My conquest of Spain continues, and I’m now on the 4th generation of rulers.

The first King did well in gaining new land and setting up the basic structure for the kingdom. He changed the succession law to ensure his first male heir would inherit everything, and had a good number of children, both male and female. He lived until his 50s, dying in battle.

His son, the second King, also did well. He further expanded the kingdom by taking land from the Muslims via holy war, and further upgraded key castles, villages, and churches in critical regions. These upgrades mean that at worst, the king could raise a sizable army from just a few concentrated areas to fight off invasion or rebellion. While not as fertile as his father, he still managed to have a son and a few daughters. He died when disease struck the region in his 40s.

The third generation King accomplished more than either of his predecessors. Through the extensive use of Knights Templar, he conquered many Muslim nations and secured more than half of the Spanish peninsula. These wars were also highly profitable thanks to ransoming off the numerous war prisoners. These funds were used to further upgrade infrastructure, and the result of that was the ability to raise a massive army when needed. He had two sons, but one died at an early age due to birth defects, and the other died in his 20s from disease. Luckily the second son did have a male heir to continue the dynasty. The third King did in battle; a fitting end to a great conqueror.

Unfortunately he died a little earlier than ‘expected’, and the child of his deceased son became King. Inheriting such a large kingdom so young did not sit well with the nobles, who launched a string of rebellions. At the peak of rebellion, a full ten counties were rebelling, and it was only thanks to hired mercenary companies that the child-King regained some control. Even so, two counties successfully declared independence, and before they could be brought to justice, the peasants in a few regions also rebelled and had to be put down. All of this infighting drained the kingdoms supplies and funds, stalling and further expansion or conquest.

As things currently stand, the now-adult King has regained control of the nobility, but has not yet regained all the land he once inherited. As he was dealing with local rebellion, a rival Kingdom captured many regions from the Muslims, and has now risen to power on the peninsula. A blood war for final control is sure to come.

(In other words, CKII is pretty f’n great)