Chapter 20: Raising an heir to the throne
Many a Seer or properly gods-fearing Norseman thought my reign was doomed as soon as it began. A blot held with no captives was considered the worst of all possible omens, and to make matters even worse, I rose a runestone to my father, who had not really accomplished anything of value as Emperor. My wife's skill at wordplay could only calm so many people down. Even given my inclinations, I really did like Holmfrid, even admire her, and when I only performed my husbandly duties once every couple of months, she seemed not to object. She was very kind and loving, perhaps a bit overfond of the pleasures of the flesh, but I never begrudged her the right to take lovers, and when it came to food and drink, I often shared in her pleasures.
As a scholar first and foremost, I wasted no time in delving into our realm's archives, such as they were. Many of my forebears either couldn't read or simply didn't care to leave records behind. I completely understand. Even my own chronicle is, necessarily, incomplete, for to share my activities on every day of my life would be dreadfully dull and, worse still, overly braggadocious. Still, I encouraged every branch of my administration to keep detailed records and ordered guards posted around the libraries. I knew that some of the White Christ's followers liked to burn books they disagreed with, and I had none of that in my realm.
My earliest actions as Emperor, after getting the pleasantries out of the way and marrying my wife in a formal ceremony, were to restore my power in Britannia. I established Primogeniture as the law of succession in Skotland and Frisia. I sought to regain the maximum level of authority I possibly could, although the Moot could not and would not agree to confirm it. I also undertook a detailed survey of our scholarly institutions and found myself quite pleased with the results.
Nobody in the world could compare with Norse soldiers, particularly our Housecarls. We did not favor the weak cavalry of the White Christ or the light skirmishers beloved by the desert peoples of the east. We concentrated on well trained, heavily armed infantry, who knew their way around a longship. We built strong walls (and the capacity to destroy them) and honored our noblemen appropriately, establishing a clear legal tradition for the benefit of all. I cannot take credit for any of these achievements; after all, they were put into place long before my reign, and will continue long after (I hope). I began reading the Sagas denied to me when I was a child, and I found much truth in the dealings of the gods.
My old regent Gandalfr died in the winter of 1115. I was the only one to attend his funeral; he had no family, no friends, no lands. I liked him, as you know from the first edition of my chronicle. His last piece of advice to me was to order a survey of our lands, to ensure that we were not overrun by "weresloths", I think he called them. Although he was obviously deranged, the idea was a good one, and I learned much from the survey. During the survey, a woman who called herself a sejdr approached me and offered herself and her gifts in exchange for my protection. She also sought to benefit from my, ah, personal attention. Even if I found the service distasteful, her gifts with the gods were more than adequate compensation. The clearest sign that the gods found her worthy is that she bore my first son, Halfdan, in 1119.
Of course, this spoiled relations with Holmfrid somewhat. I tried to make her see the greater good and that she was still Empress and Queen of England. She was angry that my favors went to another woman, I suppose, which is understandable enough. They never did see eye to eye. Nonetheless, Holmfrid still served me well as Empress, and even helped strengthen Imperial authority in England (although her attitude was less than desirable).
The death of my spymaster and former regent Tryggve and my other former regent and mother Astrid just over a year apart was balanced by the birth of my daughter Sif. In June 1122, I had my first child with Holmfrid, a son I named Dyre after my father.
Dyre, as the first child of Holmfrid, was to inherit the Kingdom of England upon my wife's death. I disagreed, saying that Halfdan ought to inherit everything, but Holmfrid stood her ground. Holmfrid gave me a second son in 1124, Ingjald.
With three sons, I was truly blessed by the gods, and I felt the need to repay their gratitude. I knew they hated how popular the White Christ had become. His followers had grown into legions and dominated the warmer climates of Europe. I spoke with the sejdr, the Seer, and gathered all of my members in Council to decide the best way to bring souls to the old ways. After a few days of discussion, all raiders were ordered to gather in Jorvik. We would show the power of the old gods by burning down the house of the new gods in the capital of Rome.
They arrived in June of 1124. I spent some time thinking about my own role with the raiders; I had grown bored of rulership. Should I not challenge the Warrior-King of the White Christ to holmgang, to display my manliness and our superiority? I needed something to fill my days, and I found that something in falconry. Watching those powerful birds soar and strike down their prey like a thunderbolt left me in awe of the gods and their works. I knew that my own desires and wants were insignificant, and that some day, a falcon would strike me down, as the gods intended.
