Reign of the Dragon
With the death of High King Wlencing, his son High King Theoden came to power. Although merely a boy of 13, Theoden took the reins of power fully in hand. From what sources say, being such an ambitious man, he would not allow anyone, even his regent, to usurp control. An uncommon practice during that time, but Theoden has been referred to as more of a force of nature rather than a man. Quickly finishing off, and subduing the last of the Anglo-Saxon betrayers, Theoden turned his sights outward, towards mainland Europe. Although there were things that needed to be done at home, the political machines in Europe never ceased moving. Shortly after coming to power, the last of the Karlings, did something altered the mind set of Theoden, and his successors, for years to come. The last descendant of Karl 'The Great', founded the Holy Roman Empire.
Papal Scholars at the time herald this event as a great force of God's will on Earth. They were half right; it is well known today that it was rather a great force of God's voice on Earth. The sudden, and bloody, rise of the Kingdom of West Saxony, as well as the completion of the Muslim invasions in Spain, brought about a sense of panic for the faithful Catholics in Germany and Italy. This time of strife, and uncertainty, caused the faithful Germanic and Italian peoples to look towards the pope for protection. We know that the formation of the HRE was not one based on faith, but rather politics. It was the will of the pope, nothing more, that forced the creation of this Proto-Super State within central Europe. The pope had a secret weapon in all of this, King Ingomer of Lombardy. The last of the Karlings, he was a zealous man, and always sought to prove his devotion to the Pope and God. The Pope, in his papal addresses, would refer to Ingomer as God's Hand, following God's Voice, a cleverly veiled statement that Ingomer was a puppet through and through. Using his puppet Ingomer, the Pope sanctioned a mass invasion of the Germanic lands to the north. On the 20th of July, 863, Ingomer was named the first Holy Roman Emperor.
This sent much of the Catholic world into a frenzy. Suddenly, the Kings of France and Aquitaine thought that they could invade the Zoroastrian Kingdoms of Friesland, and Brittany. Much to their surprise, Theoden was more like his father than they knew. Keeping up with the idea of Interventionism, Theoden consistently went to the rescue of both Kingdoms, and, on more than one occasion, helped to turn the tide of battle in favor of the Zoroastrian Kings.
However, it cannot be understated how much of an effect this had on Theoden. In his early years as High King, Theoden seemed to be content with Interventionism. However, after the formation of the HRE, his policy seems to have changed, as it is shown that, shortly after the formation of the Central European Super State, the number of Saxon raids on Christian towns and cities skyrocketed. While it was a constant fear, and nuisance, to the ruling Christian kings, it was a prelude to something far more serious. From what Archaeology can tell us, these raids were not only sanctioned by, but also encouraged by High King Theoden, as he appeared to be building up the halls of wealth within Havering. Although they didn't know it at the time, Theoden had decided to pay the Christians back in kind for the formation of this new Super State, by creating a Zoroastrian copy.
The Frankish Rule was failing. The once mighty kingdom of West Francia was falling to pieces as dukes and counts declared independence. The Frankish kings could no longer contain the anger of the peasantry, as the demand for French rule over French people continued to rise. It was here that Theoden could see the future of Europe. Out of every kingdom on mainland Europe, only West Francia had both the military might possible, and the vast wealth needed, to combat the sudden rise of the HRE, and the slow, but powerful, steam roller of the Umayyads to the south. A famous contemporary historian, Hygelac of Norddland, explained the collapse of the Franks as such:
"The Frankish kings were failing. Being pressed on all sides by Zoroastrians, Sunnis, and the new repressive might of the Holy Roman Empire, as well as constant uprisings against their rule by the locals, it was clear that the days of the Franks were numbered. Ever since the death of Karolus Imperator Augustus, the Empire of the Franks has never regained its former glory. When Karolus Imperator Augustus passed his "Empire" was divided between his squabbling sons. All of them wanted to hold the title of Imperator Francorum, yet none felt the other was good enough. This division, this strife, quickly broke up the Frankish kingdoms into warring states, all fighting for a shattered crown. Slowly but surely, the Karlings fell out of power, and, with the exception of Ingomer, all faded into the history books as remnants of a former glory. With the fall of the Karlings, none of the Frankish kingdoms could ever come close to even holding the title of Imperator Francorum, and by our time, nearly one hundred years after the death of Karolus Imperator Augustus, the Franks were backed into a corner. The only location with any Frankish culture was in the fringes of the kingdom of West Franica, and the last ruler of the Franks was, to put it lightly, an incompetent fool."
