Now that we are back from our break, we will move westward. Unlike previously, I'm not going to set-up much context this time since you should have gotten a lot of that from your readings. Though, just like with Stegut I will also shed some light on our next individual's immediate predecessor, who himself was a contemporary of our Lithuanian King. Let us begin:
King Geirr II[1] Sköldung "inn Herfiligr" translated as "the Harsh" or "the Cruel." Some sources also call him "the Scourge of the Celts."
Lived: 854 - 904
Fylkir: 889 - 904
King of Danmark: 875 - 904
King of Noregr: 875 - 904
King of Svithjod: 875 - 904
King of Bertangaland/Brittany[2]: 885 - 887
Jarl of Sjælland: 875 - 904
Jarl of Skåne: 875 - 904
[1] He is listed as King Geirr II of Danmark and Noregr but is King Geirr I of Svithjod.
[2] While he was de jure King of Bertangaland/Brittany, he had gifted the jarldom/duchy to Eskid af Borganäs. While Geirr's son was supposed to inheirit the kingdom, he also would hold no land in the realm. Eskid declared himself king while Geirr was tied down with multiple wars and was able to effectively rule the kingdom in his own right that he already de facto ruled as a jarl/duke. History usually credits Geirr as the first King and ruler until this peaceful, for the Norse, transition moving to the a Borganäs line. Why a Borganäs instead of af Borganäs? I'll get to that.
Geirr was married to Inga Ormrsdottir af Munsö, the daughter of Jarl Ormr of Svithjod and also the granddaughter of King Stegut I of Lithuania and supposed great-granddaughter of Ragnarr Loðbrok. Given that the Swedish consider her forebearers to have been de facto if not de jure kings of all Svithjod she is a rare figure whose grandfather, father, brother, husband, and sons were all kings. Her sister was also Queen of Bertagaland/Brittany. Together Geirr and Inga had four children, all sons:
* Haraldr b. 873
* Hrane b. 875
* Tolir b. 887
* Totil b. 894
He also had three concubines. Róis nic Congalach Au Néill Noígiallaich, a daughter of an important Irish family with a brother who became the Chief of Connachta, and a low-born woman of Pictish origin with only the name Uen were both taken during the raids of Ireland early in Geirr's reign. Deemed too young to be sacrificed at a Blot, they were left in the prisons until they came of age and then taken as concubines by Geirr. His final concubine, Ennoguent verch Mauric de Poher, was in a similar situation. The daughter of Count Mauric of Domnonia, she and her mother had been taken captive in the sieges. Her mother had been ransomed back; Ennoguent was not.
Geirr fathered three children with Róis nic Congalach Au Néill Noígiallaich:
* Alfhildr b. 887
* Holmfrid b. 894
* Baldr b. 904
With Uen he had two children, the later of the two being born after he died:
* Haukr b. 898
* Þyra b. 904
Finally, with Ennoguent verch Mauric de Poher he had one son:
* Eirikr b. 899
In total he had ten children, seven of whom were boys.
King Haraldr Sköldung "inn Haltr" or "the Lame" and His Reign:
To talk about King Geirr II we need to talk a little about his father, King Haraldr I. Haraldr was born sometime around the end of 820, around November or December, and came to the thrones of Danmark and Noregr and the Jarldom of Sjælland in the spring of 834 at the age of 13. The Old Norse lifestyle was a tough one and demanded strong leaders. They were not very welcoming of new kings, especially if the jarls had the power and ambition to think they could do better. It makes it all the more amazing how successful Haraldr was. He reigned for 41 years and save his maimed condition from battle which never fully healed and was what ended up killing him, losing reportedly his right arm just a little below his elbow, he was healthy enough that he could have potentially lived longer.
