Poland: The Aristocratic Democracy

[cudfather]

Hello everyone,
As an avid fan and follower of the trending American, Greek and Arabian interactive stories, I decided to begin one of my own. I chose Poland as I have the most historical knowledge of the subject (being Polish).

The settings are:
3000 BC
Marathon speed

The game will be played with elections held every 10-15 turns. You will get to choose from several possible leaders, each with their own policies. I will have one vote, same as each reader; in case of electoral ties, however, I may choose to change my vote to end the stalemate.

-----------------------------------------------

Poland: The Aristocratic Democracy​

Spoiler :

Bolesław Chrobry, 1st king of Poland

It is year 1025. Bolesław Chrobry was crowned the first king of the Polish Kingdom. Unluckily, he died the very same year, leaving the country in chaos. His three sons fought for power.

Spoiler :

Fortunately, a council of noblemen was formed. Polish noblemen would henceforth elect one of the royal offspring as the rightful heir to the throne.

In the meantime, a powerful Arabian army was said to roam to the south-east of the kingdom. That would surely affect the election.

Spoiler :

Chrobry had three sons:
Bezprym

Spoiler :

Chrobry's firstborn. A germanophile, he wishes to befriend the Holy Roman emperor. Wants to declare war on Arabia immediately.
Policies:

• Settle Warszawa (1NW from spawn) and Połock (4N, 2E from spawn)
• Switch to slavery
• Try to sign an Open Borders treaty with the HRE
• Declare war on Arabia, attack Kiev
• Train units
• Research Guilds

Mieszko II Lambert

Spoiler :

Chrobry's second son. Does not trust the Germans. A devout catholic, he wishes to declare war on the infidel Muslims, but not until the Polish army stands a chance. He believes in strong, centralised rule.
Policies:

• Settle Kraków (spawn) and Połock (4N, 2E from spawn)
• Declare war on Arabia when ready or when Arabia is weak
• Do not sign Open Borders with the HRE
• Switch to Absolutism and Warrior Code
• Build Barracks, then focus on the army
• Research Engineering

Otto Bolesławowic
The youngest son, still in his teens. He's obedient to the archbishop of Gniezno, Radzim Gaudenty.

Spoiler :

Radzim Gaudenty

Policies:

• Settle Kraków on the iron (1W from spawn), then settle Gdańsk on the eastern bank of the Vistula river (3N, 1W from spawn)
• Switch to Theocracy
• Construct a Catholic Monastery, then train Missionaries
• Research Divine Right

The election will end at 9 PM GMT on Saturday (unless less than 4 votes are cast).
Please vote in bold. Unbolded votes will not be counted.

My vote goes for Mieszko II.

 

[mrrandomplayer]

Bezprym

 

[cudfather]

I added the technology choices to each of the candidates (forgot that). mrrandomplayer, make sure you're okay with Divine Right.

 

[Manuss]

Otto Bolesławowic

 

[citis]

Congratulations for the new story. It's time to learn a little Polish history, isn't it?
I vote for Bezprym. He would be ideal if not attack Arabs straightaway.

 

[baseballpie]

Mieszko

 

[constantinople]

Mieszko II Lambert

 

[cudfather]

The election is over.

Mieszko II Lambert ascends to the throne.

Spoiler :

Mieszko ordered his settlers to found Kraków as a capital and Połock as a second important urban centre. Shortly thereafter, the construction of Barracks began throughout the kingdom.

Spoiler :

South of Poland, the Arabs fought the Byzantines at the city of Aquincum. The Christians lost and the city was renamed to Buda by its Muslim conquerors.

Spoiler :

In 1036, a group of Polish horticulturists developed a new cure, boosting the local fledgling economy. It was too late, however, to save king Mieszko. He died of illness in 1034, two years before the cure came.

Spoiler :

His only son Casimir [Kazimierz] took the throne shortly after.

Spoiler :

His reign was uneventful, as he stayed faithful to his paternal policies. During his rule, the Kraków's barracks were finished, and the Połock's were still being constructed. He did not declare war on Arabia simply because of Arab military superiority, visible in their garrison in Buda.

Spoiler :

Casimir died in 1058, leaving three sons: Bolesław, Władysław and Mieszko. The noble council will once again elect the king.

Bolesław the Bold

Spoiler :

Casimir's firstborn. He is in favor of sustaining his father's absolutist policy, but disapproves of hostility towards the Arabs; Bolesław believes it is no use to focus solely on the military when the disproportion of arms is so great. He wants to control the Church.
Policies:

• Do not change civics
• Train a settler in Kraków, aiming for founding Gdańsk
• Establish diplomatic relations with the Arabs
• Stop the construction of Barracks in Połock and start constructing a Pagan Temple

Władysław Herman

Spoiler :

The second son wants to keep focus on the military, in belief that one day the army will be sufficient to capture Kiev. Willing to cooperate with the Germans.
Policies:

• Do not change civics
• Train heavy swordsmen and, when possible, knights
• Sign an Open Borders treaty with the HRE

Mieszko Kazimierzowic
The youngest son, in his teens and of feeble health. A devout Christian, believes in uniting all Christian brothers and sisters. Not fond of war.
Policies:

• Switch to Theocracy
• Begin construction of the Apostolic Palace in Kraków
• If the above fails, construct a Catholic monastery in Kraków
• Cancel the barracks in Połock and construct an Orthodox temple

The election will end on Sunday at 9 PM GMT unless less than five votes were cast.