Much of what was written by Hygelac of Norddland is considered accurate, although it has some obvious embellishments to favor the West Saxons. In any circumstance, the fall of the Franks was going to happen. The actions of High King Theoden in the following months merely pushed them over the edge faster. On the 30th of November, 864, Theoden called for the next great invasion, and declared his intent to bring the kingdom of West Francia to heel. Unlike the last invasion, by High King Wichimann, which was the fulfillment of a prophetic dream, this invasion was about politics, and the future of Zoroastrianism. Although we look at France today and see it as a powerful nation, this France, the one ruled over by the last of the Franks, was a far cry from the power it had, or would have again. To be truthful, modern French historians don't even refer to the Saxon invasion as such, they call it 'Naissance de la France moderne', or 'Birth of modern France'. The invasion by High King Theoden, which was started in 863, ended just over a year later on the 9th of August 865. The reality of this is that, although the war lasted just over a year, less than a full month was even spent fighting the Frankish armies. Most of the war was just the sieging down of key castles in France.
It is after this war that the true nature of Theoden was put on full display. According to Saxon scholars, Theoden did not dole out land to his fellow Saxon men, but instead raised the French peasantry up to Dukedom, and eventually king hood, status. In exchange for this new French power, Theoden demanded only one thing, they accept the teachings of Zarathustra as the truth. From Saxon accounts, the new French nobles, willingly accepted. While it is not common to get a collaboration between scholars across nations, French scholars at the time wrote similar things about High King Theoden. This in turn lends more credibility to the words written by the Saxon scholars as being more than just propaganda. However to say that the conquest, and transfer of control of power, in the Kingdom of France stopped at the borders of West Francia, would be an understatement. Although the nation of West Francia held a large amount of power, the full military power was split with France's southern neighbor, Aquitaine. Aquitaine, like West Franica, was falling apart, and High King Theoden knew this. Using a Casus Belli, that in today's world would be weak at best, Theoden cited that the lands of Aquitaine and West Francia must always be united. With that excuse, Theoden marched on the lands of Aquitaine and, in a similar manner to that of West Francia, he conquered all of the land, and handed out to Occitanian nobles. When the end of this three year campaign finally arrived, Theoden had lead his armies across hundreds of miles of French and Occitan land, and united the two nations into one single power house nation. This rapid, and bloody, conquest of West Francia and Aquitaine lead the pope to call Theoden a 'Dragon in the flesh of a man' in a sermon. That one line spread like wildfire, and soon everyone was calling Theoden 'The Dragon'. It is said that, although Theoden was a humble man, he liked being called 'The Dragon', so the name stuck.
For the next twenty years, Theoden ceased expanding the Zoroastrian hold. Wether this is because of concerns of the same fate befalling him as what befell his grandfather 'The Lion', or simply because he was tired, we cannot know. What we can know though is that, even in peace, Theoden did not lose his Saxon Fire. He personally lead multiple raids across the sea, even as far east as the Levant. On one such raid, a strange chest was recovered, although a key was never found. We actually know about this chest because it still remains locked up in the Museum of Saxon Histories here in Havering. Inscribed on the top is written in the Proto-West Saxon tongue 'Property of High King Theoden'. Carbon dating proves this chest to be from roughly the same time period as High King Theoden, so it is not much of a stones throw to believe that this truly was the chest he found.
The Saxon raids, stretching from the North Atlantic all the way to Egypt and the Levant, are clearly recorded by historians from all across the Medieval world. Many great and famous scholars from both the Byzantine Empire, and the Abbasid caliphate describe the raids in their own way. This is a short description of the Saxon raiders from Byzantine chronicles. "Black ships and red sails were the only warning we ever got from these savage men from the north. With great Persian totems carved into the prows of their ships, and horse heads carved into the stern, they came with steel and fire. Laying waste to cities along the coast, like the Barbarians in those days of old, when the West fell."
This next portion is a clipping from an Abbasid scholar. "These heathen men, whom no good thing under Allah could have spawned, charged forth from the waves like a stampede of horses on the desert wind. Few fought with the strength of men, and more with the strength of beasts. These were not men, but wolves."
