Day One (1066)

On the 26th of December, 1066, Count Ekbert began his rule. He immediately parted with his liege's old laws, and instituted Salic Primogeniture and Feudal Contract.


This is Ekbert's court. Rather empty.

The van Braunschweig Family (1066)

This is Count Ekbert van Braunschweig, age 30, born in 1036. He was the first Count of Frisia and Ostfriesland, also known as the Frisian Counties. His stats could be better.

This is his wife and Stewardess, Ermengarde de Suza, age 51, born in 1015. She is rather old for Ekbert, and they only had two children.

The Count's son is also named Ekbert van Braunschweig. He is 6 years old, and was born in 1060. He is the only male heir to the Counties' throne.

Gertrude van Braunschweig, their daughter, is 7 years old. She was born in 1059. When she turns 16, she will be married away for prestige points. It's a family tradition.

And finally, Ekbert's sister and Chancellor, Ida van Braunschweig. She is 46 years old, and a widow. Born in 1020. Her only daughter is married to the Prince of Chernigov and Ryazan.

The Frisian Counties (1066)

The year is 1066. This is a map of the northern Holy German Empire and surroundings. Marked in dark green, the provinces of Frisia and Ostfriesland have just become counties. Priorly part of the personal demesne of the Duke of Lower Lorraine, Godfried d'Ardennes, the two counties were created as a gift to a loyal courtier.

This is the County of Frisia. At a distance, the Hill Fort is the sole reminder of civilization in this sparsely populated, rural province.

The recently built fort provides troop support at a small cost.

Frisia is mostly populated by catholic, dutch peasants. It is a poor county, with an initial base income of 1.20 gold.

This is Ostfriesland. Its people are mainly german, and they too are catholics. This province is even poorer than Frisia, as it has a base income of 0.60 gold.

About the blog

A CK AAR is a gameplay AAR for Crusader Kings and its expansion Deus Vult. It is inspired in the graphic style of "Knud Knýtling, Prince of Denmark (and other assorted tales)", by phargle, and "Real Men Do It Alphabetically: An AARgau", by anonymous4401, both published in the Paradox Interactive Forums.

The present AAR is to be the first episode in a mega-campaign aimed to spread from CK to Europa Universalis, Victoria and Hearts of Iron. No modifications have been included, and the default game settings for difficulty and AI aggressiveness are being used. The story begins from the Hastings scenario, in 1066.