's even wanted Nike to join the battle against the empire, but Nike considered this folly.
He sought a third option, to follow a new King, a wiser King who held his lands under a more stable environment. The nearest Kings, such as Croatia and Venice, were Catholic and culturally incompatible for Nike. He eventually found the King of Georgia, and offered his allegiance to that Russian Orthodox King. Russian Orthodox ways were different, but close enough.
Georgia is pretty puny for a Kingdom, but it is not so distant as might be supposed. No more distant than from London to Madrid, at least.
With a King to offer allegiance too, Nike also knew he had someone to stand behind him if and when the empire went after him for leaving. If Hellas had gone out into the cruel world on its own, it would be cut down within a few years, but now there was a chance.
A heir was born to the Argyros family. Michael Argyros was the name chosen for him.
It should be pretty obvious that history will take a different turn.
My long term goals for this game are:
1. Unify as much of Greece as possible into my rule.
2. Defeat Byzantium, and try to prevent it from recreating.
3. Keep the Kingdom of Georgia alive, and possibly try to inherit title to it legitimately.
4. Become a powerhouse nation in the areas around Greece and Georgia.
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