As you can see, it mattered little to the Saxons whom they raided from; however their reputation seemed to proceed them where ever they went. The classic red sails on blackened ships is a popular motif, even in Saxon sagas. From the scholarly sources from the era, and archaeological evidence, we can piece together that this vast wealth being accrued was not simply for the sake of greed. Rather it served another purpose, for it seemed that Theoden was planning another invasion, this time of the Umayyad empire of Hispania. Apparently, while these twenty years of relative peace were happening, Theoden was plotting the next move for his 'Saxon Renaissance'. A note about the so called 'Saxon Renaissance', the name actually comes from sixteenth century scholars who were trying to describe what High King Wlencing had started, and High King Theoden greatly championed. While the Saxons clearly brought war and destruction to any they saw fit, the cultural and religious background of Europe would not be the same it is today without this influx of Eastern wisdom so early in the Medieval era.
While it seemed that peace ruled in Saxon lands, the same could not be said for the newly reformed state of France. Although its size was great, the overwhelming might of the Holy Roman Empire was an impossible beast. Theoden knew that, should war come to French soil, he would have to join in the fray. Unfortunately it seemed that French lands were the site of many great battles and wars during High King Theoden's reign. From what Zoroastrian historians say, Theoden was planning "A great excursion of wisdom", another pretty way of saying that he was invading another nation. Unfortunately it seemed that his plans would be delayed; on the 30th of October, 885, Empress Adalberta of the HRE, the daughter of Emperor Ingomer, declared war for her family's claim to the kingdom of France. In spite of this war, the current boy king of France, King Gilles, thought that his armies would be sufficient to hold off the Germanic assault. On this account he was sorely mistaken, although the power of the French kingdom was coming into fruition, it was still like a flower in its early stages. The bud had opened revealing what could lay within, but it was far from a full bloom. This fact was proven when the French armies were utterly crushed by the HRE's superior troops and numbers. Sending word to High King Theoden, the French king begged for Theoden's aid. The letter was preserved for posterity, and is now on full display in the Louvre in Paris. The letter reads as follows:
"Hail Highest of Kings Theoden,
I do hope this letter finds you well. We, your brothers under Ahura Mazda, are in dire need. The armies of Empress Adalberta have invaded, and are laying waste to our homes. Will you come to the aid of your brothers and sisters in faith? We eagerly await your reply.
With Deepest Regards,
King Gilles of France"
A relatively short letter to be sure, but important none the less. Theoden obviously agreed, since, as I have stated before, interventionism was the policy of the day. However, rather that Theoden himself, the French generals got Theodred, Theoden's oldest son. Not nearly as skilled in the martial arts as his father, the accompanying historian wrote that "Theodred conducted himself well, and won the respect of the French generals". This is obviously propaganda for the nobility back in West Saxony, as the first major battle lead by Theodred was a resounding failure, and he lost nearly half of the army his father gave him. Meanwhile, on the Holy Roman side, their losses were far less severe, only loosing a tallied three thousand, give or take a few hundred. Many people at the time questioned why Theoden himself, who relished in combat and defeating his foes on the field of battle, had chosen to stay out of the first battles. Even today there are some questions about it, but the most likely reason is that, right about the time that the request from King Gilles of France arrived, the province of Havering was suffering from an outbreak of smallpox. While this clearly did not kill High King Theoden, as he is reported to have been on the field of battle in later months, it might have stopped him from leaving his bed for the first few weeks.
Fortunately, following his bout with Smallpox, High King Theoden appears in later chronicles leading the armies to victory over the Holy Roman Empire. This defeat, although not crushing, sent the HRE back home to lick its wounds. Shortly following this, on the 10th of August, 890, Empress Adalberta sent a letter of surrender to King Gilles of France.
After five long years of conflict, the Holy Roman Invasion of France was thwarted. In spite of the vast numbers of solders used by the West Saxon kingdom, Theoden was only emboldened. Even though they had fought in a five-year long war, the Saxon armies came out relatively unscathed, ending with a tallied seventeen thousand, only about three thousand from the total prior to the war. Running off the striking victory over the HRE, Theoden launched a massive campaign for the duchies of Aragon, Barcelona, and Valencia, all firmly within the strong grip of the Umayyad empire. This war, was the most terrible war ever fought by any West Saxon king, and it's like would not be seen again until the fourteen hundreds. Unfortunately the historian who usually travels with the Saxon armies was either killed on the field of battle, or had died of disease. Either way, we cannot collaborate our findings with any historical records of the battle, on the Saxon side.
