Æthellan: A Tale of Kings

[SplendidTuesday]

I'd like to submit the Norman chronciler Orderic Vitalis for your character challenge: Every story needs a chronicler, after all. Though he was born in the English lands of a Norman lord who in this timeline never went to England, he could either be a prominent historian in Normandy once it stablizies, or move to England and be in the service of a Godwinson. If needed, you could have him be a bit of a snarky character. Historians tended to either be sarcastic, naive, or endlessly wind-bag like in this time period after all.

[RGB]

King Orry Crovan. You know you want to.

And the best thing? It doesn't even have to be silly.

[AlexanderPrimus]

Special Note: Today is 6 January 2011, the Christian feast day of Epiphany, marking 945 years to the day since the coronation of King Harold Godwinson in 1066.

***

phargle: You are far too kind, my friend. Such comments are high praise indeed, coming from the likes of you.

Rabid Bogling: Very intriguing suggestions. I can definitely guarantee that the Normans will be running amok in this story, though I hesitate to reveal too much more than that.

The_Archduke: Your nomination is duly noted. Thanks for continuing to read.

Darbuka88: I'm very glad you dropped by. BT is an excellent authAAR and I'm grateful to him for being so willing to support my own writing efforts.

SplendidTuesday: Good points, all. Your nomination is also noted.

RGB: (whispers) I've actually been planning on it. It's too good of an opportunity to pass up.

***

Announcement: The deadline for submitting nominations for the OFFICIAL ÆTHELLAN "1066 AND ALL THAT" CHARACTER CONTEST has now passed. Voting procedures will begin in the next few days, so watch this thread for updates. Here are the ten nominees:

William Longchamp (Christian V): Norman cleric and chancellor
Robin Hood (Vesimir): legendary English outlaw
Hereward the Wake (Alfredian): Anglo-Saxon freedom-fighter (confirmed cameo)
Thomas Becket (AllmyJames): famous Archbishop of Canterbury
Simon de Montfort (Kurt_Steiner): powerful French baron and rebel
Eustace the Monk (General_BT): infamous Flemish monk/pirate/mercenary
Robert of Rhuddlan (Rabid Bogling): Norman adventurer in the Welsh Marches
Gruffydd ap Cynan (The_Archduke): King of Gwynedd and later All Wales
Orderic Vitalis (SplendidTuesday): notable Norman chronicler
Godred Crovan (RGB): notorious Viking King of Dublin, Man and the Isles


Thanks everyone for continuing to follow the story, and as always: Godwinson Ho!

[Alfredian]

I can't really vote for my own suggestion, so I will go for Thomas Becket (AllmyJames): famous Archbishop of Canterbury.

As Harold has two wives, he should expect some 'troublesome priest' trouble for his family sooner or later.

[Christian V]

Eustace the Monk = pure awesomeness.

He's got my vote.

[Rabid Bogling]

I vote Orderic Vitalis. Genius idea.

[Vesimir]

As I can't vote for myself (Right?), I vote for Eustace the Monk! Pirates are cool!

[RGB]

I refuse to vote; these are all so promising I'm struck by complete and total analysis paralysis.

[Bagricula]

Splendid writing so far. I'm only on the third section, but thought I'd express my admiration for your elegant and articulate prose.

[AllmyJames]

I'll vote for Simon de Montfort it'd be interesting to see how the Godwinsons cope with a parliamentary rebellion.

[Woody Man]

Vote Godred Crovan

[AlexanderPrimus]

First of all, I'd like to mention that the next update is still in the works, but it will still be a while before I can devote more time to it. My current project is the third chapter of the Scottish side story of Antemios Komnenos, a guest update for General_BT's truly excellent story, Rome AARisen. If you haven't read it yet, you need to head over there right now. Just follow the link. Seriously. It's the best AAR ever.

And now for some replies:

Alfredian: Indeed, and possibly sooner than you would think.

RGB: Should I count that as 1/10 of a vote for each then? I must admit, they're all such good suggestions that I might just have to find a way to integrate each of them in one form or another. Within reason, of course.