While much of his reign dealt with the constant rebellions of his vassals seeking to test his strength and perhaps gain the crown for themselves Haraldr also expanded his realm. While the af Munsö dynasty ruled Svithjod in all but name and while Ragnarr Loðbrok is considered to be of questionable historical veracity his children and grandchildren are not. Ragnarr Loðbrok II was subjugated by Haraldr. The af Munsö's may have ruled Svithjod in all but name, but it was Haraldr who actually created the crown and is known as the land's first true king. Other than Svithjod, vassals of Haraldr expanded the nation further taking the Jarldom of Bjarmia, the northernmost part of Perm, from the King of Perm.
Near the end of his life, Haraldr declared war on Duke Pepin II of Dauphiné. The lands of Burgundy won by King Alfgeir "the Victorius" had been lost in the constant succession wars and rebellions following the man's death. Haraldr, whose father King Geirr I "inn Qlfuss" or "the Drunkard" had briefly won back the Burgundian lands only to have them lost early on in Haraldr's reign. Haraldr had claims on the titles and declared war in 866 to gain back lands he saw as rightfully his. Unfortunately, several years into the war in 873 King Wolfard of Frisia declared a holy war for Brunswick against Saxony, the Second Frisian Holy War for Brunswick. Being a highly religious man and not wanting to see the holy site of Paderborn fall to those not of his faith, Haraldr made a white peace with the Duke of Dauphiné and joined the war to help King Hoger of Saxony in 874. It was during this conflict that the wound that Haraldr had had for many years finally caught up to him. Being the only son, Geirr inherited all his father's titles.
Political Map of Scandinavia 875
The Second Frisian Holy War for Brunswick:
King Geirr II honored his father by continuing to offer aid in the war. While there was one battle lost to Theoderingian forces, most of the battles of the war were a success and led to the eventual victory of the Germanic-Norse pagans over the Catholic aggressors. Geirr himself killed King Wolfard of Frisia in personal combat. It is said that during this war Geirr became a berserker. These famed viking warriors would go into blood frenzies in battle gaining strength and putting fear into their enemies, but not being able to see the difference between friend and foe in their rages. Prince Magneric of Frisia, Prince (soon King) Pharamond's son, was captured twice in battle by Geirr, though ransomed back both times. King Wolfard's successor Pharamond Chaumontois, was also captured in battle by Ofeig of Ostandlet.
To explain why King Pharamond, King Anselm II's son, came to the throne instead of Wolfard's daughter let me go off topic for a moment. King Anselm III had died young after a period of illness at the age of 28 leaving Wolfard on the throne at the age of 6 with a regency. Duke Theutbald of Brabant, son of Anselm II, was very powerful at this time, and next in line for the throne. In order to protect his position, Wolfard had changed the succession laws of Frisia to Seniority Succession, the eldest member of the de Chaumontois family at the moment of the Frisian throne's vacancy would become the next King. This would be unfortunate for Wolfard's only child, Margareta.
Back on topic, the war was won in February of 879 and Saxony kept its lands, including Paderborn. Frisia was forced to pay reparations to Saxony. Though the war had ended, Geirr's vassal Ofeig continued to keep King Pharamond of Frisia imprisoned. This weakened the country. Count Adalgari de Chaumontois of Boulogne, the the son of Hubert de Chaumontois and grandson of Anselm II, was regent during the few years of Pharamond's reign. King Pharamond would never see Frisia again, dying in his confinement; he would be succeeded by another of Anselm II's sons, Antoon.
The Scourge of the Celts:
In order to refill a depleted treasury after more than a decade of constant war, Geirr did what any self-respecting Norse King would do. He raided. Based on accounts we have been able to determine that he began gathering his forces in the fall of 879, around October. He left with around 3000 - 3500 men. He raided, looted, and pillaged Ulster, Dublin, Tír Chonaill, Tuadhmhumhain, and Connachta along the Irish coast. All the settlements and churches in these regions were looted and burned to the ground and several prisoners taken. While he also visited Broërec of the Breton states, he only looted the local countryside, the fortified settlements being too well defended after losing men in the sieges over in Ireland. On his return in October of 883, after four years striking fear into the Emerald Isle, Geirr returned with several prisoners as well as an estimated near 350 ducats in gold. The following month saw him throw a Great Blot sacrificing to Odin and the other gods the captives he had taken on his four year voyage. Still, he was not done with the Celtic peoples yet, and seeing the defenses as well as the prosperity of Broërec and Brittany as a whole gave him an idea.
