Attempt at a MegaCampaign - Anglo-Saxon England from 479-2200s

[BanterCaliph]

NEDALSKIP DAWN 479-850



Hi and welcome all to the first section of an ambitious megacampaign. This first part of the saga covers 479-850AD a time of invasion and strife in Britannia during which the peoples of England evolved. The Nedalskip Dawn tells the tale of how a cast out bastard child began the greatest dynasty ever seen on the isles and helped bring about the future English nation.

I will be attempting to document the rise of House Nedalskip (a custom dynasty) from the birth of Anglo-Saxon England in the 5th century AD through to an age of galactic human expansion. Its very ambitious but I know of at least one megacampaign where it has been achieved before.

As of now (6th May 2013) I have played up to 800 in the fantastic Winter King mod for CK2 which can be found here. Seriously if you have any interest in post-roman Britain its a great mod, massive thanks to its creator(s?) for it has provided a great start to my AAR.

How will I achieve this feat of gaming magnificence you ask? to do a single game that long and write it up? madness!

Well I have a few games in mind:

Winter King Mod for CK2 (479-867)
Crusader Kings 2 (867-1399)
Europa Universalis III (1399-1820)
Victoria II (1820-1936)
Hearts of Iron III (1936-1948)
East vs West? (1948-1991)
and/or
Civ V with a custom scenario (1948-2225)
Galactic Civ II (2225-???)

Its going to be a very ambitious project and so far after a month of playing as much as possible I'm through just under 200 years... so it could take a while! However this is a project I intend to complete. After attempting multiple megacampaigns as Portugal and Denmark (actually completing one as Portugal) but deciding that:

1) I'm not good enough at Paradox games to rule the world as a minor power
2) my writing skills last year weren't good enough to do a decent AAR for my Portugal game
3) After playing as England on EUIII its sometimes more fun playing as a more powerful nation!

I wondered which nation I should play through. I considered Denmark-Scandinavia but then came across the Winter King mod and had a sudden change of patriotism - Anglo-Saxon England! Of course! Starting in 479 would give me a greatly extended time frame: the problem I had with starting as England before was that there was never a convenient start point for the Anglo-Saxons: but I had found one! Thus began my attempt at a megacampaign.

Anyhow enough blabbering and on with the show. I will post chapters (updates) as often as possible, I've completed 14 so far so this is a decent AAR already and longer than some on this forum! This project will likely take a long time, perhaps upwards of a year, but I'm committed to completing it. If I get some fans (unlikely) or whatever there might even be a chance for you to interact in this AAR and help me make decisions, especially as we get closer to the modern age and even royal power is eroded a little.

Here is a prologue to show off my (rather poor) writing skills. This and occasional bonus "chapters" will be written from a character's perspective, but the majority of this AAR will be told in a way similar to a weighty history book.


Prologue – The Arrival of Eadric Nedalskip


December 3rd, 479AD
The Oceanus Germanicus, off the coast of Thunreslea
The Kingdom of Anglia

The crashing waves tossed the longboat around, swinging from side to side as it did Eadric believed that at any minute the boat would capsize and he would be given a cold death in the icy North Sea. Cold rain lashed the rowers, a mix of Saxon warriors and slaves taken from the foreign island that Eadric Nedalskip was soon to land on.

Eadric’s people had been raiding the Island for the last century and began to settle there in great numbers with the departure of the Romans some 70 years ago. The Romans had called the island “Britannia” and its people “Britons”. They were mostly of Celtic stock, though the Romano-British south of Britannia were a mixed culture that had grown weak and pampered through centuries of peace; they were easy targets for Saxon raids. Raids grew to conquest as around 20 years ago Aelle of Anglia led his Saxon warband in conquering swathes of territory on the “Saxon Shore” which became known as Anglia. This powerful warlord was Eadric’s father and though the young man was a bastard child King Aelle requested that his son be made king of Anglia upon his death, thus Eadric had left his homeland to sail to a foreign island and become a king.

“Land sighted!”

Leofric the Thegn shouted out as the shores of Anglia became visible and the mist that had prevailed on the journey from Jutland began to lift. The crew let out a cheer, the few days at sea spent on the small and uncovered longboat had not been a pleasant experience.

“I cannot wait to fill my pockets with gold and their women with my seed!”

It appeared that Leofric at least was looking forward to landing. But Eadric was unsure; his dead father had started a war with the Britons that was on-going. Every day more men flocked to the banners of both sides, it was clear that the times of easy expansion for the Saxons was over and the Britons were now prepared to fight for their land.

“My lord, we will be at Thunreslea within the half hour, are you ready?”

“Of course Leofric, my great father decreed I become king, so the Jarls will either follow me or be my enemies.”

“I think the Britons actually standing up to fight for a change will be more of a concern to them, I hope you’re a good war-leader and fighter laddie, because you’re going to have to prove what you’re made of.”

