Arthur's Tale

Vann, Stnylan, Thanks. One of the challenges I faced was how to differentiate between writing as Boniface and as Cuthbert. In most chronicles the different styles of different continuers is apparent, and yet the whole thing has to have a consistency and a level of continuity. I did write more personally as Boniface as he had met Arthur and the first part of the tale is handed down to him personally you will recall. Added to that I decided then to make him Arthur's son to highlight the personal, almost devotional nature of the work. Although I did not write it in, I think that Boniface only found out late in life who he was. But this made sense of some of the elements I had written of earlier, like why Arthur gave him his sword etc. Cuthbert could not share the same personal style I decided, and he is of a different generation, and so I decided to make him a bit more naive, more direct and more concerned with political happenings. I am glad that I seem to have had some degree of success.

The chronicle style is both rewarding and yet quite limiting - it is not as easy to write quite as freely as I like to - compare this tale with In Flanders Field where my writing was far more descriptive having free rein writing in a detached vein. I will probably return to tbis style next time once this game has run its course. Brittany continues to thrive and the game is entering an interesting phase at the start of the 14th century with some interesting visitors from the far east and elsewhere on the horizon, and the certainty of the Black Death. Better get my heirs sorted. I had to change to full primogeniture else the game would have ended with duke Roger. I confess that I don't see the point of semi-salic primogeniture in this game. Why would you want to allow descent through the female line if it loses you the game!?

I'll try and get another post together over Easter. In the meanwhile, thanks again for your continuing interest and feedback.

Just a short update this time, but a very self-contained one as you will see. Happy Easter to all my readers. RA

Item: King Roger

Despite his new found title and status, Roger maintained his court at Nantes and ruled his new kingdom through his vassals, and in particular his brother Aimery, his heir and newly appointed Duke of Ulster. Selfishly this suited me as it meant I still had easy access to the court and to the chancery records which with the abbot’s continuing good grace I was allowed leave of absence from time to time to study and to compile this chronicle.

Within a twelvemonth all traces of dysentery had disappeared from Nantes and the county’s prosperity benefited accordingly.

Meanwhile in far away Verdun, a county which because of its riches the king still ruled as part of his demesne lands through a (now) royal seneschal, the power of the clergy was increased to address their reducing loyalty. Also a spinning mill and later on a dye-works were founded in this wealthy province as technological advances in the field of cloth-making spread across northern Europe.

The kingdom’s new found wealth meant that the king had no need to call his Estates General, a body whose primary purpose would have been to vote the king an exceptional grant of taxes, and such was the relief at this news amongst the burghers and peasantry especially, that king Roger’s prestige rose somewhat.

A king should have allies, and after several approaches from king Roger were declined by his cousins of England, France and Denmark, when he himself was contacted by King Owen Hetoumi of Scotland, the details of an alliance were quickly thrashed out and agreed.

By 1307 word reached the king at Nantes that neighbouring Anjou was at war with the marauding forces of the Il Khanate. The king thought about entering the war to aid Anjou, but he prevaricated and in 1308 this rich county, the seat of a once famous duchy fell into the hands of the infidel.

The king had other things on his mind, truth be told, for he was not a well man. He was by now past his half century in years and was thus an old man, for although the nobility generally lived longer than the peasants by dint of their better diet and living conditions, 50 years is quite an age for any man. His life was not thought to be in danger however. And neither was that of his young half-brother, Louis, so the lad’s sudden death aged 9 on 7 July 1308 came as a huge shock to the whole court, and especially to king Roger, who, of course, viewed the child more as a son or grandson than a brother, such was the age discrepancy between them.

The king never recovered from the shock of young Louis’s death, and the grim reaper claimed its royal victim on the eve of St Luke’s day 1308. He had been duke for 7 years and king for but 3 short years of these, years which were ironically the quietest of Roger’s recent past. His warring had won him a kingdom and it was as if he settled down to enjoy the fruits of his labour without further thought of expansion.

It is too early for me to write of the full legacy of his life and reign as duke and king, but he bequeathed a united kingdom, at peace, with many loyal vassals and several prosperous demesne counties that provided a secure income stream for the new king. But dark clouds loomed on the horizon, for not only was the Il Khanate at the very doors of Brittany, but the tribe of the Golden Horde had swept across central Europe and the southern half of the Holy Roman Empire and was now in a position to threaten the rich lands of Pfalz and Verdun. This was the real legacy that king Roger bequeathed to his successor, his younger brother, king Aimery.

