Ankred of Lorenvald

Duke of Joraje 423-431
 Predecessor: Bruno of Rund (as regent)
 Pretender: Prokop the Bad
 Successor: Chenek of Lorenvald
INTRODUCTION
Ankred of Lorenvald (405-431VC) was the son of Jan the Wise and Duke of Joraje from 423 till 431. His reign was characterised by war with his uncle Prokop the Bad of Nidyitz whom he never decisively defeated and would continue to plague the early years of his brother and succesor, Chenek of Lorenvald. Ankred would also have to fight a proxy war with Ulrich of Jehnidy and Gerhard of Vitep his own ambitious vassals.
EARLY LIFE
Ankred was born in 405 to Jan the Wise and Helena of Pecka. He was too young to fight at the crucial Battle of Eshkonitze in 413 during the War of the Golden Seat, where Hejnrik II's domination of the Loren family ended with his capture. Ankred was tutored by his father and monk Hanz of Arryet abbey. Jan the Wise's premature death in 417 left a young Ankred unready to rule and so Bruno of Rund was chosen as regent.
BRUNO'S REGENCY
Bruno's regency proved to be disastrous for the stability Jan had cultivated since 413. Jan's younger brother, Prokop the Bad, contested Bruno's regency and begun the Loren Succesion crisis (417-435VC). Bruno lost Rojmberk in 419, losing the loyalties of the Brehsa family simultaneously. The defeat at Norŝof in 420 made Bruno seclude himself in Ŝteck castle. Bruno's final defeat at Vernberk in 422 caused the revolt of a number of noble families which a 15 year old Ankred had to quell. Throughout Bruno's entire regency Ankred had tried to remove the unpopular regent and rule by himself. Bruno's capture by Hejnrik II in 422 facilitated this and no ransom was paid for Bruno's release from Pallenburk castle. The consequences of Vernberk were dire however, as the Loren army was obliterated and Bruno had put the Lorens heavily in debt with war and witch trials. 
EARLY REIGN (423-427)
Ankred quickly formed an army by criticizing his predecessors actions and making promises to a number of great houses. Prokop of Nidyitz and his Honas and Jehnidy allies had laid waste to Loren lands since Vernberk in 422. Aiming to end this, Ankred gathered his armies to defeat Prokop at Nabom Mill in 424 but did not capitalize on the victory and Prokop escaped with few casualties. When Ankred's troops returned home, Prokop resumed attacks on Loren lands. Ankred could do little to stop this as Prokop's sporadic fashion of attacking meant an army would take too long to levy before Prokop had already slipped away. 
LATE REIGN (427-431)
Ankred's late reign saw a number of developments in the Loren succesion crisis. Prokop finally made a move for capturing a major town during the Siege of Sahnbroch in 429 where Prokop was defeated by Zebyslo of Horalom and the Brehša and Ptaček noble houses. The Siege and subsequent Battle of Zabuch showed that Prokop was not that much of a threat to Ankred's reign by himself. However when Gerhard of Vitep inherited the lands of Gurtred of Glostok in 429, Prokop received a large sum of money and became more reliant on Gerhard and Ulrich of Jehnidy after he exhausted his treasury at the siege of Sahnbroch. This lead to the succesful joint Siege of Lorenvald in 430 by Prokop, Gerhard and Ulrich. Ankred was forced to retreat to the fortified Hrad Ŝteck. In 431, the elderly Gerhard died and his lands were split. Ankred used this opportunity to march back to Lorenvald with a significant force but died at Arryet Abbey the same year at the young age of 26. His armies dissolved and Prokop made gains across Joraje in 431.
SUCCESSION AND SUMMARY
With no children the line of succession passed onto Chenek, Ankred's brother. By the end of Ankred's 8 year reign little had changed politically and all gains after Sahnbroch had been undone however Ankred had secured the temporary loyalty of his lords through promises and deals in a far less elegant manner than his father had during the Golden Seat crisis.