The Kingdom of Aarquitania- Alternate History with DVIP

Soon after his ascension to the Aquitanian throne, Zavie de Toulouse immediately perceived several threats to his realm. Foremost was the Kingdom of France he had just seceded from, they remained a powerful force and were backed up by their ally Germany. King Zavie needed an ally of his own to even the tables against his northern neighbors.

Also, to the south, the armies of Islam marched on the last remnants of Iberian Christianity. Only fate had prevented a conflict before now, and it seemed inevitable that a showdown would occur between the expanding Muslims and Aquitania.

Lastly, his own succession was in doubt, having no legitimate male issue. Several alternatives, from legitimizing his bastard son Doumenge to opening the door for his daughter Dolca, were presented. This was indeed an problem that weighed heavily on King Zavie's mind at the time.

excerpt from "No Rule But Our Own- A History of Aquitania's Middle Ages"



Among the first things needed was effective centralization of the realm under the king's power. Zavie's position was a precarious one and he knew that his new creation would disintegrate if not properly controlled. He overrode the concessions he had giving to the powerful merchants of Toulouse to bring them more in line with the kingdom's policy, causing some minor grumbling but no real danger.

Zavie also sent out a diplomat to Brittany, seeking to bring that King into a defensive alliance against France. After weeks of travel and negotiation, the envoy wrote that he saw little progress being made and that the endeavor would likely fail. On the same day the note reached him, a messenger from the Duchy of Somerset arrived at the Aquitanian court. after properly making his introductions, the messenger announced that his liege was seeking Zavie's assistance in his war of rebellion against England. Indeed, the latest reports from the embattled isle showed that Somerset was the most powerful of the breakaway realms. Correspondence between his councilors hint that the King was seriously considering the proposal, but eventually rejected it as being too much hassle with no sure gain.


The King's public image was also on the rise. Already popular, several courtly ballads that survive from this era show that he was now seen as the knightly ideal.

It may be assumed that his popularity was grounded not just in court as peasants were reaping the benefits of his reign as well. His wealth, increased by what were considered high taxes at the time, was reinvested directly into the land. Sawmills, tile factories and road networks were the main focus of this construction effort, since they would without doubt create jobs for peasants even in times of bad harvest and also increase monetary revenue in the areas they were created.

It was in October of 1107 that King Zavie's prayers for an heir were answered. Rosa of Bordeaux, his wife of little more than a year, endured hours of painful labor to bring a seemingly strong and healthy baby boy into the world. The King paced anxiously outside her chamber during the time, refusing all efforts to have him rest or eat. After the success of the birth, King Zavie embraced both his wife and newborn son, claiming "No man has known the happiness and relief I now feel". Guitard was the name given to the child.

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With his situation stabilized on the domestic front by the production of an heir and the general prosperity that settled on the land. King Zavie turned to reward his loyal courtiers, with several smaller fiefs being divided amongst the regulars at court. Chief among those rewarded was the diocese bishop who had christened Zavie's son, Jordan d'Auvergne. He was granted the province of Forez to govern.


With the birth of Guitard, his bastard half brother Doumenge lost most of the importance he had once held at the court. Still too young to understand the situation, two year old Doumenge lost nearly all of the supporters to his legitimization overnight. He was now a liability for the crown, someone disaffected vassals might rally behind in the future to cause difficulty for the legitimate heir.

In early 1108, Doumenge came down with an illness. While not suspicious in and of itself given any number of factors, the timing seemed too perfect for it to be considered only an accident.

Indeed, there were many that believed that the King's wife and the mother of the new heir, Rosa of Bordeaux, was behind the illness. She was a noted master of intrigue, actively participating in council meetings and suggesting schemes to her husband. When Doumenge died only a few short months after first falling ill, suspicion only increased.


Along with the death of Doumenge and birth of Guitard, King Zavie's second daughter Azalais matured into a hedonistic child with constant bad behavior like scarfing meals at the table making crude and ribald jokes around court. Zavie attempted to reign in his daughter's new lifestyle, but was checked by his wife. Azalais' stepmother doted on the child and refused to see any punishment visited upon her. King Zavie succumbed to his wife's will and prayed earnestly that he would be able to find a husband for the terror.

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God again showed favor on Aquitania in late of 1108, when Rosa of Bordeaux announced that she was pregnant again. The overjoyed King Zavie spent nearly every waking moment not occupied with state matters with his wife. He gifted her with the finest fashions, commissioned ballads in her honor and would constantly be willing to pursue any of her desires. The love between the two of them continued to grow.


On the embattled isle of Britain, the Duke of Somerset successfully sieged the last stronghold of the de Normandie dynasty in Suffolk. King Robert of England was betrayed by his own guards and tossed from the walls of the keep during the final stages of the attack. The Duke, now in control of all of the island bound possessions of the former King, proclaimed his own rule. After years of civil war Britain is still a patchwork, but the new King of England is at peace.


The new King-


Morcar Godwineson has accomplished what few felt was possible and has reestablished a Saxon ruler of England. After inheriting his title in Somerset, Morcar was among the first to turn on descendant of William the Conqueror. Only time will tell what is in store for the Godwineson's, rulers of England.

Early 1109 brought a triumph of diplomacy to Aquitania's door. Marc, King of Brittany, saw the advantage of a unified front with Aquitania against possible French aggression. He sent envoys to Zavie's court and it was only a matter of days before negotiations were completed. King Zavie celebrated by treating the diplomats to a week of revelry at his court and promised to call upon Marc "His brother in rule and spirit" at his court in Rennes. The now allied kingdoms of Brittany and Aquitania had a much better chance of staring down French ambitions in either of their territories.


France itself had continued to have difficulties keeping its vassals in line, with the Duke of Burgundy breaking free and rampaging in the heartland of the Kingdom. It was not until March of 1109 that the loyalist forces forced his concession of all titles. King Zavie, who had been discreetly supporting the rebellion, was again faced with the prospect of a French attack on his own territories.
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