Here is the (un)official alternative history of the world as developed through the Interregnum mod. Included here are the country descriptions which appear when you select a playable nation. In addition, a number key events have been included which answer some of the commonly asked questions about the Interregnum world.
Some have suggested that this ought to have been posted ages ago, and I can understand the desire to have this history out there as a guide, but the truth is that it has been written in the course of developing the game, rather than the other way around. Hopefully, the wait has been worth it. I have only recently put the finishing touches on the whole matter of England and a fair bit of research has gone into it. I hope everyone enjoys what we have done here.
Please don't post in this thread. Instead, post ideas in other threads and I will update this as ideas develop.
The Albigensian Crusade and the Survival of Occitan Culture
At the outset of the Albigensian Crusade, called to supress the Cathar heresy, much of the Provence region was under the control of members of the Trencavel family.
The 10 000 strong crusader force under Simon de Montfort headed towards Montpellier and the lands of Raymond-Roger de Trencavel, aiming for the Cathar communities around Albi and Carcassonne. Raymond of Toulouse, excommunicated for his support of the Cathars, promised to act against them the Cathars, and his excommunication was lifted. Like Raymond of Toulouse, Raymond-Roger de Trencavel sought an accommodation with the crusaders, but Raymond-Roger was refused a meeting and raced back to Carcassonne to prepare his defences. The city of Béziers was sacked in July and its population massacred. Here is where the alternate history begins in earnest. Having provided the crusaders with a battle to justify the crusade, the Pope lifted the ex-communications on other nobles who agreed to supress Catharism. The 'perfect' were to be burnt, but cities would be spared. The Inquisition nonetheless saw over 300 000 people killed. While Raimond-Roger de Trencavel was spared, the south of Provence and Languedoc came under the control of Peter II of Aragon, who permitted the inquisition to flourish and rescended many of the old rights of the semi-independent cities.
The fall of Catalan to the moors ended the Aragonese dominion over Provence and Languedoc. The regions had been granted to Garcias of Aragon, the fallen kings second son. While formerly heir to Aragon, he chose to establish instead the Duchy of Languedoc, fearing that to reestablish Aragon in Languedoc would challenge the moors and bring war. Garcias' only son Garcias-Alphonse married the daughter of the future Louis II of Anjou. Garcias-Alphonse went to war with Cordoba, striking quickly while the moors were already engaged against Portugal. Garcias' able commander was Estotz de Trencavel, great-great-grandson of Raymond-Roger. His victories over the moors and the recapture of the province of Gerona earned him the title of Duke.
With the death of the childless Garcias-Alphonse, Louis II of Anjou was set to inherit the principality, but Charles refused to accept his claim, and with the support of the King of Savoy instead chose to recognise the old claim of Duke Estotz de Trencavel. Estotz was coronated in 1379 and the Trencavel family found themselves once again masters of the the region. The Trencavels have ruled Languedoc since, as vassals first of France, then of Savoy following the collapse of France.
Crusades in the Levant
In the Interregnum history, the Second Crusade was a success, not a failure. It not only repelled the attacks against the crusader stronholds, relieving all of the sieges, but extended the territory controlled by the various duchies and principalities. The third crusade, fought between 1247 and 1249, began as a crusade to connect Damascus with Armenia.
Armenia had, at the time, fallen under the control of the Seljuks, but the true aim was to secure Armenian gold. Although Armenia was later wrested from Seljuk control, it was as much due to Armenian rebellion as the crusaders. Soon after their arrival in the Levant, the Mongols under Hulagu began requesting crusader aid in destroying the Caliphate and the threat of Islam. Instead of allying with the Mongols, the crusaders - largely Breton, Sicilian, Bavarian and Savoyard forces - came to the aid of the Caliph in exchange for tacit recognition of the crusader state. As a result, the Christian/Islamic forces repulsed the Mongols for the first time, outside the gates of Baghdad, in one of the bloodiest battles to date. Since that time, the middle east saw a succession of alliances that came together and dissolved as the caliphate, Il-Khanate, Jerusalem, Byzantium and the many smaller kingdoms and emirates vied for ascendency and the spoils of trade. Damascus changed hands no less than twelves times between 1250 and 1419, an example of the see-saw nature of the simmering conflict in the region.