Stnylan, Vann, Specialist, Interesting that you pick up on Cuthbert's apparent dislike of king Roger. After the shock of learning that his hero and mentor, Boniface, was of royal blood and Arthur's bastard son, I thought it likely that he would in fact resent the fact that a less worthy man, Roger, should become a king when all Arthur had was Brittany. Thus although he cannot speak openly of this and express his resentment directly, he can hint at it, which is what he has done. He is still young of course and may see things differently in due course.

Roger did OK considering his martial stat was 0. Aimery is much better equipped in this regard, whilst the most promising of them all is the new heir apparent, Robert (Aimery's eldest son). I think they will need thier martial skills for the infidel looms. England is very weak having been torn apart by civil war and lost many northern counties; France too is not over strong - the king of France has never threatened me once in all the game. And Germany/HRE seems to have capitulated to the Mongol horde.

How do things develop?? Keep reading......

Thanks for comments, and Happy Easter. RA.

Item: King Aimery

The new king was aged 49 years and until his brother’s death had ruled as Duke of Ulster. He was rumoured to be taller than average with chestnut red hair and beard, now shot through with distinguished streaks of grey as befits one of advanced years. I myself had yet to see him for he ruled his Irish duchy from Carrickfergus castle and the neighbouring small port town of Belfast at the mouth of the river Lagan. At this stage it was unclear what his intentions were regarding the seat of government for his newly inherited kingdom.

This is what little I knew of the new royal family and the king’s ministers.

His eldest son and heir was Robert, who the king wasted no time in creating Duke of Ulster. His second son was Art, short for Arthur presumably, who was created Earl of Ulaid. Next was Dunlag, a youth in his teenage years who was soon to be married to Ashild of Halgoland, a distant cousin. And his last surviving son was the 11 year old Ademar. His eldest daughter was Tiburge, but it was his second daughter Christina who had made the best match, for king Aimery soon had her married off to Ercc, duke of Bordeaux and the ex-king of England. And finally there was 16 year old Almodis, wife of the new king’s spymaster, Archembaud de Lorraine.

Also part of the king’s counsel were his sister Beatrice, his chancellor, Eldrid Halgoland, a very capable young lady who was his steward, and her brother Sverre who was marshal of the kingdom. Eldrid and Sverre were, grandchildren of duke Arthur, and were thus second cousins once removed of king Aimery. They represented the latest generation of the very capable and loyal Halogoland family whose own history had become so intertwined with that of the Breton Plantagenets.

Item: An omen?

It was the year after king Roger died, that is to say the year of our Lord 1309, when a strange phenomenon was visible in the skies. It was in the month of May, about eleven of the clock in the morning, when the sky began to darken, and a shadow began to creep across the disc of the sun, until after about one hour, the sun’s light was all but extinguished and an unearthly darkness had descended on the face of the earth. It was a most curious and awesome sight for although the sun’s light was hidden, all around the darkened disc was a most glorious halo of light. This appeared like shimmering flames, leaping away from the sun, and it was these I suppose that provided the little light that there was. After not many minutes, the shadow gradually started to recede away from the sun, and parts of its yellow disc reappeared, and with them the light strengthened once more. Eventually, the shadow disappeared entirely and the sun looked as normal as it had done a few hours earlier, and there was nothing to say that this strange event had ever happened. Later on, when I was older in years, I related this marvellous vision to others who clearly thought I had made the whole story up for they had never witnessed it. This puzzled and hurt me for I thought they were doubting my honesty, but researches in the abbey library showed that an eclipse, for this is the name for such an event, is only visible in limited parts. What I witnessed in Ireland (of which more soon) was not seen by my brothers in Bon Repos or other houses in southern England. Some may have seen a partial disappearance of the sun’s disc, but it seems that I had been fortunate to witness the full glory of a total eclipse. What it portended none could say, but I gave thanks to God for his glory in sending this vision – some said omen – but whether it be for good or ill none could say for certain.

Item: A new home

I mentioned that I witnessed the solar eclipse in Ireland and this came about in this way. King Aimery, newly ascended to the dignity of the throne of the High King of All Ireland, having previously been duke of Ulster, decided that he would rule his kingdom from Ulster, as befits the King of the Irish. This meant a great upheaval for his court and its principal members, for where the king went, they surely had to follow. Naturally this included the king’s counsellors and their departments. And so the king’s chancellery moved from Nantes to Ulster, and I wondered how on earth I would be able to continue with this privileged work that I had so unexpectedly inherited.

