House Godwinson
- Thread starter Rebaltion
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Some interesting global developments there! I especially liked the bit about Alexios Komnenos being the worst emperor ever. Something you would never imagine with the man who usually is the brilliant restorer of the empire.:rofl:
~Lord Valentine~
~Lord Valentine~
@ Enewald: I hope so, only because I've never seen one before.
@ Lord Valentine: I believe you once said that this was like history on steroids. Would you expect anything less?
@ Deamon: Welcome! I love new readers.
@ Lord Valentine: I believe you once said that this was like history on steroids. Would you expect anything less?
@ Deamon: Welcome! I love new readers.
Harold Godwinson smiled to the throngs of people who had come to London to witness this historic moment in English history. It had taken two years and countless lives, but Harold had done it. He had conquered Scotland and revived the ancient title of bretwalda, meaning “lord of the Britons.” Not since the days of Aethelstan the Glorious had it been whispered by a king of England. Truly it was a great day for England.
Kneeling before the Archbishop of Canterbury, Harold reflected upon the last two years. In 1100, chroniclers had found a claim on the throne of Scotland, and Harold had decided to push it. Norse, Norman, Breton, Anglo-Saxon, Friesian, and Flemish troops were assembled from the far corners of the empire, creating a mighty force of one hundred thousand troops. Harold would never forget the way the sunlight had glittered off their armor on that faithful day when the declaration of war had been sent out. Under one banner, the many peoples of the empire charged into Scotland, ready to bring fame and glory for their king and country.
Harold remembered the long marches through hilly Scotland; attrition killed more men then the Scots themselves, and the Scots seemed to crawl out from behind every tree and rock, but nothing could stop Harold and his men; eventually they reached Fife.
Harold had eventually lost count how many times his armies had fought over Fife, but people told him it had been at least five. He did remember the First Battle of Fife with bitterness. The Scots had beaten him back during that one, and king Duncan II had delivered something few men could boast: he given Harold his first defeat, and Harold had found it bitter indeed. But Harold had never been one to give up, and called upon the rest of his forces and marched into Fife again, this time with ten thousand troops. Duncan wisely chose to retreat in the face of such a great force and let attrition do its nasty work. When Duncan had returned to Fife, this time with a force to match Harold’s, he found a shadow of it. Of the original ten thousand, only two thousand remained. Now Harold retreated, but not before letting his men run willed through Fife, destroying most of the city.
By all signs, Harold wasn’t the only one surprised by the deadly effectiveness of the Scottish terrain; in the north, Wulfnoth and an army of nearly ten thousand Norse, had been given the simple task of occupying northern Scotland. To Harold and Wulfnoth’s dismay, Wulfnoth was soon calling for more Norse troops to help defeat the Scottish forces, despite the fact Wulfnoth had a five-to-one advantage against the Scots. Forsaking northern Scotland for the moment, Wulfnoth had marched back to Caithiness and waited for reinforcements. Wulfnoth would have to retreat from northern Scotland three more times, before finally being able to hold the area.
Back in Fife, Harold was yet again exchanging blows with Duncan. Duncan was using the terrain to his advantage, as was destroying Harold’s forces, whom were trying to keep Fife in English hands. Harold tasted defeat again, as he was forced into a retreat. Harold called from more troops from the continent, and was surprised to find that most of them were already fighting in Scotland. Greatly disturbed by this development, Harold found some new men and called them to Scotland. Meanwhile, he had his Spymaster contact the Duke of Galloway and the Duke of Lothian, two of the main supporters for a Scottish republic.
Harold marched into Fife for the fourth time, swearing not to retreat until all the Scots in his sight were dead. But he didn’t have to do much work; dysentery was sweeping through Fife, and had already killed a sizable number of Duncan’s troops. Enough that Harold won a quick victory against the king.
