The Siwards - A Family Story

Book VI: Osred III.


Part I: 1193 – 1196 From the Iberian Kingdoms to the War for the Isles

When Osred III. was crowned King of England, he was already well established as ruler in England.

As it was tradition his father had created him Prince of Wales shortly after his sixteenth birthday but as the realm had increased in size during Eadbert IV. rule he had also installed his son as co-ruler for the British Isles in 1183, to ease the administration of the vast realm.

During his time as regent of England Osred III. had already established a reputation as just and competent ruler. He seemed not overly ambitious or eager for conquest, but interested in administration and the well being of his subjects.

Shortly after his coronation in the Westminster Abbey (which went without the usual uprisings and rebellions) and the traditional installation of his son Sighere as Prince of Wales, he gathered the most important nobles of his realm near Rouen to inform them about the future of the realms administration and of the decisions he had made and which would have a major impact on the realm.
The English realm had become too large for the current administration in his opinion and the (military) involvement in Iberia had bound (and wasted) too many of the kingdom’s resources in the past.
The “Renovation of the Iberian Kingdoms” from 1193 had several major points:
1. The Kingdom of Aragon would remain within the English realm and would act as border march for the English possessions in France.
2. Castile would be given into the hands of Elfweard Siward, Duke of Castile. Elfweard, being a descendant of Aethelfrith II. the Great and the Castilian princess Sancha Jimenez seemed the logical choice, having Spanish blood and being already established in the kingdom. That Elfweard’s son was somehow involved in the untimely passing of the last two Counts of Soria (and was holding the title currently himself) was graciously overlooked. (Osred III. would nonetheless protect the last surviving witness of the incident, now living at his court).
3. Leon would be given to Osred III. brother Maldred, Duke of Norfolk. To become King of Leon, Maldred would have to forsake his possessions in England (the negotiations would take almost the rest of the year, as the duke was unwilling to surrender Suffolk to his brother).
4. Finally Portugal, the most exposed kingdom would (surprisingly) be given to Beornred Aethelfrithson. This (bastard) line of the Siwards had once ruled (and lost) Antioch, but Osred III. and his advisors thought, that the family was best prepared for the situation to face the dangers their Muslim neighbors pose to the Portugese realm.

The Renovation was published in late March 1193 (though León was not created before December 1193). The coronations took place in April (except León). Elfweard and Beornred were crowned by Osred III. to show that they owned their new rank to the grace of the English King (though Osred III. would never derive any demands or services from this fact).


The decision to (re-)create the Spanish kingdoms seemed wise and selfless at the moment and for a time it earned Osred III. even the moniker “The Wise” (nowadays he is more known as “The Good”). But soon it would show that the separation was made too soon, the Iberian realms to weak for the given task and it would lead to much anguish and trouble for the Siward family in the future.

Summer and autumn 1193 Osred III. was busy to eliminate other problems and difficulties he had inherited from his father. In summer he was busy to put down the rebellion of Count Henri of Rouergue, which had started in the last months of Eadbert IV. rule. By August 3rd, Count Henri had accepted Osred III. as new liege.


In October some of Osred’s administrative decisions bore fruit, when the stability of the realm seemed to increase and the general situation of the kingdom seemed saver than during the whole rule of his predecessor.

Finally just before crowning his brother Maldred as King of León on December 8th, 1193 he founded the Archbishopric of Badajoz, which then became part of the Leónese kingdom.


Were Osred’s intentions lay became more obvious in 1194.
In March 1194 diplomats of the English court visited Duke Malcolm of the Western Isles (of the Crovan family) on the Isle of Skye.
The Hebrides (Duchy of Western Isles), Shetland (Duchy of Orkney – without Orkney itself, which belonged to Scotland) and Faereyar (County) belonged to the Kingdom of Norway in 1194. King Aslak of the Yngling dynasty (he ruled since 1182) was hard pressured by his Swedish neighbors and had already lost a great part of his Northern possessions in Scandinavia. While he was trying to hold the rest of the “mainland” territory, his grip on the isles of the North Sea was dwindling.

The English envoys told Duke Malcolm of their liege’s interest, that he would join the English realm, but the Duke – quite content with his actual lieges weakness – refused to even consider joining the much more strict ruled (and closer) kingdom of Osred III.
Not expecting any other response the envoys then handed the Duke a document in which Osred III. officially proclaimed his intention to unite the Hebrides with England (March 15th).

Osred III. had made clear, that the focus of his reign was not to the South like his father but to the North, a region English policy had not touched for decades (the last war with Scotland ended 1173).
To underline his intentions Osred III. signed an alliance agreement with Emperor Eberhard on May 22nd, 1194.


