Iron Century Piasts: Part 09: 1029-1050: The Slavic Union

It was time for the realm to take a break from wars and build up castles everywhere. This was a slow process.

Khazars kept raiding, so I raided them back, mostly to send a message, they didn't have any meaningful money anyway. Some of my raids got beaten back, they're still too strong to treat so casually. Khazar khagans kept dying in mysterious circumstances.

Pechenegs had to be dealt with once and for all, so I conquered their lands, and spent a lot of money to civilize it. A few clans broke off the Khazar horde, and I seized their lands too, again spending far too much money to maybe civilize it.

Some peasants rebelled in Scandinavia, so since I was already sending my troops there, I organized a bit bigger expedition and cleared up some land.

Instead of fancy royal palace, I started working on a Magnificent Garden in Vilnius.

I sent my lover and former chancellor Glitterhoof on a diplomatic journey to empire of China. It was highly successful. He died under suspicious circumstances soon after coming home.

Religious Matters

Sunni jihad for Africa succeeded, reversing what was the greatest Catholic victory so far. Africa faced Shia rebellion afterwards, so the ones who benefited from Sunni jihad was shia caliph Nizam.

Quite a few nearby minors converted to Slavic, and some even then accepted becoming my vassals.

Catholics were fighting each other who's the rightful pope.

I vassalized Warriors of Perun by granting them a small duchy, but then they decided to give me back the duchy and 4 castles they held in my land as they see me as unfit ruler. Well, if that's what you want, thanks for the castles I guess.

Slavic Union

Lithuania is culturally mostly Polish now, so it feels like it should get de jure Slavic Union, but it's just Russians, Poles, and Bohemians.

There's the decision to create The Slavic Union, which requires full control over 7 kingdoms. I didn't think it's possible - I only had Poland and Novgorod. Just in case I cleaned up some minors in the East to get Vladimir and Chernigov.

Due to Bulgarian succession their lands in Galicia-Volhynia broke apart, so I seized that. Warriors of Perun held some castles in Ruthenia and (not needed for this) Lithuania, so it wouldn't be possible to get them, but they decided to get vassalized then un-vassalized.

It still left one county in Bohemia, and I really didn't want to go to war with Germany over one tiny county, but it turns out Cathar uprising took just two counties next to me, so it was free real estate.

A lot of things had to randomly go right for this to happen, but it did.

As the popup says:

Centuries ago, the three brothers Lech, Czech and Rus, our venerable ancestors, parted ways to settle their people. Divided by rivers, forests, mountains and wicked conquerors since time immemorial, we proved that blood is thicker than water, as today we celebrate the unification of all brothers and sisters of the great plain

This meant I founded 2 bloodlines.

Unfortunately my husband died a few days before my recrowning, without ever sitting down on throne in Constantinople, but giving by heirs weak claim to Empire of the Romans.

Dreams of Retirement

County-level government type map. Russians are still resisting feudalization. This means 11 of my counties are at risk of falling back to Khazar and Pecheneg hordes on succession.

I created a merchant republic in Adger. Their technology is too miserable to get anywhere, but they have no competition nearer than Genoa, so they have time to figure this out.

My final ambition is to finish Magnificent Gardens in Vilnius, then I'll retire like my mother did, letting my children handle the realm. Only 4 of them are still alive.

I'm not sure how I'll divide the realm as 3/4 have demesne in Scandinavia.

Feudal transition I hoped for didn't really happen. It turns out AI is 10x slower to press the button if it doesn't share ruler's culture, and half my realm is Russian. Not coincidentally that half is still largely tribal.