Regional map
TIMELINE
In parentheses, the age of the character at the time.
For the Popes and some characters it is (Age at time of ascension to the Papal title/age of death)
1096 – 1099 First Crusade. In 1095 Alexios I Komnenos requested military support from the Council of Piacenza for the Byzantine army in the fight with the Seljuk Turks. Later that year at the Council of Clermont, Pope Urban supported this and exhorted war. Peter the Hermit leads the People's Crusade. Transitting through Germany they indulged in wide-ranging anti-Jewish activities and massacres. On leaving Byzantine-controlled territory in Anatolia they were annihilated in a Turkish ambush. More organized (Language/ethnic) contingents follow them. Capture of Jerusalem and establishment of the Crusader states. Godfrey of Bouillon, duke of Lower Lorraine is the first king of Jerusalem.
1120 – 39. Count Lucien of Namur (44 – 63) builds the castle of Triamore ( 3 loves , in reference to his love of the Holy Trinity) as the keystone of his project to contest the title of Landgrave of Brabant in Lower Lorraine. The castle starts being called Lucien's Folly after he bankrupts himself with the project. The moniker sticks. (Historical note: the real noble would have been Godfrey I , but we will keep the name of Lucien for simplicity)
1139 Henry IV “the blind” of Luxembourg (27/84) becomes ruler of Namur after Count Lucien’s demise.
1139 Second Lateran Council. Addressed clerical discipline (dress, marriages).
1142 Godfrey III (0/48) Duke of Lower Lorraine Landgrave of Brabant
1142 Celestine II (58/59) elected pope
1144 Lucius II (65/66) elected pope
1144 Loss of the County of Edessa to the Turks.
1145 Eugenius III (44/52) elected pope
1146 After the fall of Edessa Pope Eugenius III (45) calls for a second crusade. Bernard of Clairvaux spreads the message that the loss was the result of sinfulness. Preaching of the Cistercian monk, Rudolf, initiates more massacres of Jews in the Rhineland.
1147 – 1150 Second Crusade. Louis VII of France and Conrad OOO of Germany. Crusade is unsuccessful. They take Damascus, but do not succeed in taking it. Distrust between crusaders, stablished crusading states and Byzantines.
1147 Henry II of Limburg (28) becomes duke of Limbourg
1153 Anastasius IV (80/81) elected pope
1153 Crusades: Loss of Ascalon. Nur ad Din unides Aleppo and Damascus as a single political entity and threatens Jerusalem.
1154 Adrian IV (54/59) elected pope
1054 East–West Schism of the Church.
1155 Frederick I Barbarossa (Staufen) (35) elected Emperor.
1158 Triamore Covenant founded .
1158 Godfrey VIII (16) Duke of Lower Lorraine and Landgrave of Brabant marries Margaret of Limbourg, and unites 2 powerful and traditionally antagonistic factions (for a while).
1159 Alexander III (59/81) elected pope. Opposed by 4 antipopes during his reign (Victor IV, Paschal III, Callixtus III, Innocent III)
1167 – 1168 Godfrey III/VIII (Landgrave of Brabant and Count of Louvain) (25) and Henry IV of Luxembourg (55) at war. The landgrave of Brabant attempts to force Bois de Haillot to provide support. Resistance sours relation with the Landgrave (father of the future duke Henry I of Brabant). Note: Namur owes fealty to Henry IV in this phase, but henry IV owes fealty to Godfrey III for his Namur lands.
1170 Henry IV of Luxembourg (58) and Baldwin IV, of Hainaut (62) make war with Henry III of Limburg (30).
1171 Baldwin V count of Hainaut (21).
1172 Henry IV of Luxembourg (60) and Baldwin V of Hainaut (22) make war with Henry III of Limburg (32) again and Godfrey VIII (30) Duke of Lower Lorraine and Landgrave of Brabant. Luxembourg and Hainaut victory. Environs of Arlon devastated.
