Unholy Marriage is the fourth scenario of the The Grand Dukes of the West campaign in Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition - Lords of the West. It is based on the expansion of Burgundian rule in the Low Countries during the early reign of Philip the Good in the mid-15th century.
Intro[]
You see, my son; it was not John the Fearless who brought La Pucelle to the stake here in Rohen, but his son: our great Duke, Philip the Good.
Until this point, he had been ruling the Burgundian Low Countries in his family's name, presiding over an economic and cultural golden age in this corner of Europe. Outraged by the murder of his father, he quickly formed an alliance with the English to avenge the death of John the Fearless.
But his war against the Armagnacs would have to wait.
The Duke of Bavaria, who had fought with John at the Battle of Othée many years before, once more called for help from the Burgundians. This time it was not against an Armagnac revolt, but against his own niece.
Jacqueline of Hainaut was not a woman content with obeying orders. For a short time she had been the queen-to-be of all of France; but when her husband died, she was quickly relegated to her Dutch holdings.
With her claim to the Low Countries contested by the Burgundians, she fled across the English Channel, where she married the Lord Protector of England. Together, they now returned to claim the lands she had lost to the Duke of Bavaria.
Philip, seeing his northern lands under attack by an English renegade, rode north to push them back into the sea.
Scenario instructions[]
Starting conditions[]
- Starting Age:
Castle Age - Starting resources: 500 food, 450 wood, 450 gold, 125 stone
- Population limit: 175
- Starting units:
- Philip the Good
- 6 Knights
- 3 Coustilliers
- 1 Scout Cavalry
- 2 Monks with Relic
- 9 Villagers
Objectives[]
Main objectives[]
- Defeat Jacqueline of Hainaut.
- Defeat Humphrey of Lancaster.
Secondary objectives[]
- Pay the Count of Namur 1,000 gold to adopt Philip the Good as heir to the county and join the fight on your side.
- Place two Relics in the Cambrésis Monastery to ensure that your relative is elected as bishop. The Cambrésis residents will then pay tribute to you.
- (some time subsequent to Cambrésis Relics) Build a Cathedral within the flagged area of Cambrésis so that the residents continue to pay you tribute.
Hints[]
- Philip the Good can support a population of 175.
- War is always a costly affair. Philip the Good would do well to increase his influence and win allies who can support him economically and militarily.
- English Longbowmen are a threat that should not be underestimated. Training large amounts of cavalry and Skirmishers could be the key to victory over Humphrey of Lancaster's army.
Scouts[]
- Philip the Good (1, Purple) has gained a foothold in the west of the County of Hainaut. Succeeding his murdered father, he is already a relatively wealthy man, but he will soon have to start recruiting an army to stand a chance against his rivals.
- John of Bavaria (2, Yellow) is marching towards Hainaut from the east. He commands a powerful army, but will hardly be able to defeat his niece and the Lord Protector on his own.
- In the north and northwest, Jacqueline (4, Green), and Humphrey of Lancaster (3, Red) own estates that they will defend at any cost. Jacqueline will primarily use infantry and cavalry for this purpose, while Humphrey will rely on the range of his feared Longbowmen.
- It may be possible for the Burgundians to make other alliances. The County of Namur (5, Cyan) has no male heirs, a problem that Philip may be able to take advantage of. The city of Cambrésis (6, Orange) lies to the southwest. Philip's relatives have considerable influence there from which the Burgundians may benefit.
Players[]
Player[]
- Player ( Burgundians): The player starts in the west with Philip the Good and a few assorted cavalry, along with 9 Villagers and assorted military and economic buildings. The player begins with a semblance of a base; although initially unfortified, the river to the south allows for excellent Stone Wall defense and a potential Castle chokepoint.
Allies[]
- The Duke of Bavaria ( Teutons): John III of Bavaria begins in the east with an established camp, though unfortified. Given time, he will produce large amounts of Villagers and eventually, upon advancing to the Imperial Age, summon a powerful army of Paladins, Champions, and the slow but devastatingly powerful Elite Teutonic Knights. He will also attempt to make Capped Rams and Trebuchets, but will rarely defend them properly when attacking.
- The County of Namur ( Teutons): The Count of Namur is old and without a son; upon proper compensation, he will adopt Philip as his heir and join the war. He starts with a well fortified and developed base to the southwest, and will occasionally produce large amounts of Elite Teutonic Knights, rams, and various cavalry. He is not under threat even if he joins the war; Jacqueline and Humphrey want the Duke and Philip defeated.
- Cambrésis ( Franks): Cambrésis is a small and pious bishopric in the southwest of the map. They field only a defensive army, but are wealthy from the tithes of the fervent citizens. If Philip the Good can aid his relative in becoming bishop, he will receive substantial aid in the war effort.
Enemies[]
- Jacqueline of Hainaut ( Burgundians): Jacqueline owns a large estate to the northeast and center. She is already firmly established with walls and Castles protecting her. Her base is divided in two across a tributary river, and both sides function more or less autonomously (i.e., destroying the southern half will not hamper the north, and vice versa). Given enough time, her Villagers will rebuild any destroyed building on the opposite side if the Castle falls. She will attack with steady cavalry and eventually with a mass of Paladins, Coustilliers, Halberdiers, and possibly Hand Cannoneers, although destroying her Universities if they appear prevents this.
- Humphrey of Lancaster ( Britons): Humphrey is established to the north and northwest. His base is a pair of walled encampments protected by Castles, heavy cavalry, Longbowmen, and eventually Warwolf Trebuchets. He has no Villagers besides his Fishing Boats, so he does not rebuild. If attacked, the entire garrison will charge. He receives English supplies and is capable of rapidly building an offensive force of ranged and mobile troops that can tear an unprepared base to pieces.
