Table of Contents
Chapter 1: King of All Ireland 1 2 3
Chapter 2: Curbing the Earls 1
Chapter 3: The First Crusade 1 2 3
Chapter 4: A-plotting in the Isles 1 2
Chapter 5: War of the Isles 1 2
Chapter 6: Fist of King Augaire 1 2 3 4
Chapter 7: Ser Ailin and the Boy King 1 2
My name is Aed. Earl Aed of Breifne. I can trace my fathers back over 800 years. For nearly three-hundred years my fathers have been Earls of Breifne. No longer. The burning vigor of ambition flow through my veins. I was born son of a earl. I will die king of all Ireland!
-Earl Aed, September 1066AD
My father and half-brother are dead. My closest living relative, my nephew is my heir. He already has two sons, and they sons of their own. My dynasty is almost dead, and that is why I am in Bamberg, in audience to the Kaiser of the Holy Roman Empire, Heinrich IV. After waiting for hours it is finally my turn to address him. Suddenly the entire room hushes to silence as they finally realize what I have just asked. Hate filled faces glare at me, and I almost could feel the heat of their anger. The emperor looked at me for a full moment before beginning to laugh heartily. Three days later I left, and returned to Ireland, married to his older sister, Adelheid.
Returning to Breifne was quite a shock for my new wife, for she was used to the finery of her brother's empire. Not so, in Castle Dromahair it is quite spartan. That would change, I assured her. In December it was quite clear she was pregnant. I could not hide my smugness from my men, nor was I shy about boasting about how I would soon be a father.
My new council sat around the table in the top of the tower. It was quite cold, and my court chaplain was wearing not one, but two of those large church robes. I arrived last, it is a gift of those who rule to arrive late. One must remember to arrive, though, as I almost did not this time. Sometimes one's pleasures almost get in the way of business at hand.
My orders to them were quite brief and I allowed now argument. The chancellor was to head east into Dublin and cajole is way into papers showing that the lands rightfully belonged to House Ua Ruairc. I told him I did not care how. That he was to just do it.
My Marshal, who was almost useless, I ordered to train as many troops as he could, which undoubtedly would not be many. My steward I ordered to make sure the taxes were in on time. Which they most likely would be. I get quite upset when the taxes are late.
My Court Chaplain was to go to the Bishopric of Kells and find a way to convince the bishop to pay part of his tithes to me instead of that man in Rome.
Finally after they had all left, another entered the room. My spymaster. His orders were quite simple. He was to make sure my wife didn't end up murdering me. While I quite liked her, she didn't seem so enthused about the accommodations and she hadn't smiled at me since arriving at the castle.
It was hot, and I assuredly stayed outside in the breezy courtyard while gnawing on my thumb. Every so often I could hear a scream from the room above and I would jump, before settling back down on the stone bench. Finally after what seemed hours my guard captain came to me and informed me I was the father of a healthy young boy. You could not imagine how fast I climbed those stairs, and I was in my son's room. My son Art MacAed Ua Ruairc.
After years, finally the day came. My chancellor arrived, with men on horses chasing him. A few arrows from the tower saw them run off and he came to me in my hall. He knelt to one knee and handed me the papers. The papers that would prove my families claim to the county of Dublin. I laughed. I laughed hard, and loud and my loyal guards slapped each other on the back and grinned. Finally House Ua Ruairc would go to war. My son, now five ran into the room. He had no idea what was going on, but he smiled and cheered as well. I picked him up and sat him on the crook of my arm while I spoke to my men in the hall. Then I got drunk.
Sixty Large Ducats earned me fifteen-hundred Breton mercenaries. Along with the two-hundred and eighty of my personal men-at-arms and a few of the mayor's and bishop's men we marched toward Dublin. I'm sure that Murchad had no idea the weight of numbers I was bringing him. We were only a week behind the news that we were at war.
The battle went well - we outnumbered him gravely. The nearly two thousand of my men completely surrounded his nearly three hundred. They fled almost immediately, there was no weight behind their shields. No heft behind their axes. I'll say this for the Bretons, they know how to fight. We lost thirty-seven men. They were taken down to the man. Only the earl managed to escape, he ran fast on his horse, and early to. I'm sure there was more than one of his men that cursed his name.
