The Legacy of Uhtred (A Bamburgh AAR)
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It does not count if it in the family! Spymaster/Lover Not Good! Uncle/King Very Bad!
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Debts will it.
Will need to confirm your first point.
The next two are very true.
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1248 – 1253 Seventh Crusade – Castille (for the third time)
1248 – 1253 Seventh Crusade – Castille (for the third time)
The events of the Seventh Crusade documented by Duke Ordgar of Northumbria (me). Here is some background information first:
In 1233, the Moors drove a dagger into the heart of the Kingdom of Castille. In one fell swoop, they ripped all the lands of León from Castille in a single war. Unfortunately, it was my kinsmen, the Bamburgh cadet House of the Badajoz, that bore the brunt of this loss as the Dukes of León. All their land in León was seized by the Moors, and their titles stripped from them, leaving only the County of Valladolid in the hands of the Badajoz family, now held by Count Antonino. Our cousins, the Bamburgh-Aveiros, were also weakened by this attack. Duke Alonso III of Coimbra had lost his eastern-most territories of Plasencia to the Moors as well. Castille itself had been cut in half by this loss, the Emirate of León splitting it in two.
It took Pope Victor III awhile to respond to this aggression from the Moors, but finally, 15 years after the fall of Léon, the Pope called for a new Crusade to reclaim the lost lands of Castille from the heathens.
So it was, in 1248, I found myself pledging Northumbria’s support for this new Crusade. The Papal envoy, in full confidence of a Catholic victory, asked me to name Northumbria’s representative in the deciding the division of the expected spoils. I needed someone I could trust, close family. My two half-brothers had their duties as Earls and vassals of Northumbria. My next closest male relatives were my nephews, but they were now all Princes of Wales and I no longer had the right to decide their future. The other male members of House Bamburgh were cousins who I did not know well. That left either my younger sisters or my daughters. My daughters’ futures were already set in Northumbria, so I turned to my sisters. It was immediately clear that really my sister Ecgfrida, the self-proclaimed Holy Warrior, was the only choice. Æthelburg was Queen of Wales, Æthelhild was in Carinthia with her husband Napoleone von Landsberg and Sifflæd and Mildrith were still in the schoolroom. So, I named Ecgfrida as my beneficiary in this Crusade.
I did decide that if Ecgfrida was to be potentially become a ruler in a far off land she would need to support, so I arranged a favorable marriage for her to Prince Christoffer Frejasen Hafn of Denmark, the legitimatized bastard brother of King Torgils III of Denmark.
It was over a year later, when Pope Victor III finally called upon all of us who had pledged our aid to honor that pledge and join him in Castille. In that time, my Uncle King Beorhtnoth had won his war against King Rogellach II of Leinster and claimed all of the Conchobar Ruad lands in the Duchy of Meath. These lands then became part of Duchess Gyða of Connacht’s fief.
So as peace settled in England, I was marching my men onto ships at Bebbanburg, to sail to war. I named my daughter and heir, Wulfrun, as regent of Northumbria (with the support and guidance of her mother Duchess Eithne and the rest of the Council, of course). She was happy that I had given her such responsibility, though she was less happy that I was taking her husband, Prince Manfred, with me as one of my knights. I needed his sword, and besides he had already fulfilled his primary task, he had given my daughter a son.
We left the shores of England early in 1250, 5,200 Knights, Men-at-Arms and levys. Winter still gripped England and the seas were not calm, but we wanted to reach the Iberian Peninsula in the spring to get in a full season of fighting.
I did not enjoy the voyage at first, the rough seas played havoc with my stomach and I could barely keep a meal down for the first few weeks, but eventually I gained my sea legs and came to enjoy the voyage as we left the North Sea and Channel behind and rounded Brittany and turned due south.
We made landfall on the north coast, at the Aquitaine-controlled port of Asturias de Santillana. After allowing my men and horses time to recover from the sea voyage, we headed inland to the Kingdom of Castile. It was a 2,000-foot climb from the coast up to the Northern Plateau, the Meseta Norte. I was surprised how cold the weather was even as summer was approaching, I thought it was supposed to be warmer here in the south.
Once we reached the top of the plateau, we were in Castille. It was there that I learned something surprising from Count Ordoñu of Amaya, the local lord. King Pero of Castille had not joined the Crusade to restore his own Kingdom. He would let his fellow Christians fight a war for his benefit, but wanted to avoid offending his Moslem neighbors. It is hard to say if this was a wise move or a cowardly one. Most of his subjects were following King Pero’s lead, including young Count Ordoñu and my own kinsman, Duke Alonso III of Coimbra. But a few, including Count Antonino of Valladolid, the kinsman who had lost so much to the Moors, had defied their King to join the Crusade, either in hopes of regaining what they had lost or simply looking for revenge.