“I relish the opportunity”


PS. To moderators, I'm sorry if this is the wrong area to post this AAR, I've not been on the forums active for that long so please excuse me and move it to where you think best.

 

[Dovahkiing]

This looks awesome!
One question though: How are you going to convert from the Winter King mod to regular CKII: The Old Gods?
Whatever the answer, as a fellow megacampaigner I shall follow this ambitious project!

 

[NapoleonComple]

Sounds interesting if only from the sheer ambition. Is this your first AAR?

 

[LlywelynII]

Anglo-Saxons? Boo!!! Hiss!!!

 

[BanterCaliph]

This looks awesome!
One question though: How are you going to convert from the Winter King mod to regular CKII: The Old Gods?
Whatever the answer, as a fellow megacampaigner I shall follow this ambitious project!

Good question! I think I'll have to mod CK2 manually since I'm pretty sure there won't be a converter, I'm fairly competent when it comes to modding so that should be ok.

Sounds interesting if only from the sheer ambition. Is this your first AAR?

Yes it is my first AAR. But not my first megacampaign.

Anglo-Saxons? Boo!!! Hiss!!!

Welsh? didn't we conquer you guys?

 

[Sarius1997]

I´m not sure if this is awesome, or completly insane. I´ll be following this anyway

 

[NapoleonComple]

Welsh? didn't we conquer you guys?

Nah, that was the Normans. Who incidentally also conquered the Anglo-Saxons.

Then another group of Normans won Scotland in a card game, forming a separate but culturally similar dynasty.

...I may be remembering that wrong.

 

[spacehyena]

Good luck!

 

[BanterCaliph]

Nah, that was the Normans. Who incidentally also conquered the Anglo-Saxons.

Then another group of Normans won Scotland in a card game, forming a separate but culturally similar dynasty.

...I may be remembering that wrong.

Well the Welsh were the remnants of the old Brythonic inhabitants of England, so in a way the Welsh were conquered by the Anglo-Saxons, or at least confined to modern Wales. I'm probably being pedantic here though

Also Scotland was won in a card game????!

Here's the first chapter by the way, feedback would be great as this is my first ever AAR! Also if anyone knows how to wrap text around the images that would be great


Chapter 1, The Foundation of a Dynasty (479-485)

The Sudden death of Anglo-Saxon King Aelle of Anglia in the winter of 479AD was a surprise to most people. The great king of the Angles had spent his life uniting the Germanic tribes of East Anglia under his rule and pushing ever deeper into native Briton land. The last century had been one of great turmoil in Britain and Europe as a whole, the collapse of the Roman Empire had led to much strife and conflict. To “barbarian” peoples like the Anglo-Saxons however it was a great opportunity to lead the continent into a new age by using their might at arms to secure a future for their people.


The Western and Eastern Roman Empires in 460, 19 years before Eadric came to the Anglian throne

With the great warrior-king Aelle dead by November 479 the future he had been striving for seemed doomed. The King had made it known that he wished only to be replaced by his own son, but due to his sudden death of a high fever a legitimate heir could not be found. Instead the heir was found to be a 20 year old bastard son named Eadric Nedalskip, currently living in Jutland. Despite having fought in only a single battle the boy had great knowledge of military tactics from time spent with the mercenary company of the Jutish Sellswords. The rumours of his potency were also commonplace, reputedly having bedded many more wenches than a man usual for his age. Though a proud man he was also known as an arbitrary leader, unfair in his decisions and slightly corrupt. Perhaps most importantly Eadric enforced his claim to Anglia’s throne due to his great ambitious nature, always striving to rise from his lowly birthplace as a forgotten bastard of Aelle. The Jarls of Anglia gambled and decided that this young man would be the new ruler of the Angles in Britannia. Odin help them all.



The new King of Anglia arrived on the Saxon Shore of East Anglia on December 3rd, 479 Anno Domini. His first acts as ruler was to give honorary titles to the Jarls of his realm with Jarl Siegfried of the Saxon Shore being made master of the Hunt and Marshall of Anglia. Jarl Wlencing of East Seaxe became Eadric’s Chancellor and Master of the Horse. With these acts Eadric was able to endear himself to the most powerful men in his realm and claim more of their levy with which to wage his father’s war on the Brythonic Kingdom of Powys, which was unfinished.

Eadric’s next priority was ensuring the continuation of his new dynasty’s rule and the consolidation of his power towards that goal. The lack of highborn and available Saxon women in Anglia meant that the new king had to wed a lowborn courtier: in the end Eadric chose Lady Eadwynn of Elmham mainly due to her decent chancellery ability and (relative) good looks. The fact that she was chaste and zealous in her Norse beliefs did not become apparent until later on, however Eadric had more pressing concerns of a military nature to the west and as long as Eadwynn did her duty of producing an heir all would be well. The wedding took place on the 16th of December. With no Royal aid duty collected Eadric improved his relations with the people and his prestige.