Fortunately, the Andalusian side is different, as the Umayyads were staunch scholars and always sought to gather more knowledge and store more information. The war, called 'The Heathen War' was bloody. From Umayyad estimates the numbers tallied somewhere around forty-five to fifty thousand on each side. While this seems like an embellishment, archaeological evidence from the region of Urgell Spain, and Valencia, shows that the battles fought on Umayyad soil were truly massive. One battle in fact, the now infamous "Battle of Barcelona" is tallied to have killed nearly twenty two thousand men. Archaeology proves that the number of dead for the Saxons were fewer than the Umayyads, but no less severe. In the "Battle of Barcelona" alone, it is said that the Saxons lost nearly ten thousand soldiers, and these numbers can be collaborated by the Umayyad scholar Muhalladid ibn Xavier. In his book, 'Histories and Sciences', he denotes that the Saxo-Umayyad war took a toll on both nations, with the "Battle of Barcelona" being the worst of it all. For six grueling years,Theoden and his West Saxon armies continuously battered the Umayyads into submission. Finally on the 1st of January, 896, the Umayyads surrendered unconditionally to Theoden and the West Saxons. In keeping with his personal belief, Theoden granted land to Andalusian, Catalan, and Castilian, nobles under the simple condition that they convert to Zoroastrianism. The lingering evidence of the fact that much of modern day Iberia is Zoroastrian is a testament to his success.
However the end of that war heralded something else within the West Saxon kingdom, something greater. On the 27th of April, 896, the lands of the duchy of Havering could no longer be contested as Angleman land, for none now lived who remembered a time before Saxon rule.
It is at this point that I am going to have to cut off the chapter of Theoden, because, as there is much more to tell, I cannot in good conscious create such a long chapter.
P.S. This chapter took far too long to write, but Theoden has done a lot in a short amount of time.
With the death of High King Wlencing, his son High King Theoden came to power. Although merely a boy of 13, Theoden took the reins of power fully in hand. From what sources say, being such an ambitious man, he would not allow anyone, even his regent, to usurp control. An uncommon practice during that time, but Theoden has been referred to as more of a force of nature rather than a man. Quickly finishing off, and subduing the last of the Anglo-Saxon betrayers, Theoden turned his sights outward, towards mainland Europe. Although there were things that needed to be done at home, the political machines in Europe never ceased moving. Shortly after coming to power, the last of the Karlings, did something altered the mind set of Theoden, and his successors, for years to come. The last descendant of Karl 'The Great', founded the Holy Roman Empire.
Papal Scholars at the time herald this event as a great force of God's will on Earth. They were half right; it is well known today that it was rather a great force of God's voice on Earth. The sudden, and bloody, rise of the Kingdom of West Saxony, as well as the completion of the Muslim invasions in Spain, brought about a sense of panic for the faithful Catholics in Germany and Italy. This time of strife, and uncertainty, caused the faithful Germanic and Italian peoples to look towards the pope for protection. We know that the formation of the HRE was not one based on faith, but rather politics. It was the will of the pope, nothing more, that forced the creation of this Proto-Super State within central Europe. The pope had a secret weapon in all of this, King Ingomer of Lombardy. The last of the Karlings, he was a zealous man, and always sought to prove his devotion to the Pope and God. The Pope, in his papal addresses, would refer to Ingomer as God's Hand, following God's Voice, a cleverly veiled statement that Ingomer was a puppet through and through. Using his puppet Ingomer, the Pope sanctioned a mass invasion of the Germanic lands to the north. On the 20th of July, 863, Ingomer was named the first Holy Roman Emperor.
This sent much of the Catholic world into a frenzy. Suddenly, the Kings of France and Aquitaine thought that they could invade the Zoroastrian Kingdoms of Friesland, and Brittany. Much to their surprise, Theoden was more like his father than they knew. Keeping up with the idea of Interventionism, Theoden consistently went to the rescue of both Kingdoms, and, on more than one occasion, helped to turn the tide of battle in favor of the Zoroastrian Kings.
