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1.(230) Clifford Family
player= Joelsz
Roger and Alston Clifford, the first and second Earls of Cumberland, won reknown during the 40 years war (1337 to 1378) not for any one great feat, but for their steady and consistent performance. They rarely fought a battle, and almost never stormed a keep.
Roger Clifford became involved in the affairs of England around 1350. At the time the war for the crown of France was at a stalemate. The English controlled Flanders and the Aquitaine, but could make no inroads elsewhere. Clifford first made a name for himself restoring order to disputed fiefs in the English countryside. By 1355 King Edward had named him Earl of Cumberland and Treasurer of England, and Clifford joined the campaign in France.
The campaign was going poorly. In the late 1350s the French nearly drove the English out of the Aquitaine. Time and again, huge armies led by the Valois' notorious allies Mallorca and the Bruce crushed every force England could field in France, including 10,000 yeomen personally led by King Edward at Toulouse. Clifford avoided the open field as much as possible, sieging and withdrawing behind the walls of Condom, which he had captured as a base. His reputation continued to grow.
In 1360, disaster struck. The Bruce killed the Black Prince in combat. King Edward was slain in Jerusalem on a Crusade. In 1361, The Bruce found Clifford in the midst of a siege, and killed him, too. Aquitaine fell to the Valois. All seemed lost. But young King Lionel appointed the new Earl of Cumberland, Alston Clifford, to command a new invasion of English armies in the north of France. Even as the Aquitaine was lost, the English siezed key keeps in the north. Percy took Paris. The tide had turned.
For most of the 1360s, Clifford garrisoned Paris, while the English expanded their gains. He rarely sieged. Mostly he pillaged to support his 2,000 men, and occasionally he sortied to crush nearby French armies that had wandered nearby. Clifford's one highlight during this period was when he defeated the army of the famed french leader Jacques Chabannes immediately after Chabannes had fought, and killed, "Blackjack" Beaufort. By 1370, the English Prince Hadrian had taken over the defenses of Paris, and Clifford returned to the field. He distinguished himself by his sieges in Anjou, Normandy and Brittany, where he captured the great keeps of Mt-St-Michel and Rennes. Clifford played a significant role in recapturing the conquests of Joan d'Arc.
When the war ended, the Clifford's were a large clan, married into both Royal familes, as well as the Percys. One nephew was the Archbishop of Canterbury, and the Clifford's eldest child, a daughter, Blanche Fleur Clifford would prove to be a great warrior in her own right (leadership 9, Command Supreme 9) in a future struggle . . . but that is a story for another time.
#2 (88) Urtino Family
player: HywBanneret
The Baron of Keswick was born of a long line of excellent seige artists. When he heard the King's call, he fielded an army and immediately headed for Reims. There he seiged for the better part of a year before negotiating it's surrender. However, superior forces under the Bruce took the Castle of Reims under seige and in order to escape, the small army Lord d'Urtino was commanding sallied. Many men fell, but the noble Keswick and his army were able to escape the Keep. After reinforcements, he headed to Ghent where he laid seige to it's keep and after a year and a half, negotiated it's surrender. His further exploits include the surrender of Narbonne, Poitiers as well as countless other smaller fiefs. At the end of the War, he was in residence in Poitiers finally resting and enjoying the visit of his wife from Keswick.
#3 (110) Mallorca Family
player: cvsalumni
real name:Bernd Lubosch
From: Edmonds Oklahoma
The first task the great Rei Jaime III de Mallorca did was establish diplomatic/political ties with France which at the time when I entered the game were non-existant from previous activities. Rei de Mallorca kingdom allianced itself with France and began supporting the efforts in the southern parts of France. Rei Mallorca became a close ally with King Bruce and Comte de Foix and was instrumental in providing large armies to them as well as himself playing a major role in the conquest of the Aquataine region, Guyenne and Gascony province. Rei Mallorca’s strength in combat and ability to muster up large armies against the English initially prevented the English from getting a stronghold establish in southern France by taking Toulouse and the surrounding fiefs. But with the sources of finance running low, King Bruce becoming a traitor, and Comte de Foix alienating himself from the other houses of Spain (Lord Urgel and Rei Navarre specifically) and eventually escaping the lands, Rei Mallorca became a victim of circumstance and was not able to stop along with other French Lords the fall of Toulouse and surrounding lands. Toward the later part of the game he on his own accord and dedicated himself to halt any further advances by the English in the eastern/central parts of France along with his close allies, Lord Savoy, Lord Lothier, and the Duchess of Brittany.
Game write up to be coming soon.
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