Eternity RPC Board
12-30-2016, 12:46 AM
(This post was last modified: 12-30-2016, 01:01 AM by Seperallis.)
Previously posted by me in the old thread.
> > Werner von Habsburg < <
Duke of Upper Burgundy
Count of Aargau and Ostmarch
Commander of Armies in the Holy Roman Empire
Born 1025(?) : Died 16 Jan, 1090 (age 65)
![[Image: 3TpLf9t.png]](http://i.imgur.com/3TpLf9t.png)
This is the story of a man, an ambitious man who lived for war. As a Count of the Holy Roman Empire, he served directly under the Emperor, as count of Aargau. He wasn't the best at everything he did, but he was happy in his abilities, especially for his particular knack for matters of war, and took pride in bettering himself in both matters of strategy and personal combat, becoming an exceptional general and one of the greatest commanders of men of his era. All in all, life was comfortable in Habsburg Castle, and he was happy to see his days through serving his realm and his liege on the battlefield.
That said, what he really wanted more than anything was recognition as the best leader of men in the entire realm, dreaming of becoming Marshal for the Empire. Though he never saw his dream realized, this drive would push him to become one of the best among his peers over the course of his life.
He was not, however, happy to see his children live the same life as himself. His lands were situated uncomfortably close to France, and although he had led troops to victory in the fields at Ghent during the Empire's war against France, Werner knew his fortunes were due to the French armies being busy in England at the time and became keenly aware of growing French military power. With a newfound appreciation for the state of the world, Werner came back from the war in the north of France and performed two actions that would set the course of the Habsburg dynasty's future.
![[Image: mSZPzot.png]](http://i.imgur.com/mSZPzot.png)
First, Werner recognized that he was without close friends and allies within the upper echelons of German feudal society. While he was close friends and had an alliance with the count of Bern, this was not enough to combat the growing rivalries within the realm. To rectify this, he moved to arrange closer relations with two of his very powerful neighbors. While both his children were too young to marry, he was able to negotiate betrothals that eventually lead to alliances with the duchies of Swabia and Bavaria, who would soon prove to be close and worthy allies, indeed.
![[Image: 65NXDjj.png]](http://i.imgur.com/65NXDjj.png)
Second, Werner initially had no real plans or avenues to expand his own personal power, despite being such a great leader of men. However, the Emperor soon granted him a windfall of new fortune and power; in dire need of loyal vassals, and wanting someone as skilled in warfare as Werner by his side, the Emperor created and granted the new duchy of Upper Burgundy to the Habsburg ruler. Werner quickly moved to consolidate his realm, and within a few years, was quite happy with the loyalty of his vassals and the state of his new lands. In spite of this, even with his newfound power, Werner lacked any legal means to expand and solidify his station; discussing his options with his chancellor, he set his sights on Austria, both because it was one of the smallest of the independent imperial realms, and because it was located on the relatively quiet border with Hungary, far away from the French threat to Burgundy. Of course, the chancellor took the phrase "how can we expand into Austria" to mean "extort and cajole your way around Austria," and promptly left to fabricate a claim for his lord.
Shortly thereafter, the tyrannical manners in which the Holy Roman Emperor used his authority to strip titles from those he didn't like or revokes lands in order to centralize his own power finally caught up with him, as the realm finally saw itself split apart by war. In 1072, a revolt against the Emperor's tyranny sprung up, but the nobility were mostly cowed by the Emperor's power, and the revolt was quickly crushed. However, two years later, another revolt popped up, dissatisfied with the Emperor seeking to accumulate power all to himself; this time, though, with the Duke of Bohemia backing the movement, the uprising would not be so easily quelled. For two years, the war shifted back and forth; rebel armies were finally defeated in the south, when Imperial forces - commanded by the Bishop of Mainz, with Werner leading troops on the left flank - found victory in the Italian Alps in the summer of 1078.
![[Image: YRCYIYD.png]](http://i.imgur.com/YRCYIYD.png)
The victory didn't come without cost; in the midst of battle, Werner was felled by an enemy lance, and while the wound was not mortal, it was most certainly grave and would take a long time to heal, sidelining him for the rest of the war.
Thankfully, Werner did not have long to sulk in his chambers about being forced to rest instead of gaining further glories on the battlefield, as news soon came from his chancellor's agents from the east of the Empire; After spending long enough espousing the virtues of Werner to the local lords, they finally agreed to enforce his rule in Austria, should the rule fall to him. With assurances in hand, a flimsy ancestral claim to the Ostmarch was "found", giving Werner liberty to invade the lands. Too wounded to write the missives himself, he ordered his steward draw up the armies, and send word to his allies in Swabia and Bavaria that they were to make ready for war.
The war, such as it was, lasted only months. Werner's forces vastly outnumbered the waiting Austrian army; in one battle, the Austrian army was shattered and sent fleeing for the hills, and the Austrian ruler hurried to hole himself within his home. Too sick from an infection of his wound to personally command the armies, he sent his newly-married son, Otto, to command in his stead and gain valuable battle experience. Otto performed swimmingly in his command, a natural to the job, and the castle at Vienna fell within a couple months. Ultimate victory and annexation followed soon after.
Aside from a quick war with Genoa to release the county of Grisons back into Werner's rightful domain, the next ten years passed quietly and peacefully, with the Duke eventually making a full recovery from his war wound in 1082. He tried to persuade the nobles of Styria to recognize his authority, as count of Austria, over them and the whole duchy, but the attempts proved ultimately fruitless. Somewhere between mentoring his son's daughter and negotiating an alliance with the queen of Poland, Werner passed away in the middle of the night, succumbing to a lifetime of high-stakes living and old age.
