The Grand Dukes of the West is a campaign in Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition - Lords of the West. It follows the exploits of various Dukes of Burgundy, notably John the Fearless and his conflict with the Armagnacs, and Philip the Good and his role in the capture and death of Joan of Arc during the Hundred Years' War.
Campaign[]
| “ | For decades, the dukes of Burgundy have been embroiled in a bloody struggle over control of the mad French king using their cunning, military prowess, and immense wealth. However, as the blood that they spill is paid for with blood of their own, their focus turns increasingly northwards as they aim to create a kingdom of their own. | ” |
| —In-game campaign description | ||
The Grand Dukes of the West campaign consists of 6 scenarios. The player plays as the Burgundians, and the player color is purple.
- A Kingdom Divided
- The Wolf and the Lion
- The Cleansing of Paris
- Unholy Marriage
- The Hook and Cod Wars
- The Maid Falls
The campaign is narrated by an unnamed advisor of Philip the Good who told the story to his son in the lead-up to Joan of Arc's burning at stake.
Trivia[]
- Alongside Edward Longshanks, the The Grand Dukes of the West campaign is the first campaign in the game to feature the main hero from another campaign as the main antagonist (in this case, Joan of Arc).
- The campaign selection screen abbreviates the name of the campaign to "Grand Dukes". The full name of the campaign is written in the campaign description.
- The player will get 38 gold if they lose the hero units of this campaign (John the Fearless in the first three scenarios; Philip the Good in the last three). This is related to an originally intended civilization bonus for the Burgundians (which was removed before release): fallen Knights would return half of their gold cost (38 gold - rounded up).
Gallery[]
The cutscene background
Collar of the Order of the Golden Fleece, Adrien de Croÿ (c. 1500–53)
Burgundy vs. the Armagnacs
John the Fearless in the campaign cutscene
The assassination of Louis d'Armagnac under John's commands
John marching into Paris
John politicking
Bernard d'Armagnac, a major rival
Philip the Good, the son of John the Fearless
Jacqueline's marriage with the Lord-Protector of England
Jacqueline's plot beaten by Philip
A disguised Jacqueline escaping
Joan of Arc captured by Burgundians
Joan being handed over to the English
Joan's death by burning
