The Matter of the Crown is the first scenario of the Jadwiga campaign in Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition - Dawn of the Dukes.
Intro[]
June 15th, 1399.
You can hear a distant bell tolling, as the first light of dawn glitters on the Vistula River; an industrious friar, somewhere in the outskirts of Krakow, hailing the arrival of the new day, long before the priests in our our own cathedral have risen from their beds.
It has been a long time since I noticed such things: the little things of beauty that season our days of war and toll and make them almost... palatable.
But as I lie here, counting the days until the arrival of my first child, I notice them more and more. Perhaps they never went away; perhaps being confined to this bed has simple opened my eyes to them again.
Better is a handful of quietness than two hands full of toil and a striving after wind.
As write these words of the Preacher, the mighty bells of Wawel Cathedral finally toll for the morning... incredible, really, how the sound of those bells is wedded both to the worst and the most wonderful memories of my life.
I came to this city when I was eleven years old; a lonely princess from Hungary, surrounded by guards; a stranger in a strange land.
This kingdom of Poland, which my late father had left as my inheritance, was a country on the brink of ruin. A civil war raged, with every duke and petty lord laying claim to the throne — and to my hand in marriage as his queen.
It was not a prospect that I longed for... but, on the other hand, coming here meant that I would finally get to meet William again.
My William; the Habsburg prince of Austria... we had been promised to each other since before I could remember. Once I sat upon the throne of Poland, we would be wedded at last.
As the mountains came to an end and the bells of Wawel Cathedral sang from Krakow in the distance, it was him I thought of. What I would not give to be so young and naive again!
Scenario instructions[]
Starting conditions[]
- Starting Age:
Castle Age - Starting resources: None; then 350 food, 350 wood, 250 gold, 100 stone
- Population limit: 120
- Starting technologies: Squires
Main objectives[]
- Bring Jadwiga to her coronation at Wawel Cathedral in Krakow.
- Do not let the rebel dukes capture (kill) Jadwiga.
After reaching Krakow, the above objectives are replaced by the following:
- Force the Duke of Opole into submission by destroying the two Castles in his city.
- Force the Duke of Mazovia into submission by defeating most of his army.
Secondary objectives[]
After defeating the guards at the Siege Workshop:
- Tribute 1,500 gold to the engineer (2, Purple) to buy four Trebuchets.
After the player loses all Trebuchets:
- Tribute 1,000 gold to the engineer (2, Purple) to gain the Capped Ram technology.
Hints[]
- Jadwiga is restricted to the Castle Age and a population limit of 120.
- Sometimes it is wise to run and fight another day, even if it means sacrificing some of your less valuable troops.
- Neither of the enemy dukes want a fight to the death. If you subdue one, he will aid you in your fight against the other. Keep in mind that he will be a weaker ally for the rest of the war if you weaken him too much before he submits.
- There are several paths into each enemy base. The most direct approach may not always be the best!
- Scout the countryside. You may find locals who can assist your war effort.
- You cannot build Docks in this mission, so you must rely on farming rather than fishing. Instead of Mills, the Poles build Folwarks. These cost a bit more, but they also provide 5 population space (like Houses) and automatically gather some food from each Farm constructed next to one.
- Once either duke has joined your side, you can use chat commands to cooperate with him. Taunts 3-6 will tell him to send you resources, while taunt 31 will cause him to attack an enemy.
Scouts[]
- Jadwiga (1, Red) and her bodyguards are on their way from Hungary to Krakow, where Jadwiga is to be crowned Queen of Poland.
- In the southeast lies Krakow (2, Purple), the Polish capital. Its nobles support Jadwiga and will provide you with men and resources for the coming war.
- Your strongest opponent is the Duke of Opole (3, Cyan). He commands a large army from his walled city in the west. He will primarily train cavalry, heavy infantry, and siege weapons.
- The Duke of Mazovia (4, Yellow) has constructed a forward base to the north. He will primarily send cavalry, Archers, and Cavalry Archers your way.
- Throughout the countryside are various allied Polish villages and camps. Some of these might provide you with resources or help you in your fight against the dukes.
- There are rumors of other factions approaching the Polish borders: the Teutonic Order (5, Grey) has been known to raid the region from time to time, and a suitor for Jadwiga (6, Green) is on the way to Krakow...
Players[]
Player[]
- Player ( Poles): The player starts in the south with Young Jadwiga and her small escort of Knights and infantry. After reaching Krakow, the player is granted a town in the center of the map.
Allies[]
- Krakow ( Poles): The city of Krakow is located in the center of the map, and controls outlying villages in the northeast and southwest, as well as the base that the player is granted in the second part of the scenario. It also controls a Siege Workshop occupied by Mazovian Guards just northeast of the player's base. It stays passive throughout the scenario.
- The Suitor ( Lithuanians): Jogaila and his entourage only appear in the ending cinematic. They don't participate in the scenario otherwise.
Enemies[]
- The Duke of Opole ( Poles): In the first part of the scenario, Knight patrol belonging to Opole chases down Jadwiga's entourage, and Crossbowmen block the paths east and west across the bridges with barricades. In the second part of the scenario, Opole has a fortified base in the western area of the map, training Crossbowmen, infantry, and siege.
- The Duke of Mazovia ( Poles): Mazovia doesn't participate in the first part and has a base located to the north of player's base in the second part. It trains Knights, Crossbowmen, Cavalry Archers, and rams.
- The Teutonic Order ( Teutons): After one of the enemy dukes is defeated and allied, an attack wave of Teutonic Knights, Crusader Knights, Cavaliers, Crossbowmen, and a Bombard Cannon spawns in the northwest or northeast, depending on which duke is defeated first.