It was more a pact of non-aggression, as both rulers simply wanted to make sure that the other did not fall in his back when they followed their respective agendas.
The Emperor f. e. was at war with King Siegmund of France since the month before. King Siegmund had attacked the Empire to clear the Hollandian situation – Holland was officially still part of the Empire, de facto it belonged to France. (Empire and France would sign peace in 1196 with Holland officially leaving the Empire but no other territorial change.)
Additionally the Emperor intended to go on crusade in the near future.
Osred III. on the other side wanted to have his hands free for his dealings with the Kingdom of Norway.


On June 28th, 1194 after a short reign of only two years Pope Celestin III. died peacefully in Rome. Again the Curia did not break with its old tradition and elected a bishop of the English realm as new Holy Father. This time they chose Bishop Aethelbald of the English exclave Geneve, who chose the name of his two predecessors – Celestin IV.

July saw the opening of another theater of war, when the allied kingdoms of Portugal and Castile attacked their common neighbor, the Emirate of Sevilla.
It was a mixed success. While Portugal gave up the fight after half a year and lost Faro and Castel Branco to the Emirate (January 6th, 1195), Castile continued the war until it gained Cadiz and Niebla in the following peace settlement (June 23rd, 1195).

Osred III., himself was involved in a long and complicated intrigue – testing the loyalty of several vassals (especially the Norman Duke of Normandy – Raymond FitzWilliam), which took the greatest part of the second half of 1194.

While Osred III. was making his own preparations for war, he was informed by his ally Emperor Eberhard, that he now felt strong enough to go on crusade. To keep his ally informed he sent him copies of the respective declarations of war (June 1195: Egypt and Demetrias, August 1195: Tripolitania, September 1195: Teluch).


King Osred III. started hostilities against the Western Isles (and therefore with Norway) on October 15th, 1195, when he declared war on Duke Malcolm’s successor (his son Ranald).


Emperor Eberhard stated his moral support, but – as expected and wanted – sent no troops.

A month later the Christian world was in shock. Tayyib Taishufin, King of the al-Murabitids had officially declared war on the Holy Father himself and was marching towards Rome (November 14th, 1195).
With England just tied in a fresh war with Norway, France and the Empire weakening each other, Hungary in civil war, the Italian principalities far too weak to muster a sizeable resistance, there was no one who could stop the assault and by February the Eternal City was under Moroccan rule (February 14th, 1196).
Celestin IV. and the curia fled to Orvieto and established there a court-in-exile, but a recovery of Rome seemed far out of reach and no assistance on the horizon.

Osred III. own war started as miserable as it could.
When his first division reached Skye, they were confronted by far more men than anticipated.
Duke Ranald had been able to gather a rather sizeable army and the small English force stood no chance, as they were outnumbered 5:1. The battle soon turned into a slaughter and no one of the 261 men of the English division survived (March 9th, 1196).
But they had taken more than 1.100 of the defenders with them and even more important Duke Ranald himself was among the slain.

On April 1st a second English division arrived in the Duchy and this time, the islanders had nothing to hold against them.

Meanwhile the English forces had reached the Norwegian mainland. Osred III. had decided not to take the direct approach and to invade Norway by sea, but to use his Scandinavian vassal as bridgehead.
The Norwegians were defeated in Vestfold on May 11th and ten days later the province was already completely under English control.


On Skye Ranald Crovan’s successor as Duke of the Isles, his brother Malcolm (the Younger) decided to give up his resistance against the English invasion.


On June 23rd, after ruling the Isles for only three months, he gave up province and treasury and fled to the Norwegian court.

As his progress in Norway was now better than expected, Osred III. decided to continue his insular war and declared war on the Duchy of Orkney (the Norwegian part).


To his surprise Count Arnmod (The Indecisive) of Faereyar joined the war on the side of Orkney – at least for a month, before he decided that this was a too risky business and paid 185 pounds of gold for a peace agreement.


A Peace agreement he broke again another month later (just before his ally surrendered).

On August 4th, 1196 the war with the Duke of Orkney was decided, when Duke Eirik surrendered the Shetlands to the English envoys.


Unlike the Duke of the Isles, Eirik Yngling did not flee to Norway. Instead He retired to the English court for a short time before he and his brother became commanders of English armies a few months later and earned their nicknames as the “Valiant Brothers”. The remaining English forces in the North Sea were now ordered to take care of Count Arnmod of Faereyar.

Meanwhile in Leinster a new duke had ascended to the throne.
Like some of his predecessors Duke Gillebrigte dreamed of reinstating the old Irish kingdom and and freeing it of the old captivity under English rule (which had been established with Duke Fiachra in 1136).
Duke Gillebrigte went one step further than dreaming and on August 20th, 1196 he not only declared his independence, he also declared war on the “old enemy” the kingdom of England, opening a new war front for Osred III.


