City of the Devil Background/Gazetteer

City of the
Devil:
Background
and Gazetteer
“Mad world! mad kings! mad composition!”
Shakespeare – ‘King John’
City of the Devil Background/Gazetteer
This booklet aims to give a quick look at the regions and personalities of
the rest of the game to give you some idea of the rest of the 'world'. More
detail on your own region will be found as a separate Regional handout.

Medieval Europe in 1209

Medieval Europe in 1209 is a patchwork of different lands, ruled by a
warrior noble caste. There are the beginnings of national consciousness
and identity in some places, especially England, Wales and northern
France, but for the most part the key determinant of who you are is who
you owe personal allegiance (fealty) to, usually via an oath. You can owe
fealty to the King of England and be French, and vice versa, and only the
Church can release you from such an Oath. Of course, allegiance works
both ways, and a lord who takes his vassals for granted and abuses his
power may find rebellion in the air.

Recent Events
Recent events that have had major Europe-wide consequences include:
1187 - The fall of Jerusalem to Saladin. This saw the almost complete
collapse of the Crusader states created 90 years earlier by the First
Crusade. The Third Crusade (1189-92) ensured that they survived and
were not wiped out, but did not succeed in reconquering Jerusalem.
1195 – The Battle of Alarcos. This battle saw the Moors in Spain
decisively defeat the Spanish Kingdoms and set them squabbling.
1204 – The fall of Constantinople. The Fourth Crusade was diverted by
Venetian money and political expediency and ended up destroying the
Byzantine Empire and capturing Constantinople. Now some Catholic
Crusader states (‘The Latin Empire’) occupy the region, but are heavily
pressured by the remnants of Byzantium and avaricious neighbours like
the Turks and Bulgarians.
1204 – The fall of Normandy. Philip of France took advantage of a
feudal technicality to invade Normandy, and against the odds defeated the
English and sent them packing. Ever since, John has schemed to regain
his lands in France, but his English barons are not happy.
1208 – The murder of Philip of Swabia. The leading candidate for Holy
Roman Emperor, his sudden and random death via a family feud has seen
Otto become ruler almost by default, while Philip’s supporters have
turned instead to the young Frederick of Sicily as their champion.
1208 – The murder of Bishop Peter of Castelnau. The murder of the
Pope’s chief representative to suppress heresy in southern France has led
an irate Innocent III to preach a crusade against the Albigensians.

2
City of the Devil Background/Gazetteer
POWERS AND PERSONALITIES OF THE BRITISH ISLES

ENGLAND
England is – notionally - a powerful, wealthy and unified country created
by the Norman invasion 150 years ago. In 1151, the marriage of Henry of
Anjou to Eleanor of Aquitaine, and their subsequent inheritance of the
English crown (a deal previously struck between Stephen and Matilda to
end their civil war) created a huge empire that also claimed half of
France. The Norman English also invaded Wales in 1081 and Ireland in
1171, and now also control half of those nations. However, these huge
domains create envy and discontent among neighbours and rivals, and
Kings of England must fight constantly to keep them.

Royal Court and servants:

King John Plantagenet

England is ruled by King John, youngest of the four sons of Henry II. He
started well, defeating France and capturing rival Arthur, Duke of
Brittany. But his subsequent murder of Arthur and loss of Normandy and
Anjou to King Philip of France have bred dissatisfaction, and his huge tax
increases to fund the recapture of his lands have brought his barons to the
brink of open revolt. Now a quarrel with the Pope over the Archbishop of
Canterbury has also led to his excommunication and England being
placed under Church Interdict (see the Game Handbook, p24), and his
various enemies are circling like crows.

Bishop Peter des Roches

Bishop of Winchester, Peter des Roches is England’s Chancellor and
Justiciar and effectively ‘chief minister’ of King John. A worldly, rather
than religious man, he is a loyal servant of his Royal master.

William ‘Longsword’, Earl of Salisbury

King John’s bastard half-brother (via a Royal mistress of Henry II),
Longsword is John’s trusted envoy to foreign powers and also often used
as a field general when the King cannot or does not wish to be present.