- Mazovian Guards ( Poles):They guard the southwest village as well as the northern passage in the first part. Their patrols are dispersed across the map, protecting entries into the Mazovian base. They also guard several Relics, and occupy Krakow's Siege Workshop. They are defeated and their units convert to The Duke of Mazovia if The Duke of Mazovia is subjugated by the player.
Strategy[]
The player's objectives are ultimately to destroy two of Opole's Castles and only allow for five Mazovian soldiers to be remaining.
The player will start off with Young Jadwiga, several Pikemen, Knights, and a Winged Hussar. Head north and fight the Mazovian Guards' troops, which include three Knights and four Crossbowmen. Take a sharp right down the road and defeat the Duke of Opole's troops (three Crossbowmen and two Pikemen). Quickly destroy the barricade as Knights of the Duke of Opole will begin to pursue the player. Luckily, on the other side of the bridge, there are three Pikemen that will join the player. Have all the player's Pikemen act as a rear guard and escort Young Jadwiga inside Krakow's Cathedral area where the Monks can heal the player's troops.
Alternatively, it is possible to bypass the first Mazovian group entirely. Carefully bait the Crossbowmen (and probably a Pikeman/Knight or two) towards the player's starting point, killing them far enough away to prevent the rest of the Mazovians from aggroing. Set the stance to Krakow (purple) to neutral, use a single unit to break the rightmost segment of fence by the nearby Villager and her two Pigs, and then return stance to Ally. Send one unit at a time through the new opening, keeping to the right of the Gold Mines as they move up, and once all are through and onto the road, proceed east as normal.
Building up a base[]
After Young Jadwiga is escorted to the Cathedral, the Town Center outside Krakow's walls, Villagers, and a few military units will be under the player's command. Build up a base and grab the Cows and Sheep around the base. Once that food source is exhausted, build a Folwark and some Farms around it. Use the stone to wall the river crossings south and north of the player's base. Wall Krakow's gate with one of the player's own. The Duke of Opole is allied to Krakow and their troops will pass through and attack the player. The player will run out of gold quick; directly north of the base are several tiles of gold guarded by four Knights and a tower without Murder Holes. Knock it down. It is also worth researching Szlachta Privileges, which makes the player's Knights cost -60% gold. There is a merchant with four Trebuchets he will sell the player for 1,500 gold. Kill the Mazovian soldiers around the Trebuchets and the player will have the option to buy them. This is strongly encouraged, since the player is unable to advance to the Imperial Age.
Note: a cheaper alternative to paying 1,500 gold for the Trebuchets was researching Redemption (which costs 475 gold), changing the diplomatic stance with Krakow to neutral, and converting the Trebuchets. This was later fixed in a patch, as Krakow has Heresy researched now and so the Trebuchets will be destroyed upon conversion.
Expect attacks from both Opole and Mazovian periodically. The player's defensive Castles and armies of Knights, Obuchs, and Crossbowmen can defeat them. Build two Castles to protect the player's base, one just north of the player's Stable on the hill near the additional stone. The Relics are nearby and are also worth collecting. One is near the bridge northwest of the player's base and is guarded by a few soldiers. The other is far to the east and north of Krakow guarded by a few soldiers.
Attacking the Duke of Opole[]
With the player's newly purchased Trebuchets and an army of Knights, Obuchs, and Crossbowmen, destroy the first Castle. There will be a fierce counterattack from Opole, so be prepared to fall back and protect those Trebuchets at all costs. At least 30 troops with military buildings and resources ready to produce more. Once the first Castle is destroyed, head north along the right and attack the last Castle from the north. Once both Castles are destroyed, Opole becomes an ally. Feel free to mine the gold and stone around their base. Opole will launch several attacks against Mazovian on the player's behalf, but they will not be effective.
Attacking Mazovian[]
Gather up the army and push from where the player mined the gold that was guarded by a tower. There is only a palisade gate between the player's army and Mazovian's base. Mazovian will have a significant number of troops that consist of Knights, Crossbowmen, and Pikemen. Once Mazovian's number of troops are low, Teutonic Order troops spawn by their Castle. They consist of Cavaliers, Teutonic Knights, and a few Crossbowmen. Use the player's Crossbowmen to defeat theirs and have the player's Obuchs and Knights defeat their Teutonic Knights and Cavaliers. Once Mazovian has 5 soldiers remaining, the player wins the fight.
Outro[]
It was at the end of the war that William arrived outside of the castle gates. When I heard the news, it was as though a pulse of sunlight came from my heart, and I ran to meet him...
...only to see him surrounded by my own guards.
I threw myself at the gate, but the guards pulled me away, and William disappeared in a crowd of uniforms and glittering steel.
The Archbischop, his otherwise kind eyes grey and hard, spoke almost in a whisper, as if the words stung his throat:
"Your marriage to Prince William has been annulled, My Queen. We have found a more suitable king for Poland. His name is Jogaila, Duke of Lithuania."
I felt my heart shatter.
The noblemen of Krakow has never intended to honor my vows to William, as they did not want Poland to fall under Habsburg influence. And so they had made a secret deal with Jogaila of Lithuania; a deal they now expected me to fulfill.
For a long time I insisted that I would marry my William, but after many days and nights, in tears and in prayer, I could see no other way out than to break that vow.
I would trade my own happiness for the happiness of the Polish people, I would marry Jogaila, the pagan duke, and do my duty as queen.
God, forgive me.
Trivia[]
- After Jadwiga was forced to repudiate William, the latter married Joanna of Durazzo, Queen of Naples and Jadwiga's cousin. She had the Condottiero Muzio Sforza at her service, the latter being the father of Francesco Sforza.
- Jogaila, who was the narrator of the Algirdas and Kestutis campaign and appeared in the In the Shadow of the Throne scenario, appears at the end of this scenario. The events of this scenario are directly connected to the Algirdas and Kestutis campaign.