In October the English army routed the men of Faereyar and a final peace with Norway seemed possible, but only a week later the “War for the Isles” entered into a new phase.

Malcolm V., King of Scotland since 1176 - Successor of Malcolm IV., who had lost the last war against Eadbert IV. in 1173 and younger brother of Robert Dunkeld, the crown prince, who had died during this conflict – had decided, that the growing English presence at his coasts was not to his liking and that it was now time for the England to pay for the humiliation of Scotland in the past.


He allied himself with King Aslak of Norway and entered the war against England on November 4th, 1196 assisted by his most important nobles (the only exception being his cousin Constantine, Duke of Moray).

The War for the Isles before Scotland's Declaration of War​

1. Thank You for your good wishes...

2. The Scottish attack actually / really surprised Osred III. (me)... expect him to be royally annoyed but not in the "extinguishing" mood (he is just, wise, generous and mild mannered).

3. The current events have prevented me from actually playing... at the moment I am just a few years after Osred's rule, so the next updates will not come very fast.

...except for this one of course...

Part II: 1196-1197 The second Phase of the War for the Isles

The involvement of Scotland in the War for the Isles changed nothing for Count Arnmod of Faereyar. by November 23rd, 1196 the last resistance was broken and one day later the count accepted to become a vassal to the English crown.


To mark to his opponents, that he had achieved his war goals Osred III. proclaimed himself Duke of Orkney the very same day.

Nonetheless the declaration of war from Scotland came unexpected and England was ill prepared for a fight with his northern neighbor.
On November 30th, a hastily levied English army under the command of the Scottish king’s kinsman Duke Duncan of Lothian was soundly beaten by King Malcolm V. and his men, when they entered Scottish Lothian.

Meanwhile in Spain: totally unaware (or simply ignorant), that his English protector was very busy fighting elsewhere, Osred III's brother King Maldred of León declared his participation in the 8th Crusade on December 1st, 1196.
It was an ill-fated enterprise from the start. The much too weak forces of León were soundly defeated in the Holy Land, but managed to provoke interest of the much stronger Emir Hammud of Arabia, who until now seemed to have forgotten his exclaves in Spain.
He finally organized an Arabian counter invasion and by April 1197 León had lost almost half of its territory (including all of its coastal provinces) to the Arabian emirate and its vassals.
Maldred himself had fetched an unknown (to his physicians and so to us) disease in the Holy Land and died in the first days of 1198 (January 14th), leaving the throne to his young son Albert.

December 1196 was also the month, when the time of the Yngling “Valiant Brothers” Eirik (former Duke of Orkney) and Erling started. Each would have his own theater of war. Erling would compete with Duke/King Gillebrigte of the Ui Mordha dynasty over the fate of Leinster, Eirik would shine in his battles against the Scots.

Erling set the first mark in the war by defeating the main force of Leinster under the command of King Gillebrigte on December 11th.


Repeating his success on January 18th, 1197 and defeating the Irish king for a third time on February 19th (in which his personal heroism was praised by the chroniclers), before the enemy residence (and with it the entire province) finally fell under English control two days later.


Eirik’s personal virtues, shined as bright as his brother’s but shorter and more tragic. Famous for his battles (and final victory) in Strathclyde against the Duke of Argyll - David Dunkeld, which started in late January and ended on February 2nd, 1197.


By February 24th Eirik’s men had taken the castle, which King Osred III. took together with the whole province from the captured Duke in a separate peace.


It was quite uncommon for the Siward kings to take provinces - except islands of course – without direct land connection to their realm. That Osred III. took Strathclyde shows slightly how angry he was about the Scottish interference and attack. It also showed indirectly what kind of peace deal he intended with the Scottish monarch.

To no one’s surprise he refused King Malcolm V. offer of a white peace two days later.


It is possible, that Malcolm had made the offer, when he was informed, that Aslak of Norway had already signed a peace agreement (white peace) with England on January 14th - after another defeat by the hand s of the English the day before and without informing his ally.
Osred III. not only refused the white peace, he ordered the forces, which had taken Faereyar and the (now free) invasion force in Norway to attack separate targets in Scotland: the army of Faereyar was to invade Caithness (which was part of the royal Scottish demesne), the other was ordered to land in Mar (which belonged to the demesne of the Archbishop of St. Andrews).

Eirik Yngling had meanwhile met with Seoan O’Neill, Duke of Ulster in Strathclyde and the two commanders had joined forces.
On March 7th, 1197 it came to a double victory for the English forces. Eirik and the Duke of Ulster defeated the “Bastard-Dunkeld” Count Abbondio of Angus in Strathclyde (a week later he would pay over 3.500 pounds of gold for a peace treaty with the English king), while the Prince of Wales scattered the levies of Gillebrigte Ui Mordha’s brother Cormac on the Isle of Man.