We quickly settled in to begin the siege, that was when we heard of an army of almost three hundred men marching to Dromahair. I quickly took my men, leaving the mercenaries behind to continue the siege. This last battle would be met Irishman to Irishman.
It was a bloody battle that one. They had begun to set camp outside the castle when we arrived. The sun was in our eyes and we almost missed their first volley of arrows. Luckily we had our shields set in time. Finally we clashed, We had the numbers but only barely. Men I knew were hacked and bloodied, maimed and killed. Men I knew all my life. Something changed in me that day, I grew more determined, more hardened. We took the field, I lost nearly a third of my force. They lost more. I shook my head as my captain asked if we should pursue. Let them go I said, there had been enough killing that day.
Soon me and my men were marching to Leinster, the men there followed Murchad. He had taken it a few years before, just as I was now taking Dublin. We couldn't mount an effective siege, I knew. What we did was harass and harry, and prevent any reinforcements from heading north to lift the siege of Dublin. It wasn't light work. We lived almost like dogs, but my men were hard, and someone had to do it.
News that my wife was once again pregnant reached us. Once again I couldn't keep the grin off my face as my men congratulated me. That night I was frowning in my cup as I wondered how lucky we had been to conceive the one night I was back after the siege. I couldn't help but wonder if she was unfaithful, and if she was with who. I got drunk that night, more drunk than I think I ever had been. I had to man up the next day though, so I put it out of my mind. A drunk commander is a bad one. Remember that.
I learned that men were raiding around Dromahair. I worried more, about my wife, and son. The cold spring rain made me moody, and I wished it would end. News from the north came to us, and we learned that the siege went well and the castle would soon fall, and it did. The mercenaries began to siege the city, and it would soon fall too.
The city fell in June, and as they began to start besieging the Bishopric, a messenger arrived from Dromahair. Earl Murchad was willing to concede. We had won. I could not get home soon enough. It did not take but a month to confirm the peace. I marched into Castle Ath Cliath with my men. We revelled and got drunk. My chancellor took charge of things their, while I rushed home to my wife and son. The mercenaries returned home, much richer for their work, which to them was quite light and bloodless. That August my second son was born. Olchbar MacAed Ua Ruairc.
My plans didn't stop there though.
Chapter 1: King of All Ireland 1 2 3
Chapter 2: Curbing the Earls 1
Chapter 3: The First Crusade 1 2 3
Chapter 4: A-plotting in the Isles 1 2
Chapter 5: War of the Isles 1 2
Chapter 6: Fist of King Augaire 1 2 3 4
Chapter 7: Ser Ailin and the Boy King 1 2
My name is Aed. Earl Aed of Breifne. I can trace my fathers back over 800 years. For nearly three-hundred years my fathers have been Earls of Breifne. No longer. The burning vigor of ambition flow through my veins. I was born son of a earl. I will die king of all Ireland!
-Earl Aed, September 1066AD
My father and half-brother are dead. My closest living relative, my nephew is my heir. He already has two sons, and they sons of their own. My dynasty is almost dead, and that is why I am in Bamberg, in audience to the Kaiser of the Holy Roman Empire, Heinrich IV. After waiting for hours it is finally my turn to address him. Suddenly the entire room hushes to silence as they finally realize what I have just asked. Hate filled faces glare at me, and I almost could feel the heat of their anger. The emperor looked at me for a full moment before beginning to laugh heartily. Three days later I left, and returned to Ireland, married to his older sister, Adelheid.
Returning to Breifne was quite a shock for my new wife, for she was used to the finery of her brother's empire. Not so, in Castle Dromahair it is quite spartan. That would change, I assured her. In December it was quite clear she was pregnant. I could not hide my smugness from my men, nor was I shy about boasting about how I would soon be a father.
My new council sat around the table in the top of the tower. It was quite cold, and my court chaplain was wearing not one, but two of those large church robes. I arrived last, it is a gift of those who rule to arrive late. One must remember to arrive, though, as I almost did not this time. Sometimes one's pleasures almost get in the way of business at hand.
My orders to them were quite brief and I allowed now argument. The chancellor was to head east into Dublin and cajole is way into papers showing that the lands rightfully belonged to House Ua Ruairc. I told him I did not care how. That he was to just do it.
My Marshal, who was almost useless, I ordered to train as many troops as he could, which undoubtedly would not be many. My steward I ordered to make sure the taxes were in on time. Which they most likely would be. I get quite upset when the taxes are late.