With the saving of Baghdad and the lack of a fourth crusade that devestated Byzantium, both these great cities remain in Interregnum in unabated glory.
The Rise and Fall of Lithuania
The Lith were one of the many peoples in the Baltic region who remained defiantly pagan well into the middle ages. The Teutonic Order and their allies crushed Lithuania during the late 1200s and began the process of conversion to Christianity. However, during the period of 1315 to 1340 the Teutonic Order was rent by internal conflict and plague, and the pagan Lith rebelled under Jurgis Granauskas. At his death in 1342 he was undefeated and had spread Lithuania to cover much of Belarus and Poland. While his son, Povilas, kept the duchy together, the end of conflict between Hungary and Byzantium enabled the organization of the Lithuanian crusades of 1371-74 and 1379-81. The subsequent Treaty of Lazdijai saw the end of Lithuania, and the reformation of Poland.
The War of English Succession and the Partition of England
With the death of Edward III and his son at the disasterous battle of Crécy in 1346, England's fortunes began to wane. The heir, Lionel of Antwerp, was in minority and out of the country, and leading nobles fought for the regency. The Regency War was a precursor to the War of English Succession in that it further weakened English power and provided for a period in which conflict with England was unlikely, permitting England's enemies to prepare for war. Thomas de Beauchamp, 11th Earl of Warwick, and one of the few surviving nobles of Crécy, was victorious in securing Lionel and establishing himself as regent.
Pleshey proved an able replacement for Edward III. France and England remained at war throughout the Regent's War period and had retaken almost all of the English possessions on the continent, except for Calais. Beauchamp never dismissed his army and instead left England immediately after Lionel's coronation, surprising his allies and foes alike. He swiftly retook Normandy, capturing castles and towns and promising each the status of a free city if it provided supplies, gold for his soldiers, and did not rebel against him. Instead of suffering the normal high rates of attrition, Pleshley's army actually grew from his landing at Calais to the siege of Orléans. Fearful that Pleshley would capture Orléans before the winter, Charles IV sued for peace, conceding Picardie and Normadie to England. Pleshley, though urged by some to press the French further, was now more concerned with consolidating power, and so accepted the peace.
Beauchamp returned to find the royal finances in predictably poor shape following decades of conflict, and with several towns in revolt over the taxes imposed to finances English aspirations on the continent. Beauchamp quelled dissent and raised revenue by ceding greater authgority to the Parliament and particularly to the House of Commons. By 1356, Beauchamp's position within the realm was supreme, and with Lionel's majority approaching, Beauchamp proposed an invasion of Wales to conquer it for England and to provide the young king with his first experience of war. It would also fulfill Beauchamp's long-held desire for vengeance against the Welsh, whose departure prior to Crécy was blamed for the death of the King and the Prince. Beauchamp miscalculated not only Welsh capablility and resolve, but also the diplomatic situation England was in. Beauchamp believed that France's involvement in Iberia would prevent it confronting England so soon after the Peace of Orléans, and that the long peace with Scotland would hold, where Lionel's aunt was maried to King David II.
The campaign in Wales confronted Llewelyn (later 'the Great'), who had recently united the north of the country and in conditions which were less like summer than autumn. The heavier rains of spring abated little, which played greatly into the hands of the Welsh tactics to remain mobile and use their archers to best effect. Beauchamp concentrated his army in the north, knowing that the less unified south would fall more easily if Llewelyn was brought to heel first. However, Beauchamp's failure to capture significant castles and make progress against Llewelyn, losing the battle of Llandderfel on July 29, meant that the princes of Gwent and Dyffd began to favour supporting Llewelyn rather than suing for peace with the English, as had been expected. Beauchamp pulled back to the marcher castles and focused on the coronation and preparing for a late spring campaign in Wales in 1357. The dry spring seemed to herald am imminent victory for Beauchamp, who entered the North Powys region in late April with 20 000 men, hoping to confront Llewelyn early, and knowing he had gained the support of the southern princes, at least temporarily. Llewelyn's army, though boosted with Breton troops, was still smaller (9 000) and with few cavarly, less heavily armoured, but with more longbowmen. The armies met at Caer Bladwyn and Llewelyn inflicted a massive defeat on the English, when the rain of arrows into the massed cavalry crushed peasants and knights alike and divided the force in half, and allowing the Welsh cavalry and foot soldiers to engage paert of the army, and the longbowmen to continue to hail arrows upon those pressed against the river.in King Lionel was killed along with 42 ther nobles and almost all foot soldiers were either killed or deserted the field.