I lead my men from Amaya into Muslim held territory and joined the siege around the local Emir’s capitol at León. There I would spend the next three months. It was also there that I received the first news from home since I had left over six months ago. More and more Catholic armies were arriving on the plateau from all over Europe to join the fight. These also included fellow Anglo Saxons from England serving Prince Werestan, the Duke of Kent.
They told me the news, my Uncle, King Beorhtnoth, was dead. No foul play was involved, he had died peacefully in bed of natural causes, less than a month after I had sailed. He had ruled England for nine years, the first Bamburgh King… but not the last. My cousin Ælfstan, the second son who had not expected to inherit, was now King of England and he had Prince Werestan to thank. Prince Æthelstan Sæbertson Vognsen, the son of King Sæbert, had become the frontrunner for the throne following the death of Ælfstan’s older brother, Prince Hacon in Ireland. But some two years ago, Prince Æthelstan’s great-uncle, Prince Werestan, had led a revolt against his great-nephew, and usurped the Duchy of Kent from the young Prince. That defeat cost Prince Æthelstan the support of the electors in the succession, allowing Ælfstan to claim the throne on his own father’s death.
But Prince Æthelstan, though now landless, was not out of the picture entirely. My cousin King Ælfstan’s son, Prince Wulf, was only two years old, so Prince Æthelstan was once again first in the line of succession for the throne, and would probably remain so until Prince Wulf came of age. Prince Werestan, myself, and my other cousin, Ælfstan’s younger brother, Prince Eadulf, the new Earl of Buccingaham, all trailed behind those two Princes in the succession.
I received official notification of my cousin’s position soon after, when I received a letter from him offering me a place on his Council as Marshal of England. I sent a letter back accepting the position, but stating it may be sometime before I could present myself in person in Winchester.
I also received some happier news, which I shared with my knight and son-in-law, Prince Manfred. He was a father for the second time and I had another grandchild. Wulfrun had given birth to a daughter, Ælflæd Wulfrundohter of Bamburgh. Wulfren wrote in the letter that baby favored Manfred with his golden locks, as much as their firstborn, Harold, had favored Wulfrun’s darker looks. We broke open a cask of ale that night and raised many toasts to the newest member of the family.
In August, León opened its gate to our army and we claimed the fortress. I was presented with an important prisoner, Princess Ra’isa Br’ir’uc of the Tamimid Grand Emirate, the wife of Emir Ayyub of León. She was shown all respect and placed under house arrest.
We then marched further south into the County of Benavente and set up a new siege works. To the East, the Duke of Dauphine was leading the assault on the County of Zamora. Prince Werestan’s men had pushed even further south into Vila, but that proved a costly mistake.
The Crusaders had gotten too spread out and the armies of the Emir of León and his allies, who had been raiding southern Castille turned back and fell upon the Kentish at Vila. I had broken off my siege of Benavente and hurried south through Salamanca toward Vila, but by the time I arrived, the Kentish had been slaughtered and the enemy had marched into Zamora and attacked the Duke of Dauphine and his allies. They too had been slaughtered. By this time, I learned that the Moslem army numbered over 23,000 men. My 4,500 couldn’t defeat them so I continued east into Castille and then turned north to try and link up with other Crusaders near Burgos.
The Emir’s army continued north into León and fought a third battle, leading to a third Crusader slaughter. Then the Emir settled into a siege to push my garrison out of León for the next six months. The remaining Crusader armies weren’t able to cobble together a strong enough force to dislodge the Emir and we began to bicker over a strategy. Eventually, I learned the Pope was gathering forces in the west, near Santiago, so I circled around León along the coast and made my way toward Santiago.
By November 1251, Santiago and Tui on the west coast were in the hands of the Crusaders and León had been freed by the Moors, The Crusaders were moving east through the French province of Astorga, so I turned south to intercept them. The Moslem forces had drifted south and soon vanished. By the time we Crusaders arrived back in the vicinity of León they were not to be found. So once again we spread out and concentrated on capturing the strongholds in the Duchy. I returned to the castle of Castile and started a new siege.
By the Spring of 1252, I had again breached the walls and captured the fortress. I also captured another of his wives, Emira Khadija, she didn’t have Princess Ra’isa’s pedigree but still was an important prisoner. Of even greater importance, I also captured two of Emir Ayyub’s sons, Ghalid and Ibrahim Abbadid, though unfortunately neither was his heir.
I then marched south and restarted the siege I had abandoned over a year before in Benavente. This siege lasted until September of 1252. I had barely taken control of Benavente when I was forced to flee south as the Emir’s armies appeared in the north and were bearing down on me, 13,000 men compared to my less 4,000 who had survived the first two years of the war.