My wonder did not last for long. Returning to the dorter one evening after Vespers, I received a summons to attend the lord abbot, who informed me that the king’s chancellery had made a request that I be attached to an Irish house, the better to continue the work set before me. It seems that the new king had inherited his predecessors’ interest in the chronicle, and that he wished to see his own achievements (or failings?) recorded for posterity too. The abbot informed me that I was to be transferred to the small Ulster monastery of Inis-Cumhscraigh, or Inch, as it was more commonly known nowadays. This was a smallish establishment, that I was later to discover had been founded at the end of the twelfth century as a daughter house to the great house of Furness in Cumberland, but on the site of a much older Irish monastery, one that would have owed allegiance to the Celtic as opposed to the Roman rite I imagined. It was said that Inch was still far more English than Irish in allegiance and style. Like my mentor Cuthbert before me, I was now to become librarian, at the house of Inch.

The monastery is situated on an islet in the Quoile Marshes near the small town of Downpatrick at the southern end of Strangford Lough (a name used by the Irish for the many lakes that abound in this part of the world). Like most Cistercian foundations it is very secluded, but this one could easily be missed unless one knew where to find it, for unlike Bon Repos or Roche this truly was built in the wilderness and away from any passing business. The abbey had but one entrance through the marshes, a raised causeway of felled tree trunks, split in two and then laid side by side to form a track that was barely serviceable for the carts on which the abbey relied to receive the few provisions it could not provide from its own means, and more importantly to access its few outlying granges and properties. But this was a poor and meagre establishment compared to the fineries I had enjoyed at Bon Repos and Roche.

The abbey church had been constructed in the gothic style around 1200. The presbytery is dominated by lancet windows and the clustered pier arrangements in the chapel were said to be far more sophisticated than any that existed in Ireland at that time. For although we Cistercians were austere in our origins, seeking to establish a more severe observation of the Rule than the lax Benedictine order from which we sprang, it seemed that as time went by, we too were becoming guilty of embellishments and arrangements that would perhaps have been frowned upon 100 years ago. Inch even had a small amount of stained glass in its new windows rather than the usual grisaille that served as glass in most abbeys of the order.

But here I was, in charge of a, truth to tell, very small library of less than 50 books, something I told myself at the time I would have to do something about, for I was used to much larger collections and loved nothing better than ferreting around them when time permitted.

And it was here in my new home at Inch that I witnessed God’s glory at first hand, for surely a spectacle such as a total solar eclipse can only be ordained by the hand of the almighty Creator. I know not how it happens, but some said that it is caused by God planting the moon betwixt the earth and the sun as it moves around us. I gave thanks to God in his infinite wisdom and mercy for bringing me to the house of Inch and for giving me the privilege of seeing his Glory revealed so spectacularly. If it was an omen, I hoped it was an omen of good luck for me in my new life, as well as for the new reign just beginning.

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I am sorry that this update has been so delayed and I hope that it does not spoil your enjoyment of the tale. I will try and update more frequently but I am very busy at work with little time to play the game. Hence this update being more concerned with scene setting for the new regime. I confess that the total eclipse is a fictitious event - it neither happened in the game nor can I trace that one occurred in Ireland in 1309, but I suppose it could have done.....And there was a Cistercian house at Inch, located exactly where I have described it. I have never seen it so my imagination will be our guide as we develop the story, but I shall of course try to be as faithful as possible to actual history. Much of my data on the Cistercians comes from this website http://cistercians.shef.ac.uk/cistercian_life/the_cistercians/britain/index.php which is very informative and useful for anyone with any interest in British monasticism. And of course there is a wealth of other sites out in www-land too.

A long overdue short update. Thanks to all for your continuing interest. RA.

Item: Cruelty

The first pieces of news I learned about the new family whose lives I am chronicling were not good. It seems that some of the Breton populace resented king Aimery for moving his seat of government away from Brittany to Ireland. As new rulers are sometimes wont to do, he over-reacted at what he saw as an impudent challenge to his authority and made an example of the supposed ringleaders in the market place at Rennes. Two of the unfortunates were branded and left in the pillory for a week, whilst two more were dealt with even more harshly – they had their tongues cut out so that they could speak no more ill of the king. Rumour had always had it that the king was cruel, but none thought to see it demonstrated so vividly so soon into his reign.