Archbishop John de Gray

Formerly Bishop of Norwich, he has been selected as Archbishop of
Canterbury by King John, but does not have Papal support for this.

Savaray de Mauleon, Seneschal of Gascony and Poitou

Savaray de Mauleon, a loyal noble from Poitou, administers southwestern
France on behalf of King John.

3
City of the Devil Background/Gazetteer
Other English nobles:

William Marshal, Earl of Pembroke and Leinster

Perhaps the most powerful man in England after the King, Marshal rules
most of south Wales and Ireland semi-independently. He has had his
differences with John, but so far has stayed loyal. He also still has lands
in France.

Ranulph de Blundeville, Earl of Chester

Another powerful magnate with lands in the Midlands, de Blundeville is
generally regarded as a John loyalist. He defends England’s frontier
against the Welsh Princes.

Robert Fitzwalter, Lord of Baynard’s Castle

A powerful landowner, Fitzwalter is the focus for baronial opposition to
John, with the support of many powerful southern lords.

Eustace de Vesci, Lord of Alnwick

With close ties to the Scottish crown, de Vesci is the rallying point for
northern English lords opposed to John.

WALES
Half of Wales is under the control of powerful ‘marcher lords’ like
Marshal and de Blundeville, but the rest is a mess of feuding Welsh
princedoms. The most powerful of these is Gwynnedd. Its ruler, Prince
Llewellyn of Gwynnedd, effectively carries the banner of an independent
‘Welsh Wales’.

SCOTLAND
Scotland is divided between the richer, lowland fiefs, most of which owe
close obedience to the King of Scotland, and the more rugged, highland
clans, many of whom are opposed to the power of Edinburgh. Two parts
of Scotland, the Western Isles and the northernmost lands, were settled by
Vikings, and still owe allegiance to the King of Norway.

King William 'the Lion'

Now 67 years old, William has ruled Scotland for 44 years. He has seen
Scotland reduced to English vassalage by Henry II, only to buy its
independence back from King Richard I in 1189. He keeps his precarious
independence from England by cultivating its many enemies, both within
the Kingdom, and without, especially the King of France.

4
City of the Devil Background/Gazetteer
POWERS AND PERSONALITIES OF FRANCE

FRANCE
Unlike England, France has had no real centralised authority for centuries
and the King depended for his power only on his own lands – Paris and
the surrounding ‘Isle de France’. Half of France came to be ruled by the
King of England when Henry of Anjou married Eleanor of Aquitaine and
then inherited Normandy and England. However, under King Philip this
has begun to change, as he has driven John out of Normandy and Anjou
and secured control over Brittany, something watched with alarm by the
other French lords.

French Royal Court:

King Philip II Capet, ‘the Spider’

Philip of France has been king for 29 years at game start. He is renowed
as a wily diplomat, and over the past decade has outmanoeuvred King
John of England militarily as well. Now he seeks to consolidate his gains
(Normandy, Poitou) and perhaps win more territory into the bargain.

Prince Louis Capet, Dauphin

Philip’s oldest son, Louis, is heir to the throne and a young, dashing
commander in his own right, keen to test himself in battle.

Andre de Coulours, Preceptor of the Temple in France

Coulours is the Treasurer of the Kingdom of France. He is also the
Master of the Knights Templar in France, where the treasury is kept.
While he is a dutiful servant to King Philip, there is always a concern
about whether his duty to the Temple might come first.

Philip of Dreux, Bishop of Beauvais

King Philip’s cousin, Philip of Dreux is the seniormost clergyman in the
French administration, and a contact point with the Papacy as well as a
Royal diplomat.

Peter of Dreux, Regent of Brittany

Nephew of Bishop Philip, and second cousin to King Philip, Peter is the
Royal guardian over Duchess Alix of Brittany.

Other French Lords:

While each is notionally the vassal of the King of France, in practice,
each of the following has considerable autonomy over the region that
they control.

5
City of the Devil Background/Gazetteer

Ferrand of Portugal, Count of Flanders

Younger son of the King of Portugal, Ferrand is Count of Flanders by
right of his marriage to his wife, Joan, the heiress. Flanders is one of the
most independently-minded of the French regions, and the mercantile
cities of Flanders are traditional allies of England to support Flemish
independence from France.