In Salamanca, I rendezvoused with several other Crusaders and we formed a united army of 13,000 men. We turned and waited for the Emir, but he turned aside and did not offer battle. We didn’t learn until later that another Crusader army had arrived in the North and defeated a smaller Muslim army near León, Emir Ayyub hadn’t wanted to be caught between our two armies and had escaped to the west. But the Emir soon realized he could not win, and finally in December of 1252 he surrendered. Pope Victor III had not lived to see this victory. He had been over 80 when the war started and had not survived until the end. So it was Pope Martinus III who accepted Emir Ayyub’s surrender.
King Pero of Castille, who had sat out the war, was granted the victory and became liege over the reclaimed territory. Those of us who had actually fought were able to claim significant spoils and our beneficiaries received lands and titles. My half-sister Ecgfrida became the Countess of Tui on the west coast, a vassal to the newly created Duke Pantaleu of Galicia who had also received the County of Santiago (Pantaleu Toulouse-Rodez was an Occitan who had been granted the land and titles as the beneficiary of his cousin, King Uc of Sardinia). My kinsman, Count Antonino of Valladolid was able to install one of his younger sons as Count Pedro of Benavente, reclaiming a small part of the land and titles that the House of Badajoz had lost to the Moors. It was a Dane named Holger Valdemarsen Vognsen (unrelated to the Royal House in England) who received Count Antonino’s former title of Duke of León. Duke Holger appears to be the beneficiary of Count Uffe of Lubeck, he was his bastard nephew who had now founded his own dynasty as the new Duke of León.
I stayed in Iberia to see the new Countess Ecgfrida and her husband, Prince Christoffer, settled into their new home and visit with my other kin in Coimbra and Vallodid. By the time I was ready to sail, Ecgfrida told me she was pregnant and would soon have an heir.
She asked me again to stay longer as winter was just setting in and it was not the best time for a sea voyage, but I am eager to be home. Everything is stowed away on board our ships and we will cast off later tonight with the outgoing tide and set sail for England.
The events of the Seventh Crusade documented by Duke Ordgar of Northumbria (me). Here is some background information first:
In 1233, the Moors drove a dagger into the heart of the Kingdom of Castille. In one fell swoop, they ripped all the lands of León from Castille in a single war. Unfortunately, it was my kinsmen, the Bamburgh cadet House of the Badajoz, that bore the brunt of this loss as the Dukes of León. All their land in León was seized by the Moors, and their titles stripped from them, leaving only the County of Valladolid in the hands of the Badajoz family, now held by Count Antonino. Our cousins, the Bamburgh-Aveiros, were also weakened by this attack. Duke Alonso III of Coimbra had lost his eastern-most territories of Plasencia to the Moors as well. Castille itself had been cut in half by this loss, the Emirate of León splitting it in two.
It took Pope Victor III awhile to respond to this aggression from the Moors, but finally, 15 years after the fall of Léon, the Pope called for a new Crusade to reclaim the lost lands of Castille from the heathens.
So it was, in 1248, I found myself pledging Northumbria’s support for this new Crusade. The Papal envoy, in full confidence of a Catholic victory, asked me to name Northumbria’s representative in the deciding the division of the expected spoils. I needed someone I could trust, close family. My two half-brothers had their duties as Earls and vassals of Northumbria. My next closest male relatives were my nephews, but they were now all Princes of Wales and I no longer had the right to decide their future. The other male members of House Bamburgh were cousins who I did not know well. That left either my younger sisters or my daughters. My daughters’ futures were already set in Northumbria, so I turned to my sisters. It was immediately clear that really my sister Ecgfrida, the self-proclaimed Holy Warrior, was the only choice. Æthelburg was Queen of Wales, Æthelhild was in Carinthia with her husband Napoleone von Landsberg and Sifflæd and Mildrith were still in the schoolroom. So, I named Ecgfrida as my beneficiary in this Crusade.
I did decide that if Ecgfrida was to be potentially become a ruler in a far off land she would need to support, so I arranged a favorable marriage for her to Prince Christoffer Frejasen Hafn of Denmark, the legitimatized bastard brother of King Torgils III of Denmark.
It was over a year later, when Pope Victor III finally called upon all of us who had pledged our aid to honor that pledge and join him in Castille. In that time, my Uncle King Beorhtnoth had won his war against King Rogellach II of Leinster and claimed all of the Conchobar Ruad lands in the Duchy of Meath. These lands then became part of Duchess Gyða of Connacht’s fief.
So as peace settled in England, I was marching my men onto ships at Bebbanburg, to sail to war. I named my daughter and heir, Wulfrun, as regent of Northumbria (with the support and guidance of her mother Duchess Eithne and the rest of the Council, of course). She was happy that I had given her such responsibility, though she was less happy that I was taking her husband, Prince Manfred, with me as one of my knights. I needed his sword, and besides he had already fulfilled his primary task, he had given my daughter a son.