And then I found out that not long after the family had removed itself to Ireland, the king’s 16 year old daughter, Almodis, had slain a servant for what turned out to be false accusations against her. The king was not best pleased, and he did chastise his wilful child, but it seemed that Almodis was a chip off the old block. Ever afterwards she was said to be both vengeful and cruel, a younger version of her father the king. I prayed for the souls of the princess and her father and hoped fervently that God would soften their hearts and lead them safely in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.

Item: A county lost, a county gained

In October 1309 work on the enlarged castle in York was completed. This added an outer bailey and curtain wall enclosing updated domestic buildings that had enabled the old brewhouse, bakehouse, smithy and armoury to be demolished in the inner bailey and replaced with a spacious presence hall built in the modern style. The castle was still dominated by the quatrefoil shaped keep of white limestone that sat atop the motte, but the new additions were more than functional for they also made the castle more easily defensible in its already impressive location between the rivers Ouse and Fosse. I had this news from a brother who had been sent to our Order’s Irish houses from the great abbey of Fountains. Although this house is in the county of York it is by no means adjacent to the city of York itself and we Cistercians have no house there, the city being dominated by the magnificent Benedictine Abbey of St Mary’s, but it seems that word of the castle’s completion and its design had spread quickly for truth to tell we monks can be great gossips when the opportunity presents itself. Perhaps one day I shall see this splendid new castle for myself?

This castle added to the strength of the king’s largest demesne county. York was not the most prosperous of his lands, for although large, much of its broad acres is covered with moorland and barren hills, whilst yet more of it is owned by the various monastic orders, mine own included, whose thousands of sheep crop its more lush hills and dales, probably much to the frustration of the king. But it meant that he would be able to put more men in the field and be better placed to defend the county should it come under attack.

Recent turmoil in the kingdom of England had seen its northern counties break away from the rule of king Eudes, and to the north of York, both Durham and Northumberland offered the potential for rich pickings. Of the two, Northumberland was more prosperous and although allied to the ducky of Strathclyde, seemed to be the more weakly defended of the two. The earl of Northumberland was one Maelsechlain, and king Aimery determined to oust him and rule as earl of Northumberland himself. This was an arbitrary decision such as kings are wont to take – he had no real claim to the county, other than force, and very soon over 3000 men arrived by land and sea and having met with little resistance in the field laid siege to the county’s principal fortresses of Alnwick and Bamburgh. Both are mighty castles, the latter set atop a huge rock and said to be impregnable. And so it seemed for the sieges of both castles lasted for months. At length Alnwick fell and Maelsechlain retreated to Bamburgh. This castle could not be mined due to its location on the rock, nor could it easily be assaulted. But it seems that under marshal Sverre who had shown considerable heroism during the Northumberland campaign, the defendants were gradually worn down by a combination of starvation, ill-health, and eventually, Sverre’s masterstroke, the poisoning of the castle’s water supply. At length on the feast day of St Nicholas 1310, Bamburgh surrendered and king Aimery became Earl of Northumberland. Sverre’s first act was to construct a new well and to fortify both new and old so that no future assailant would be able to employ the same device as he in capturing the hitherto impregnable northern fortress of Bamburgh.

But whilst all this was going on, and with king Aimery’s attention distracted, forces of the Il Khanate that had swept through central Europe and captured many counties of the Holy Roman Empire, attacked the rich county of Pfalz. Before the king could rally sufficient troops to aid the embattled defenders, word reached him that the county had fallen to the infidel. Maybe this was God’s judgement on the king for his bellicose and unprovoked attack on Northumberland?

Item: The bishop

The king’s bishop, Thomas, had never been a particularly well man and during 1310 his illness worsened and the tell tale signs of an intestinal worm were seen in his stools. This made the poor man even worse and his depression soon descended into deep stress and he became incapable of fulfilling the responsibilities of his high office.

The king looked about his court to see who could replace him. And God sent him a sign in the most tragic of circumstances just after Candlemas 1311. The king’s daughter in law Ashild, wife of his son Dunlang, was heavily pregnant and went into labour at this time. It pleased the Lord Almighty however to take the life of the mother and her child as poor Ashild died in childbirth. Dunlang was beside himself with grief but the king saw an outlet for him to assuage this grief and to do the king his father a service, and he appointed Dunlang diocese bishop in place of the ailing Thomas.