With Lionel dead and his army defeated, Beauchamp's options and resources were limited. With no issue from Lionel, there would be many potential claimants to the throne. Beauchamp could not hope to secure it for himself, having no substantial familial link. Moreover, with England and Beauchamp both weakened, their enemies decided to move against them. David, King of Scotland was married to Joanna, the youngest of Edward II's remaining two children, and decided to move south with an army into York and claim the throne from there. Eleanor, Edward's elder daughter, was Duchess of Gueldres and Zutphen, and her eldest son, Reinoud, could claim the throne through her. Beauchamp left for Geldre to recruit him to his cause. Charles V, sensing the time was right, declared war, hoping to retake Normandy, Picary and Calais. He could also claim the throne through his sister Isabella, wife of Edward II. The King of Brittany, not wishing to see French power grow, decided to back a fourth claimant, Thomas Holland, 1st Earl of Kent, whose claim came through marriage to Joan Plantagenet, great-granddaughter of Edward I and Marguerite of France. Holland, one of the commanders at Crécy, had long opposed Beauchamp, but could not stand in the way of him while he was successful. Pleased to have Breton backing, his claim would at least not permit England to become part of the French crown nor the Scottish crown, nor permit Beauchamp to remain England's de facto ruler. With Wales still at war with England and Llewelyn sieging castles in the marches, the War of English Succession had begun.
The English War of Succession lasted four years and saw battles fought between each of the four 'sides'; France, Scotland, Beauchamp with his Dutch and Norfolk contingents, Thomas Holland with his allies Brittany and Wales. With each of Holland and Beauchamp alligned most of the English nobility, although the Duke of York sided with Scotalnd. In the course of the conflict, a fifth protagonist emerged, the Parliament, or at least the Commons, through its defence of the City of London against the French and refusal to open its gates to either Beauchamp or Holland's forces. The conflicts resolution one was of the most complicated in Europe's history, involving nascent international diplomacy and deal brokering, with the Pope in Rome as an eventual aribiter, something that would occur again in 40 years with the collapse of France. The Pope revoked the title of King of England in an effort to force a peace, and vowed that any of the protagonists which claimed the title would subject their country to an immediate injunction and suspension of mass. The Peace of Hainault sought to give each of the surviving factions something they could walk away with with honour. Wales gained the midlands and had Llewelyn recognized as King of Wales. Brittany gained Cornwall and prevented France from taking either the English crown or, directly, all its continental possessions, instead seeing the rebirth of Normandy. France regained Calais and Picardy, while Scotland gained the Northern Marches. The Duchies of Wessex and York were recognized as independent, though their effective vassalage to respectively Brittany and Scotland were no secret. And the City of London was made a free city under the its parliament, but as a direct vassal of the Duke of Normandy.
The Salic War and the Partition of France
The critical alternative history of the region begins in earnest in 1380 with the death of Charles V, King of France. Charles and Jeanne had many children, the males becoming counts and dukes of many of Charles’ possessions late in his reign. The daughters were prized marriages and given to influential dukes and foreign kings to cement the power of the French court. Charles imagined at his death that his first son would work to inherit not only France but also Burgundy, parts of England and also Navarre. Events did not unfold as he foresaw.
Close to the death of Charles, war and revolts marred his reign. Louis, Count of Anjou – a loyal vassal – died and his son Louis II was set to inherit the Duchy of Provence as well. The King of Savoy refused to accept his inheritance and claimed the province. When Charles V did not back Louis in his claims, Louis rose in revolt, sensing Charles’ age and weakness. Backed by the Duke of Brittany, Louis II raised an army and claimed the royal lands within Anjou, capturing the royal castle at Angers and defeating the French army in their attempt to cross the Loire and lay siege to the city.