1172 The war between Brabant-Limburg and Hainault-Luxembourg spills into the issue of who rules the County of Namur. Count Henry III of Limburg (32) sends an army into Southern Namur. Henry IV of Luxembourg (60) fortifies his possessions in Namur. Triamore, is raided twice. An occupying force from Limbourg arrives in summer 1172. Plea to Frederick Barbarossa confirms the neutrality of Triamore. Bois de Haillot looted.
1179 Third Council of the Lateran restricts papal election to the cardinals, condemns simony, and introduced minimum age for ordination (thirty for bishops).
1181 Lucius III (84/88) elected pope
1183 Folmar of Karden (43) as Archbishop of Trier. He is the candidate of the duke of Limbourg. Opposes and is opposed by Emperor Frederick Barbarossa (61). Rudolf of Wied elected instread as antipope. Contorl of the trier territory is for Rudolf, not Folmar, that is recognized by the Pope, but never rules his land. The reis widespread conflict in the archbishropic until 1189, when Folmar dies.
1182 Godfrey VIII Duke of Lower Lorraine and Landgrave of Brabant goes on crusade.
1183 Creation of the Duchy of Brabant, that substitutes de facto the Duchy of Lower Lorraine. Henry I, first Duke of Brabant (17).
1183-1197 The Duke of Brabant makes war with (in several separate moments):
- Count Baldwin V of Hainaut
- Duke Henry III of Limburg
- Count Otto I of Guelders
1185 Urban III (65/67) elected pope
1186 Ermesinde of Luxemburg born. This jeopardizes the promise of inheritance to Baldwin V of Hainaut, (35) that had been promised Namur from Henry IV of Luxembourg (74) (his brother in law).
1187 Gregory VIII (87) elected pope and dies in 57 days. Clement III (57/61) elected pope.
1187 Battle of Hattin and fall of Jerusalem. Guy of Lusignan and the other nobility of Jerusalem captured by Saladin. Clement III issues the papal bull Audita tremendi that calls for the Third Crusade.
1188 It is decided that Baldwin V of Hainaut will inherit Namur and Ermesinde will inherit Durbuy, La Roche, and Luxembourg.
1189 Baldwin V of Hainaut (38) receives Namur from Henry IV of Luxembourg (77) (his brother in law).
1189 Baldwin V (38) of Hainault (1170+), Margrave of Namur (1189+) and Count of Flanders (1191+)
1189 – 1192 Third Crusade. Holy Roman Emperor Frederick I (66) dies crossing a river and only a few of his men reached their destination. King Richard I of England travels by sea and captures Cyprus from Isaac Komnenos. He later sells it to Guy of Lusignan. The arrival of the French and Angevins turns the tide in the conflict, and the Muslim garrison of Acre surrenders. Philip considers his vow fulfilled and returns to France, leaving most of his forces behind. Richard recaptures Jaffa, but the crusaders lack the resources to attack and hold Jerusalem. Negotiated three-year truce The Crusader states survive, confined to a narrow coastal strip.
1190 John I (50) elected Archbishop of Trier. He reorganizes the archdiocese (in ecclesiastical and secular aspects), fortifies Trier and acquires several castles. He also creates a reckoning of all the properties of the Diocese (similar to the Domesday book).
1190 Fire. Death of Forba.
1190 death of Emperor Frederick Barbarossa (66) crossing a river while on crusade. Henry VI (25) (stauffen) elected Emperor.
1190 Henry I, the first Duke of Brabant (24) comes to take possession of Lucien’s Folly after the death of the Emperor. Triamore besieged by 200 mercenaries until charter confirmed to be still valid by Henry VI (25). Some collaborators among the peasants put to the sword.
1190 Baldwin V of Hainaut (39) fights a war with his uncle, Henry IV of Luxembourg (78) to establish Namur as an independent polity from Luxembourg.
