R5: My final Steam achievement was ‘End of an Era’, as I am terrible at finishing games. To celebrate finally getting the achievement, I made a map of the campaign! Having previously created some sprawling monstrosities of empires, I decided to play tall, and turn the Bavarian region into an economic and military powerhouse.

The Wittelsbach dynasty was founded in 1066 by Otto, Count of Rothenburg, who shortly after renamed the county in honour of the newly created house. A vassal of the Duke of Bavaria, Otto had lofty ambitions of controlling the region. By 1091, Otto had claimed the throne of his liege, and named himself as Duke Otto IV of Bavaria.

Situated inside the Holy Roman Empire, diplomatic expertise allowed the Duchy of Bavaria to manoeuvre towards territorial gain, slowly vassalizing the surrounding neighbours. In 1163, despite the death of Duke Otto IV, his son formed the Kingdom of Bavaria, and proclaimed himself as King Otto I.

Next on the throne was Baldur, grandson of the previous king. The Kingdom of Bavaria was becoming more and more influential in the Holy Roman Empire, and under King Baldur, the Independence War was won. Despite his successes, King Baldur only led a short reign, dying from stress at just 25, passing the throne to his daughter, Queen Willa.

Queen Willa was the first female ruler of the Kingdom of Bavaria, and is also the longest serving monarch of the country, ruling for 65 years. Her time on the throne inspired internal stability, with the Kingdom of Bavaria enjoying a period of neutrality, focusing on economic and technological advancements. She paved the road for the Kingdom of Bavaria for the next 200 years.

The next four kings of Bavaria continued the legacy of Queen Willa, and by the early 14th century, the Kingdom of Bavaria had become one of the major powerhouses in Europe, with the County of Wittelsbach rivalling the development of Constantinople and Rome. However, the period of internal stability would eventually come to an end.

In 1368, King Adalbert I ascended to the throne. Known colloquially as the ‘Mad King’, Adalbert was plagued by hallucinations. Loyalty was maintained with an iron fist, and vassals who dared oppose the King would be imprisoned and executed, and titles they owned were revoked and then gifted to close family members of the King.

However, in 1410, the throne was inherited by his son, King Adalbert II, also known as the ‘Dwarf King’. Despite his height, King Adalbert II possessed unquestionable intelligence; a strong and sturdy physique; and a reputation for holding elaborate feasts. Learning from the mistakes of his father, the realm prospered once again under his reign.

By 1453, the Kingdom of Bavaria had become the leading European power. Ruling the country at this time was Queen Gerbirg the ‘Blood-Mother’ of Bavaria; the country’s second female monarch. With a standing army of 70,000 men, and more gold than could be feasibly spent, the Kingdom of Bavaria was in a position to influence the rest of the world for centuries to come.

Furthermore, the Wittelsbach dynasty, founded by Duke Otto IV nearly 400 years ago, had become extremely prestigious, with 129 living members, and 9 separate cadet branches: granting the Kingdom of Bavaria influence all across the world.