Back in England, Harold’s Spymaster was busy sending supplies to the Dukes of Lothian and Galloway, and at the beginning of 1102, the rebellious dukes declared themselves independent republics. Suddenly, Duncan II had lost nearly half his troops, but that wouldn’t stop him from trying to remove Harold from Fife for the fifth, and last, time. During the Fifth Battle of Fife, a stray arrow hit Duncan, killing him instantly. The last Scot to rule Scotland died that day. Harold would later allow him to be buried with the dead kings of England, calling him the greatest foe he’d ever known.
Peace was signed with Duncan’s son, Duncan III, and Scotland was added to England. With Scotland in the kingdom, Harold set about returning Galloway and Lothian to the kingdom, quickly marching on their respective capitals. He would remember the surprised look on their faces until the day they died; they had actually though he would let them go on their own as republics. It was laughable.
So now, all of Scotland, and nearly all of the Britain, with the exception of the Welsh duchies, called Harold liege. Harold’s empire spanned across Europe, and many feared his name as well as held it in awe. Truly, God loved the English empire.
Kneeling before the Archbishop of Canterbury, Harold reflected upon the last two years. In 1100, chroniclers had found a claim on the throne of Scotland, and Harold had decided to push it. Norse, Norman, Breton, Anglo-Saxon, Friesian, and Flemish troops were assembled from the far corners of the empire, creating a mighty force of one hundred thousand troops. Harold would never forget the way the sunlight had glittered off their armor on that faithful day when the declaration of war had been sent out. Under one banner, the many peoples of the empire charged into Scotland, ready to bring fame and glory for their king and country.
Harold remembered the long marches through hilly Scotland; attrition killed more men then the Scots themselves, and the Scots seemed to crawl out from behind every tree and rock, but nothing could stop Harold and his men; eventually they reached Fife.
Harold had eventually lost count how many times his armies had fought over Fife, but people told him it had been at least five. He did remember the First Battle of Fife with bitterness. The Scots had beaten him back during that one, and king Duncan II had delivered something few men could boast: he given Harold his first defeat, and Harold had found it bitter indeed. But Harold had never been one to give up, and called upon the rest of his forces and marched into Fife again, this time with ten thousand troops. Duncan wisely chose to retreat in the face of such a great force and let attrition do its nasty work. When Duncan had returned to Fife, this time with a force to match Harold’s, he found a shadow of it. Of the original ten thousand, only two thousand remained. Now Harold retreated, but not before letting his men run willed through Fife, destroying most of the city.
By all signs, Harold wasn’t the only one surprised by the deadly effectiveness of the Scottish terrain; in the north, Wulfnoth and an army of nearly ten thousand Norse, had been given the simple task of occupying northern Scotland. To Harold and Wulfnoth’s dismay, Wulfnoth was soon calling for more Norse troops to help defeat the Scottish forces, despite the fact Wulfnoth had a five-to-one advantage against the Scots. Forsaking northern Scotland for the moment, Wulfnoth had marched back to Caithiness and waited for reinforcements. Wulfnoth would have to retreat from northern Scotland three more times, before finally being able to hold the area.
Back in Fife, Harold was yet again exchanging blows with Duncan. Duncan was using the terrain to his advantage, as was destroying Harold’s forces, whom were trying to keep Fife in English hands. Harold tasted defeat again, as he was forced into a retreat. Harold called from more troops from the continent, and was surprised to find that most of them were already fighting in Scotland. Greatly disturbed by this development, Harold found some new men and called them to Scotland. Meanwhile, he had his Spymaster contact the Duke of Galloway and the Duke of Lothian, two of the main supporters for a Scottish republic.
Harold marched into Fife for the fourth time, swearing not to retreat until all the Scots in his sight were dead. But he didn’t have to do much work; dysentery was sweeping through Fife, and had already killed a sizable number of Duncan’s troops. Enough that Harold won a quick victory against the king.