December passed otherwise without event, save the mustering of troops for the inevitable clash with Powys. The two nations were roughly evenly matched in terms of size, troop numbers and leadership, though Eadric had been informed by his spymaster that Powys intended to make common cause with the northern Kingdom of Elmet and bring their ally into the war, breaking the power balance and forcing the Anglo-Saxons to expand elsewhere. Finally as the New Year came around Eadric mustered a large force of about 2700 troops and marched North-West from the capital of Thunreslea towards the Fens, the marshy borderlands of Anglian territory which the Powysian forces had recently arrived in. The men of Powys lost a few hundred of their men due to the bleak terrain of the Fens and the chill of winter – their army of 2800 was unable to forage well and by the 4th of January had been whittled down to just under 2400. Outnumbered and demoralised the Powysian forces were decisively beaten by Eadric and his troops at the Battle of Æthelford on the 9th January 480.



With a victory under his belt Eadric pursued the Powysian army into the midlands and fought the battle of Tripontium merely days later on the 14th of January. Once again the Britons were decisively beaten and many were cut down while fleeing the battlefield. On the 31st another small battle was won north of the region at Venonae. By this time the enemy army had lost over half of its size for less than a quarter of the Anglians and Powys appeared to have been broken. Eadric began to besiege the holdings of Powys in Tripontium and succeeded in taking them by the 26th of July. At this point it looked as though a complete and straightforward victory had been won.



However matters of war and state are rarely so simple and on the 29th of September the Kingdom of Elmet agreed to aid Powys in the defence of their land against the Anglians. Elmetian troops moved into the Fens from the north and laid siege to Anglian bastions with some success. In the Kingdom of Dumnonia old King Uther Pendragon finally passed away and left the throne to Mordred, a clubfooted child. This led to a sucession crisis between the south Britons and Eadric would not have to worry about their intervention.

As the year of 481 opened Anglia’s victory over Powys seemed complete, but two defeats (one large and one a mere skirmish) in February showed that the conflict was not yet over. On the 12th of February given the heavy losses Anglia’s army had suffered at the beginning of that year (just over 2,000 men lost) more mercenaries from Denmark arrived in the service of Eadric I to replace these casualties. On the 16th of June King Eadric himself led his army to a victorious comeback at Venonae, where he personally led the charge and sustained a wound in combat.



The war lasted over another winter and continued into the year of 482. Little else went on in the realm during this period and all energies of the Anglian king were put into the war effort. By now all involved were growing weary of the continuing struggle, but still the Britons fought on against us. On the 25th of January the armies of Elmet were beaten back by Eadric at Fosse Manor where at King Llaennog I of Elmet proved to be a coward and fled from personal combat with the Anglian King. Several more skirmishes with Elmetian forces went our way before the northern power was forced to leave the war due to civil war in their Kingdom. King Llaennog had formed a union with the other Northern power Rheged, but this was opposed by the Lords of the Peaks, who claimed it was a one sided agreement. With Elmet out of the war Powys was left on its own to fight Anglia.

Throughout that June the Powysian armies fought hard and desperately to keep Tripontium, but to no avail. Exhausted and demoralised the people of Powys would not shed any more blood for a mere border province; a conflict that had escalated far beyond what was at stake. On the 11th of July 482 King Gorfyddyd I of Powys finally surrendered Tripontium after a war that claimed just under 10,000 lives, a huge conflict for the time.



After 2 and half years of war Eadric was unused to ruling a Kingdom at peace, yet despite calls from the more aggressive courtiers the young King avoided going to war with the civil war beset Dumnonia to the south. The British Kingdom was being fought over tooth and nail between the supporters of Mordred and Arthur Pendragon as successors to the late Uther. While Anglia stayed out of it the southern Saxon kingdom of Cantia seized the opportunity to gain territory and took land from the Belgae, a small British tribal group on their border formerly protected by Dumnonia.

The greatest surprise of the year was when on the 4th September the smaller Kingdom of Gwent declared war in order to push their de Jure claim on Tripontium. No hostilities were made until the 15th April 483 where the Gwentish army was decisively beaten by Eadric and white peace was agreed.

Despite this minor episode the following months were relatively quiet and peaceful. Eadric got down to the business of securing his dynasty after many months away at war and Queen Eadwynn fell pregnant in January 483. Eadric’s first child and daughter, Sigaflæd, was born on the 21st August 483.

By the 24th of September peace returned to the Briton Kingdom of Dumnonia as the supporters of the infant Mordred Pendragon won the throne and Prince Arthur was banished to Brittany. The civil war had cost many lives however and Dumnonia was a shadow of its former glory, having lost two provinces to the Saxon Kingdoms of Anglia and Cantia and another to independent Briton rebels of Aquae Sulis. The Briton Kingdom of Dumnonia, the most powerful of the native nations, had never looked weaker and King Eadric considered to strike. After his wife announced a new pregnancy in February Eadric made a bold move and declared war on the reeling Dumnonia, aiming to conquer the border region of the Chiltern Hills.