![[Image: L8r92u7.png]](http://i.imgur.com/L8r92u7.png)
He was 65 years old, and saw, under his care, the Habsburg dynasty climb from unknown backwater counts from the frontier of the empire into one of the more powerful Duke Electors of the HRE, installing the beginnings of the Habsburg legacy in European politics.
His only son, Otto, took his place as ruler of the Habsburgs
> > Werner von Habsburg < <
Duke of Upper Burgundy
Count of Aargau and Ostmarch
Commander of Armies in the Holy Roman Empire
Born 1025(?) : Died 16 Jan, 1090 (age 65)
This is the story of a man, an ambitious man who lived for war. As a Count of the Holy Roman Empire, he served directly under the Emperor, as count of Aargau. He wasn't the best at everything he did, but he was happy in his abilities, especially for his particular knack for matters of war, and took pride in bettering himself in both matters of strategy and personal combat, becoming an exceptional general and one of the greatest commanders of men of his era. All in all, life was comfortable in Habsburg Castle, and he was happy to see his days through serving his realm and his liege on the battlefield.
That said, what he really wanted more than anything was recognition as the best leader of men in the entire realm, dreaming of becoming Marshal for the Empire. Though he never saw his dream realized, this drive would push him to become one of the best among his peers over the course of his life.
He was not, however, happy to see his children live the same life as himself. His lands were situated uncomfortably close to France, and although he had led troops to victory in the fields at Ghent during the Empire's war against France, Werner knew his fortunes were due to the French armies being busy in England at the time and became keenly aware of growing French military power. With a newfound appreciation for the state of the world, Werner came back from the war in the north of France and performed two actions that would set the course of the Habsburg dynasty's future.
First, Werner recognized that he was without close friends and allies within the upper echelons of German feudal society. While he was close friends and had an alliance with the count of Bern, this was not enough to combat the growing rivalries within the realm. To rectify this, he moved to arrange closer relations with two of his very powerful neighbors. While both his children were too young to marry, he was able to negotiate betrothals that eventually lead to alliances with the duchies of Swabia and Bavaria, who would soon prove to be close and worthy allies, indeed.
Second, Werner initially had no real plans or avenues to expand his own personal power, despite being such a great leader of men. However, the Emperor soon granted him a windfall of new fortune and power; in dire need of loyal vassals, and wanting someone as skilled in warfare as Werner by his side, the Emperor created and granted the new duchy of Upper Burgundy to the Habsburg ruler. Werner quickly moved to consolidate his realm, and within a few years, was quite happy with the loyalty of his vassals and the state of his new lands. In spite of this, even with his newfound power, Werner lacked any legal means to expand and solidify his station; discussing his options with his chancellor, he set his sights on Austria, both because it was one of the smallest of the independent imperial realms, and because it was located on the relatively quiet border with Hungary, far away from the French threat to Burgundy. Of course, the chancellor took the phrase "how can we expand into Austria" to mean "extort and cajole your way around Austria," and promptly left to fabricate a claim for his lord.
Shortly thereafter, the tyrannical manners in which the Holy Roman Emperor used his authority to strip titles from those he didn't like or revokes lands in order to centralize his own power finally caught up with him, as the realm finally saw itself split apart by war. In 1072, a revolt against the Emperor's tyranny sprung up, but the nobility were mostly cowed by the Emperor's power, and the revolt was quickly crushed. However, two years later, another revolt popped up, dissatisfied with the Emperor seeking to accumulate power all to himself; this time, though, with the Duke of Bohemia backing the movement, the uprising would not be so easily quelled. For two years, the war shifted back and forth; rebel armies were finally defeated in the south, when Imperial forces - commanded by the Bishop of Mainz, with Werner leading troops on the left flank - found victory in the Italian Alps in the summer of 1078.
The victory didn't come without cost; in the midst of battle, Werner was felled by an enemy lance, and while the wound was not mortal, it was most certainly grave and would take a long time to heal, sidelining him for the rest of the war.
Thankfully, Werner did not have long to sulk in his chambers about being forced to rest instead of gaining further glories on the battlefield, as news soon came from his chancellor's agents from the east of the Empire; After spending long enough espousing the virtues of Werner to the local lords, they finally agreed to enforce his rule in Austria, should the rule fall to him. With assurances in hand, a flimsy ancestral claim to the Ostmarch was "found", giving Werner liberty to invade the lands. Too wounded to write the missives himself, he ordered his steward draw up the armies, and send word to his allies in Swabia and Bavaria that they were to make ready for war.
The war, such as it was, lasted only months. Werner's forces vastly outnumbered the waiting Austrian army; in one battle, the Austrian army was shattered and sent fleeing for the hills, and the Austrian ruler hurried to hole himself within his home. Too sick from an infection of his wound to personally command the armies, he sent his newly-married son, Otto, to command in his stead and gain valuable battle experience. Otto performed swimmingly in his command, a natural to the job, and the castle at Vienna fell within a couple months. Ultimate victory and annexation followed soon after.
Aside from a quick war with Genoa to release the county of Grisons back into Werner's rightful domain, the next ten years passed quietly and peacefully, with the Duke eventually making a full recovery from his war wound in 1082. He tried to persuade the nobles of Styria to recognize his authority, as count of Austria, over them and the whole duchy, but the attempts proved ultimately fruitless. Somewhere between mentoring his son's daughter and negotiating an alliance with the queen of Poland, Werner passed away in the middle of the night, succumbing to a lifetime of high-stakes living and old age.
He was 65 years old, and saw, under his care, the Habsburg dynasty climb from unknown backwater counts from the frontier of the empire into one of the more powerful Duke Electors of the HRE, installing the beginnings of the Habsburg legacy in European politics.
His only son, Otto, took his place as ruler of the Habsburgs