Iron Century Piasts: Part 03: 960-969: Children of Mieszko

I had to clean up unruly vassals and leftover pagans around.

I got my brother Lestek and my sister Lucja betrothed, and granted them both land.

I betrothed my oldest son Miroslaw with oldest daughter Zofia. I also had a son-daughter twins Scholastyka and Wielislaw, and they got betrothed as well. All with appropriate land grants.

My concubines were getting old, so I gave them each a temple to retire in. I even granted some land to my secret bastard daughter.

All that thanks to council which finally agreed to pass religious revocation law, so every vassal had to accept the true faith or lose their land.

Unfortunately everyone was plotting against me. My wife Yevpraxia did so. King Antso of Navarra, husband of my sister Adleta did so. Who knows who else did. I wasn't careful enough and I was poisoned by high chief Putiata of Bryansk, acting on orders of my wife.

Last Will of God-King Mieszko

Mieszko's killers went unpunished, and four kingdoms ruled by his children are weak

Dying, I could still dictate my will. To my three crowns of Poland, Lithuania, and Kievan Rus, fourth crown of Novgorod was added, and the realm was split between:

• king Miroslaw of Novgorod
• queen Zofia of Lithuania
• queen Scholastyka of Poland, and new high priestess of Perun
• king Wielislaw of Ruthenia

King Miroslaw of Novgorod, age 10, is timid, brooding, and curious. 2/5/3/3/4.

Queen Zofia of Lithuania, age 9, is quick, playful, and conscientious, 6/5/6/6/10.

Miroslaw's and Zofia's mother was German princess Liutgard Liudolfinger, daughter of German king Otto. After her father lost crown of Germany, and Mieszko divorced her, she left for China.

Hopefully they'll marry when they reach adulthood.

Scholastyka, age 6, is already quick, curious, 4/5/7/4/6.

Her twin Wielislaw, age 6, is curious, 1/4/2/2/2.

Scholastyka and Wielislaw's mother was Mieszko's Pomeranian concubine Edyta, now retired as priestess in holy site in Novgorod.

Hopefully they'll marry when they reach adulthood.

Division of their father's territories was reasonably clean, and mostly based on where they got first granted their demesne.

Now the children had to deal with unruly Russian vassals, Romuva and Old Slavic peasants, Pecheneg and Norse raids, the ever present risk of invasion from Catholic Germany, and task of perhaps adopting feudal customs.

Childhood of Queen Zofia of Lithuania

I didn't do it on first two successions, but it's finally time for gavelkind roulette, between 4 children each with 25% chance. And I got 5/16, so playing as Queen Zofia of Lithuania.

So I'm just a little girl, but my advisors tell me the peasants are all heathens, of three different barbarian cultures.

My brother and husband-to-be Miroslaw got into endless defensive wars, but somehow managed to win them.

All that happened to me were some cattle raids both ways and a peasant revolt. One cattle ended up with my troops seizing a minor heathen province.

Pechenegs took some Russian minors, and Polish and Ruthenian troops tried to stop them and failed. Then they attacked Ruthenia itself, sacking its capital and seizing some border land.

Poland and Ruthenia saw some peasant revolts as well.

Holy order of the Warriors of Perus, almost 7000 strong, was created.

Meanwhile China decided to invade Sistan, and made it its tributary state.

Coming of Age

Zofia grew into a 6/10/16/15/14 quick, temperate, patient, cynical, deceitful, homosexual Fortune Builder. Wedding with her brother Miroslaw was coming, but who she really loved was her Cuman guardian Umay.

Umay did not return my feelings, and my marriage with my brother Miroslaw was weird and cold, so I spent a lot of intimate time with other ladies of the courts instead.

Also awkwardly it looks like elder councils of all realms want my aunt and uncle to rule, not us.

None of the Piast children are willing to ally each other. Not even my husband king of Novgorod.

It's a dangerous world, even if we don't fight each other.