By late summer (August) the Dumnonian holds in the region had capitulated to Anglia, the war would not be decided however until the Dumnonian army had been met on the field and this day came with the battle of Londinium on the 1st August 484. Though outnumbered and weary from civil war the Dumnonian army fought well. Consisting largely of skirmishing archers they harassed the Anglians and felled many until the crushing Saxon charge routed them. With the core of the Dumnonian army defeated the war seemed won, though the young Mordred urged his countrymen to fight on.



The remainder of Dumnonia’s army was defeated at the Battle of Cunetio on the 27th August. With this victory the Dumnonian resistance in the field was beaten and the rest of the war was a simple act of mopping up small armies and besieging Briton holdings. Mordred finally conceded defeat on the 6th July 485, ceding the Chiltern Hills to Eadric.

The King of Anglia also received good news on the 20th September 484 with the birth of his heir and first son Eadbeald Nedalskip. The birth of an heir was great news for the King: his conquests would be preserved along with his Dynasty – the ambitious Eadric wanted the Nedalskip name to echo down the centuries and a male heir was vital to this ambition.



Following the conquest of the Chiltern Hills Eadric decided on a period of peace and development in his Kingdom and to consolidate his recent conquests, as well as preparing his forces to take advantage of any further opportunity to gain Briton land.

By summer 485 the northern Kingdom of Rheged-Elmet had been created as a northern bulwark of ancient Briton power and the successor to Dumnonia as the most powerful state on the island. On the 19th of July Eadwynn was once again declared pregnant; with the possibility of another heir Eadric began to look covetously at the lands of Gwent, the weakest Briton neighbor of Anglia…

 

[Dovahkiing]

Awesome writing here!

 

[PineconeKing]

I hope the regnal numbers transfer through. Seeing an Eadric XXVII would be funny.

 

[BanterCaliph]

Awesome writing here!

Thanks!

I hope the regnal numbers transfer through. Seeing an Eadric XXVII would be funny.

Yeah they will don't worry

Also here's the second chapter I've done so far, taking us through to the year 500.

Chapter 2, The Late 5th Century (485-500)

The first five years of King Eadric’s reign had been characterised by on and off war with native Briton Kingdoms; and this was a pattern that would continue as the 5th Century proved to be the bloodiest yet seen on these islands. Warfare and strife was not just limited to the British Isles however, as the Imperium Romanum collapsed across Europe. In this period the Frankish tribes invaded Normandy and destroyed the Romano-Gallic Kingdom of Benoic.



In the south Cantia warred with a divided and weakened Dumnonia and were prevailing: by the end of the century Cantia had doubled its territory from conquest of Dumnonian lands. As the winter came to pass and the year 486 entered King Eadric was unsure whether to take advantage of the chaos in Dumnonia to the south or spare his forces for conflict with the closer foes of Gwent and Rheged.

The brief spell of peace saw the birth of Maldræd Nedalskip, Eadric’s second son on the 20th February 486 as well as the establishment of the Seaxneat heresy in Elmham, Northern East Anglia. Peace would not last however, as by summer 486 it was obvious that Dumnonia was falling apart and that Anglia would have to act quickly to keep it that way and take as much of that pie as was possible.

Thus on the 13th July 486 Eadric once more went to war with Dumnonia, this time to claim the province of Calleva, a large border area next to Londinium. By the December of that year all the Briton holdings had been besieged and surrendered to the Anglians. Two battles took place with a small force of the Dumnonian army (the ones who were not fighting Cantia in the south or garrisoning the capital) at Durocobrivis. The conflict dragged out until November 487 when after many small skirmishes and the capitulation of more Briton holdings King Tudwallon I of Dumnonia ceded the province of Calleva to Anglia to prevent more bloodshed. A mere month passed however before on Christmas Eve 487 the Gwentish Kingdom declared its own war on us in order to claim Tripontium. Much like the first Gwentish war for the province it came to naught and a peace deal was signed again for a white peace the following summer.

During the near constant state of war wracking Anglia King Eadric took the controversial step of increasing his crown authority in the Kingdom, being able to demand increased tax and levies from vassals. In Saxon tradition the Jarls were consulted before the crown law was passed, but it was approved and on the 21st May 488 Eadric ruled Anglia on “low crown authority”



The peace was shattered on the 1st September 488 however when the northern Kingdom of Rheged declared war on Anglia, determined to slow down our fast pace of expansion. At the time Rheged was the largest and most powerful nation in Britannia, so Eadric was obviously concerned with these turn of events. The King of Rheged was no strategist however and instead of waiting for winter to pass mustered his army and marched on Saxon holdings in the Fens marshland.
The Rhegedian army was reduced by a half through that harsh winter. Due to a lack of forage and the chill of the weather a large army in the Fens never had a chance, this was a lesson that had been learnt by the men of Powys and Elmet less than a decade ago but the arrogant King of Rheged obviously did not pay much attention to recent history.