His first challenge was not long in coming for not long after his appointment, in the county of Vannes, a new heresy arose that attracted the poor and superstitious peasantry with false promises of wealth and glory such that very soon the whole county was ablaze and had turned from Holy Mother Church in following the heretical preachings of the ringleaders. Dunlang threw himself with gusto to the task of stamping out this heresy.

And by way of warning, the king began to enlarge the castle in neighbouring Penthievre lest its populace thought of following their misguided fellows in Vannes.

Item: The rain

Did I mention the rain? Does it do nothing but rain in this new land that I have removed to? Throughout 1310 and into 1311 it seemed to rain if not every day then at least every other day, often for several days in a row. I was not the only one to wonder if this ill weather was the result of the eclipse ands whether it portended the end of the world, for is it not written in Holy Scripture that the end of days will be marked by supernatural events, natural disasters, wars and an upheaval in the normal order of things. All these were present in the kingdom of Ireland and I spent much time on my knees wearing my habit threadbare praying to God for deliverance from these evil times.

I pray that we are all spared and that I may thus continue this chronicle which I now dedicate to the great glory of God.

Vann, Stnylan, Ah, my patient and loyal readers... Thanks so much for stopping by and I can't tell you how pleased I am that you are sticking with me despite the overdue delay on my part. I really miss the game when I don't play it - I get very involved in the escapism it offers, but sometimes life is just too busy....Glad you liked the rain! I like to try and introduce off story items into the chronicle for added realism hopefully. And it enables me to shed a bit of insight into the character of the scribe himself, much as I did with Boniface of blessed memory. How I miss him!! Off to play another 30 minutes of the game.....

Well, what a session that was Can't say too much without spoiling future storylines, but it was one of those when you needed about 3 heads to keep up with what the game threw at you. Needing to take notes as I do I was constantly pausing the game only on its resumption to have event after event thrown at me. Contrast that with times when you long for something to happen. Well I have some great stuff in the bag now and when I get round to writing it up I hope you will not be disappointed. I never thought the game would take me where it has. RA

Item: The infidel!

It seems that the visiting Cistercian of whom I wrote did more than bring tidings of a new castle in York. For not long after his visit King Aimery announced that he had concluded an alliance with his cousin of England, the usurper Eudes and that furthermore, in support of his new found friend and ally, the kingdom of Ireland was now at war with the forces of the Il Khanate under its heathen king Bajoras.

The theatre of war was close at hand for the once mighty counties of Anjou, Vendome and Touraine marked the northernmost extent of the Il Khanate’s incursion into western France. King Aimery mobilised his forces from Nantes, Vannes, Rennes and Penthievre and sent them into neighbouring Anjou to boost the feeble besieging force of king Eudes. Arrived in person, king Aimery took personal control of the campaign. Marshal Sverre meanwhile was to lead the men of York who had sailed over to Brittany to act as a mobile force to pin down any relief force that the Il Khanate might send.

And so at length on the feast of Corpus Christi in the year of our lord 1312 the impressive chateau of Angers fell to king Aimery and he duly proclaimed himself Count of Anjou.

Marshal Sverre had distinguished himself in the campaign and his successive victories over the infidel enhanced his own glowing martial reputation and gained him new-found admirers for his personal courage and heroism. The king rewarded his loyal and brilliant marshal handsomely out of the spoils of conquest.

But victory came at a cost and the king’s treasury was shrinking visibly. And so despite the unpopularity of the move, the king decided to increase the census tax and all tolls across his whole kingdom to the maximum. The helped to defray some of the costs of keeping a large army of nearly 10,000 men in the field, although the king was still losing money each month.

The king was not satisfied with Anjou alone and he and his troops pressed on eastwards into Vendome. The same combination of marshal Sverre occupying would be assailants and an overwhelming force meant that Vendome soon went the same way as Anjou and was added to the kingdom of Ireland before the summer was out.

Yet still the king was not done. He and his men crossed the Loire south into Touraine where a similar fate surely awaited those infidels who foolishly tired to resist king Aimery’s God-given mission to recapture French heartlands from their heathen occupiers.