When Charles the VI came to the throne, he was under the regency of his uncle Jean, Duke of Berry. Jean’s early campaigns as regent were disastrous, being defeated by the forces of Brittany and Anjou at Baugé, by the Navarese and Savoyard forces at Liborne and had to accept peace terms dictated by Raymond Longbow of Normandy, in which Caux was ceded to Normandy. Charles VI died during a fit, and with Jean still regent he claimed the throne in place of Charles’ brother, Louis, Duke of Orléans, who was also young. This triggered the Salic War.
The Salic War pitted Jean of Berry and nobles loyal to him (with much to gain from his victory) against his rival claimants, Louis, Duke of Orléans and Louis of Anjou, Jean’s brother. Louis, Duke of Orléans was supported by his uncle Phillip the Bold, the Duke of Burgundy. To the south, Guillaume, the Duke of Bordeaux and husband of Jeanne, daughter of Charles V, supported Louis once the young heir promised to make him Duke of Guyenne, re-establishing the former duchy in the provinces of Gascony, Guyenne and Poitou.
Jean enjoyed early success in the battles of Ingraninas and Mehun-sur-Yevre and by 1389 he controlled Orléans. That year, Louis married Marie-claude, daughter of Phillipe the Bold, Duke of Burgundy. In the south, the new Duke of Languedoc, seeing Phillipe as the eventual victor and desiring his to recognize his ownership of Languedoc, rallied to his cause, assisting in defeating the forces of Guyenne and Brittany in the battles of Plaisance and Liniers. The war was eroding support for Jean and he moved on Paris to attempt to force a treaty with Louis and Phillip. The siege of Paris lasted 2 years and only ended with the death of Jean of Berry. A temporary peace was made with Louis of Anjou and his backer the King of Brittany. The new King Louis II would not accept the former’s claimed inheritance on Languedoc, as he had received crucial support from the new Duke and he and Phillip needed to ensure peace with Languedoc’s liege, the King of Savoy.
The Kingdom of France seemed secure again, and there followed a period of peace until the death by drowning of Louis II in 1408. Louis IIs wife, Marie-Claude, had by this time borne him a daughter, Genevieve and son, Charles. Phillipe immediately appointed himself regent of the young prince and made permanent peace with Brittany, guaranteeing them Anjou at the death of the ailing and childless Louis of Anjou (his brother) in exchange for recognition of Charles as king and himself as regent. In the south, the Dukes of Guyenne and Auverne also swore allegiance to the Charles VII. The new peace confirmed the salic inheritance laws for the kingdom. Phillip ensures the marriage of Genevieve to his son Robert, the future Duke of Burgundy. At Phillip’s death in 1411, Robert assumes the role of Regent to the young King of France, Charles VII.
In February of 1416, Charles VII dies, childless at 13 years of age. Robert, Duke of Burgundy, is pressed to claim the throne by many of his nobles. This would effectively unite the Kingdom and the Duchy for good and create a powerful realm that would be a significant threat to its neighbours, especially Savoy and Brittany. War would in all likelihood ensue.
Robert nonetheless claims the throne of France and prepares for war. The King of Brittany allies with the young Francois, Duke of Guyenne, who claims the title of King through his father, the brother of Charles VI and the rightful claimant under strict salic law. The King of Savoy, already concerned with a growing conflict with Genoa and Swabia, offers little support, but does not prevent the Dukes of Languedoc and Auverge from siding against Robert.
Robert wins a major victory at Hézy, but his general, Count Benoit of Boucher, is soundly defeated at Pont de Gouchard. Smaller conflicts dominate the campaigning season of 1417, hampered by poor weather and heavy rains in much of central Gaul.
In July 1418, despite a limited victory at Aix-la-montagne, Robert is wounded and dies a week later. Amedee, King of Savoy, convenes a peace treaty that sees the throne of France ceded neither to Francois, nor Phillipe III, the future Duke of Burgundy. The Kings of Brittany and Savoy, settle what was for them a long-standing question of avoiding the growth of the Kingdom of France. Along with Phillipe’s regent, the Count of Jura, they decide upon the division of France, and the end of the old kingdom. Francois, having no powerful backer, retreats to Guyenne, accepting lordship over three provinces but recognising no leige.
And so the game opens in 1419. Burgundy is ruled by the regent, Jacques, Count of Jura. Soon Phillipe will become Duke of Burgundy and face the difficult question of the direction his new realm should go. The crown of France remains for someone to claim it, but it will only happen through force of arms. The claimants include the Dukes of Burgundy, Bourbonnais, Auverne, Orléans and Guyenne.