1191 Celestine III (85/92) elected pope.
1191 Albert of Louvain (25) elected Bishop of Liege against the Emperor’s will. He is the brother of Henry I, first Duke of Brabant (26) and son of Godfrey VIII the recently deceased Count of Louvain and Duke of Lower Lorraine. Baldwin V of Hainaut (40) also opposes the appointment as he is in a power struggle with Henry I. Baldwin V has a group of canons appoint his own relative Albert de Rethel (his cousin) as Bishop of Liege.
1192 Albert of Louvain (26), the bishop of Liège murdered by 3 knights in Reims. Uprising of the princes of lower Lorraine led by the Duke of Brabant (27) and the Duke of Limburg (52), brother and uncle of the slain bishop. They form a group that eventually comes to include the archbishops of Cologne and Mainz and other princes, and lay waste to the territory of Dietrich of Hochstaden. Faced with the hostility of the people of Leige, Bishop-elect Lothar flees to the imperial court. He is excommunicated by Pope Celestine.
1992 Lothaire of Hochstaden Bishop of Liege.
1993 Simon of Limburg becomes Bishop of Liege.
1194, the Holy Roman Emperor Henry VI (24) declares Namur to be a margraviate.
1195 Baldwin VI (23) Count of Flanders and Hainaut. Flanders is smaller than before, since a significant chunk (County of Artois) has gone to the French king through marriage.
1195 Holy Roman Emperor Henry VI (25) announces a new crusade without papal encouragement. the arrival of the German crusaders prompts Saladin's brother, Al-Adil I to sign a five-year truce in 1198.
1195 Philip I of Namur “the noble” (20) (son of Baldwin V, Count of Hainault) becomes ruler of Namur (1195-1212). Namur is left to Philip as a fief of Hainault. Ermesinde (9), daughter of Henry IV of Luxembourg, contests this inheritance.
1195 Theobald I of Bar (37) marries Ermesinde (9), daughter of Henry IV of Luxembourg.
1995 Albert of Cuyck Bishop of Liege (1995-1200)
1196-1199 War between s Theobald I of Bar (38) and Philip of Namur (21). Teobald tries to reclaim the territories of his wife Ermesinde (10), heiress of Luxembourg. Namur besieged. The county of Bar is located just south of Luxembourg.
“Theobald de Bar seeks to reclaim his wife's lands of Luxembourg , Durbuy and Laroche with the approval of Philip of Swabia. Theobald therefore besieged the castle at Namur, whereupon a conference was held in which Philip of Namur and his brother Baldwin VI (Count of Flanders and Hainaut) renounced the disputed territories of Luxembourg, Durbuy and Laroche. The Treaty of Dinant signed 6 July 1199 at Saint Medard, later made it official.”
1196 John I (56) Archbishop of Trier re-discovers the Holy Robe of Christ.
1197 (jun) Henry I, Duke of Brabant (31) joins the Crusade of Henry VI (32) as one of the leaders. He takes part in the capture of Beirut (october) and after the death of the King of Jerusalem, Henry II, Count of Champagne he acts as regent from Acre until the arrival of the new king, Amalric II.
1197 (sept) Unexpected death of Holy Roman Emperor Henry VI (staufen) aged 32. Henry I of Brabant (31) supports the Welf candidate Otto IV (22) the fiancé of his daughter Maria (7). Henry III of Limbourg (57) also supports Otto of Brunswick over Philip of Swabia (20) as German king and imperial claimant.
1197 (oct) – 1198 (apr): Interregnum.
1198 John I (58) Archbishop of Trier attains the release of the archbishopric and the city of trier from the suzerainty of the he Count Palatine of the Rhine.
1198 Inocent III (37/55) becomes Pope. He messes a lot in mundane politics during his reign. Convened the Fourth Council of the Lateran, 1215. Initiated the Fourth Crusade but later distanced himself from it and threatened participants with excommunication when it became clear that the leadership abandoned a focus on conquest of the Holy Land and instead intended to sack Christian cities. Endorsed the Franciscan Order.