It was on 24 October 1312 that the king’s army awoke to the shock news that their liege lord was dead. He was aged 53 years old and seemingly passed away peacefully in his sleep within the royal tent that he and his bodyguard occupied. His brief reign of just under 4 years had been businesslike and warlike – he had expanded the kingdom of Ireland and fought valiantly against the infidel regaining the key counties of Anjou and Vendome for western Christendom and adding the rich northern earldom of Northumberland to the kingdom. But he was not mourned by his subjects.

He was succeeded by his eldest son Robert, the duke of Ulster, a highly talented and capable man of some 35 summers. But the king’s untimely death meant that when Touraine fell it was not into Irish hands. The new king immediately withdrew his troops from the field, partly to let his battered treasury recover, but also to take stock of things properly and to consider how best to prosecute the crusade against the infidel.

Item: King Robert

I knew of the new king for I had seen him on one occasion when I was paying one of my periodic visits to court to review chancellery records for the purpose of compiling this chronicle. I recalled him being tall and good looking with thick wavy chestnut coloured hair and a full beard. Rumour had it that he was just, wise and trusting, a brilliant military strategist, possibly a bit stressed and with the inevitable Plantagenet streak of cruelty.

For the time being he retained his father’s counsellors, but in due course when his younger brother Ademar came of age he was to make him his steward in place of Eldrid – she had done nothing wrong, it was just that Ademar’s stewardship skills exceeded even hers.

Robert’s first act as king was to arrange the marriage of his eldest daughter, the 18 year old princess Eve to marshal Sverre. This most capable servant had surely earned this reward for his years of steadfast service to the house of Plantagenet. I know not whether it was a love match, but both parties seemed well pleased with the match, as was the king with an extra 741 pieces of gold swelling his coffers by way of marriage duty.

To celebrate the nuptials King Robert pronounced himself Duke of Anjou and set about reorganising the forest law in the eponymous county. Enlargements to the castle in Vendome were soon completed, and work began on a large church. Meanwhile, nearer to home, in Tir Eoghain work began on a library. It seemed that what the king had put off doing whilst duke was now to be tackled. Some said that this was whereas he had lacked funds in the past, now he had plenty, despite the ravages of war upon his treasury. Others, more cynically said that the new king was simply out to milk prestige and piety before handing the poor duchy of Ulster to his son and heir prince Niall. By now I had seen enough of the workings of kings and dukes to incline towards the latter view.

Item: 1313

It was on the feast of the circumcision that the Holy Father decreed an end to the current Crusade against the infidel. The kingdom of Ireland though remained at war with the Il Khanate.

Then later in January, queen Judith, despite her advancing years, announced that she was once again with child.

The king had chancellor Beatrice and spymaster Archembaud conduct a review of his vassals’ loyalty, for it was a fact of life that when a new king succeeded, his vassals would look after their own interests first and that accordingly their loyalty oft-times wavered. This review found that most of king Robert’s vassals were steadfastly loyal. But Tormod Halgoland, Earl of Mayo, and, Art, Earl of Ulaid, the king’s brother. were both seen as equivocal in their support and so, despite the pressure on his treasury the king despatched each of them 100 pieces of gold to persuade them where their loyalties should lie. And no doubt he noted this for the future.

Meanwhile in Rennes, miners had unearthed a new rich vein which boded well for the county’s immediate prosperity.

It was on St Helena’s day that a flaming star was first seen in the skies above Yorkshire. I have no doubt that my brethren in that county’s many houses will have noted this in their annals for it was said to be a spectacular sight. I have heard of these manifestations before; some see them as an evil omen, others as a sign of good times ahead. The king and his counsel were unsure what to make of this and handed the matter over to bishop Dunlang. He decreed it was a sign from heaven that the land was blessed in its new king and that it foretold great times ahead for the kingdom of Ireland and its dynamic new ruler. The king was delighted and basked in the news and the increased piety with which he was viewed for his wisdom in seeking the church’s guidance.

Later in that same month of August, the marriage of the king’s brother Ademar to his niece, Robert’s daughter Cecile, was celebrated.

And then in October queen Judith was safely delivered of another son. The royal couple named him Hugh.

But on Advent Sunday, tragedy struck as princess Eve died suddenly of an unexplained illness. She was pregnant and had recently shown a keen interest in wild parties. The king and her husband Sverre had warned her that in her condition she should be more circumspect but none had foreseen this tragedy. Maybe she herself was aware of something and had determined to enjoy herself whilst she could?