Eadric waited until the chill subsided and attacked the Rhegedians, a force still double the size of the Anglia army, on the 7th February 489. Weakened by the cold and absolutely demoralised the enemy routed after a short battle and the Fens secured. Rheged would not give up however and the war continued. As Eadric marched north into Rhegedian territory a small sideshow took place around the Fens and other Anglian regions as Huscarl Morcær of the recently hired Warriors of Thunor (a fanatically devout pagan group come to Anglia to aid Saxon interests) and his army of 300 chased a similarly sized force of Rhegedians around, fighting numerous skirmishes as the enemy attempted to take what holdings it could.

By the end of October Anglian forces had taken some Rhegedian land and even sacked the town of Gausennæ. On the 5th November the remainder of the Rhegedian army was utterly crushed at the Battle of Durobrivæ effectively ending all mobile enemy resistance. The King of Rheged didn’t make peace however until October 490, after the sack of Lincoln finally persuaded him of the futility of his war. As this conflict was occurring King Meurig I of Gwent also declared war on Anglia in order to regain Tripontium, which had been considered part of their nation for decades before Eadric was on the throne. In order to concentrate forces against Rheged Eadric opted to cede Tripontium without a fight in April 490. After all, the population of the province was now following the “Christian” heresy.
As the winter of 490-491 passed Anglia was once more in a fragile peace, to the south however Dumnonia was collapsing due to a combination of Cantian aggression and internal strife. Eadric saw this collapse as an opportunity to enrich and enlarge Anglia and declared the first of many wars against Dumnonia. Eadric also produced his first bastard child and extramarital affair in the summer of 490, coupling with Lady Cuthswith of his court. The bastard was born on the 20th March 491, being named Æthelwine – King Eadric opted to admit the child was his, but not legitimise his succession to his titles in Anglia.

The peace ended on the 21st July 491 when Eadric declared a new war with Dumnonia in order to take the province of Cunetio. Dumnonia now had a Queen, Anna I, who had deposed the old Christian king in order to keep Dumnonia pagan (religion was also helping to keep the Briton Kingdom divided). The Queen of Dumnonia had little aptitude for war and selected her favourite courtiers (and not her best) to command her armies in the field. Thus the result of the Battle of Calleva Manor on the 17th of August 491 which should have been a great victory turned into a costly Dumnonian defeat.



Sieges in the area continued and a sally force led by Arthur Pendragon, bastard son of the late Uther Pendragon failed to raise the siege of Corinium. Indeed Arthur was captured at the battle and ended his life in the dungeons of King Eadric: a tragic end for one who was foretold to lead the Britons in great victories against the invading Saxons. It took until the summer of 494 before the Dumnonians surrendered more of their border territory to Anglia, three years of mopping up sieges and skirmishes do not make for a thrilling read.

The year of 492, besides the on-going war in Dumnonia, was a rather eventful one in Anglia and the British Isles in general. Tragedy struck House Nedalskip on the 20th July with the death of Eadric’s first wife Eadwynn after a brief illness. This tragedy did not affect Eadric greatly as he was more in love with his courtier Cuthswith. In fact the Anglian King saw the death as an opportunity to increase his country’s standings in the geo-political arena of 5th Century Britain: on the 28th of October Eadric announced his betrothal (the girl was 10 years old and too young to be wed) to the daughter, Leofwynn, of King Cerdic I of Cantia, with the aim of solidifying a marriage-dynastic alliance between the two Anglo-Saxon Kingdoms.



The only event of note in 493 (besides the war) was the conversion of the people of Elmham back to traditional Norse Paganism and away from the cult of Seaxneat.

494 saw the end of War with Dumnonia and Cunetio being ceded to Anglia. Cantia also gained more territory as Dumnonia caved in. In the north of the British Isles a sleeping giant was stirring however. The Pictish Caledonian tribes were uniting under powerful clan leaders and clamoured for a Kingdom of their own. Word soon reached Anglia of a Great War in the North between the clans of future Scotland and involving mighty Rheged. Such a distraction for the northern Kingdom was welcome in Eadric’s eyes!



As Anglia once again found itself at peace Eadric directed his efforts towards consolidating his rule across his newly conquered subjects. He took two approaches to this in recently conquered Dumnonian provinces. In the Chiltern Hills peasants demanded and were allowed to trade independently in the village squares, angering the local nobility who would gain no tax income but pacifying revolters in the area. In Cunetio however (a part of Dumnonia until the previous year) Eadric came down more harshly on the rebels, rejecting their demands for a tax break and sending Anglia’s marshal: Huscarl Morcær to the province to “break” revolts. This was also a successful result, with leading rebel agitators arrested and executed by August of 496.