However, it cannot be understated how much of an effect this had on Theoden. In his early years as High King, Theoden seemed to be content with Interventionism. However, after the formation of the HRE, his policy seems to have changed, as it is shown that, shortly after the formation of the Central European Super State, the number of Saxon raids on Christian towns and cities skyrocketed. While it was a constant fear, and nuisance, to the ruling Christian kings, it was a prelude to something far more serious. From what Archaeology can tell us, these raids were not only sanctioned by, but also encouraged by High King Theoden, as he appeared to be building up the halls of wealth within Havering. Although they didn't know it at the time, Theoden had decided to pay the Christians back in kind for the formation of this new Super State, by creating a Zoroastrian copy.
The Frankish Rule was failing. The once mighty kingdom of West Francia was falling to pieces as dukes and counts declared independence. The Frankish kings could no longer contain the anger of the peasantry, as the demand for French rule over French people continued to rise. It was here that Theoden could see the future of Europe. Out of every kingdom on mainland Europe, only West Francia had both the military might possible, and the vast wealth needed, to combat the sudden rise of the HRE, and the slow, but powerful, steam roller of the Umayyads to the south. A famous contemporary historian, Hygelac of Norddland, explained the collapse of the Franks as such:
"The Frankish kings were failing. Being pressed on all sides by Zoroastrians, Sunnis, and the new repressive might of the Holy Roman Empire, as well as constant uprisings against their rule by the locals, it was clear that the days of the Franks were numbered. Ever since the death of Karolus Imperator Augustus, the Empire of the Franks has never regained its former glory. When Karolus Imperator Augustus passed his "Empire" was divided between his squabbling sons. All of them wanted to hold the title of Imperator Francorum, yet none felt the other was good enough. This division, this strife, quickly broke up the Frankish kingdoms into warring states, all fighting for a shattered crown. Slowly but surely, the Karlings fell out of power, and, with the exception of Ingomer, all faded into the history books as remnants of a former glory. With the fall of the Karlings, none of the Frankish kingdoms could ever come close to even holding the title of Imperator Francorum, and by our time, nearly one hundred years after the death of Karolus Imperator Augustus, the Franks were backed into a corner. The only location with any Frankish culture was in the fringes of the kingdom of West Franica, and the last ruler of the Franks was, to put it lightly, an incompetent fool."
Much of what was written by Hygelac of Norddland is considered accurate, although it has some obvious embellishments to favor the West Saxons. In any circumstance, the fall of the Franks was going to happen. The actions of High King Theoden in the following months merely pushed them over the edge faster. On the 30th of November, 864, Theoden called for the next great invasion, and declared his intent to bring the kingdom of West Francia to heel. Unlike the last invasion, by High King Wichimann, which was the fulfillment of a prophetic dream, this invasion was about politics, and the future of Zoroastrianism. Although we look at France today and see it as a powerful nation, this France, the one ruled over by the last of the Franks, was a far cry from the power it had, or would have again. To be truthful, modern French historians don't even refer to the Saxon invasion as such, they call it 'Naissance de la France moderne', or 'Birth of modern France'. The invasion by High King Theoden, which was started in 863, ended just over a year later on the 9th of August 865. The reality of this is that, although the war lasted just over a year, less than a full month was even spent fighting the Frankish armies. Most of the war was just the sieging down of key castles in France.
It is after this war that the true nature of Theoden was put on full display. According to Saxon scholars, Theoden did not dole out land to his fellow Saxon men, but instead raised the French peasantry up to Dukedom, and eventually king hood, status. In exchange for this new French power, Theoden demanded only one thing, they accept the teachings of Zarathustra as the truth. From Saxon accounts, the new French nobles, willingly accepted. While it is not common to get a collaboration between scholars across nations, French scholars at the time wrote similar things about High King Theoden. This in turn lends more credibility to the words written by the Saxon scholars as being more than just propaganda. However to say that the conquest, and transfer of control of power, in the Kingdom of France stopped at the borders of West Francia, would be an understatement. Although the nation of West Francia held a large amount of power, the full military power was split with France's southern neighbor, Aquitaine. Aquitaine, like West Franica, was falling apart, and High King Theoden knew this. Using a Casus Belli, that in today's world would be weak at best, Theoden cited that the lands of Aquitaine and West Francia must always be united. With that excuse, Theoden marched on the lands of Aquitaine and, in a similar manner to that of West Francia, he conquered all of the land, and handed out to Occitanian nobles. When the end of this three year campaign finally arrived, Theoden had lead his armies across hundreds of miles of French and Occitan land, and united the two nations into one single power house nation. This rapid, and bloody, conquest of West Francia and Aquitaine lead the pope to call Theoden a 'Dragon in the flesh of a man' in a sermon. That one line spread like wildfire, and soon everyone was calling Theoden 'The Dragon'. It is said that, although Theoden was a humble man, he liked being called 'The Dragon', so the name stuck.
