The Dance of Death - Gameplay Thread (1215)

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An address to be delivered at the pulpit of every Castilian Church, and to be read aloud publicly in Toledo by Archbishop Rodrigo Jiménez de Rada

We live in uncertain times. The Saracens have made a startling offensive into Castilian land, and Toledo itself is under grave threat. But let it be known, we shall never surrender that glorious city to the paynim. The Pope has blessed our cause with the Papal banner, and all of Castile is roused. Whether he be young or old, rich or poor, he who fights with us shall save his soul and do honor to God. It is thus that we call on each of you, in the name of God and of the King, to take up arms and serve with us against the Infidel. As warriors of God we shall fight, and God willing, we shall win.

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Treaty of Peace between the Christian Iberian Coalition and the Almohad Caliphate:

1. The Kingdoms of Castile, Aragon, Leon, Portugal, and Navarre agree to establish a state of peace with the Almohad Caliphate, with the territories occupied by the Caliph serving as the line of demarcation.

2. The Caliph pledges to respect the Christian holy places and right to worship within the reconquered areas of his domain.

x King Alfonso VIII

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Proclamation from King Alfonso VIII

It was with great sadness and heaviness of heart that circumstances compelled us to take up arms against the King of Aragon. He is a noble Christian Prince, and I do not doubt that he had only good intentions in mind when he made the regrettable errors that forced our hand. By agreeing to lend military support to the Pope in his war against the King of Sicily, however, the King of Aragon's actions threatened to spread the war to Iberia. This was made evident by the Sicilian King's attack on Barcelona, which was unfortunately brought on upon by aggressive actions taken by certain councilors of the Aragonese King. Thus our intervention in Aragon was not aimed at the good King Peter II himself, as he was not responsible for the destructive course taken by his Kingdom. It was evil councilors, secretly disloyal to the King, who had misled him into risking the neutrality of Spain. By liberating him from these bad councilors, we sought to free Aragon from those internal enemies of the state who sought to corrupt the King.

[Wikipedia delenda est]

Treaty of Zaragoza
1. The Kingdoms of Castile and Aragon agree to the establishment of a formal peace.
2. The King of Aragon shall remain under Castilian custody to protect him from malicious advisers until peace should ensue between the King of Sicily and the Pope.
3. The King of Aragon agrees to banish all those councilors that had deceived him into pursuing a disastrous foreign policy.
4. The King of Aragon agrees to rescind all diplomatic and military support to the Pope, and pledges to offer no further support to His Holiness while the current war lasts.
5. The King of Aragon agrees to allow Castilian troops access through all Aragonese territory, and permits them to station or garrison themselves throughout the Kingdom; in order that they may prevent forces hostile to the King from ever again corrupting royal government.
6. The King of Aragon agrees to aid and accompany the King of Castile in any war which the Castilian King participates in; so that Spanish foreign policy may never again be divided.
7. The Kingdoms of Sicily and Aragon agree to the establishment of a formal peace.
8. The King of Aragon agrees to ceded Barcelona, henceforth to be called Fredericksburg, to the King of Sicily.

x King Alfonso VIII

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The Scourge of God

An address by the King of Castile to be read publicly all across the Kingdom:


As good friends of the King of Aragon, we express our utter shock and horror at the death of the Aragonese King in his holding cell. We had taken care to treat him generously and provide him with ample accommodation, and were thus completely taken aback when we heard of this startling development. While we presently believe his death to have been the result of suicide, an investigation will be ordered immediately to ensure that this tragic event was not regicidal in nature.

The present state of Christendom is one of much danger and peril. We now face the onslaught of Egyptian infidels coupled with chaos and division at home. This truly is a general crisis like none in living memory, and I say that as an old man who has seen much and remembers well times of misfortune. But what has brought about this crisis? God's will. The infidels in Egypt are a scourge of God, summoned by Him to punish Christendom for her moral decay and spiritual corruption. It is a test of our will, a challenge for us as Christians. But we cannot drive back this scourge, and prove ourselves to God, unless we purify the Church. And for the church to be purified, the sickened head must first be cured before the rest of the body can be healed. The current Bishop of Rome, a tyrannical and degenerate man, has acted like the most worldly of princes, marrying off his family members to increase his temporal power. He has used his power of excommunication in a most partial and partisan manner--determined to split Christendom into two opposing camps--against godly princes like myself who simply wished for the preservation of peace and neutrality. But neutrality is no longer an option with this bishop, who has been tempted by the Devil. All Christian realms must now choose whether they are on the side of God, or that of Satan.

So, fellow men of Christ, it is clear that we must cast out this evil from the Church and renounce our sins if we wish to repel the scourge of God. Even within his own pagan religion, this scourge knows no remorse, having ordered the murder of his coreligionist the Almohad Sultan. Think also how this Sultan of Egypt threatens our very own kingdom, having recognized the Count of Toulouse as the King of Castile. It would not at all shock me, therefore, if the rebel leaders in the north of the kingdom have been urged on by the Sultan. Most of our rebellious subjects, however, I believe to be well-intentioned Castilians who have simply been misled by their leaders, said leaders being pawns of foreign interlopers like the Egyptians. I thus proclaim a general amnesty to any rebel who lays down his weapons and reaffirms his loyalty to our King Alfonso VIII, and therefore proves himself to be a good Christian and Spaniard. For we cannot afford to fight amongst each other while God's scourge threatens us, and the Church remains in Lucifer's hands.