Over in Europe King Clovis I of the Franks made a shock conversion to Christianity on the 13th March 496, the first major barbarian warlord of north-western Europe to do so. This conversion did little to change Eadric’s view on the religion however and he regarded it as a strange cult. Though the followers of Christ gained many followers amongst the Franks, Anglia would remain staunchly pagan at the turn of the century. In fact the only new religion to infest Anglian lands in 496 was a native Briton heresy, the Cult of Gofannon, a Briton druid who resisted Norse paganism encroaching in Dumnonian lands.

On the 23rd January 497 Eadric attempted to secure the line of Nedalskip succession by betrothal of his son and heir Eadbeald to Lady Ealhswith of Elmham and also thereby reinforcing the bonds within his own Kingdom by marrying a future vassal.

As 498 dawned Eadric instituted another law in his Kingdom, that of full feudal vassals. All lords were permitted under law to grant the Anglian King their full levy in times of war. This extra manpower was put to use in the same year, taking another province from Dumnonia without having to fight a single battle. As Dumnonia collapsed many minor states broke off the once mighty Southern Kingdom. Aquae Sulis was one of those. Unfortunately for these minor states they had thrown off Dumnonian rule to welcome Saxon rule, because they were just too small and easy to conquer to be left alone.

From the 23rd of June to the 8th of July 498 a very brief and decisive war was fought between Anglia and Aquae Sulis, unsurprisingly the former came off better and the nation of Bath was absorbed into Eadric’s growing Kingdom.



The rest of 498 passed mostly without incident, though in December of that year the lord of Aquae Sulis brought the issue of shipwrecks carrying expensive cargo being marooned on that coastline. The lord, the peasants and the former owners from Gwent all believed it should be theirs, but in the end Eadric overruled all and claimed the treasure for himself, decrying that any shipwrecks on Anglia’s coast would in future belong to monarchs.

Abroad conflict in Gaul heated up with the arrival of an entire ex-Roman Legion, the Legio VI Gallicana, in Lutetia (Paris). The legion swore fealty to King Syagrius I of the Soissons, considering him the only Romano-Gallic leader left in the region. The natives fought back with renewed vigour against the Franks after this, but would it be enough?

Back in Anglia Eadric’s first child and daughter Sigaflæd came of age. Through her education she became a mastermind theologian, and zealous disciple of the Nordic gods of Anglia. As 499 came to a close and a new century began North-Western Europe was in turmoil. Though Anglia had become much stronger in the years of Eadric’s reign enemies still surrounded it. Gwent and Powys were the most immediate threats to the west and the only Briton Kingdoms that could really fight back after the collapse of Dumnonia. Though kinsmen the Cantians were expanding greatly at Dumnonia’s expense and could perhaps rise soon to be equal of Anglia and would have to be considered rivals. Though Rheged was embroiled in a costly war in the north with the picts it was still the mightiest nation in Britannia and potentially the greatest threat to Anglia if it could not be dealt with. The following century would see great changes in Britain and many, MANY new conflicts.

 

[Dovahkiing]

It seems no one can stop Eadric and the Saxons, not even King (or should I say lord) Arthur himself!
Make sure his corpse is safely buried where he can't go to some mountain to wait to return!

 

[LlywelynII]

I got a country!

But seriously... this is the first I'm seeing these maps and (while good on you and I'm in favor of you keeping the Xians as an underclass and holding on to paganism as long as possible) they are teh suck. No way Gwent ever crossed the Severn and it *was* Siluria (unless they made it vassal to Powys to reflect Vort's kids).

 

[BanterCaliph]

It seems no one can stop Eadric and the Saxons, not even King (or should I say lord) Arthur himself!
Make sure his corpse is safely buried where he can't go to some mountain to wait to return!

I didn't write it down but I actually blinded him in prison too for added historical irony :L
Though it seems to be going swimmingly for now it does get a bit harder for House Nedalskip later.

I got a country!

But seriously... this is the first I'm seeing these maps and (while good on you and I'm in favor of you keeping the Xians as an underclass and holding on to paganism as long as possible) they are teh suck. No way Gwent ever crossed the Severn and it *was* Siluria (unless they made it vassal to Powys to reflect Vort's kids).

I'm not sure what you're trying to say here? I will admit I don't known much about the geopolitical situation in 5th Century Britain =/

 

[Sakura_F]

This is going to be awesome. Sub'd

 

[Orjasmo]

Well, this is certainly different. How were you planning on converting all of this to EU3?

 

[bengrimm]

Good luck with this project ! Are you going to explain if you have the time how did you convert your game ?

 

[BanterCaliph]

This is going to be awesome. Sub'd

Thank you, hopefully it will be as much fun to read as i'm having playing it

Well, this is certainly different. How were you planning on converting all of this to EU3?