My vote goes for Władysław Herman.

Additional info:

Spoiler :

Why Połock instead of Wilno? It's the same tile, I just forgot the name was different there. Changed already in the OP.

 

[Manuss]

Bolesław the Bold

 

[citis]

Bolesław

However, you won't be able to build a pagan temple. You will have to build an orthodox.

 

[baseballpie]

Bolesław the Bold

 

[mrrandomplayer]

Mieszko Kazimierzowic

 

[Sanguivorant]

Bolesław the Bold

Holy crap that is a jinxed start. Arabia is on steroids apparently.

 

[cudfather]

Don't worry, the Seljuks are coming. Hopefully they destabilize the Arabs a bit.

 

[Moai_Spammer]

subbed
Bolesław the Bold

 

[cudfather]

Bolesław the Bold 5 votes
Władysław Herman 1 vote
Mieszko Kazimierzowic 1 vote

Bolesław convinced the nobles and was chosen as rightful heir. The newly elected king was thenceforth known as Bolesław II; his great-grandfather, Bolesław I Chrobry, was the first king of that name.

Spoiler :

His first initiative was to expand northwards and establish a port on the Baltic sea. In order to achieve this, king Bolesław ordered some inhabitants of Kraków to part with their families and go north. The preparations began. Meanwhile in Połock, the monarch funded the construction of a church. The faithful there obeyed slightly different rules, and they called themselves "Orthodox".

Spoiler :

Most of Bolesław's focus was put on diplomacy. He tried to befriend the Arabs, but despite his efforts and gifts to the Caliph, the Muslims were still unimpressed.

Spoiler :

In 1066, the Holy Roman emperor asked king Bolesław for aid in his war with the Norse. The Polish sovereign refused to help the Empire, seeing potential losses and little gain.

Spoiler :

In 1079, king Bolesław was becoming increasingly angry with bishop of Kraków by the name of Stanisław. The king suspected him of being part of a conspiracy to overthrow him and place his brother, Władysław, on the throne. Stanisław refused to attend the royal court, arguing that he can only be judged by the Papal court. To punish the disobedient bishop, king Bolesław sentenced him to death; yet nobody wanted to be guilty of killing a high member of the clergy. As a result, the king pierced him with a sword himself. Stanisław's body was then hacked into pieces.

Spoiler :

The noblemen were outraged by this act of violence. They raised banners against the king and elected his brother, Władysław, as king. Bolesław fled the country and was said to find refuge in a monastery in Carinthia.

Spoiler :

King Władysław Herman
The newly elected king was constrained by the will of the noble council. That is, he had to follow his infamous brother's policies. As an islamophobe, Władysław clenched his teeth when the Caliph asked him to aid Arabia in their war with Byzantium. He had no choice and agreed. Shortly afterwards, the Muslims agreed to open their borders to Polish troops.

Spoiler :

Władysław took this opportunity to scout the defenses of Kiev. As it turned out, the city was weakly-defended.

Spoiler :

Further reconnaissance unveiled the location of two Byzantine cities, one of them the birthplace of Jesus Christ.

Spoiler :

The knights sent to the Caucasus found a peculiar state beyond the Arab border. Its people called themselves the Seljuk Turks, and were mostly interested in war and looting.

Spoiler :

Władysław Herman died in 1102 leaving two sons only. He also fostered Bolesław's son, Mieszko. Unfortunately, the young prince was poisoned during his wedding, presumably by his father's former enemies.
The council will once again have to elect a new king.

Zbigniew

Spoiler :

Władysław's firstborn. Does not support establishing another city. An islamophobe like his father, wants to stop cooperation with the Arabs and train an army.
Policies:

• Do not settle a city
• Close borders with the Arabs
• End the war against Byzantium
• Train knights in Kraków

Bolesław Wrymouth [Krzywousty]

Spoiler :

The second son is a political opportunist. Sees war with Byzantium as a chance to gain influence in the Balkans. Wants to settle Gdańsk and focus on unifying Poland under one religion.
Policies:

• Settle Gdańsk
• Construct a Catholic monastery in Kraków, then train missionaries
• Continue war with Byzantium and maintain relations with the Arabs

The election will last until Monday 9 PM GMT unless less than five votes are cast.

My vote goes for Bolesław Wrymouth.

 

[GreekAnalyzer]

Nice job cudfather!
BTW, will you update Frenzy in France?

 

[cudfather]

Nice job cudfather!
BTW, will you update Frenzy in France?

Thanks, glad you like it

Would you like me to continue Frenzy in France? The problem is, that story is kind of reaaaly complex, and I got entangled in my own storytelling. Maybe one day I'll come back to that, but right now, this Polish story is the priority.

 

[GreekAnalyzer]

I would like you to update it

 

[citis]

Bolesław Wrymouth Capture Odessa, found Gdansk and spread catholicism to your cities. Arabs can wait until pikes.