Strategy[]
(Assuming hard difficulty) Like other scenarios in the campaign, the player will have some time to boom before being attacked. Just to the northeast of the player's Town Center is a gold pile that is a good spot for a second Town Center. Scout out the map to meet Cambrésis and The County of Namur. Cambrésis will join the player's side if the player deliver two Relics to them. Relics can be found north of Cambrésis and southeast of Cambrésis. There is also a Relic near the gold pile mentioned above, so the player can keep that Relic for themselves. Finally, there is a Relic at the top of the map, but the player must fight to get to it, so this Relic is not worth it (at least not until one of the two enemies is defeated). The County of Namur will join the player's side if the player tributes them 1,000 gold. Both allies will help considerably when fighting Jacqueline of Hainaut and Humphrey of Lancaster, and are worth their cost. If the player does not tribute the County of Namur, they will later get a message from the County of Namur reminding themselves of their request. By that time the player should tribute the 1,000 gold (if not done already), otherwise the County of Namur will eventually change their diplomatic stance to enemy.
A Castle northeast of the second Town Center will provide good defense against Humphrey of Lancaster. Alternately, walling it up will cause Humphrey of Lancaster to take the long way around, and their troops will be hampered by the player's allies. Neither of the player's enemies field strong navies, much of their civilization is near the river, and Elite Cannon Galleons are researchable, so the river is a strong choice of attack. Humphrey can fall quickly to this.
Humphrey of Lancaster will attack with Longbowmen, Cavaliers, and Trebuchets. Beware that his Longbowmen outrange the player's Castles. Counter with Skirmishers and cavalry. He does not rebuild buildings, so a Cannon Galleon will tear his base to pieces. Humphrey of Lancaster will be the immediate threat due to his proximity to the player's base. If he is left unchecked, he will attack with increasingly strong raids of cavalry to raid all of the player's undefended villagers and buildings. Given time, he will make Trebuchets, at which point he will launch full-scale assaults to destroy the player's walls and open a place for Jacqueline's heavy cavalry. An aggressive offensive early on can prevent this; destroying military buildings will cripple his early assault.
Jacqueline of Hainaut will attack with Paladins, Halberdiers, and some Hand Cannoneers. Castles placed in front of her base will stop most attacks, and deploying the player's own Halberdiers against her cavalry is effective. Like Humphrey of Lancaster, much of her civilization can be destroyed with Cannon Galleons. She is also less of an immediate threat than Humphrey, as she will spend a decent amount of time fighting the player's allies. Jacqueline will send many of her Villagers to the north of the map, where there is an abundance of wood and gold, a good quarry of stone, and a number of Deer. Once Humphrey is defeated, an attack from the north can prove highly effective, as her second Castle is within easy reach of any Trebuchets, and, once destroyed, will leave her upper base defenseless except for a few Keeps and Guard Towers.
In addition to constructing a wall northeast of the player's base, it is also possible to wall from the river to the northwest of Cambrésis, and then from the northeast side of Cambrésis to the southeast river. This will cause enemy forces to detour through the player's allies and give the player some breathing room. At some point, Cambrésis will request a Cathedral be built in their city to keep fighting. If the player has been booming, the player should have the resources to do this.
If an early-game assault on Humphrey fails, expect to face fierce opposition. Build walls, towers, and as many Castles as possible. There should be sufficient stone and space for at least two Castles: one to the northeast of the player, by the Stone Mines, and one to the south, next to the river. This southern Castle is crucial for halting Jacqueline's cavalry raids. If not properly defended, the constant raids will make it nearly impossible to gather sufficient resources for a proper offensive.
The river Oise runs next to Humphrey's base. A large group of Cannon Galleons can destroy many of his buildings, but watch out for Trebuchet fire. Large groups of ships often get stuck on each other and will not move out of the way in time, and a single Warwolf Trebuchet can sink almost all of them in one blast.
Jacqueline's base is split in two by a river crossing. Once again, a large group of Galleons can destroy her towers and Keeps, opening the way for land units to assault. Beware, though; if she is attacked from the river, she will produce Fast Fire Ships, which Cannon Galleons absolutely cannot fight against. Also watch the land; she will launch defensive raids if attacked, but she will launch an attack on the player's base if there are no troops to fight. Be ready for an attack before doing this.
If the game reaches long times, in excess of two hours, most resources will be exhausted. Humphrey has an unlimited supply from England and will continue producing; Jacqueline does not, but will manage her resources well. If it becomes necessary, use Burgundian Vineyards to create more gold, as food from Farms is a renewable resource. As a last-ditch attempt, the player can generate large amounts of Villagers and use Flemish Revolution to create an army of Burgundian Pikemen with infantry resistance, but this is a dangerous strategy that should not be attempted (at least not without saving before).
Outro[]
Philip treated his beaten foe with respect. While Jacqueline was only a Burgundian by marriage, her plot, while failed, had been in true Burgundian fashion.
Even so, Jacqueline found her imprisonment in Ghent intolerable.
Not long after her capture, her uncle, the Duke of Bavaria, was found dead; murdered by poison. It is unclear if Jacqueline was behind this; some have even speculated that Philip himself ordered the assassination.
But do not let anyone hear you say that, my son.
Regardless, Jacqueline used the ensuing chaos to escape her house arrest. Dressed in men's clothing, she fled to Holland, forcing Philip to keep his attention in the north.
Trivia[]
- Namur is the capital of Wallonia, a French-speaking region in Belgium. However, they are represented in this scenario by the Teutons instead of the Franks.
- Although Jacqueline is a member of the House of Wittelsbach, a German dynasty, she is represented by the Burgundians, possibly because her mother is Margaret of Burgundy, the daughter of Philip the Bold.