At the start of the year 884, Geirr made it known he was declaring wars of conquest on Domnonia, Broërec, Léon, and Kernev. He gathered his troops as well as calling on any in his tribal lands that wanted gold and glory. It is estimated that he brought over 10,000 men to bear against the Breton states. Over the course of a little over a year he defeated the armies of each county and their allies on the field of battle as well as sieged and took the castles, bishoprics, and cities of those lands. It is known that the wife and youngest daughter of the Count of Domnonia were take captive after the sacking of the capital of the province. By 26 March 885 all four provinces were under Geirr's control and he created the Jarldom/Duchy of Bertangaland and the Kingdom of Bertangaland, the Old Norse word for Brittany, at the same time. Eskid af Borganäs, an individual that had proven his worth in the campaign, was granted the jarl/ducal title and all four counties.
Political Map of Scandinavia (Brittany in Inset) 885
Religious Wars of the Defensive and Offensive Kind:
A little over a year after the conquest of the Breton states, Frisia, this time under King Ingalbert, was again trying to take Brunswick. The Third Frisian Holy War for Brunswick had Frisia against Saxony, Burgundaholmer, Selsvig, and Danmark-Noregr-Svithjod. Frisia would end up conceding the war in October 887. Danish contributions, especially in the battle of Oldenburg, were a massive help and effective in winning the war. Both Baron Oliver of Amsterdam and Mayor Simon of Dorestad were captured in the conflict, though ransomed after a few years. It was still another embarrassment on the Kingdom of Frisia, which lost a bit of ground and prestige during this period.
Two important events happened during the time-frame of the war but outside the scope of it. Chief Emund of Selsvig, a kinsman of Geirr's, died and his grandson, also named Emund, came to power. Emund the Younger was much better disposed towards Geirr than his grandfather had been. Given that at times Emund the Elder was heir to Geirr and Geirr's father Haraldr had declared war on the man for Jylland, it isn't too hard to see why there was antipathy and later ambivalence from the older man. Given the better relationship, Emund the Younger accepted Geirr as his liege when offered the opportunity.
The other important development happened with Bertangaland. Eskid af Borganäs had converted to Catholicism. It is unknown who convinced him to convert, it is thought to have been a concubine or mistress taken from the local population, or else one of the clergy. However it happened, Eskid requested independence from Geirr as well as the crown of Bertangaland. Geirr was always an individual that could be fickle and arbitrary. He liked Eskid and was too busy fighting the war with Frisia. He handed over a kingdom he had fought hard for with barely even a shrug and never missed it. I will touch a little more on this later.
After the war with Frisia, Geirr declared war on King Kezhedey of Suomi. Part of Uppland was under control of the Finnish king, an area of land that also included the Temple of Uppsala. This temple had been a labor of love by the Germanic-Norse pagans. Gold and statuary were used in the structure, which has been called the Parthenon of the North, and outside of comparisons to Athens there have been noted similarities with the fabled Statue of Zeus at Olympia, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Geirr declared war in the dying months of 887. It was a hard fought war and he even called in his allies in Thüringia for assistance. By August of 889 the war was won and this holy place was back in the hands of the proper faith. It is said that Geirr was overcome with emotion when he finally entered the Temple of Uppsala for the first time and looked upon the seated statues of Odin, Freya. and Thor. It is passed down to us that Odin himself visited him in his sleep that night, and it would be this dream which guided his path afterwards.
The Founding of the Fylkirate and Formation of the Ásatrúar Faith
In his dream, Odin told Geirr of his worries of these more organized faiths that had been encroaching into the lands of the true faith for the last few centuries or had recently risen up: the Christians, Muslims, and Romuvans. What was needed was a strong leader. What Odin needed was a representative on Midgard. Odin also pointed out the scriptures and items that the several priests that wanted to spread their faith in Geirr's realm brought with them. He said there needed to be something similar for those that had faith in the Æsir. It is the wording of this statement where the name Ásatrú comes from. The first half of the name for the Æsir and the second half for faith. In essence the name translates as 'Faith in the Æsir.'