Back in England, Harold’s Spymaster was busy sending supplies to the Dukes of Lothian and Galloway, and at the beginning of 1102, the rebellious dukes declared themselves independent republics. Suddenly, Duncan II had lost nearly half his troops, but that wouldn’t stop him from trying to remove Harold from Fife for the fifth, and last, time. During the Fifth Battle of Fife, a stray arrow hit Duncan, killing him instantly. The last Scot to rule Scotland died that day. Harold would later allow him to be buried with the dead kings of England, calling him the greatest foe he’d ever known.
Peace was signed with Duncan’s son, Duncan III, and Scotland was added to England. With Scotland in the kingdom, Harold set about returning Galloway and Lothian to the kingdom, quickly marching on their respective capitals. He would remember the surprised look on their faces until the day they died; they had actually though he would let them go on their own as republics. It was laughable.
So now, all of Scotland, and nearly all of the Britain, with the exception of the Welsh duchies, called Harold liege. Harold’s empire spanned across Europe, and many feared his name as well as held it in awe. Truly, God loved the English empire.
100k troops?
Or 10k?
I don't believe the British isles would have that kind of population during those ages.
Or 10k?
I don't believe the British isles would have that kind of population during those ages.
@ Enewald- I pulled all my troops from Normandy, Brittany, the Lowlands, Denmark, and Norway, as well as from my Baltic holdings. I've heard that fighting a war against Scotland can be rather long and costly, so I didn't want to take any chances.
Uh uh.
No, not that way!
You take a small army, sail behind the lines, siege their provinces while a moderate sized army pins and locks the enemy armies into an combat elsewhere!
Never mobilize that many!!!
Wonderful story!
I have enjoyed it very much I also found what happened to Alexios hillarious. Very interesting that the Roman Empire came off very well instead of being one who teared apart in civil war and being conquered by the Turks as usual in many of AARs.
Were there any spread of Saxon culture (beyond what you said earlier in story) and Catholic faith by England? How far did Orthodoxy spread in the Middle East?
Excellent job in establishing the Empire and providing good background to the reasoning behind it I also enjoy your charactizing of the kings. Good for Harold to provide honor to Duncan.
Eagerly await to read more!
I have enjoyed it very much
I also found what happened to Alexios hillarious. Very interesting that the Roman Empire came off very well instead of being one who teared apart in civil war and being conquered by the Turks as usual in many of AARs.Were there any spread of Saxon culture (beyond what you said earlier in story) and Catholic faith by England? How far did Orthodoxy spread in the Middle East?
Excellent job in establishing the Empire and providing good background to the reasoning behind it
I also enjoy your charactizing of the kings. Good for Harold to provide honor to Duncan.Eagerly await to read more!
@ Zhai- I'm glad you're enjoying my AAR! Thanks for your support.
@ All my readers- I'm trying to finish an English project for school (if you're curious, it involves reading Siddhartha, which is only slightly harder to read than Utopia) so updates are going to be rather scarce until I finish it. I'll try and post a short update tomorrow.
@ All my readers- I'm trying to finish an English project for school (if you're curious, it involves reading Siddhartha, which is only slightly harder to read than Utopia) so updates are going to be rather scarce until I finish it. I'll try and post a short update tomorrow.
Zhai, it occurs to me I didn't answer your questions, so, here's my answers:
The Anglo-Saxon culture has taken over Beja, which has less than ten provinces, and all those provinces answer to the Catholic faith. In Andalucia, the Anglo-Saxon culture has made a lot less headway, and more than 50% of their provinces are still Muslim (two are heretic).
As for Orthodoxy in the Middle East: The Archbishopric of Mesopotamia has two provinces that are actually Orthodox, while the Byzantines have forced their conquered provinces to convert to the Orthodox faith. Hope I answered your questions!
Anyway, on to the update!
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The following is taken from The Road to Britannia: From Kingdom to Empire:
The year was 1110, nearly eight years had passed since Harold III's conquest of Scotland. During those eight long years, Harold III had slowly helped the Scottish nobles rebuild their lands and finally put an end to the republican revolts that had plagued their lands for many years. Thanks to his efforts, Harold had won not only the Scottish nobility over, but also the Scottish peasants, both of which recognized him as their king.