But Scotland was not completely beaten yet.
On March 20th, Malcolm V's most important magnate, the Archbishop of St. Andrews, Malcolm of Atholl defeated a sizeable English army under the command of William Siward, Duke of Lancaster in Carrick.
Just six days later the Scottish victory was marginalized, when the Duke of Ulster defeated the main body of the archbishop’s army under the command of one of his lieutenants, Crimthann O’Brien, in Strathclyde.

In early April the two main armies of the two enemy kingdoms gathered on the fields of Carrick.
On the English side the men lead by the Duke of Ulster and Eirik Yngling. On the Scottish side King Malcolm V. himself, leading his soldiers into the fight.
The battle raged for several days. On April 11th the Scots had a minor success, when they managed to capture Eirik Yngling, but it could not prevent the English Victory and on April 15th, King Malcolm fled the battlefield (taking his captive with him).

A grim destiny awaited the unhappy commander.
Osred III. refused to pay the enormous ransom Malcolm V. demanded for his release. When Malcolm V. offered him to his – Eirik’s - kinsman Aslak of Norway, the Norwegian king showed no interest. The unhappy prisoner was finally found stabbed in his cell in Edinburgh Castle.

A series of conquests made clear, that the tides of war had clearly changed in favor of England.
On April 21st Caithness was under English control.


Exactly one month later the province of Mar followed.


Two days later, on May 23rd the Duke of Ulster had completed the siege of the last castle in the county of Carrick and all English armies prepared to break the last Scottish resistance.


But no more battles would be fought on Scottish soil in this war.
King and council of Scotland had come to the conclusion, that their cause was lost and they made Osred III. a most favorable peace offer:
Scotland would cede the provinces of Sutherland, Carrick and (Scottish) Lothian – including the current capital Edinburgh (Malcolm V. and his court would retreat to Stirling).


Osred III. would have preferred Caithness over Sutherland (as bridgehead for the Orkneys), but he accepted the Scottish offer and peace was signed at Edinburgh Castle on May 28th, 1197.


Just a few days later the last resistance of Leinster collapsed, when Prince Sighere took control of the Isle of Man.


Although Gillebrigte Ui Mordha was reinstalled as Duke of Leinster under English control, his base of power was reduced. He had to give up his possessions on the Isle of Man, which were integrated into the royal demesne.
To celebrate the new won peace in his realm Osred III. founded on the very same day – June 6th – the Archbishopric of Orkney.


The war with England had not turned out as Malcolm V. had hoped.
Sick and frustrated the Scottish monarch died not a month after he had signed the peace treaty with Osred III. on June 27th.
Malcolm V. was only 33 years old when he died, leaving his throne to his 15 years old son Gilchrist.
He left to him the task to re-stabilize his reduced kingdom - not only the losses from his war with England, almost unnoted, the Orkneys had been “inherited away” to a sideline of the Swedish royal family.
The English-Scottish border would remain calm - for the rest of Osred III. rule.

Osred III. on the other hand had reached all targets he had set for himself in this war and more, but he had not much time to enjoy the newfound peace.

In autumn an envoy from Germany arrived at the English court.


He carried with him a message from Emperor Eberhard, not only informing his English ally about his intention to wage another war against certain infidels (nominally against the minor sheikdom of El Rif), but urging Osred III. to assist him this time, as he wanted to take the most holy tasks of Christendom: free the Eternal City of Rome from Muslim oppression.

It seemed that the Siwards were going against their most traditional enemies again – the al-Murabitids!

demokratickid: The liberation of Rome will be Osred's only goal in life from now on... (well, almost)

Enewald: The conquest of Scotland (and the removal of a king placed there by god) was never Osred III intention... and the saecular head of the (catholic) world asked so nice for his assistance...

Part III: 1197-1199 The many Ways leading to Rome

On November 6th, 1197 Osred III not only decided to assist Emperor Eberhard in his quest to free Rome, he declared, that he personally would join the fight against the infidels.
So – although not (yet) officially declared a crusade - the fight for the Eternal City had started.


Osred III made plans to focus his attacks on two main targets - Rome itself and the al-Murabitid power base in Morocco – and a minor target, which was more in England’s interest: to eliminate the exclave of Empuries, which belonged to the Emirate of Medina (for a short period an al-Murabitid vassal again) from the Aragonese coast.