For the next twenty years, Theoden ceased expanding the Zoroastrian hold. Wether this is because of concerns of the same fate befalling him as what befell his grandfather 'The Lion', or simply because he was tired, we cannot know. What we can know though is that, even in peace, Theoden did not lose his Saxon Fire. He personally lead multiple raids across the sea, even as far east as the Levant. On one such raid, a strange chest was recovered, although a key was never found. We actually know about this chest because it still remains locked up in the Museum of Saxon Histories here in Havering. Inscribed on the top is written in the Proto-West Saxon tongue 'Property of High King Theoden'. Carbon dating proves this chest to be from roughly the same time period as High King Theoden, so it is not much of a stones throw to believe that this truly was the chest he found.
The Saxon raids, stretching from the North Atlantic all the way to Egypt and the Levant, are clearly recorded by historians from all across the Medieval world. Many great and famous scholars from both the Byzantine Empire, and the Abbasid caliphate describe the raids in their own way. This is a short description of the Saxon raiders from Byzantine chronicles. "Black ships and red sails were the only warning we ever got from these savage men from the north. With great Persian totems carved into the prows of their ships, and horse heads carved into the stern, they came with steel and fire. Laying waste to cities along the coast, like the Barbarians in those days of old, when the West fell."
This next portion is a clipping from an Abbasid scholar. "These heathen men, whom no good thing under Allah could have spawned, charged forth from the waves like a stampede of horses on the desert wind. Few fought with the strength of men, and more with the strength of beasts. These were not men, but wolves."
As you can see, it mattered little to the Saxons whom they raided from; however their reputation seemed to proceed them where ever they went. The classic red sails on blackened ships is a popular motif, even in Saxon sagas. From the scholarly sources from the era, and archaeological evidence, we can piece together that this vast wealth being accrued was not simply for the sake of greed. Rather it served another purpose, for it seemed that Theoden was planning another invasion, this time of the Umayyad empire of Hispania. Apparently, while these twenty years of relative peace were happening, Theoden was plotting the next move for his 'Saxon Renaissance'. A note about the so called 'Saxon Renaissance', the name actually comes from sixteenth century scholars who were trying to describe what High King Wlencing had started, and High King Theoden greatly championed. While the Saxons clearly brought war and destruction to any they saw fit, the cultural and religious background of Europe would not be the same it is today without this influx of Eastern wisdom so early in the Medieval era.
While it seemed that peace ruled in Saxon lands, the same could not be said for the newly reformed state of France. Although its size was great, the overwhelming might of the Holy Roman Empire was an impossible beast. Theoden knew that, should war come to French soil, he would have to join in the fray. Unfortunately it seemed that French lands were the site of many great battles and wars during High King Theoden's reign. From what Zoroastrian historians say, Theoden was planning "A great excursion of wisdom", another pretty way of saying that he was invading another nation. Unfortunately it seemed that his plans would be delayed; on the 30th of October, 885, Empress Adalberta of the HRE, the daughter of Emperor Ingomer, declared war for her family's claim to the kingdom of France. In spite of this war, the current boy king of France, King Gilles, thought that his armies would be sufficient to hold off the Germanic assault. On this account he was sorely mistaken, although the power of the French kingdom was coming into fruition, it was still like a flower in its early stages. The bud had opened revealing what could lay within, but it was far from a full bloom. This fact was proven when the French armies were utterly crushed by the HRE's superior troops and numbers. Sending word to High King Theoden, the French king begged for Theoden's aid. The letter was preserved for posterity, and is now on full display in the Louvre in Paris. The letter reads as follows:
"Hail Highest of Kings Theoden,
I do hope this letter finds you well. We, your brothers under Ahura Mazda, are in dire need. The armies of Empress Adalberta have invaded, and are laying waste to our homes. Will you come to the aid of your brothers and sisters in faith? We eagerly await your reply.