Of course, Harold III didn't earn his moniker Empire-builder by sitting around his castle all day, so in 1110, with Scotland now firmly under his control, Harold III declared war on the Kingdom of Wales, in order to further legitimize his title of bretwalda, or king of all the Britons.
The formation of the short-lived Kingdom of Wales is one of the greatest examples in history of how fear unites. In 1103, following Harold III's conquest of Scotland, the Welsh duchies had formed a shaky alliance with each other, in hopes that united they could ward off English aggression. They united under the banner of the Kingdom of Wales, and a noble republic was put in place, so that all the Welsh ruling houses had a chance at the throne.
Right from the beginning, this new noble republic was plagued by civil strife, as the Welsh houses fought for control of the throne. Over the course of seven years, Wales would see the rise of five kings in quick succession. Harold would use the civil wars to his advantage, playing one side against another, eventually conquering the whole area and adding the title King of Wales to his already extensive list of thrones.
Conquering Wales had taken Harold nearly a year, but he had done it: now Harold could petition the Pope to recognize him as the Emperor of Britannia and fulfill the dreams of so many kings before him.
Despite being able to count the current Pope as a close, personal friend, Harold III's petition to be recognized as took nearly three years and countless amounts in bribe money, but it was worth it, because in 1114, Harold III was crowned Emperor Harold I of Britannia by the Pope himself. The Kingdom of England was no more.
------
Yeah, for those of you curious, I got the emperor event in 1114. From this point forward, as long as I retain the thrones of Scotland, England, and Wales, England will be known as Britannia.
The Anglo-Saxon culture has taken over Beja, which has less than ten provinces, and all those provinces answer to the Catholic faith. In Andalucia, the Anglo-Saxon culture has made a lot less headway, and more than 50% of their provinces are still Muslim (two are heretic).
As for Orthodoxy in the Middle East: The Archbishopric of Mesopotamia has two provinces that are actually Orthodox, while the Byzantines have forced their conquered provinces to convert to the Orthodox faith. Hope I answered your questions!
Anyway, on to the update!
------------------
The following is taken from The Road to Britannia: From Kingdom to Empire:
The year was 1110, nearly eight years had passed since Harold III's conquest of Scotland. During those eight long years, Harold III had slowly helped the Scottish nobles rebuild their lands and finally put an end to the republican revolts that had plagued their lands for many years. Thanks to his efforts, Harold had won not only the Scottish nobility over, but also the Scottish peasants, both of which recognized him as their king.
Of course, Harold III didn't earn his moniker Empire-builder by sitting around his castle all day, so in 1110, with Scotland now firmly under his control, Harold III declared war on the Kingdom of Wales, in order to further legitimize his title of bretwalda, or king of all the Britons.
The formation of the short-lived Kingdom of Wales is one of the greatest examples in history of how fear unites. In 1103, following Harold III's conquest of Scotland, the Welsh duchies had formed a shaky alliance with each other, in hopes that united they could ward off English aggression. They united under the banner of the Kingdom of Wales, and a noble republic was put in place, so that all the Welsh ruling houses had a chance at the throne.
Right from the beginning, this new noble republic was plagued by civil strife, as the Welsh houses fought for control of the throne. Over the course of seven years, Wales would see the rise of five kings in quick succession. Harold would use the civil wars to his advantage, playing one side against another, eventually conquering the whole area and adding the title King of Wales to his already extensive list of thrones.
Conquering Wales had taken Harold nearly a year, but he had done it: now Harold could petition the Pope to recognize him as the Emperor of Britannia and fulfill the dreams of so many kings before him.
Despite being able to count the current Pope as a close, personal friend, Harold III's petition to be recognized as took nearly three years and countless amounts in bribe money, but it was worth it, because in 1114, Harold III was crowned Emperor Harold I of Britannia by the Pope himself. The Kingdom of England was no more.