I'm probably going to convert it manually, I can do tweaks like changing province ownership and national flags so give me a few days and i'll be able to sort it out. I'd rather do it my self than use a converter, since the results of them are not always inkeeping with the previous game. Sure it's going to be more work but it will be all worth it.

Good luck with this project ! Are you going to explain if you have the time how did you convert your game ?

Thanks! if you mean convert the end of the game to the next game I'm going to be manually modding it. If you mean how did I mod Anglo-Saxon Britannia then I didn't, its not my work and there's a link to where I got the mod from on my first post.

Anyway sorry for the delay but here's the third chapter in my Anglo-Saxon Odyssey.


Chapter 3, Conquest of the Midlands and Succession (500-514)

With the collapse of Dumnonia in the south Anglia was now well positioned to begin the conquest of other neighbouring Brythonic peoples. Rheged was ruled out immediately, being much larger than Anglia and ruled by the highly competent King Merchion I “the Old”. Gwent and Powys therefore looked like tempting targets, with both of them offering fertile and flat lands in the Midlands of England.

The first few years of the 6th Century would be peaceful in Anglia however as Eadric sought to secure the internal affairs of his nation. The year of 500AD in particular was an eventful one for Anglia and House Nedalskip. Eadric’s advisors were sent abroad: Chancellor Elfrith of Wicford being sent to the Peak in order to sow tensions between their lord and the Kingdom of Rheged in order to cause infighting w the northern Kingdom. More Saxon settlers arrived and the city of Londinium changed its name officially to Lundenwic in order to “sound more Saxon”.



On the 20th of September 500 Eadric’s heir and eldest son Eadbeald came of age. He took after his father and was a skilled warrior and tactician; he was soon appointed as the Marshall of Anglia and looked forward to an opportunity to distinguish himself in battle. On the 26th of November Eadbeald wed Lady Ealhswith of Elmham and was also given the title Scir of the Chiltern Hills, this highlighted his position as heir to the throne of Anglia and the Nedalskip family head.

With so many warriors amongst his family, court and people in general Eadric sought to placate the warmongers with a grand hunt in winter of 501. The King’s horse tripped on a low branch and had to be put down, many of the diviners in Anglia believed this to be a prophecy of an end to the time of peace, and they were half right. Briton rebel peasants in Cunetio refused to pay tax and burnt effigies of Eadric during that winter but Prince Eadbeald served his father well as the new marshal and had dissipated the revolt by the following January thanks to a mixture of coercion and brute force.

The year of 502 was one dominated by intrigue and espionage, with plotting occurring in and out of the realm. On the 20th of February Eadric’s second son Maldræd came of age and had learnt from his tutors to be a master of espionage. He wed the Lady of Calleva, Godgifu, later and became Scir of Calleva. Peace in the realm was shattered on the 22nd of March as an inter-vassal civil war broke out between Lady Ealhswith of Elmham and High Lady Berthtwynn of the Saxon shore. Ealhswith had grown over-confident and attempted to usurp the title from her liege. The revolt ended badly however and Ealhswith lost, she was executed and Eadbeald Nedalskip lost his wife. Not only that but the newly wed and immature Godgifu of Calleva had joined the revolt against High Lady Berthtwynn and was also executed for her part in the conflict. King Eadric decided not to intervene, leaving the matter in the hands of his trusted vassal Berthtwynn. The High Lady’s demesne had grown with the taking of Elmham however and her harsh treatment of two of the king’s daughters in law did not go unnoticed.



The second half of the year saw a resumption of peace within the realm and the spreading of dissent and revolutionary sentiment in Rheged. The Anglian spymaster helped initiate a bid by the Lord of the Wetlands (Lincoln) for independence, though only in its early stages it was clear that much like in Anglia internal struggles were a problem for Britannia’s larger Kingdoms. As the year ended Christianity spread to another Anglian province, recently conquered Aquae Sulis.

Though comparatively uneventful to the previous year 503 saw two important strategic marriages: the first being Eadric’s eldest daughter Sigaflæd to Godric of East-Seaxe, son of Jarl Wlencing. This helped cement the alliance of one of Eadric’s most important vassals and got rid of his annoying daughter’s constant calls for marriage! On the 29th of August King Eadric completed his betrothal to King Cerdic II of Cantia’s sister, Leofwynn. The royal marriage bound the Kingdoms of Anglia and Cantia together, the first time all Saxons on Britannia had been united as allies.



With a strong alliance forged and the internal workings of Anglia secure for the moment King Eadric began to look outside his borders for more opportunities to expand. As 504 dawned Anglia declared war on Gwent, invading the midlands with the help of its ally Cantia. Anglia mustered its troops and prepared for war, but impetuous Cerdic II invaded Gwent before his ally was ready and lost a major battle at Tripontium to the great Praetor Marcus I of Western Gwent. Anglian forces had also been dealt a stinging blow by the Praetor at a skirmish near Durobrivae, with 120 men lost for a tenth of that number.