Beside himself and his Marshal Richard FitzWilliam - who for no apparent reason was called “the Lionhearted” in the chronicles of the crusade - he relied on the commanding abilities of veteran Erling Yngling and unlucky Eirik’s son Haldor. The (military) burden of the crusade would lay mainly on the king’s Spanish possessions, as they lay closest to the targets.
Marshal Richard was ordered to invade Rome (via the English possession Lucca - a coastal invasion was considered too dangerous regarding the Moroccan strength). The two Ynglings were to set sail to Morocco and Osred III would first take care of the “Empuries situation” and would then follow the commander, which needed his support at his front the most.

Osred III reached Empuries in early December and found the province without proper defenders beside the garrisons in several castles. The al-Murabitid king Tayyib was already at war with King Umar of the Beni Helal for some time and the interference of the crusaders would finally turn the tide in favor for the - until this time in the defensive – Beni Helals.
Soon the castles found themselves besieged by the English soldiers.

The sieges went without major interruptions and in early January Osred III had even enough “spare time” to publicly celebrate the installation of a new peer.
On January 4th, 1198 he raised the Irish knight Donald of Osraige to the rank of Duke of the Isles and granted him the Hebrides and the Isle of Man as fiefs.


About ten days later, just before meeting some emissaries from the al-Murabitids, the English king received a message from Haldor Yngling, informing him, that Haldor’s uncle Erling had died of old age just a few miles before the African coast (January 8th). Osred III refused the emissaries offer of a white peace nonetheless (January 15th).


Empuries fell under English control on January 24th, 1198. Its former ruler Sheik Sirhan Najjar escaped scarcely with his live, when he fled the country and Osred III put the province directly under the control of Duke Fadrique of Barcelona, before setting sail to Africa.


As he had no (bad) news from his Marshal the king had decided, that the relatively inexperienced Haldor would need his support in conquering Morocco.

Indeed it would take almost four more months before news from the war in Italy would reach the king, but when news came it were good ones.
On May 22nd, 1198 the English army under the command of Marshal Richard FitzWilliam had met with the forces of the al-Murabitids in Latium. It had been a fierce and brutal battle, but the Englishmen had emerged victorious and Marshal Richard had even been able to start the siege of the Eternal City.
A day later – still under the impression of the English victory at the gates of Rome – Emir Aarif of Medina, the former liege of Empuries, signed a white peace with Osred III.


Not completely up to date and more as a formality Pope Celestin IV declared the 8th Crusade – to free Alexandria – completed and a success on June 9th, just to call for a new crusade two days later: the target of the 9th Crusade was of course to free Rome.


The Eternal City itself surrendered to the English forces on June 26th, but the war was then not completely decided, as news reached Marshal Richard, that a sizeable Moroccan army was marching towards Latium.


He tried to stop their march near Napoli, but was surprised by their actual size (more than twice his own men). By July 25th his men were defeated and forced to retreat to Rome.
But even in Rome Richard FitzWilliam could not withstand the al-Murabitids assault, on August 7th he was again beaten and forced to retreat even further North, the Eternal City being in danger to fall into the hands of the infidels again.
As the English were not able to regroup fast enough to lift the Moroccan siege, the Romans and their English garrison were lucky, that Duke Eudon of Toscana was able to send an relief army, which was strong enough to (barely) defeat the Muslims (which had lost many men during their fights with the English) just in time to save the city.
The al-Murabitids were forced to retreat to Napoli, leaving Rome in English hands. Duke Eudon -although the victor of the battle - had lost too many men and was unable to follow the retreating enemy. The fate of Rome was still not decided.

Osred III had meanwhile landed at the African coast.
On July 8th his men had defeated a small al-Murabitid army in El Rif and about a month later the small sheikdom was annexed (it was offered to Osred III by the sheik himself in fact) and declared an English possession (August 10th).


Back in England another branch of the Siward tree was about to wither and die.