1198 Constance of Sicily removes Frederick II (4) from the Staufen line of succession (wtf!?) and after that she dies. Staufen supporters elect Philip of Swabia (21; brother of Henry VI) as their candidate for king. Double election of King of the Germans (Otto IV and Philip). Innocent III sides with the Welfs because they recognize his overlordship over Sicily.
1198 (apr) Otto IV (Welf) (23) elected Holy roman Emperor. Title contested during most years if his reign by Philip of Swabia (21) and Frederick II (staufens). Conflicts with the Pope (he had a knack of angering Innocent III) and Staufen partisans.
- 1198 – 1204 Henry I of Brabant fights Philip's seconders Count Dirk VII of Holland and Count Otto I of Guelders
- The archbishop of Trier fluctuates his support between the 2 candidates and is threatened with excommunication by the Pope (it never happened).
1199 (26 July). Treaty of Dinant. Philip I of Namur (28) recognized as Margrave of Namur and the siege is lifted. Philip I and his brother Baldwin renounce their rights to the Duchy of Luxembourg.
1200 Hugh of Pierrepont Bishop of Liege. French origin, from the diocese of Laon. Supported by Baldwin VI of Hainaut. Married Clemence, daughter of Guitier, Count of Rethel. He is a strong supporter of King (and then Emperor) Frederick II.
1202 Count Dirk VII of Holland and Count Otto I of Guelders invade Brabant. Brabant is successful in repealing the attack.
1202 Baldwin VI, (30) Count of Flanders and Hainaut, goes on Crusade.
1204 Sacking of Constantinople. Baldwin VI becomes the first Latin Emperor of Constantinople after its sacking.
1204 The wife of Baldwin also leaves on Crusade. Philip of Namur left as regent of Flanders with custody of the daughters Jeanne (4) and Margaret (2). Baldwin's uncle William of Thy (an illegitimate son of Baldwin IV of Hainaut) is regent for Hainaut.
1204 Henry I of Brabant (39) and King Philip II of France (39) switch sides and back Philip of Swabia (27) against Otto IV (29).
1205 Jeanne (5) becomes Countess of Flanders and Hainaut
1205 Battle of Adrianople. Capture of Baldwin VI (he dies a prisoner the same year). Philip of Namur (34) summoned to a meeting by Philip Augustus (40), King of France, at Pont de l'Arche. Philip forced to swear fealty to the King of France and give Baldwin's daughters (Jeanne (5) and Margaret (3)) as wards of the King. Along with these exactions Philip is forced ( Really? Forced? ) to marry Marie (7) daughter of Philip Augustus.
In Namur, Philip reigns as a peaceful and pious promoter of social development. He intervened as the mediator between many feuding lords. He died of dysentery on 9 October 1212, in Valenciennes , aged 41. He had designated his twin sister Yolande as heir.
1208 Assassination of Philip of Swabia (31). Henry I of Brabant (43) proposed as successor by King Philip II (43). Short war with Emperor Otto IV (33). Henry and Otto reach a reconciliation and they fight together against King Philip II of France.
1209 Francis of Assisi (29) forms the Frater Minorum.
1209 Start of the Albigensian crusade. It lasts for 20 years (1209 – 1229)
1210 Marguerite de Courtenay (of Namur) (16) marries Raoul I of Lusignan (50), lord of Issoudun.
1210 Otto IV (35) excommunicated for trying to reassess Imperial dominion over Sicily (the situation of 1197). The Pope now sides with the Staufens against Otto.
1211 Otto IV (36) returns to Germany from Sicily. Frederick II (17) crowned King of the Romans and future Emperor in Rome.
1212 Financed by the Pope, Frederick II marches on Germany. Sept 1212, he arrives in Constance. Civil war. Dec. 1212 Frederick II formally re-elected king in Frankfurt.