------
Yeah, for those of you curious, I got the emperor event in 1114. From this point forward, as long as I retain the thrones of Scotland, England, and Wales, England will be known as Britannia.
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Very nice indeed. Emperor of Britannia... it has a nice ring to it. What would sound even better is Emperor of Britannia and Gaul(or France if you so wish).
Emperor of Britain? Now there's a nice title! I suppose the Holy Roman Emperor won't be too amused about this. But then judging from your world update there does not seem much he can do about it.
~Lord Valentine~
~Lord Valentine~
@ Prussian_King and Enewald: France is always a possibility, though right now I'm focusing on Ireland and driving the Muslims out of Africa.
@ Lord Valentine: The Holy Roman Empire actually reunited after the current emperor kicked the crap out of an alliance of Saxony, Upper Lorraine, Meissen, and Swabia. Right now, the only independent German duchy is Bavaria.
@ Lord Valentine: The Holy Roman Empire actually reunited after the current emperor kicked the crap out of an alliance of Saxony, Upper Lorraine, Meissen, and Swabia. Right now, the only independent German duchy is Bavaria.
The following is taken from A History of England:
Chapter 6, Section 1: The First Crusade
In 1115, the Catholic world was as strong as ever; the Berbers had been driven from Iberia by Gyrth the Pious, the Holy Roman Empire had recently reformed, and the Muslims in the Middle East were busy fighting the expansion of the Orthodox nations. With Catholic power on the rise, the Pope called for a crusade to liberate the only real Muslim strong hold: Africa.
Africa had long been controlled by the Muslim Berbers and Arabs, and was relatively stable due to the trade the Mediterranean Sea brought them. Few Catholic kingdoms could or would answer the Pope’s call to liberate Africa from the heathen, so the Pope’s eyes fell upon the Empire of Britannia and her newly crowned emperor, Harold I for aid.
The emperor didn’t shy away from the Pope’s request for help, seeing it as another chance to bring glory to House Godwinson, much like his father, Gyrth the Pious, had done during Gyrth’s Crusade. He also saw it as a chance to further expand Anglo-Saxon influence and trade, so, towards the end of 1115, Emperor Harold I declared war on the Kingdom of al-Murabitids, and started a crusade against the heathens in Africa that would take nearly five years to complete, and was only ended by Egyptian interference.
During the closing years of the First Crusade, it became clear to the Emir of Cyrenacia that he would be next if the English Crusaders decided to continue the crusade, so he pledged allegiance to the King of Egypt, effectively stopping any hope of regaining Africa for the Catholics.
The First Crusade took nearly five years to complete.
Question for the Class: Why would the Pope want to deny Africa to the Muslims?
When it became clear that the Crusade could continue no longer, Emperor Harold I handed over the land to his third son, Ceowulf, who styled himself King Ceowulf I of Mauritania. The Pope was livid that Harold I would stop crusading, and demanded that the king pick up his sword once again and not put it down until Egypt was defeated. The Pope’s protest, for once, fell on deaf ears in Harold’s court, as the Emperor refused to fight an endless war against Egypt. This prompted a falling out between the English court and the Papacy, which would lead to Emperor Sigeric I refusing to be crowned by the Pope, instead opting to be crowned by the Archbishop of Canterbury, a tradition that is still carried on to this day. With Britannia no longer willing to crusade for him, the Pope turned to King Ceowulf I, promising to crown him Emperor of Africa if he would continue his father’s crusade. Ceowulf, eager for an imperial crown himself, took the Pope up on his offer, starting a series of wars called the Eternal War, which would last until 1300 with the sack of Alexandria and King Ceowulf V being crowned Emperor of Africa.
Africa after the First Crusade.
