Sancho - 1066
I am Sancho of Aragon. I rule the mountain Kingdom of Aragon. It sounds prestigious doesn’t it? The truth is that in terms of the power struggles of the Iberian peninsula I am a non-entity. My kingdom encompasses a single county and my vassals are weak. My cousins all rule larger realms and the four of us, along with Duke Berenger of Barcelona, are all that stop the Andalusian Muslims from expanding into Catholic Europe.
I count myself a part of that group but in reality I am not. The weakest of my cousins, Antso IV, rules the Kingdom of Navarra which is twice as large as my own realm. Duke Berenger, of Barcelona, and Sancho II of Castille, yet another cousin, rule realms twice again as large. Further west, two more cousins, Alfonso VI of Leon, and Garcia II of Galicia, push the catholic frontier to the ocean.
I wish I could say that I have proven equal to the task of securing the peninsula, but in truth the Andalusian’s have pushed north to the very borders of my capital.
I will be the first to admit I have neglected my duty. I am called flamboyant and I do not deny that I have a fondness for fine clothes but I am content. Or at least I was.
Last night I had a dream. I believe it came from God. This dream showed me a map very different from the ones my cousins and my Marshall are always showing me, pushing their little pieces around and encouraging strikes against the heathen Muslims. No this map showed the Muslims stretching into Europe, our people slaves, and mighty France under siege. I could see that Duke William’s invasion of England had succeeded but the isles were fractured. France itself, ruled by a young boy, was suffering rebellion and now incursions by the Muslims. The Kaiser subdued pagans and bided his time while the other nations were weakened.
I do not know why God showed me this. Was I to warn my cousins? Surely they were far more capable than I. Yet the vision came to me. I possessed few skills that could counter such a threat. Such strengths as I had lay in books and intrigue.
My children were as yet unborn and my wife was a child herself. She brought me no power, her only claim being to the neighboring county of Urgell. I could not count on my cousins; in my vision they had squabbled amongst themselves and been devoured by the Muslims. France was unlikely to be of help. Phillipe was a boy and France had long counted on the Iberian frontier to bolster the mountains and keep the Muslims out. With William’s pending invasion of England the Muslims would be the least of their concerns.
I would need to secure powerful alliances… but how? The obvious answer was my sisters; both unmarried, both princesses...They could be used. Urraca was my heir and far more skilled in diplomacy then I, despite being five years younger. At 19, she was nubile and could secure a powerful alliance. I would have to gamble on producing children after using her to get support from a powerful ruler. While Uracca disliked me, Sancha despised me. At 18 she saw herself as being denied her rightful inheritance. Both of them would have to go, but to where? It seemed prudent to keep Sancha away from me. Ireland was out, almost as much of a mess as the Iberian peninsula. England would soon be racked by war, and in any case all three claimants were married. No, France it would have to be. The young Philippe was unmarried. An alliance with France could bring many benefits. Could Sancha be manipulated into marring Phillippe? On the surface it seemed obvious… she would be Queen, and Philippe could be manipulated into supporting Aragon under the twin obligations to family and to Pope. Philippe it would have to be then. Yet I couldn't forget that in the vision France was divided. I would have to ensure that France remained strong.
God willing Sancha would be pleased enough at the thought of being Queen of France that she would refrain from plotting against her brother. It seemed likely that it would not be worth the risk with Urraca ahead of her in the line of succession. Urraca could not be married off until I had a child and so she had to be placated with the possibility of being Queen. If anything there should be more danger from Urraca then Sancha yet Sancha was the sister that I could always count on. Once my heir was born she would have to be handled carefully to ensure she did not rise above her station.
Lastly, there was the problem of Isabel. In the vision I had been married to a different woman. God was saying that I would have to make the ultimate sacrifice of giving up my beloved wife in order to protect the church. Isabel would have to go.
I am Sancho of Aragon. I rule the mountain Kingdom of Aragon. It sounds prestigious doesn’t it? The truth is that in terms of the power struggles of the Iberian peninsula I am a non-entity. My kingdom encompasses a single county and my vassals are weak. My cousins all rule larger realms and the four of us, along with Duke Berenger of Barcelona, are all that stop the Andalusian Muslims from expanding into Catholic Europe.
I count myself a part of that group but in reality I am not. The weakest of my cousins, Antso IV, rules the Kingdom of Navarra which is twice as large as my own realm. Duke Berenger, of Barcelona, and Sancho II of Castille, yet another cousin, rule realms twice again as large. Further west, two more cousins, Alfonso VI of Leon, and Garcia II of Galicia, push the catholic frontier to the ocean.
I wish I could say that I have proven equal to the task of securing the peninsula, but in truth the Andalusian’s have pushed north to the very borders of my capital.
I will be the first to admit I have neglected my duty. I am called flamboyant and I do not deny that I have a fondness for fine clothes but I am content. Or at least I was.
Last night I had a dream. I believe it came from God. This dream showed me a map very different from the ones my cousins and my Marshall are always showing me, pushing their little pieces around and encouraging strikes against the heathen Muslims. No this map showed the Muslims stretching into Europe, our people slaves, and mighty France under siege. I could see that Duke William’s invasion of England had succeeded but the isles were fractured. France itself, ruled by a young boy, was suffering rebellion and now incursions by the Muslims. The Kaiser subdued pagans and bided his time while the other nations were weakened.
I do not know why God showed me this. Was I to warn my cousins? Surely they were far more capable than I. Yet the vision came to me. I possessed few skills that could counter such a threat. Such strengths as I had lay in books and intrigue.
My children were as yet unborn and my wife was a child herself. She brought me no power, her only claim being to the neighboring county of Urgell. I could not count on my cousins; in my vision they had squabbled amongst themselves and been devoured by the Muslims. France was unlikely to be of help. Phillipe was a boy and France had long counted on the Iberian frontier to bolster the mountains and keep the Muslims out. With William’s pending invasion of England the Muslims would be the least of their concerns.
I would need to secure powerful alliances… but how? The obvious answer was my sisters; both unmarried, both princesses...They could be used. Urraca was my heir and far more skilled in diplomacy then I, despite being five years younger. At 19, she was nubile and could secure a powerful alliance. I would have to gamble on producing children after using her to get support from a powerful ruler. While Uracca disliked me, Sancha despised me. At 18 she saw herself as being denied her rightful inheritance. Both of them would have to go, but to where? It seemed prudent to keep Sancha away from me. Ireland was out, almost as much of a mess as the Iberian peninsula. England would soon be racked by war, and in any case all three claimants were married. No, France it would have to be. The young Philippe was unmarried. An alliance with France could bring many benefits. Could Sancha be manipulated into marring Phillippe? On the surface it seemed obvious… she would be Queen, and Philippe could be manipulated into supporting Aragon under the twin obligations to family and to Pope. Philippe it would have to be then. Yet I couldn't forget that in the vision France was divided. I would have to ensure that France remained strong.
God willing Sancha would be pleased enough at the thought of being Queen of France that she would refrain from plotting against her brother. It seemed likely that it would not be worth the risk with Urraca ahead of her in the line of succession. Urraca could not be married off until I had a child and so she had to be placated with the possibility of being Queen. If anything there should be more danger from Urraca then Sancha yet Sancha was the sister that I could always count on. Once my heir was born she would have to be handled carefully to ensure she did not rise above her station.
Lastly, there was the problem of Isabel. In the vision I had been married to a different woman. God was saying that I would have to make the ultimate sacrifice of giving up my beloved wife in order to protect the church. Isabel would have to go.
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