Blanche of Navarre, Countess of Champagne

Blanche is a widow, and regent to her infant son and heir, who is only 7
years old. She holds the rich lands of Champagne, home to the famous
Champagne Fairs which are the commercial heart of Europe. She is also
the daughter of the King of Navarre.

Odo of Merania, Duke of Burgundy

A wealthy and fiercely independent Duchy that borders the Holy Roman
Empire. Duke Odo’s father fought against Philip of France, but the
current Duke has been more cautious so far.

Raymond, Count of Toulouse

Raymond is a powerful noble of southern France. He was married to the
sister of King John and still has many ties with England, and now is
married to the sister of the King of Aragon, but his troubles are tied up
with the Cathar heresy spread throughout his lands.

Poitou and Gascony – ruled by King John of England via a Seneschal

(deputy), Savaray de Mouleon.

The Albigensian Crusade:

France is also currently where the Pope has preached a Crusade against
the Cathar heretics of the south. It is led by:

Abbott Arnaud-Amalric of Citeaux

Abbott of Citeaux and head of the wealthy and powerful Cistercian
Order, Arnaud is also Papal Legate to the Crusade, responsible for seeing
that God’s will (or at least Pope Innocent’s) is done.

Simon de Montfort, Earl of Leicester

Military leadership for the Crusade comes from a Norman noble whose
lands are mainly in England, Simon de Montfort. De Montfort hopes to
carve out a new domain for himself in southern France.

6
City of the Devil Background/Gazetteer
The Cathar Heresy:
Catharism is much more loosely structured than the Catholic Church, but
its seniormost figures are so-called Parfaits (Perfects) – something
between a Bishop and a monk, they abstain from meat, sex, alcohol, and
live in holy poverty. And the seniormost among them is:

Esclarmonde de Foix, Parfait

As well as being the seniormost of the Perfects of the Cathar Church,
Esclarmonde de Foix is also sister of Raymond-Roger of Foix and niece
of Raymond-Roger de Trencavel and (for the purposes of the game)
controls their lands and forces.

7
City of the Devil Background/Gazetteer
POWERS AND PERSONALITIES - HOLY ROMAN EMPIRE

The Holy Roman Empire is a disparate collection of lands covering

roughly the area of modern Germany, Austria and the Czech Republic
(and, depending on who you ask, possibly northern Italy as well), with an
elected monarch who must be crowned by the Pope. At the moment it is
divided between the squabbling Saxon Welf family and the Swabian
Waiblingen dynasty (in Italy these are known as Guelph and Ghibelline)
– the latter family, since the death of Philip of Swabia, contends through
its Hohenstauffen branch, who are also Kings of Sicily.
There are essentially two titles that matter - King of the Romans (in spite
of the name, this actually means King of Germany), and Holy Roman
Emperor. Otto of Saxony and Frederick Hohenstauffen have both been
elected King of the Romans, but neither has been made Emperor.
As well as the German princes, the Holy Roman Emperor also notionally
rules Italy. In effect, however, Italy consists of Sicily - an independent
Kingdom - the Patrimony of St Peter, firmly ruled by the Pope - and the
Northern Italian cities, who also try to maintain their independence.

House of Welf:
Otto, Duke of Saxony and Bavaria, King-Elect of the Romans
Third son of Henry, Duke of Bavaria and Saxony and Matilda of England
(not that one), and raised at the court of Richard I of England, he has
strong ties to his uncle, King John. He did not think the infant Frederick
should have been crowned King of the Romans, and with English money
got himself elected King instead in 1198. Alas his rival Philip of Swabia
gained the upper hand, until the latter's death last year.

Adolf of Altena, Archbishop of Cologne

The seniormost churchman of Germany and an Elector of the Empire, he
engineered Otto's election and supports his claim.

Diepold of Acerra, Duke of Spoleto

A Bavarian mercenary knight, Diepold prospered under Emperor Henry
VI, and was for a while guardian of Frederick of Sicily and ruled there in
his stead, but he has been evicted by Constance. Otto made him Duke of
Spoleto and now he serves Welf interests in Italy.