Some have suggested that this ought to have been posted ages ago, and I can understand the desire to have this history out there as a guide, but the truth is that it has been written in the course of developing the game, rather than the other way around. Hopefully, the wait has been worth it. I have only recently put the finishing touches on the whole matter of England and a fair bit of research has gone into it. I hope everyone enjoys what we have done here.
Please don't post in this thread. Instead, post ideas in other threads and I will update this as ideas develop.
The Albigensian Crusade and the Survival of Occitan Culture
At the outset of the Albigensian Crusade, called to supress the Cathar heresy, much of the Provence region was under the control of members of the Trencavel family.
The 10 000 strong crusader force under Simon de Montfort headed towards Montpellier and the lands of Raymond-Roger de Trencavel, aiming for the Cathar communities around Albi and Carcassonne. Raymond of Toulouse, excommunicated for his support of the Cathars, promised to act against them the Cathars, and his excommunication was lifted. Like Raymond of Toulouse, Raymond-Roger de Trencavel sought an accommodation with the crusaders, but Raymond-Roger was refused a meeting and raced back to Carcassonne to prepare his defences. The city of Béziers was sacked in July and its population massacred. Here is where the alternate history begins in earnest. Having provided the crusaders with a battle to justify the crusade, the Pope lifted the ex-communications on other nobles who agreed to supress Catharism. The 'perfect' were to be burnt, but cities would be spared. The Inquisition nonetheless saw over 300 000 people killed. While Raimond-Roger de Trencavel was spared, the south of Provence and Languedoc came under the control of Peter II of Aragon, who permitted the inquisition to flourish and rescended many of the old rights of the semi-independent cities.
The fall of Catalan to the moors ended the Aragonese dominion over Provence and Languedoc. The regions had been granted to Garcias of Aragon, the fallen kings second son. While formerly heir to Aragon, he chose to establish instead the Duchy of Languedoc, fearing that to reestablish Aragon in Languedoc would challenge the moors and bring war. Garcias' only son Garcias-Alphonse married the daughter of the future Louis II of Anjou. Garcias-Alphonse went to war with Cordoba, striking quickly while the moors were already engaged against Portugal. Garcias' able commander was Estotz de Trencavel, great-great-grandson of Raymond-Roger. His victories over the moors and the recapture of the province of Gerona earned him the title of Duke.
With the death of the childless Garcias-Alphonse, Louis II of Anjou was set to inherit the principality, but Charles refused to accept his claim, and with the support of the King of Savoy instead chose to recognise the old claim of Duke Estotz de Trencavel. Estotz was coronated in 1379 and the Trencavel family found themselves once again masters of the the region. The Trencavels have ruled Languedoc since, as vassals first of France, then of Savoy following the collapse of France.
Crusades in the Levant
In the Interregnum history, the Second Crusade was a success, not a failure. It not only repelled the attacks against the crusader stronholds, relieving all of the sieges, but extended the territory controlled by the various duchies and principalities. The third crusade, fought between 1247 and 1249, began as a crusade to connect Damascus with Armenia.
Armenia had, at the time, fallen under the control of the Seljuks, but the true aim was to secure Armenian gold. Although Armenia was later wrested from Seljuk control, it was as much due to Armenian rebellion as the crusaders. Soon after their arrival in the Levant, the Mongols under Hulagu began requesting crusader aid in destroying the Caliphate and the threat of Islam. Instead of allying with the Mongols, the crusaders - largely Breton, Sicilian, Bavarian and Savoyard forces - came to the aid of the Caliph in exchange for tacit recognition of the crusader state. As a result, the Christian/Islamic forces repulsed the Mongols for the first time, outside the gates of Baghdad, in one of the bloodiest battles to date. Since that time, the middle east saw a succession of alliances that came together and dissolved as the caliphate, Il-Khanate, Jerusalem, Byzantium and the many smaller kingdoms and emirates vied for ascendency and the spoils of trade. Damascus changed hands no less than twelves times between 1250 and 1419, an example of the see-saw nature of the simmering conflict in the region.
With the saving of Baghdad and the lack of a fourth crusade that devestated Byzantium, both these great cities remain in Interregnum in unabated glory.