The Siwards of Derby were established in 1105, when Aethelfrith II the Great installed his second son Aethelhere as Count of Derby.
After Aethelfrith II became King of England in 1114 he raised him to the rank of Duke of Hereford, a title the family held until then. Aethelhere I entered the historical spotlight for a short time in 1133/1134, when he was figurehead of the “Alliance of the true Faith”, which tried to replace to remove his elder brother Egbert VI from the English throne.
Aethelhere I died in 1141, leaving the title to his eldest son Edward. Of his other children, three had reached adulthood, two sons and a daughter. The daughter Aelflaed had died unmarried in 1182 (aged 71), the two sons Sigered and Ceolwulf had married and had founded families of their own (following Siward tradition, these families remained part of the Siwards of Derby, as they held no titles of their own).
Duke Edward seemed not to be overly ambitious and the only time he is mentioned in a more outstanding position in the chronicles, is during the minority of Sighere II, when Edward was a member of the regency council. He died in 1167 leaving the duchy to his only child surviving infancy, his firstborn Saewald.
Saewald had not much more luck with his children than his father. Of his ten children only three survived infancy. His eldest daughter Elgiva dying of a miscarriage aged 17, his daughter Godgifu dying 1191 unmarried in a nunnery and his only surviving son Aethelwine swearing celibacy and becoming Bishop of Derby (1167-1177) dying before his father only 36 years old.
When Duke Saewald died in 1185, the title fell to his (more or less surprised) cousin Alfgar (son of Sigered Siward), who had until then enjoyed the unmarried life of a country gentlemen.
Although already 59 years old, when he came to the title he was suddenly fulfilled with the desire to keep the title in “his” branch of the family (the Ceolwulf line had become extinct in the male line in 1184, the female line would follow 1197) so he decided to marry on the spot.
As his bride he chose Margaret Siward, eldest daughter of Morcar the Fool (+1182), Count of Toulouse, who had died as rebel against Eadbert IV.
Although Duke Alfgar’s (called “the Old”) young wife would bear a child every year of their marriage only their third born – Aethelhere (*1189, later called “the Young”) – would see his second year.
Duke Alfgar the Old died in May 1195, leaving the ducal title to his 5 year old son, but Aethelhere II’s health had always been quite delicate.
On August 26th, 1198 the young duke closed his eyes forever, barely nine years old.


The Siwards of Derby were no more, Derby and Shrewsbury returned to the king’s demesne.
As Osred III was busy fighting infidels in North-Africa, he decided to postpone the decision about a new Duke of Hereford after his return to England.

And quite busy he was: on October 28th he had annexed Cebta and had decided to continue his march towards Tangiers.


In November Osred III was informed, that the Kingdom of Zirid had joined the al-Murabitids to fend off the invaders and that as a counter measure Portugal (November 19th) and Castile (November 25th) had joined the crusaders. A decision both kingdoms would come to regret.

Three days later Haldor Yngling was able to storm another al-Murabitid residence, the palace at Massat.


On order of his king he then set sail for the Canarias.

Christmas was celebrated in Tangiers, which had been annexed on December 11th, for this occasion Queen Isabel even traveled from England to Morocco (despite her not feeling well) to be with her husband.


In early February Osred III added Infa to his possessions and decided to continue the march towards the fabled city of Marrakech.


It was during this march, that two prelates, sent from the Holy See, informed him, that the Holy Father had – as a reward for his successes during this crusade – decided to proclaim him as the new Papal champion (February 14th).


In late March two other messengers reached Osred III’s siege camp near Marrakech. On carrying good, one bad news: Good news was, that Haldor Yngling had annexed the Canarias (March 19th) and was now preparing to invade the most southern Moroccan province: Tharasset.


The bad news were much more personal: Queen Isabel (53), whom Osred had left in Tangiers, had died.


Isabel and Osred had been married for 36 years. It had been one of those few blessed marriages where political necessity (her connections to the Royal house of Scotland and to the northern lords of England) was combined with strong personal affection. That not many letters have survived to the present day derives from the fact, that the two had not been separated for longer periods during their marriage.


Marrakech fell in early April (April 8th) and Osred III and his commanding staff decided to march South with their army to join with the forces under the command of Haldor Yngling, who was to march North, with both armies taking all provinces they would cross on their ways. Osred III declared the so called Anti-Atlas as his next target.

In May Haldor was able to take Tharasset by treason.


After he dispatched a small garrison he followed the “official plan” and marched North towards Ifni.

In June several fronts were quite active:


On June 13th, the Anti-Atlas was officially annexed by England, Ifni would follow on June 29th, making the greatest part of Morocco an “official part” of the English realm (except for some provinces, which were occupied by the Hammadid kingdom). An al-Murabitid counter offence would gain them, except for a temporal control over El Rif (June 29th) and Tangiers (October 11th) nothing and would proof unimportant for the outcome of the war.

It was the home front in England, which became surprisingly active.
It seemed the king’s absence had been to long and a dispute between Duke Aelle of Oxford and the king’s chief representative - his Steward (and son in law) Orson d’Anjou - had escalated and become violent.
On June 16th Aelle Siward rose in open rebellion.


It soon proofed, that the king’s decision to use his Spanish forces had been wise, as the English troops under the command of Orson’s brother Jean were more than able to put the unruly duke into place. He was defeated in open battle three times (July 18th, August 22nd and September 12th) and his provinces taken in quick success: Northampton fell August 8th, Oxford on September 13th.
The day Oxford fell Duke Aelle was already in good grace with his liege again, but he had to pay a price for bringing unrest to the realm in the king’s absence. His personal demesne was reduced to the county of Oxford and Northampton was incorporated into the king’s demesne. Aelle had also to pay a retribution of 500 pounds of gold (perhaps this retribution was one of the reasons Osred III refrained from collecting extra taxes in October, when the proposal was made to him).