Praetor Marcus was a serious problem, an experienced military leader he would be a thorn in the side of the Saxon alliance and so Eadric ordered his assassination, which came off without a hitch on the 8th of March.



With their army temporarily shaken and leaderless it was then that Eadric and the full host of Anglia fell upon the armies of Gwent. On the 18th of March Eadric scored a crushing victory at Durobrivae, scattering the Gwentish armies and killing over 1,600 enemies. By the 25th of March a mobile Gwentish army in the area had ceased to exist and the Saxons settled into some long sieges. After a year of sieges King Meurig I of Gwent finally made peace, ceding a border province in the March of 505.

During these years of war other events of interest occurred, including the birth of Eadric’s first grandson, Aradoc on the 25th January 504. The following January (505) King Cerdic II forged a claim on the Anglian province of Cunetio, though the two powers were formally allies the act soured relations and would not be resolved until some years later.

The year of 506 saw renewed war with Gwent and the gain of even more Briton territory in the Midlands, the future Kingdom of Mercia was beginning to take shape, being carved out of the old Brythonic Kingdoms through blood and iron. Meanwhile to the north the Lord of the Wetlands had gone ahead and revolted against Rheged, but he was no match for King Merchion, who crushed the small revolt soon enough.



The year of 507 passed without incident but the following year (508) saw more instability within Anglia as Eadric’s second son Maldræd was murdered on the orders of Thegn Hlothere of Celmersfort. It is believed the Thegn had the King’s son killed due to his supposed extra-marital affair with Lady Cynethryth, his wife. Whatever the cause the killing of Eadric’s own blood by a lowly vassal enraged the Anglian King who ordered the Thegn to be arrested. Hlothere resisted however and so began the 74 day siege of Celmersfort. The armed standoff eventually ended with the surrender of Hlothere’s guard and his execution by King Eadric I. Maldræd’s son Aradoc was orphaned and tutored by a Brythonic noble in the western marches.

The following year saw another war with Gwent and the gaining of the province of Glevum, a large region which had been home to the capital of the Brythonic Kingdom. With yet more land lost to Anglia the Celtic Britons of the area were being pushed into the mountainous area of land increasingly known as Wales. The decline of Gwent was not helped by its leader Meurig who maintained a fierce rivalry with Powys and became known as a hapless military ruler. Eventually in 513AD the Gwentish Kingdom was driven over the River Severn and lost all its land in England. Gwent became a mere Welsh county and spent much of the next century in civil war.

With Gwent conquered and reduced to a shadow of its former power Eadric began to look towards Powys, the other major Briton Kingdom that owned large tracts of the fertile English midlands. War broke out in 511 as Eadric decided to invade Ratae, a border province held by Powys. Major victories in May of that year over the Powysian armies at Tripontium and Fenstoke Moor secured an Anglian victory and the initiative to push on. On the 17th of November the Powysian town of Venonae was burnt to the ground and the enemy forced to retreat in the winter.



The following year saw a resurgence of Powys’ armies and battles were fought at Dinneware and Fosse Manor, both of which resulted in decisive Anglian victories with heavy Briton casualties. Despite this the Powysians fought on until summer 513, after the sack of two more towns and the lengthy siege of Arden. Eventually the young Queen Nwylle I of Powys surrendered Ratae, after a costly war for both nations. As Anglia was crushing the Brythonic Kingdoms of the midlands Kernow and Cantia had completely absorbed Dumnonia so that by the year 513AD it no longer existed as an independent realm. Times were changing and the native British Kingdoms were being swept away.

As Gwent dissolved into civil war and 513 became 514 Anglia once again found itself in a brief spell of peace. In the respite King Eadric created the title Jarl of Hwicce to incorporate the newly conquered midlands into the Anglian Kingdom. Hwicce would make up the foundation of the future Kingdom of Mercia and was immediately granted to Eadbeald, Eadric’s heir on the 21st of June.

It was just as well that Eadbeald had been given the title straight away, for his father did not have much time left. After a brief spell of illness Eadric Nedalskip died a natural death on the 27th of October 514AD at the age of 54. The first Nedalskip had risen from a rejected bastard son to King of the most powerful Saxon nation on the British Isles. He was succeeded by his first son Eadbeald Nedalskip, a skilled man who took after his father’s military tradition and arbitrary nature. A brave warrior he had proved himself a capable man as Prince, though some of his new vassals were unsure how this shy and deceitful ruler would perform on the throne. With Anglia more powerful than ever the time was right for Eadbeald to make his mark on history…

 

[bengrimm]

No I didn't mean that. I meant are you going to explain how did you manually convert your save from one game to the other. You project inspired me Anyway I really liked your update !