Chapter 6, Section 1: The First Crusade
In 1115, the Catholic world was as strong as ever; the Berbers had been driven from Iberia by Gyrth the Pious, the Holy Roman Empire had recently reformed, and the Muslims in the Middle East were busy fighting the expansion of the Orthodox nations. With Catholic power on the rise, the Pope called for a crusade to liberate the only real Muslim strong hold: Africa.
Africa had long been controlled by the Muslim Berbers and Arabs, and was relatively stable due to the trade the Mediterranean Sea brought them. Few Catholic kingdoms could or would answer the Pope’s call to liberate Africa from the heathen, so the Pope’s eyes fell upon the Empire of Britannia and her newly crowned emperor, Harold I for aid.
The emperor didn’t shy away from the Pope’s request for help, seeing it as another chance to bring glory to House Godwinson, much like his father, Gyrth the Pious, had done during Gyrth’s Crusade. He also saw it as a chance to further expand Anglo-Saxon influence and trade, so, towards the end of 1115, Emperor Harold I declared war on the Kingdom of al-Murabitids, and started a crusade against the heathens in Africa that would take nearly five years to complete, and was only ended by Egyptian interference.
During the closing years of the First Crusade, it became clear to the Emir of Cyrenacia that he would be next if the English Crusaders decided to continue the crusade, so he pledged allegiance to the King of Egypt, effectively stopping any hope of regaining Africa for the Catholics.
The First Crusade took nearly five years to complete.
Question for the Class: Why would the Pope want to deny Africa to the Muslims?
When it became clear that the Crusade could continue no longer, Emperor Harold I handed over the land to his third son, Ceowulf, who styled himself King Ceowulf I of Mauritania. The Pope was livid that Harold I would stop crusading, and demanded that the king pick up his sword once again and not put it down until Egypt was defeated. The Pope’s protest, for once, fell on deaf ears in Harold’s court, as the Emperor refused to fight an endless war against Egypt. This prompted a falling out between the English court and the Papacy, which would lead to Emperor Sigeric I refusing to be crowned by the Pope, instead opting to be crowned by the Archbishop of Canterbury, a tradition that is still carried on to this day. With Britannia no longer willing to crusade for him, the Pope turned to King Ceowulf I, promising to crown him Emperor of Africa if he would continue his father’s crusade. Ceowulf, eager for an imperial crown himself, took the Pope up on his offer, starting a series of wars called the Eternal War, which would last until 1300 with the sack of Alexandria and King Ceowulf V being crowned Emperor of Africa.
Africa after the First Crusade.
So It looks like Africa is firmly in the hand of the cross. But the Pope is still bickering and making a fuss. What a pitty that the reformation is out of the CK time-frame.
Looking forward to a Henry VIII. style character who doesn't care about the old man in Rome's silly edicts.
~Lord Valentine~
Looking forward to a Henry VIII. style character who doesn't care about the old man in Rome's silly edicts.
~Lord Valentine~
Well, that mess had some long reaching effects.
What gives the pope the right to sell Imperial titles?
So far the only true Emperor is the one sitting in Constantinople.
What gives the pope the right to sell Imperial titles?
So far the only true Emperor is the one sitting in Constantinople.
Wonderful chapters!
Thank you for answering my questions
Don't listen to Lord Valentine King should just take greater influence in Rome instead of being a fool like Henry VIII.
Eagerly await other chapters!
Thank you for answering my questions
Don't listen to Lord Valentine
King should just take greater influence in Rome instead of being a fool like Henry VIII.Eagerly await other chapters!
@ Lord Valentine and Zhai- I'm not all that religious myself, so only time will tell if England remains loyal to the Mother Church or becomes Protestant. I will tell you this, though: if the damn Pope doesn't stop pestering me to change my laws to make him happy, I'm gonna raid Rome to shut him up.
@ Enewald- He's the Pope! He can do whatever he wants.
Update coming later today focusing on everyone's favorite nation to hate: France.
@ Enewald- He's the Pope! He can do whatever he wants.
Update coming later today focusing on everyone's favorite nation to hate: France.