So that next morning on 8 August 889, held traditionally as the beginning of the Ásatrú Church, Geirr explained all this to the holy-men, his vassals, and his troops in front of the Temple of Uppsala itself. Geirr declared himself Fylkir, an old word for chief. Essentially, he was naming himself the High Chief of all who worshiped the Æsir. And, similarly to the battles in Christendom between secular rulers and the Pope over authority there would be much discourse, with and without swords, over how much authority the Flykir had. While comparisons can be made between the Fylkir and the Christian Popes or Muslim Caliphs, I always saw it similar to the idea of what might have been in Japan. The Fylkir was essentially what would happen when you took the Emperor, a position of high religious and cultural importance but little secular power, and the shogun, the actual de facto military and political leader of the country, and merged them into one person. Eventually, the Fylkir was seen as a High Chief in that he protected his faithful or pushed the boundaries of the religion just like how a regular chief would push his realm, but outside of his own domain would not have secular power over other kings. The Fylkirate would eventually become more like the Papacy and less secular, the role it holds today, but that is outside the scope of this class.
Over the next few years the holy-men of the realm and the Fylkir would meet, the first of such meetings in Uppland lasted near two months, to unify the sometimes conflicting beliefs of the various peoples into one standardized faith. This is in many ways a lot like the Council of Riga of thirty years earlier or the Christian Councils of Nicea and Chalcedon of centuries past. In the end, a holy book was agreed on. Written in runes it contained chapters on Creation; the gods classified under the Æsir and Vanir and other beings of importance like the ice giants; Ragnarok; and secret spells - 'galdrs' There was also standardized prayers and liturgy to follow. It is said that Gierr referred to this as, "the greatest work he ever brought into the world save his own children." It is referenced in several sources how much he cared for his family.
As with the formation of the Romuvan Church, there were many that decided to stay with the old ways. Geirr had to put down a rebellion in Skåne in the mid-890s and while most of his vassals accepted this change in faith not all did. Much of his realm was converted to the new faith from the creation of Ásatrú until his own death, but there were still areas of Old Germanic faith as well as areas that followed Finnish paganism in the North of his realm.
Religious Map of Scandinavia 889
Further Wars of Expansion and Defense:
One of the first actions Geirr took as Fylkir was the conquest of the island of Burgundaholmr. The island was a de jure part of Geirr's realm, but further motivation was the fact that Chief Ingemar Holmgersson Flod was still a follower of the Old Germanic faith. The war was swift and lasted three months before a victory for the Fylkir in March 890.
Trouble came to Geirr's realm in Svithjod when Toke af Munsö usurped the Jarldom of Svithjod from Ragnarr af Munsö II. Many of the tribal lands broke free of Geirr's realm, and of these several were led by chiefs faithful to Old Germanic. Those that followed the Ásatrú faith accepted Geirr as their liege. The county of Halland was conquered by Geirr in a war lasting from July to September in 890. Rogaland was also taken in a de jure war during this period. After assisting Jarl Hjörvadr Ulfing of Smáland in a Holy War against King (really Jarl) Karl of Svithjod from June 896 through December 898 and ending the war in victory, Geirr was able to get Hjörvadr to agree to have Geirr as his liege. Much the same happened with the Jarldom of Svithjod after Karl died. In fact, save for the province of Gestrikland, under the control of the Kingdom of Lithuania, all the rest of Svithjod had been brought under Geirr's control.