The Rise and Fall of Lithuania
The Lith were one of the many peoples in the Baltic region who remained defiantly pagan well into the middle ages. The Teutonic Order and their allies crushed Lithuania during the late 1200s and began the process of conversion to Christianity. However, during the period of 1315 to 1340 the Teutonic Order was rent by internal conflict and plague, and the pagan Lith rebelled under Jurgis Granauskas. At his death in 1342 he was undefeated and had spread Lithuania to cover much of Belarus and Poland. While his son, Povilas, kept the duchy together, the end of conflict between Hungary and Byzantium enabled the organization of the Lithuanian crusades of 1371-74 and 1379-81. The subsequent Treaty of Lazdijai saw the end of Lithuania, and the reformation of Poland.
The War of English Succession and the Partition of England
With the death of Edward III and his son at the disasterous battle of Crécy in 1346, England's fortunes began to wane. The heir, Lionel of Antwerp, was in minority and out of the country, and leading nobles fought for the regency. The Regency War was a precursor to the War of English Succession in that it further weakened English power and provided for a period in which conflict with England was unlikely, permitting England's enemies to prepare for war. Thomas de Beauchamp, 11th Earl of Warwick, and one of the few surviving nobles of Crécy, was victorious in securing Lionel and establishing himself as regent.
Pleshey proved an able replacement for Edward III. France and England remained at war throughout the Regent's War period and had retaken almost all of the English possessions on the continent, except for Calais. Beauchamp never dismissed his army and instead left England immediately after Lionel's coronation, surprising his allies and foes alike. He swiftly retook Normandy, capturing castles and towns and promising each the status of a free city if it provided supplies, gold for his soldiers, and did not rebel against him. Instead of suffering the normal high rates of attrition, Pleshley's army actually grew from his landing at Calais to the siege of Orléans. Fearful that Pleshley would capture Orléans before the winter, Charles IV sued for peace, conceding Picardie and Normadie to England. Pleshley, though urged by some to press the French further, was now more concerned with consolidating power, and so accepted the peace.
Beauchamp returned to find the royal finances in predictably poor shape following decades of conflict, and with several towns in revolt over the taxes imposed to finances English aspirations on the continent. Beauchamp quelled dissent and raised revenue by ceding greater authgority to the Parliament and particularly to the House of Commons. By 1356, Beauchamp's position within the realm was supreme, and with Lionel's majority approaching, Beauchamp proposed an invasion of Wales to conquer it for England and to provide the young king with his first experience of war. It would also fulfill Beauchamp's long-held desire for vengeance against the Welsh, whose departure prior to Crécy was blamed for the death of the King and the Prince. Beauchamp miscalculated not only Welsh capablility and resolve, but also the diplomatic situation England was in. Beauchamp believed that France's involvement in Iberia would prevent it confronting England so soon after the Peace of Orléans, and that the long peace with Scotland would hold, where Lionel's aunt was maried to King David II.
The campaign in Wales confronted Llewelyn (later 'the Great'), who had recently united the north of the country and in conditions which were less like summer than autumn. The heavier rains of spring abated little, which played greatly into the hands of the Welsh tactics to remain mobile and use their archers to best effect. Beauchamp concentrated his army in the north, knowing that the less unified south would fall more easily if Llewelyn was brought to heel first. However, Beauchamp's failure to capture significant castles and make progress against Llewelyn, losing the battle of Llandderfel on July 29, meant that the princes of Gwent and Dyffd began to favour supporting Llewelyn rather than suing for peace with the English, as had been expected. Beauchamp pulled back to the marcher castles and focused on the coronation and preparing for a late spring campaign in Wales in 1357. The dry spring seemed to herald am imminent victory for Beauchamp, who entered the North Powys region in late April with 20 000 men, hoping to confront Llewelyn early, and knowing he had gained the support of the southern princes, at least temporarily. Llewelyn's army, though boosted with Breton troops, was still smaller (9 000) and with few cavarly, less heavily armoured, but with more longbowmen. The armies met at Caer Bladwyn and Llewelyn inflicted a massive defeat on the English, when the rain of arrows into the massed cavalry crushed peasants and knights alike and divided the force in half, and allowing the Welsh cavalry and foot soldiers to engage paert of the army, and the longbowmen to continue to hail arrows upon those pressed against the river.in King Lionel was killed along with 42 ther nobles and almost all foot soldiers were either killed or deserted the field.