King Robert was not the only ruler with troublesome vassals. In 1313 Eudes, king of England passed away and he was succeeded by his son Arnoul. The kingdom of England had seen rebellion and civil war in the aftermath of Eudes usurpation of the Plantagenet line, and several northern counties had broken away and declared their independence. The latest of these was Alain, Earl of Lincoln, but he now found himself at war with his former liege, king Arnoul and with the Earldom of Westmorland. Chancellor Beatrice advised that it might be timely to approach earl Alain with an offer of vassalisation as surely he would welcome the protection such a mighty king as Robert could offer. And so an offer was duly despatched, and the earl accepted it with alacrity.

And then exactly one year after he had announced an end to the crusades, the Holy Father decreed a new crusade with the time honoured proclamation, Deus Vult!

A very long overdue update for which I apologise. Still very busy at work and about to go on holiday, but I thought I would bring you up to date with events within Ireland. As Stnylan says, it's been all go on the western front!

Item: A new kingdom

In 1314 King Robert concluded an alliance with Portugal, and buoyed by this he soon declared war on Arnoul, King of England in support of his new vassal, Alain earl of Lincoln. Some said that Robert was a warmonger, and that he may have been, but his timing was impeccable for England was in disarray with many of its northern counties breaking away from the king’s control, and his remaining vassals keen to test their new ruler’s ability before fully committing themselves to his cause. Thus it was that only the earl of Westmorland came to king Arnoul’s aid.

It was on Candlemas Eve 1315 that the long life of chancellor Beatrice came to an end. She was king Robert’s aunt and had been a source of advice to Robert and his predecessors throughout her long and loyal life. The king kept the office in the family by appointing his 21 year old sister, Almodis to replace his aunt. Despite the girl’s youth, she was well blessed with suitable diplomatic skills it was said.

A month later and peace with King Bajoras of the Il Khanate was reached. The Pope was rumoured to be ill-pleased with this news, but for now king Robert had other matters to attend to.

Two weeks after Easter, king Robert’s forces captured Dublin, the principal seat of power for English rule in Ireland. King Robert met with King Arnoul at Northampton, and here king Arnoul recognising the weakness of the military situation, the unruliness of many of his vassals and the general hopelessness of his position resigned his kingdom unto king Robert. The latter was duly acclaimed and installed as king of England. And then did this gracious and dread lord show his mercy by allowing Arnoul to remain as duke of Meath and king Robert’s vassal. Some said that Arnoul was a fool to accept, but he was never a proud man, and the alternative was years of exile or worse, so I for one do not think him a fool for accepting. King Robert had his spies keep a close watch on the former monarch however lest he become the focus for discontent.

And thus it was that the Plantagenet dynasty was restored to the throne of England.

But if king Robert foresaw an end to his warmongering, he was mistaken. Arnoul’s former allies, the kingdom of Castile were still active in the field and prosecuting the war with vigour. So much so that Meath fell to the Castilians of the feast of the Epiphany 1316. King Robert mobilised the forces of his new vassals the earls of Leicester and Norfolk and the combined army set sail for Ireland to besiege Meath. Meanwhile, the Castilians had advanced north and captured Tir Eoghain. Robert now mobilised troops from Brittany for service in Ireland. He also spent hard earned gold on a 600 strong regiment of Danish mercenaries.

The king’s combined forces soon overpowered the Castilians in both Meath and Tir Eoghain, and both counties reverted to Anglo-Irish control. Garcia, king of Castile agreed peace with King Robert who extracted over 1800 pieces of gold from his erstwhile enemy, who also ceded all claims over Meath.

The summer of 1316 was a wretched one. It rained throughout June and July and many crops were ruined bringing the danger of famine on the land. Many rivers burst their banks and many towns in the north of England and the midland counties were flooded. The floods spared no-one. Whilst the poor suffered most and in some cases lost everything, even some castles, such as the one at Sheaf-field in the south of Yorkshire (which stands on low ground at the confluence of the rivers Sheaf and Don), were flooded and market places damaged so severely that it was to be many months before trade and commerce reverted to its previous levels. Some said that the end of the world was nigh, but in reality it was just a typical English summer.

The new king had been consumed with his wars and thus it was not until Easter Sunday 1317 that he was crowned and anointed in Westminster Abbey, the traditional site for the coronation of all English kings. His wife, queen Judith was crowned with him, and those who were witness to this ceremony could not but fail to notice her bulging belly beneath the rich coronation robes, for she was once again with child despite her advancing years.

Vivat Rex!