House of Hohensauffen:
Frederick, King of Sicily. King-Elect of the Romans
Young Frederick has just gained his majority at age 16 and now seeks to
claim his rightful title as King and Emperor, with the help of his older
and more experienced wife, and his supporters in Germany.

8
City of the Devil Background/Gazetteer
Constance of Aragon, Queen of Sicily
Sister of King Peter of Aragon, she has previously been Queen of
Hungary (until her husband died and she was sent back to Aragon). At 30
she is considerably older and more experienced than her teenage husband
Frederick, and is a guide and advisor as well as wife to him.

Walter Palear, Bishop of Catania

Walter is the long-standing Chancellor of Sicily, diplomat and treasurer
to the Hohenstauffen cause, and representative to the Papal Court.

THE ITALIAN STATES:

Venice
The wealthy Republic of Venice has managed to outmanoeuvre its rivals
Pisa and Genoa via the Fourth Crusade, which Venice bankrolled, and
which captured Constantinople. Via this Venice acquired large lands in
Greece and the Aegean. Venice is NOT technically part of the Empire.

Pietro Ziani, Doge of Venice

A scion of the very wealthy Ziani family, Pietro Ziani is the 42nd Doge
of Venice, an elected life position. His father was the 40th Doge.

Jacopo Tiepolo, Duke of Crete

Tiepolo is an up and coming Venetian military commander.

Marco Sanudo, Duke of the Archipelago

A relative of the Doge, Marco Sanudo controls Venetian lands in the
Aegean, and the Venetian quarter of Constantinople.

Patrimony of St Peter
Central Italy holds a band of lands which are owned directly by the
Papacy. They are administered on his behalf by: Azzo d’Este, Marquis of
Ancona and Este. Azzo is a condottiere (mercenary captain) with good
contacts with the Italian cities and is also married to the daughter of the
Prince of Antioch. The Pope has made him Marquis of Ancona and he
now serves as Papal Gonfalonier (army commander).

Lombard League
A league of northern Italian cities made for the sole purpose of staying
independent from the Emperor, whoever he may be, they are allies of the
Pope and led by Rambertino Buvallevi, Podesta (governor) of Milan.

9
City of the Devil Background/Gazetteer
POWERS AND PERSONALITIES OF IBERIA

The disunited Spanish Kingdoms exist in uneasy tension - each seeking to

gain lands at each others' expense, but also facing a theoretically common
enemy in the form of the Almohad Caliphate to the south. Some also have
connections further afield - in southern France for Castille and Aragon, in
Flanders for Portugal, and several via marriage ties to England.

CASTILE
Castille is the most powerful Kingdom, and hence most distrusted by the
others. There are long-standing grudges with Aragon and Leon over
control of lands claimed by both Kingdoms.
Alfonso VIII ‘the Noble’, King of Castile
Alfonso was decisively defeated by the Moors in 1195, and since then has
been seeking revenge against them and King of Leon, who sided with the
Moors. He is married to the King of England's sister, Joan, and also
claims via her that southern Gascony was her dowry.

Berengaria ‘the Great', Princess of Castile

Eldest daughter and for many years heir to Alfonso, Berengaria is the
most eligible bride in Europe. She was married to the King of Leon to
end the feud between the kingdoms but the Pope annulled the marriage as
they were cousins. Now she tries to reconcile her father and ex-husband
and also acts as a diplomat for her father.

ARAGON
Aragon holds lands on both sides of the Pyrenees, and thus must also
contend with the Albigensian Crusade as well as the struggle for Spain.

Peter II ‘the Catholic’, King of Aragon

King Peter was crowned by the Pope and swore to defend the Church
(hence his nickname), but this is made more complicated via family ties
to the Count of Toulouse and King Peter’s control of some lands there.

Peter of Creixell, Chancellor of Aragon

Peter is from a leading Barcelona noble family whose members serve as
administrators and diplomats for the Kingdom of Aragon.