With Lionel dead and his army defeated, Beauchamp's options and resources were limited. With no issue from Lionel, there would be many potential claimants to the throne. Beauchamp could not hope to secure it for himself, having no substantial familial link. Moreover, with England and Beauchamp both weakened, their enemies decided to move against them. David, King of Scotland was married to Joanna, the youngest of Edward II's remaining two children, and decided to move south with an army into York and claim the throne from there. Eleanor, Edward's elder daughter, was Duchess of Gueldres and Zutphen, and her eldest son, Reinoud, could claim the throne through her. Beauchamp left for Geldre to recruit him to his cause. Charles V, sensing the time was right, declared war, hoping to retake Normandy, Picary and Calais. He could also claim the throne through his sister Isabella, wife of Edward II. The King of Brittany, not wishing to see French power grow, decided to back a fourth claimant, Thomas Holland, 1st Earl of Kent, whose claim came through marriage to Joan Plantagenet, great-granddaughter of Edward I and Marguerite of France. Holland, one of the commanders at Crécy, had long opposed Beauchamp, but could not stand in the way of him while he was successful. Pleased to have Breton backing, his claim would at least not permit England to become part of the French crown nor the Scottish crown, nor permit Beauchamp to remain England's de facto ruler. With Wales still at war with England and Llewelyn sieging castles in the marches, the War of English Succession had begun.
The English War of Succession lasted four years and saw battles fought between each of the four 'sides'; France, Scotland, Beauchamp with his Dutch and Norfolk contingents, Thomas Holland with his allies Brittany and Wales. With each of Holland and Beauchamp alligned most of the English nobility, although the Duke of York sided with Scotalnd. In the course of the conflict, a fifth protagonist emerged, the Parliament, or at least the Commons, through its defence of the City of London against the French and refusal to open its gates to either Beauchamp or Holland's forces. The conflicts resolution one was of the most complicated in Europe's history, involving nascent international diplomacy and deal brokering, with the Pope in Rome as an eventual aribiter, something that would occur again in 40 years with the collapse of France. The Pope revoked the title of King of England in an effort to force a peace, and vowed that any of the protagonists which claimed the title would subject their country to an immediate injunction and suspension of mass. The Peace of Hainault sought to give each of the surviving factions something they could walk away with with honour. Wales gained the midlands and had Llewelyn recognized as King of Wales. Brittany gained Cornwall and prevented France from taking either the English crown or, directly, all its continental possessions, instead seeing the rebirth of Normandy. France regained Calais and Picardy, while Scotland gained the Northern Marches. The Duchies of Wessex and York were recognized as independent, though their effective vassalage to respectively Brittany and Scotland were no secret. And the City of London was made a free city under the its parliament, but as a direct vassal of the Duke of Normandy.
The Salic War and the Partition of France
The critical alternative history of the region begins in earnest in 1380 with the death of Charles V, King of France. Charles and Jeanne had many children, the males becoming counts and dukes of many of Charles’ possessions late in his reign. The daughters were prized marriages and given to influential dukes and foreign kings to cement the power of the French court. Charles imagined at his death that his first son would work to inherit not only France but also Burgundy, parts of England and also Navarre. Events did not unfold as he foresaw.
Close to the death of Charles, war and revolts marred his reign. Louis, Count of Anjou – a loyal vassal – died and his son Louis II was set to inherit the Duchy of Provence as well. The King of Savoy refused to accept his inheritance and claimed the province. When Charles V did not back Louis in his claims, Louis rose in revolt, sensing Charles’ age and weakness. Backed by the Duke of Brittany, Louis II raised an army and claimed the royal lands within Anjou, capturing the royal castle at Angers and defeating the French army in their attempt to cross the Loire and lay siege to the city.
When Charles the VI came to the throne, he was under the regency of his uncle Jean, Duke of Berry. Jean’s early campaigns as regent were disastrous, being defeated by the forces of Brittany and Anjou at Baugé, by the Navarese and Savoyard forces at Liborne and had to accept peace terms dictated by Raymond Longbow of Normandy, in which Caux was ceded to Normandy. Charles VI died during a fit, and with Jean still regent he claimed the throne in place of Charles’ brother, Louis, Duke of Orléans, who was also young. This triggered the Salic War.