With Deepest Regards,
King Gilles of France"
A relatively short letter to be sure, but important none the less. Theoden obviously agreed, since, as I have stated before, interventionism was the policy of the day. However, rather that Theoden himself, the French generals got Theodred, Theoden's oldest son. Not nearly as skilled in the martial arts as his father, the accompanying historian wrote that "Theodred conducted himself well, and won the respect of the French generals". This is obviously propaganda for the nobility back in West Saxony, as the first major battle lead by Theodred was a resounding failure, and he lost nearly half of the army his father gave him. Meanwhile, on the Holy Roman side, their losses were far less severe, only loosing a tallied three thousand, give or take a few hundred. Many people at the time questioned why Theoden himself, who relished in combat and defeating his foes on the field of battle, had chosen to stay out of the first battles. Even today there are some questions about it, but the most likely reason is that, right about the time that the request from King Gilles of France arrived, the province of Havering was suffering from an outbreak of smallpox. While this clearly did not kill High King Theoden, as he is reported to have been on the field of battle in later months, it might have stopped him from leaving his bed for the first few weeks.
Fortunately, following his bout with Smallpox, High King Theoden appears in later chronicles leading the armies to victory over the Holy Roman Empire. This defeat, although not crushing, sent the HRE back home to lick its wounds. Shortly following this, on the 10th of August, 890, Empress Adalberta sent a letter of surrender to King Gilles of France.
After five long years of conflict, the Holy Roman Invasion of France was thwarted. In spite of the vast numbers of solders used by the West Saxon kingdom, Theoden was only emboldened. Even though they had fought in a five-year long war, the Saxon armies came out relatively unscathed, ending with a tallied seventeen thousand, only about three thousand from the total prior to the war. Running off the striking victory over the HRE, Theoden launched a massive campaign for the duchies of Aragon, Barcelona, and Valencia, all firmly within the strong grip of the Umayyad empire. This war, was the most terrible war ever fought by any West Saxon king, and it's like would not be seen again until the fourteen hundreds. Unfortunately the historian who usually travels with the Saxon armies was either killed on the field of battle, or had died of disease. Either way, we cannot collaborate our findings with any historical records of the battle, on the Saxon side.
Fortunately, the Andalusian side is different, as the Umayyads were staunch scholars and always sought to gather more knowledge and store more information. The war, called 'The Heathen War' was bloody. From Umayyad estimates the numbers tallied somewhere around forty-five to fifty thousand on each side. While this seems like an embellishment, archaeological evidence from the region of Urgell Spain, and Valencia, shows that the battles fought on Umayyad soil were truly massive. One battle in fact, the now infamous "Battle of Barcelona" is tallied to have killed nearly twenty two thousand men. Archaeology proves that the number of dead for the Saxons were fewer than the Umayyads, but no less severe. In the "Battle of Barcelona" alone, it is said that the Saxons lost nearly ten thousand soldiers, and these numbers can be collaborated by the Umayyad scholar Muhalladid ibn Xavier. In his book, 'Histories and Sciences', he denotes that the Saxo-Umayyad war took a toll on both nations, with the "Battle of Barcelona" being the worst of it all. For six grueling years,Theoden and his West Saxon armies continuously battered the Umayyads into submission. Finally on the 1st of January, 896, the Umayyads surrendered unconditionally to Theoden and the West Saxons. In keeping with his personal belief, Theoden granted land to Andalusian, Catalan, and Castilian, nobles under the simple condition that they convert to Zoroastrianism. The lingering evidence of the fact that much of modern day Iberia is Zoroastrian is a testament to his success.
However the end of that war heralded something else within the West Saxon kingdom, something greater. On the 27th of April, 896, the lands of the duchy of Havering could no longer be contested as Angleman land, for none now lived who remembered a time before Saxon rule.
It is at this point that I am going to have to cut off the chapter of Theoden, because, as there is much more to tell, I cannot in good conscious create such a long chapter.
P.S. This chapter took far too long to write, but Theoden has done a lot in a short amount of time.