LEON
Alfonso IX, King of Leon
Called by some 'the Slobberer' due to his eating habits, Alfonso is an
opportunist who invaded Castille after the latter's defeat to the Moors in

10
City of the Devil Background/Gazetteer
1195, and in spite of marriage (now annulled) to Alfonso of Castille's
daughter Berengaria and several treaties since, the two kingdoms remain
at daggers' drawn.

PORTUGAL
Sancho I ‘the Populator’, King of Portugal
King since 1185, Sancho has populated formerly Muslim lands with
Christian settlers - one reason for his nickname. Another may be his 11
children - one of whom is now Count of Flanders (by marriage). He has
enlarged the Kingdom by fighting the Moors.

FIGHTING ORDERS
There are several fighting orders of warrior-monks present in Spain. Two
small ones - the Order of Calatrava and the Order of St James, are not
played. The third however is the rich and powerful Order of Santiago.

Pedro Arias, Grand Master of the Order of Santiago

Based at the pilgrim city of Santiago de Compostela in northwest Leon,
the Knights of Santiago by Papal agreement receive one third of all lands
captured from the Moors. As master of the Order, he answers to no-one
but the Pope.

ALMOHAD CALIPHATE
Southern Spain (called al-Andalus by the Muslims) is in the hands of the
'Moorish' (Moroccan) Caliph. Wealthy and civilised lands, their disunity
led to them being constantly chipped away at by the militant Spanish
kingdoms, until al-Andalus fell first to the Moroccan Almoravid dynasty,
and by 1172 to the austere, fundamentalist Almohad ('Unity') movement,
which has proclaimed a Caliphate in Marrakesh, a rival to the one in
Baghdad.

Muhammad al-Nasir, Caliph of Morocco and al-Andalus

Muhammad has inherited the mantle of his powerful father, who crushed
the Spanish Kingdoms at Alarcos in 1195.

Abu Sa’id Uthman ibn Jami, Vizier of Morocco and al-Andalus

Uthman is a capable administrator and diplomat for his royal master.

11
City of the Devil Background/Gazetteer
POWERS AND PERSONALITIES OF BYZANTIUM

LATIN EMPIRE
The capture of Constantinople by the Fourth Crusade just five years ago
has led to a Catholic ('Latin') Emperor being installed with the
connivance of Venice and the Pope, and a free-for-all grab for the
remnants of the Byzantine Empire.

Emperor Henry of Flanders

Brother to Baldwin of Flanders, who was elected Emperor by the Crusade
after it conquered Constantinople, Henry struggles to keep his disparate
Empire together, facing surly resistance from his Greek subjects. Recent
disasters have included the capture and execution of his brother by the
Bulgarians and the loss of Adrianople, and now the death of Boniface of
Montferrat, King of Thessalonica, leaving those lands in the hands of a 3
year old boy and squabbling regency council.
The following lords also owe notional fealty to the Emperor and have
been rewarded with titles by him for doing so:

Geoffrey de Villehardouin, Prince of Achaea

A knight from Champagne, Geoffrey and his colleague in arms William
Champlitte conquered Achaea with 600 men (although some fortresses
are still holding out). He was also made Seneschal of the Empire by the
previous Emperor. But his hold on the land is precarious and his Greek
Orthodox subjects lean towards the Byzantine Emperor and Patriarch.

Otto de la Roche, Duke of Athens

A minor knight from Burgundy, Otto managed to grab Athens after the
Fourth Crusade and styled himself 'Duke'. He now has designs on
Thessalonika to the north, and, perhaps - why not? - the title of King.

BYZANTINE STATES
Three parts of the Byzantine Empire are still run by former Byzantine
nobles. One, the Empire of Trebizond, in the eastern Black Sea, is not
part of the game. The other two are played:

Theodoros Komnenos Laskaris, Emperor of Nicaea

Theodoros styles himself as the current 'Byzantine Emperor', from his
power base in the Empire's second city, Nicaea. His claim to the throne is
that he is married to the daughter of Emperor Alexius III, the man
deposed by the Fourth Crusade. He has cooperated with the Bulgarian
Tsar to try and regain his 'rightful' throne at Constantinople.