Geirr's ally Thüringia requested assistance in several wars during this period. First was a war called against Frisian rebels with the interest of taking Ostfriesland. While the war ended in success, the province was taken back by Frisia in a few years time. Another war, this time for lands held by Bohemia ended with the High Chief of Thüringia's death in battle. His successor would for much of his early reign be an Old Germanic follower and Geirr refused several calls for assistance from the man, this is around the time Frisia took Ostfriesland back. Gierr was active during this time launching brief raids in Cornwall and Frisia; dueling with his childhood rival Tolir af Brindas, killing the man and leaving Tolir's 8 year old daughter Ingfrid as his heir of the barony in Lyon; and putting down the previously mentioned Old Germanic revolt in Skåne. He also sent theologians to Akershus in a successful effort to convert an Old Germanic population to the newer iteration of the faith.
The last two wars Geirr would be a part of began around the year 900. The first was Thüringia's conquest of Münster from Burgundy. This was won in August of 903. However, a month later, Germany declared a holy war for all of the traditional Thüringian lands. Geirr came to the aid of his coreligionists, the High Chief had become an Ásatrúar faithful by this point. Initial battles went in Germany's favor. Geirr called forth many from his tribal lands, the count is estimated to be about 10,000 men in addition to those from he had already called up. Initial battles pushed the war more into Thüringia's favor. But, the war was not over yet, and Geirr would not see the end of it. He died a natural death on 6 October 904. He was reportedly not even 50 years old yet.
Legacy:
King Geirr II is an important figure in world history. His efforts guaranteed the survival of Germanic-Norse paganism with its evolution into the Ásatrú faith. For what it is worth he is the unifier of Brittany and is respected by the people of the area, the growth of the Norzdenn language and culture beginning near the end of Geirr's life. He is well known to the public. On top of his accomplishments that have him remembered in an historical context, he was a Norsemen and there is a certain mystique or attraction to that lifestyle that has permeated our culture. There are not only several famous paintings depicting the creation of the Fylkirate in front of the Temple of Uppsala, there have been many novels, plays, and films that depict the event from various viewpoints. Scandinavians look at him with nationalistic pride and Ásatrúar faithful see him as the father of their religion; he is where we point to to identify when the faith went from paganism to something more proper and organized. Geirr's sons would all split his titles among themselves. They, however, are another subject and their stories for another time, perhaps for your first assigned paper.
Political Map of Scandinavia 904
Religious Map of Scandinavia 904
As for why Eskild changed from 'af Borganäs' to 'a Borganäs?' This was started when Eskild af Borganäs and the other Norse elite ruling Bertangaland started taking up the Breton language to more effectively rule the people, though many loan-words would come from the North Germanic Norse language; making something similar to Breton but different at the same time. Both the 'a' and 'af' mean 'of.' The former is Breton and later Norse. Eskild embraced this merging of language and culture and is considered to be the first Norzdenn. This rise in language and culture is something that we can discuss further if you are interested and I have some optional and semi-optional readings available.
Now, any questions, comments, concerns? If not we will move into a brief discussion on both Fylkir Geirr and Stegut I before we end class for the week.
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OOC: Sorry it took so long to update. I have had a few interviews and have been helping my parents with stuff. Annoyingly, Geirr had actually died a little earlier but I forgot to save the game. He only died 2-3 years later than he originally did though. While I do have maps and stuff and can do IC or OOC posts detailing what the rest of the world looks like around 900 I think I might wait until around 1001 to do it. Let me know if you guys are interested, same with the cultural/language stuff.
As for for someone's comment on how they wanted to see Christianity's relationship with these new polytheistic faiths, it is still early. Crusades haven't started yet and other than raiding the pagans have been off in their own corner. We can see though, Germany and Frisia have been hitting at Saxony for the last century. I'll try to cover it a bit more when it comes up.
I now have a question. I wanted to start using Syren's Nickname Mod and Jorlem's Decadence Fix Mod (hopefully breaking up Abbasid and Ummyad blobs) but don't know how that would effect my save files. Any one know?
. Stegut seemed like an interesting character with his early aggression towards his neighbors early in his reign and participating actively in religious reforms in his later parts of life. Looking at the 874 political map, it does appear that Lithuania at least don't have to worry about the Poland-Ruthenia that seemed mighty powerful at one point. Internally, the religious reforms could bring about some unrest.