The end of the war with the al-Murabitids (at least for England – the other crusaders would continue the fight for some months, with very mixed results) was prepared in Italy.

Seeing, that the main forces of the al-Murabitids in Italy were bound fighting other crusaders Marshal Richard FitzWilliam decided to try a cunning invasion. The al-Murabitids were fighting the armies of King Kresimir II of Croatia to the East, those of Prince Antemios II of Achea to the Southeast (the Palaeologos had joined the fight – despite being orthodox) and to the Southwest it was Guy of Flandre, ex-King of Sicily now Duke of Salerno and Calabria, who was trying to retake some of his lost territory.
The most undefended place was the (new) al-Murabitid residence (and capitol) of Palermo, which Richard attacked in September from the sea side.


The city and the citadel fell on October 29th and with them the last unoccupied personal demesne of Moroccan King Rustam (King Tayyib had died in spring this year).
After some heated discussions (among the English crusaders – end or continue crusade - and between the English and Muslim envoys) a peace was finally sealed on November 12th, 1199.


King Rustam recognized Osred III’s possessions in Morocco and additionally ceded the Moroccan province of Massat (only the provinces currently controlled by the Hammadid kingdom remained as reason, that the Taishufin dynasty was still labeled “Kings of Morocco”), the freshly conquered Palermo and of course – Rome.

For England the 9th Crusade was successfully finished, for the other crusaders he would continue another seven months.

Hi,

I'm just back from a trip through the core of the "Siward realm" (England, Wales and a guided tour through Ireland)...

I promise a new update (albeit a short one) soon...

If there might be a slight anti-irish tendency in some / any of my next updates - I apologize to any Irish readers and put the blame on the tour guide we had in Ireland, who had somewhat destroyed my good opinion of Irish people!

As she can't describe her position I will restrain myself...

I just think she could not hide her anti English feelings very well and that it was very unprofessionell to load her hate on an unsuspecting group of German tourists:
- We were greeted on her first day in Dublin with the words: "Welcome to a country which had been opressed by England for 700 years"
- All landlords in the past where of course English in her describtion and had nothing better to do than to make the life of real Irish people miserable (when we passed some of the estates and manors she told us their - typical English - surnames: O'Neill, O'Brien, MacMahon, Herbert)
- she told us that the irish people where such a learned and peaceful people, that they never invaded anyone in the past (I think the Cornish, Welsh and Scottish people might disagree)
- she likes Scots and Welshmen, because they hate England...
- The great famine was an English plot to commit genocide (they did not start it but prolonged the famine intentionally)

It all cumulated in a two hour monologue near Kilkenny about the situation in Northern Ireland.
She told us that wants to give a neutral description (and I really believe it came from her heart): She told us:
- that the majority of the population is pro-English (it sounded like a crime) and refuses to become a part of the real Ireland.
- They use the Union Jack (Oh horror).
- The IRA was financed by Northamerican Irish as revenge for the great famine.
- The conflict has no religious background, both sides use(d) bombs, but in her description all victims where catholics (or people, who had apple trees in their foregarden - I did not get this picture)
- Only the prostestants provoke the catholics

I was sitting at the back of the bus and did not feel sure about my knowledge of Irish history, so kept quiet (but I bought a few books in Dublin: "Irish Kings and High Kings" (slightly outdated but still interesting) and the first two volumes of "The New History of Ireland: Prehistoric to Early Ireland and 1169 - 1534")

OK... only slightly restrained...

Part IV: 1199-1202 Returning Home and Family Problems

The liberation of Rome was celebrated with numerous foundations, additions and grantings.
In the first wave (the day of the official declaration of peace November 12th) Osred III founded the new Archbishopric of Marrakech, where he installed faithful Jean d’Anjou and added Zaragosa and Jaca to the existing Archbishoprics of Aragon and Navarra.


Several knights were granted counties in the newly conquered provinces (Cebta, Canarias and Ifni).


Five days later another knight was gifted with the county of Tangiers and Osred III gave to his own son Sighere, Prince of Wales the provinces of Durham and Westmoreland.


On December 3rd, 1199 he granted a quite uncommon person with a county (at least for a Siward king, he was the first to do so). He installed his third daughter Rhiannon as Countess of Palermo (historians believe, that he took his third daughter because Isabel his eldest had been married into the FitzWilliam family, which Osred III did not want to strengthen and his second Aelflaed had died young in 1192), granting her children from her marriage with Orson d’Anjou the right to succeed her after her death.