12
City of the Devil Background/Gazetteer

Michael Komnenos Doukas, Despot of Epirus

A cousin of the former Emperor, Michael Doukas has grabbed the west
part of Greece around Epirus after the fall of Constantinople.

As well as the Byzantine lords, considerable spiritual authority is vested

in:
Michael IV Autoreianos, Patriarch of Constantinople
The standard bearer of the Orthodox Church, Michael is the current
Greek Patriarch and has been persuaded by Theodoros to reside in Nicaea
(now that Constantinople is run by the Latins) and crown him as
Emperor. He also exerts spiritual authority over the other Orthodox states
(Bulgaria and Epirus).

SULTANATE OF RUM
Created by the invasion of Asia Minor by the Seljuk Turks, the Sultanate
of Rum (‘Rome’, in Turkish) portrays itself as a successor to the
Byzantine Empire. Its ruler, Kaikushraw, Sultan of Rum, is the son of the
powerful Seljuk Ruler Kilik Arslan III, and although he faces threats in
the east from Armenia, he is also looking to capitalise on the
fragmentation of the region now his great rival the Byzantine Empire lies
shattered.

BULGARIA
Once a province of the Byzantine Empire, Bulgaria is now effectively
independent under Ivan Asen Vlach, Tsar of Bulgaria and Wallachia
Vlach calls himself Tsar (Caesar) of Bulgaria to show his own imperial
pretensions. He captured and executed the previous Latin Emperor and
continues to push southwards to gain more land.

VENICE
In the aftermath of the Fourth Crusade, Venice gained control of most of
the Aegean. It also recently captured Crete from a Genoese pirate. Venice
has bankrolled the Latin Empire in return for commercial concessions,
but has also experimented with forging closer ties with the Despot of
Epirus. Its local representative is:

Marco Sanudo, Duke of the Archipelago

A relative of the Doge of Venice, Marco Sanudo controls Venetian lands
in the Aegean, and the Venetian quarter of Constantinople. Notionally a
vassal of the Latin Emperor, Marco forges his own foreign policy, not
always in agreement with the Doge in Venice. He has recently married
the sister of the Despot of Epirus.

13
City of the Devil Background/Gazetteer
PAPAL HIERARCHY

Pope Innocent III

Arguably the most powerful man in the western world, the former
Lothario de Segni, papal lawyer, is a centraliser and organiser. He is
determined to stamp the Church's authority in all spheres of life. He also
plays politics with the Kingdoms of western Europe. His chief concerns
at the moment are:
- trying to get a new Crusade to reconquer Jerusalem
- keeping the Crusades against the Moors and Cathars going
- getting King John of England to accept the Pope's own candidate as
Archbishop of Canterbury and return money stolen from the Church
- playing Italian power politics with the Welf-Hohenstauffen civil war
and extending Papal control of Italy
- The Fourth Lateran Council, currently meeting to determine matters of
importance to Church doctrine.
He is ably assisted by:

Cardinal Censio Savelli, Papal Treasurer

A Roman aristocrat who is keeper of the Church's finances, Savelli is a
former tutor to Frederick of Sicily and partisan of the Hohenstauffens.

Cardinal Niccolo di Romanis, Dean of College of Cardinals, diplomat

Bishop of Frascati, administrator and diplomat, Niccolo di Romanis is
also Papal Legate to England to resolve the Canterbury dispute.

Cardinal Ugolino di Conti, Bishop of Ostia, Papal Secretary

Bishop of Ostia and lawyer, Ugolino di Conti has pushed for the Church
to crack down on heretical beliefs. He also supports the Franciscans'
claim to become a fully recognised monastic order.

Francesco de Assisi, head of the 'Order of Friars Minor'

A former Italian merchant and mercenary, Francesco had a spiritual
conversion four years ago that has changed his life. He gave up all
worldly possessions and has been travelling and preaching, gathering
followers and developing a set of rules for them. He now forms the core
of an unofficial new order of wandering monks and is widely regarded as
a holy man. The Pope has become interested in Francesco's success in
winning souls for Christ from heresies like the Cathars - could this be a
new direction for the Church?

Don’t forget that the Pope is also a temporal as well as spiritual lord, with

14