1212 Death of Philip I of Namur (41). Yolande of Flanders (twin sister of Philip I) Marchioness of Namur.
1212 Henry I of Brabant (47) and his cousin Waleran of Limbourg (47) (future Waleran III) in war with the County of Guelders.
1212 - 1242 Theodoric II Archbishop of Trier.
Like his ancestors, Theodoric II remains a loyal supporter of the Imperial House of Hohenstaufen , backing the young king Frederick II against his Welf rival Otto IV , which earns him the opposition of his counterparts in Cologne and Mainz. He also ensures the election of Frederick's son Henry (VII) as King of the Romans in 1220 and his coronation by Archbishop Engelbert of Cologne two years later. He remains a close confidant of the emperor, whom he accompanies to Italy and Sicily, and also of His son Henry (VII) until his rebellion in 1234.
1212 Crusades. Iberia: Navas de Tolosa. Christian Kingdoms victory.
1213 Marie of France (15), daughter of Philip Augustus (48) marries to Henry I of Brabant (48). He is the widow of Philip I of Namur.
1213 (sept) Battle of Muret. Catalonia loses its Provençal lands for undervaluing its opponents and being caught with their pants down and their bellies full of wine.
1213 (oct) Battle of Steppes between Henry I of Brabant (48) and Hugh of Pierrepont the Bishopric of Liège for control of the County of Moha (last count died childless). Henry III of Limburg (73) suports the Bishop of Liege against his nephew Duke Henry I of Brabant. The Duke of Brabant's army breaks from the general charge and runs, suffering a heavy defeat.
1213 the marriage of Marguerite de Courtenay (of Namur) and Raoul I of Lusignan is annulled on grounds of it being barren.
1214 (jul) Battle of Bouvines. Otto IV (39) and King John of England (48) lose against Phillip of France (49) and his allies in a chaotic battle. Otto carried from the field by his terrorized wounded horse. The position of Frederick becomes stronger, while that of Otto weakens. Henry I of Brabant (49) and Henry III of Limburg (74) support Otto, while Waleran (47) (son of Henry of Limbourg) supports Philip II of France.
1214 Waleran III of Limburg (48) marries Ermesinde of Luxembourg (28). She also claims ownership of Namur as heir of Henry IV of Luxembourg that gave Namur to his sister and brother in Law (Baldwin IV) instead.
1215 Waleran III (49) invades Namur, claimed by his wife.
1215 Magna Carta. King John (49) grants more freedoms to his great nobles under duress.
1215 Otto IV (40) deposed as king of the Germans and Holy Roman Emperor.
1215 – 1220 Official interregnum. After the deposition of Otto IV (40) the Emperor title is vacant for 5 years until Frederick II (19) is crowned. The real contested emperorship had been going on for a few years already.
1215 Fourth Council of the Lateran defines transubstantiation, addresses papal primacy and clerical discipline.
1216 Honorius III (68/79) elected pope. Italian. Initiated the Fifth Crusade. Approved several religious and tertiary orders.
1216 Philip II (21) Margrave of Namur. His mother Yolande of Flanders (41) leaves to become Empress of Constantinople (1217 – 19).
1216 Margerite of Namur (22) marries Henry I, Count of Vianden (16).
1217 Philip II (22) refuses to become Emperor of Constantinople. His brother Robert de Courtenay (20) assumes the title.
1217-21 Fifth Crusade against Egypt.
1217-18 Henry I of Brabant (52) joins the 5th crusade to Egypt.
1218 (march) SAGA START : the welfs are on a downward spiral after Bouvines and Otto IV’s (43) death is imminent. Since the Staufen supporters are on a “consolidation” spree, the magi of Triamore fear that the events of 1197 will repeat themselves. It seems that Hainault (a staufen supporter) is looking to invade, and Brabant (a last-minute turncoat) might demand suzerainty of Lucien’s Folly as its price. The remaining magi of Triamore send invitations to a number of supernatural users to reinforce Triamore in case such a treat materialises.