Osred III had been more brooding and dark minded since the death of his beloved wife, so his marriage to Mummadomna Jimenez – a courtier of the Duke of Barcelona - on February 19th, 1200 came much as a surprise.
It was not a political marriage nor was it a marriage of love and passion.


Queen Mummadomna was two years older than Osred III and blind since early childhood. She was nonetheless gifted with a bright mind and a keen political sense. Osred and she had developed a good friendship during his preparations for the crusade, when he was forced to spent a longer period of time in Spain. Their marriage was more a symbol for two friends, who wanted to support each other over their losses in the past.
Back in England Mummadomna soon proofed quite valuable in Osred’s administration and soon held the official office as his chancellor.

In late March 1200 the peace of the realm was officially broken, when the conflict between the Prince of Wales and his vassal Earl Aethelmaer of Powys violently escalated.
Not too long ago the Aethelmaer’s father Earl Aethelbert had inherited the Swedish county of Oppland. After Aethelbert’s death in December 1199 Aethelmaer had invested his son Aethelstan with the province. Nonetheless he still regarded it as his possession and under his jurisdiction - like his father, who had kept the province to himself, without giving it to Aethelmaer. Aethelmaer, now new Earl of Powys, expected now to be treated like a duke (at least). Although no official declaration or granting was made at any time he started to treat his liege Prince Sighere “as equal” even refusing some of his duties as vassal.
Prince Sighere not gifted with his father modest spirit demanded from Aethelmaer full recognition as liege, which Aethelmaer refused, referring to his possessions as “as large and important as the prince’s”.
Finally on March 26th, he officially declared war on the Prince of Wales.


Osred III stood firmly on the side of his son against his unruly vassal, but it was not necessary for him to send any troops. Even Aethelmaer’s son Aethelstan denied his father any support and by June 13th the Prince’s troops had taken control of Powys. Aethelmaer was captured and forced to surrender the province, which had been in the possession of this branch of the family since 1086, and to leave the British Isles. Aethelmaer went to his son’s court at Oppland, demanding from time to time, that his son would surrender his county to him. He was – of course – ignored.

On June 17th Pope Celestin IV officially declared the 9th Crusade as successful finished.


Although the negotiations how the Eternal City would be administrated – and by whom – had still not ended. For the time being Rome was regarded as part of the personal demesne of the king, with the pope being allowed to reside in the papal palace.


England did not participate in the “more earthly” wars of his ally, as Osred III was too busy enjoying the peace of his realm and expecting the advise of his learned clergymen, where to send the next host of holy warriors.


On August 14th, 1201 the target of the 10th Crusade was proclaimed: Tunis (again), the city, which had once been freed by the Siwards already. A city, which had then opted for independence from England - surrounded by infidels. A city, which had then been conquered by these infidels (namely the Kingdom of Zirid).

Although Osred III had helped to find the new target - in his role as Papal champion – he took no preparations to actually join the crusade (perhaps due to his age?). He continued the peaceful administration of his realm and was duly surprised, when sixteen year old Harold Siward, Earl of Cumberland declared war on him.


Osred III dispatched his loyal Marshal, to kindly set the young men in his proper place, which he tried on February 18th, 1202, when he beat the young earl’s forces soundly. But Earl Harold would not listen and unluckily he was killed during a small skirmish, when he tried to lift the Marshall’s siege to his main castle on March 5th. The castle fell six days later.


Harold’s father Earl Sigered of Northumberland renewed his oath of fealty on April 28th, still mourning the loss of his only child and knowing that the foolishness of his son might have endangered another branch of the Siward dynasty. Sigered Siward was the last living male of the Siwards of Northumberland. He was 38 and his wife 37.

Meanwhile Pope Celestin IV had died in Rome.
For the first time since decades no bishop from the English realm was chosen. It was a bishop from a Siward ruled realm nonetheless. They elected Archbishop Guy of Murcia (Castile), who chose the name Innocent III.


In May Osred III founded the Archbishopric of Tangier. It was his last official act.


His last remaining months he spent enjoying his gardens at the Antiocheia Palace, before he peacefully died on August 10th, 1202 aged 55.


A few days later his son Sighere - now Sighere III - arrived in London. A new era was dawning for the English realm

Enewald: To love one's home country is not bad per se, but too often it is accompanied by very very bad streaks...

No, Rome is still English. Osred III did not find a satisfying solution before his death. Province and Popes will at times play a role during Sighere III rule.

Rabid Bogling: A few surely did... but luckily most Germans still know, what kind of monsters unchecked nationalism (esp. combined with racism) can unleash and are still quite sceptical towards any signs of it (we have of course our share of idiots too).

I think Osred's life has nothing to be pittied for. He was a good king for his country (except perhaps for his misjudgement of the Iberian situation) and was married for the most part of his life with his childhood love.