The Salic War pitted Jean of Berry and nobles loyal to him (with much to gain from his victory) against his rival claimants, Louis, Duke of Orléans and Louis of Anjou, Jean’s brother. Louis, Duke of Orléans was supported by his uncle Phillip the Bold, the Duke of Burgundy. To the south, Guillaume, the Duke of Bordeaux and husband of Jeanne, daughter of Charles V, supported Louis once the young heir promised to make him Duke of Guyenne, re-establishing the former duchy in the provinces of Gascony, Guyenne and Poitou.
Jean enjoyed early success in the battles of Ingraninas and Mehun-sur-Yevre and by 1389 he controlled Orléans. That year, Louis married Marie-claude, daughter of Phillipe the Bold, Duke of Burgundy. In the south, the new Duke of Languedoc, seeing Phillipe as the eventual victor and desiring his to recognize his ownership of Languedoc, rallied to his cause, assisting in defeating the forces of Guyenne and Brittany in the battles of Plaisance and Liniers. The war was eroding support for Jean and he moved on Paris to attempt to force a treaty with Louis and Phillip. The siege of Paris lasted 2 years and only ended with the death of Jean of Berry. A temporary peace was made with Louis of Anjou and his backer the King of Brittany. The new King Louis II would not accept the former’s claimed inheritance on Languedoc, as he had received crucial support from the new Duke and he and Phillip needed to ensure peace with Languedoc’s liege, the King of Savoy.
The Kingdom of France seemed secure again, and there followed a period of peace until the death by drowning of Louis II in 1408. Louis IIs wife, Marie-Claude, had by this time borne him a daughter, Genevieve and son, Charles. Phillipe immediately appointed himself regent of the young prince and made permanent peace with Brittany, guaranteeing them Anjou at the death of the ailing and childless Louis of Anjou (his brother) in exchange for recognition of Charles as king and himself as regent. In the south, the Dukes of Guyenne and Auverne also swore allegiance to the Charles VII. The new peace confirmed the salic inheritance laws for the kingdom. Phillip ensures the marriage of Genevieve to his son Robert, the future Duke of Burgundy. At Phillip’s death in 1411, Robert assumes the role of Regent to the young King of France, Charles VII.
In February of 1416, Charles VII dies, childless at 13 years of age. Robert, Duke of Burgundy, is pressed to claim the throne by many of his nobles. This would effectively unite the Kingdom and the Duchy for good and create a powerful realm that would be a significant threat to its neighbours, especially Savoy and Brittany. War would in all likelihood ensue.
Robert nonetheless claims the throne of France and prepares for war. The King of Brittany allies with the young Francois, Duke of Guyenne, who claims the title of King through his father, the brother of Charles VI and the rightful claimant under strict salic law. The King of Savoy, already concerned with a growing conflict with Genoa and Swabia, offers little support, but does not prevent the Dukes of Languedoc and Auverge from siding against Robert.
Robert wins a major victory at Hézy, but his general, Count Benoit of Boucher, is soundly defeated at Pont de Gouchard. Smaller conflicts dominate the campaigning season of 1417, hampered by poor weather and heavy rains in much of central Gaul.
In July 1418, despite a limited victory at Aix-la-montagne, Robert is wounded and dies a week later. Amedee, King of Savoy, convenes a peace treaty that sees the throne of France ceded neither to Francois, nor Phillipe III, the future Duke of Burgundy. The Kings of Brittany and Savoy, settle what was for them a long-standing question of avoiding the growth of the Kingdom of France. Along with Phillipe’s regent, the Count of Jura, they decide upon the division of France, and the end of the old kingdom. Francois, having no powerful backer, retreats to Guyenne, accepting lordship over three provinces but recognising no leige.
And so the game opens in 1419. Burgundy is ruled by the regent, Jacques, Count of Jura. Soon Phillipe will become Duke of Burgundy and face the difficult question of the direction his new realm should go. The crown of France remains for someone to claim it, but it will only happen through force of arms. The claimants include the Dukes of Burgundy, Bourbonnais, Auverne, Orléans and Guyenne.
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