Part 4: Crusader Kings: Chapter 4 - The Dark Years: 1092 - 1099
1092 - 1099: The Dark Years
Young Waldemar von Hohenzollern, last alive out of Friedrich's three true-born sons, is an energetic and suspicious boy who takes the teachings of his mentors seriously. Ruling in his place for the moment is his mother, the widow Adelaide, who has had to endure the loss of two sons and one daughter as well. A well-respected woman, she treats the many bastards of her husband fairly, if obviously without affection.
One of her first acts is to make Adalbert von Hohenzollern Marshal of Swabia. A deceitful, vindictive and nervous young man, he has come out of his martial education with a sound knowledge of tactics.
The large Duchy of Bavaria revolts, trying to bring Swabia in on its side against Heinrich. Adelaide declines.
The eldest bastard son and Chancellor of Swabia, Friedrich, hangs himself after a long period of depression. While he was not a well-liked man, he did his job as Chancellor well, and a good replacement will be hard to find.
Several smaller counts revolt as well. One of them is the County of Piemonte, which Swabia has a legitimate cliam on. Adalbert recommends that the army be mustered and sent to enforce the claim, promising that he can deliver victory despite the presently diminished state of Swabia's manpower.
The Swabian army reaches Piemonte and attacks the Piemontian troops.
Unfortunately, Adalbert severely underestimated the strength of the Piemontian army and in particular its vastly superior number of knights and heavy infantry. The Swabian army scatters, and only intervention by seven thousand men being led by King Heinrich prevents a total defeat.
Of course, the King's help is anything but free.
Adding insult to injury, the Bishop of Trent, whom Swabia has been courting for a long time in hopes of making Trent a Swabian vassal, foregoes his independence and re-swears his loyalty oath to Heinrich.
Blamed for the disaster in Piemonte, the already stressed Adalbert snaps, locking himself in his chamber at day, and screaming and pounding the walls at night. A new marshal is found and Adalbert is quitely relocated to an isolated manor on the countryside.
In 1093, the neighbouring county of Baden declares independence. Swabia quicky leaps on this chance to enforce a claim and restore its image, and four thousand swabian troops enter Baden, sweeping aside its defenders. The Count of Baden immediately offers peace, giving up his title.
The looted and devastated Baden is made a bishopric, and Konrad von Hohenzollern its bishop.
It would seem that madness may very well be contagious, for shortly after being appointed to his position, the new diocese bishop develops schizophrenia, becoming convinced that the Patriarch in Constantinople is the anti-christ and that any moment, a horde of greek and russian schismatics will sweep in over Germany. During a feast at Castle Wurttemburg, he accuses the Duke of Brandenburg of being a schismatic spy and tries to bludgeon him with a goblet. Instead of a quiet manor, he is given a quiet dungeon cell.
Roads are being drawn from one end of Swabia to the other, improving trade as well as the ability to supply and move armies.
The inflamed situation and civil wars in Germany make for a hostile enviroment, even among those vassals still loyal to King Heinrich. House Hohenzollern will not be bullied, and Waldemar answers any insults in kind.
Another claim is successfully enforced in 1095, as the breakway County of Chur is conquered and given to a loyal courtier.
With war and strife plaguing most of Germany, Swabia is an oasis of stability and calm. Hundreds of peasants and workers from neighbouring counties flee across its borders, filling its cities and farming unsettled lands. Even levying extra taxes does nothing to affect the positive growth in stability.
Joyous news from the Holy Lands, as the Kingdom of Poland have freed Jerusalem once more and granted the lands of Acre to the Hospitaller Knightly Order, who have sworn to safeguard pilgrims travelling to God's Grave.
Another claim is collected on, this time the wealthy County of Nassau situated just north of Swabia.
Duke Waldemar reaches majority and officially takes over all the duties associated with ruling the Duchy, allowing the tired and worn Adelaide to retire from the public eye. Able in the arts war, diplomacy and intrigue, Waldemar's real talent lies in administration and finances. Under his rule, the wealth flows into Wurttemburg, and Swabia continues to grow ever more prosperous.
He also makes good on his promise to his late brother Mathias, marrying Mathias' widow, the now 21-year old Eve Capet, sister of the current French King. A talented and religious but hostile young woman, she nonetheless performs her marital duties as expected of her.
Then, in October of 1097, Waldemar receives news that shock the very core of the Germany nobility. King Heinrich has openly proclaimed himself to be in opposition to the Roman church and the Papacy. He claims that the Pope is the false pope, and has made his own diocese bishop the Anti-Pope. Even worse, he has dissolved the German Electoral College and instituted salic law, making his son the successor to the crown.
Immediately following the news, a half-dozen Count and Dukes rise against Heinrich, urged on by a papal bull urging all catholics to overthrow the false king. More risings are sure to follow, and it seems as though Germany is destined to dissolve into a patchwork of bickering counties, easy pickings for ambitious Polish and French kings. Desperate to avoid a war that may very well tear down every ounce of stability, prosperity and power that the Hohenzollerns have built up over the last decade, Waldemar summons the german Grand Dukes to Wurttemburg in a secret meeting. There, he proposes his plan...
At the royal seat of Andernacht, Heinrich IV, forty-six years old but still in good health, mounts his warhorse. Outside the gates, a vast army stands assembled, ready to march at his orders. First, he will put down the revolts, Heinrich thinks, and replace the revolters with men loyal to him and him. Then, once Germany is united once more, he will assert his control over Italy, and then - Rome! Just as he is about to set out, his spymaster Konrad, an unassuming and pious man of thirty-and-some, hurries up to the steed. From the lines of worry on his face, Heinrich can tell that the man has something important to tell him - news about the conspirators in Swabia, perhaps? If they have finally come out of their castles to challenge him on the field, Heinrich welcomes it, particularily the prospect of adding the wealthy lands of the Swabian Duke to his demesne.
Heinrich takes off his helmet and turns towards Konrad to listen to his news. Konrad reaches for his scroll pouch, but instead of a message, he produces a dagger with blinding speed and thrusts it into the neck of the German King. Heinrich opens his mouth in surprise, as blood gushes down his armor. With a gurgle, he collapses and falls off his horse. "Rot in hell, heretic" Konrad shouts, an instant before Heinrich's bodyguards cut him down.
The ensuing war is brief and bloody. The alliance of the Grand Dukes seizes Andernacht from Heinrich's demoralized armies, capturing both his sons in the process. The sons are sent into exile, and the Dukes sit down to sort out the peace. The first decision is to re-establish Elective Law and elect a new King among them. The second is to revise the electoral law in such a way that there will never again be another Heinrich, whose family ruled the country long enough that they began to see it as their own.
The new laws are agreed on unanimously, but the choice of a new King turns out to be far harder. There are two major candidates: Magnus Billung the Duke of Saxony and Philipp d'Ardennes the Duke of Brabant. Magnus is the more competent and well-liked choice, but Philipp is wealthier, more powerful, and have far more favors to call on. As it tends to do, power wins out over competence, and Philipp is elected King of Germany. Magnus leaves the court in a fury, swearing revenge.
The newly elected King has only ruled for a scant year when in 1098 a new civil war breaks out, incited by Saxony and enthustically supported by Philipp's many enemies. Troops from Luxembourg enter Andernacht in November, besieging King Philipp's castle. As Philipp leads the defense from the battlements, he is struck by an arrow and immediately killed.
The Electoral College, or what parts of it have not declared independence, gather once again to elect their King. With noone else to turn to, they offer Duke Waldemar the crown, on two conditions: That he respect the new laws and that he do whatever it takes to restore stability to Germany, to the Holy Roman Empire.
Waldemar accepts.