My Court Chaplain was to go to the Bishopric of Kells and find a way to convince the bishop to pay part of his tithes to me instead of that man in Rome.
Finally after they had all left, another entered the room. My spymaster. His orders were quite simple. He was to make sure my wife didn't end up murdering me. While I quite liked her, she didn't seem so enthused about the accommodations and she hadn't smiled at me since arriving at the castle.
It was hot, and I assuredly stayed outside in the breezy courtyard while gnawing on my thumb. Every so often I could hear a scream from the room above and I would jump, before settling back down on the stone bench. Finally after what seemed hours my guard captain came to me and informed me I was the father of a healthy young boy. You could not imagine how fast I climbed those stairs, and I was in my son's room. My son Art MacAed Ua Ruairc.
After years, finally the day came. My chancellor arrived, with men on horses chasing him. A few arrows from the tower saw them run off and he came to me in my hall. He knelt to one knee and handed me the papers. The papers that would prove my families claim to the county of Dublin. I laughed. I laughed hard, and loud and my loyal guards slapped each other on the back and grinned. Finally House Ua Ruairc would go to war. My son, now five ran into the room. He had no idea what was going on, but he smiled and cheered as well. I picked him up and sat him on the crook of my arm while I spoke to my men in the hall. Then I got drunk.
Sixty Large Ducats earned me fifteen-hundred Breton mercenaries. Along with the two-hundred and eighty of my personal men-at-arms and a few of the mayor's and bishop's men we marched toward Dublin. I'm sure that Murchad had no idea the weight of numbers I was bringing him. We were only a week behind the news that we were at war.
The battle went well - we outnumbered him gravely. The nearly two thousand of my men completely surrounded his nearly three hundred. They fled almost immediately, there was no weight behind their shields. No heft behind their axes. I'll say this for the Bretons, they know how to fight. We lost thirty-seven men. They were taken down to the man. Only the earl managed to escape, he ran fast on his horse, and early to. I'm sure there was more than one of his men that cursed his name.
We quickly settled in to begin the siege, that was when we heard of an army of almost three hundred men marching to Dromahair. I quickly took my men, leaving the mercenaries behind to continue the siege. This last battle would be met Irishman to Irishman.
It was a bloody battle that one. They had begun to set camp outside the castle when we arrived. The sun was in our eyes and we almost missed their first volley of arrows. Luckily we had our shields set in time. Finally we clashed, We had the numbers but only barely. Men I knew were hacked and bloodied, maimed and killed. Men I knew all my life. Something changed in me that day, I grew more determined, more hardened. We took the field, I lost nearly a third of my force. They lost more. I shook my head as my captain asked if we should pursue. Let them go I said, there had been enough killing that day.
Soon me and my men were marching to Leinster, the men there followed Murchad. He had taken it a few years before, just as I was now taking Dublin. We couldn't mount an effective siege, I knew. What we did was harass and harry, and prevent any reinforcements from heading north to lift the siege of Dublin. It wasn't light work. We lived almost like dogs, but my men were hard, and someone had to do it.
News that my wife was once again pregnant reached us. Once again I couldn't keep the grin off my face as my men congratulated me. That night I was frowning in my cup as I wondered how lucky we had been to conceive the one night I was back after the siege. I couldn't help but wonder if she was unfaithful, and if she was with who. I got drunk that night, more drunk than I think I ever had been. I had to man up the next day though, so I put it out of my mind. A drunk commander is a bad one. Remember that.
I learned that men were raiding around Dromahair. I worried more, about my wife, and son. The cold spring rain made me moody, and I wished it would end. News from the north came to us, and we learned that the siege went well and the castle would soon fall, and it did. The mercenaries began to siege the city, and it would soon fall too.
The city fell in June, and as they began to start besieging the Bishopric, a messenger arrived from Dromahair. Earl Murchad was willing to concede. We had won. I could not get home soon enough. It did not take but a month to confirm the peace. I marched into Castle Ath Cliath with my men. We revelled and got drunk. My chancellor took charge of things their, while I rushed home to my wife and son. The mercenaries returned home, much richer for their work, which to them was quite light and bloodless. That August my second son was born. Olchbar MacAed Ua Ruairc.
My plans didn't stop there though.
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