I started having weekly meetings with the Council. After all, they alone could help address my deficiencies. In the spring of 1125, I appointed a new Chancellor, Totil of Buchan. Totil's youth appealed to me, as he was only 18 years of age when he began to act as my chief advisor. He fully recognized that his place was not in the field, but in the courts of my peers in Europe, and was generous to a fault (even if he sometimes envied those who had more than him). He is a good friend and a loyal companion. The most powerful individual in the Council was the Marshal, Rikulfr of Djuraby. He led our forces as they burned Rome. My Steward was perhaps the least qualified individual, Bertil of Clydesdale, but we Vikings are better butchers than administrators.
Totil's earliest and most important service to me was convincing me to restore the Moot in Skotland. The Jarl of Norrland threatened to raise a rebellion against the Empire if we did not agree; I wanted to go straight into battle, but with our best and brightest soldiers fighting the White Christ in Rome, that might have been suicide. I grudgingly accepted, fearing it as weakness, although ultimately it benefited the realm as the Jarl was a fierce and loyal retainer when we did have our civil war a few years later.
I sent my son off to school with Oddr, the King of Irland, in 1125. Although sickly, Oddr was well read, good with sums, and a good speaker, all excellent qualities for an Emperor. Unfortunately, Oddr's sickliness caught up with him and he died not long after Halfdan's arrival. I decided to send him to Mayor Botulfr instead, who was more mature, and could teach him much wisdom that I could not. I spent more and more time with Holmfrid, even inviting her to a private banquet, where she had a wonderful time. She particularly seemed to enjoy the company of Oddr's replacement as King of Irland, Karl, which I found gratifying. I liked him too. It was at Holmfrid's succession that I sent Dyre, my second son, to Karl for instruction in the fine arts of negotiation. So things passed, until the birth of my fourth son, Asbjorn.
Mere days after the birth of Asbjorn, I finally learned why Karl and Holmfrid had been spending so much time together. I thought they were sleeping together, but the truth was far uglier. They favored raising my Uncle Halfdan to the office of Emperor, a master of intrigue. I never found out why he was their preferred candidate, although he was the oldest male Hvitserk, so perhaps they simply wanted somebody more senior. Karl and Holmfrid called forth their armies, and this time I had no choice but to fight. Surrender would have cost me most of my realm.
My raiders, who had stolen everything of value of Rome and already looted other northern provinces, were recalled to defend the realm. In the meantime, our largest source of manpower was in Scandinavia. I myself took ship and sailed to Norway to lead a wing of the army there, where we would threaten a few minor castles in hopes of diverting the enemy's attention.
In May 1129, the raiders returned, laden with gold and wealth from the White Christ. Our raid was a complete success, and now the rebels were in deep trouble.
In 1130, I sent Dyre off to Rikulfr to learn swordsmanship, while Ingjald learned the craft from Prince Tryggve. My wife swore that she was pregnant again, but even that did not save her from her treachery. I stripped her of the Kingdom of England and divorced her; I never spoke to her again. Karl lost the Kingdom of Irland.
My second wife, Maer, was one of the most brilliant scholars I'd ever met. We shared a passion for books and learning that Holmfrid and I never did. I immediately named her Seer; her gifts with words made her an excellent minister and proselytizer.
In 1131, the sejdr Bothildr died. She only gave me two of my children, but one of them was Heir to the Empire, and so I honored her as I would a wife. Holmfrid gave birth to our last child, Ingfrid, a daughter, but she no longer had status in my eyes. My guards took the child, while Holmfrid herself remained under house arrest for treason. I released Uncle Halfdan, as he was clearly a cat's paw and had no idea what sort of plot was happening. I also found a new Steward, Ottarr of Clydesdale.
Ottarr was one of the most brilliant advisers I've ever had. Even though his best skill was in administration and managing money, the only thing he was bad at was swordplay. He even gave me advice when an idiot Jarl Skuli tried to say that Holmfrid had been abused during our time together, and that I should be put to the sword for harboring demons. It was Ottarr who convinced me to challenge him to holmgang, and when Skuli fled, he ceased to be a problem.
25 July 1135 was one of the happiest days of my life; the day Halfdan came of age and could assume some of my responsibilities. Halfdan is one of the most trusting people in Britannia. He works hard every single day, and has proven his bravery in battle on many occasions. He is good at many things but not great in any of them, but that is fine for an Emperor. His wife is uncommonly brilliant and shares many of his likes and dislikes; I know they will have many happy years together.
I cannot claim much credit for Halfdan. True, I am his father, but we spent very little time together before he came of age. I am dedicating the rest of my life to preparing him for the challenges ahead. Our realm is stable. I had some difficulty finding him a suitable estate to learn administration, but fortunately Taimi had lands of her own.
=====================================================================
The next update will be somewhat short and after that I'll need to play a bit before I can update again, but I'll try to get that update out to you this weekend, if I can. You shouldn't have to wait long.