Bagricula: Thank you very much for your kind words, and welcome to the story! Don't worry about taking your time to read... of necessity I am compelled to take my time to write as well.

Christian V, Rabid Bogling, Vesimir, AllmyJames & Woody Man: Your votes are all duly noted. Thank you all very much for your continued patronage and support!

***

Lastly, I thought I would include something of interest that I have discovered in my research. It is easy to surmise that Harold Godwinson's family line was snuffed out soon after the Battle of Hastings. Nothing could be farther from the truth. In fact, King Harold has many famous descendants, even down to the present day. Here are just a few of his more prominent direct lineal descendants, in no particular order:

George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Monroe, John Quincy Adams, Zachary Taylor, Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, Calvin Coolidge, Herbert Hoover, Henry the Navigator, Catherine Parr, Robert and Horace Walpole, Robert Adam, Henry Cavendish, Talleyrand, William Wilberforce, The Duke of Wellington, Jane Austen, Lord Melbourne, Francis Scott Key, Lord Byron, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Robert E. Lee, Charles Darwin, Alfred Lord Tennyson, William Gladstone, Ralph Vaughan Williams, P.G. Wodehouse, Sir Walter Scott, Lewis Carroll, David Hume, Marie Antoinette, "Rob Roy" MacGregor, Lawrence of Arabia, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Eleanor Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, George S. Patton, Orson Welles, H.P. Lovecraft, The Red Baron, Aldous Huxley, Noel Coward, Queen Elizabeth II, Humphrey Bogart, George Orwell, Nelson Rockefeller, Hugh Grant, Guy Ritchie, Princess Diana, Wernher von Braun, Margaret Thatcher, Audrey Hepburn, Christopher Reeve, Michael Douglas, John Kerry, Tony Blair, Ralph and Joseph Fiennes, Jake and Maggie Gyllenhaal, Brooke Shields, Hilary and Haylie Duff.

So as you can see, our protagonist Harold Godwinson is the direct ancestor of some of the most important people in western history (and some others that just happen to be famous for no particular reason ). What do you think of that, dear readers?

Talk about Godwinson Ho!

[RGB]

Royalty, always overrepresented in the gene pool. Or at least among the ruling and the chattering parts of it.

Looking forward to the Scottish thing, and then the next update of this one afterwards!

[Vesimir]

Harold and the saxons got their revenge on the normans by winning the American Revolution, and then taking control of the UK itself during WW2!

It's a very cool heritage he left for himself.

[Enewald]

Godwinson Ho!

1-2 million descendants, or more?

[AllmyJames]

I think this AAR needs to become a Mega Campaign, with each of Harold's descendants making a Cameo appearance of some sort.

Or perhaps we could just have an American revolution AAR in which Godric Hwæsingatūn and Thomas Gottfreidson fight to win the freedom of the 13 colonies!

[AlexanderPrimus]

RGB: Very true. Moreover, I would say that those two groups are definitely the most interested in publicly declaring their lineage. Glad to have your continued support!

Vesimir: Indeed. I have to say, I think the events of 1776 are more deeply rooted in the events of 1066 than we sometimes admit.

Enewald: More. Many, many more. And these are all just descendants of Harold's daughter Gytha! We have no idea what became of his other children's descendants, but presumably they're all still floating about in the gene pool as well.

AllmyJames: Tempting. I must admit I've given a fair bit of thought to where Hwæsingatūn fits in this timeline. He was also a descendant of Alfred the Great, by the way.

[RGB]

Enewald: More. Many, many more. And these are all just descendants of Harold's daughter Gytha!

This is the one that went to marry Vladimir Monomach? I'm stunned.

[AlexanderPrimus]

This is the one that went to marry Vladimir Monomach? I'm stunned.

You didn't know? Or just didn't realize that she has so many living descendants? It is rather stunning, either way you look at it, though.

[RGB]

You didn't know? Or just didn't realize that she has so many living descendants? It is rather stunning, either way you look at it, though.

The latter. I knew there were many side-branches but I didn't expect them to perpetuate so widely, especially back in Western Europe.