We left the shores of England early in 1250, 5,200 Knights, Men-at-Arms and levys. Winter still gripped England and the seas were not calm, but we wanted to reach the Iberian Peninsula in the spring to get in a full season of fighting.
I did not enjoy the voyage at first, the rough seas played havoc with my stomach and I could barely keep a meal down for the first few weeks, but eventually I gained my sea legs and came to enjoy the voyage as we left the North Sea and Channel behind and rounded Brittany and turned due south.
We made landfall on the north coast, at the Aquitaine-controlled port of Asturias de Santillana. After allowing my men and horses time to recover from the sea voyage, we headed inland to the Kingdom of Castile. It was a 2,000-foot climb from the coast up to the Northern Plateau, the Meseta Norte. I was surprised how cold the weather was even as summer was approaching, I thought it was supposed to be warmer here in the south.
Once we reached the top of the plateau, we were in Castille. It was there that I learned something surprising from Count Ordoñu of Amaya, the local lord. King Pero of Castille had not joined the Crusade to restore his own Kingdom. He would let his fellow Christians fight a war for his benefit, but wanted to avoid offending his Moslem neighbors. It is hard to say if this was a wise move or a cowardly one. Most of his subjects were following King Pero’s lead, including young Count Ordoñu and my own kinsman, Duke Alonso III of Coimbra. But a few, including Count Antonino of Valladolid, the kinsman who had lost so much to the Moors, had defied their King to join the Crusade, either in hopes of regaining what they had lost or simply looking for revenge.
I lead my men from Amaya into Muslim held territory and joined the siege around the local Emir’s capitol at León. There I would spend the next three months. It was also there that I received the first news from home since I had left over six months ago. More and more Catholic armies were arriving on the plateau from all over Europe to join the fight. These also included fellow Anglo Saxons from England serving Prince Werestan, the Duke of Kent.
They told me the news, my Uncle, King Beorhtnoth, was dead. No foul play was involved, he had died peacefully in bed of natural causes, less than a month after I had sailed. He had ruled England for nine years, the first Bamburgh King… but not the last. My cousin Ælfstan, the second son who had not expected to inherit, was now King of England and he had Prince Werestan to thank. Prince Æthelstan Sæbertson Vognsen, the son of King Sæbert, had become the frontrunner for the throne following the death of Ælfstan’s older brother, Prince Hacon in Ireland. But some two years ago, Prince Æthelstan’s great-uncle, Prince Werestan, had led a revolt against his great-nephew, and usurped the Duchy of Kent from the young Prince. That defeat cost Prince Æthelstan the support of the electors in the succession, allowing Ælfstan to claim the throne on his own father’s death.
But Prince Æthelstan, though now landless, was not out of the picture entirely. My cousin King Ælfstan’s son, Prince Wulf, was only two years old, so Prince Æthelstan was once again first in the line of succession for the throne, and would probably remain so until Prince Wulf came of age. Prince Werestan, myself, and my other cousin, Ælfstan’s younger brother, Prince Eadulf, the new Earl of Buccingaham, all trailed behind those two Princes in the succession.
I received official notification of my cousin’s position soon after, when I received a letter from him offering me a place on his Council as Marshal of England. I sent a letter back accepting the position, but stating it may be sometime before I could present myself in person in Winchester.
I also received some happier news, which I shared with my knight and son-in-law, Prince Manfred. He was a father for the second time and I had another grandchild. Wulfrun had given birth to a daughter, Ælflæd Wulfrundohter of Bamburgh. Wulfren wrote in the letter that baby favored Manfred with his golden locks, as much as their firstborn, Harold, had favored Wulfrun’s darker looks. We broke open a cask of ale that night and raised many toasts to the newest member of the family.
In August, León opened its gate to our army and we claimed the fortress. I was presented with an important prisoner, Princess Ra’isa Br’ir’uc of the Tamimid Grand Emirate, the wife of Emir Ayyub of León. She was shown all respect and placed under house arrest.
We then marched further south into the County of Benavente and set up a new siege works. To the East, the Duke of Dauphine was leading the assault on the County of Zamora. Prince Werestan’s men had pushed even further south into Vila, but that proved a costly mistake.
The Crusaders had gotten too spread out and the armies of the Emir of León and his allies, who had been raiding southern Castille turned back and fell upon the Kentish at Vila. I had broken off my siege of Benavente and hurried south through Salamanca toward Vila, but by the time I arrived, the Kentish had been slaughtered and the enemy had marched into Zamora and attacked the Duke of Dauphine and his allies. They too had been slaughtered. By this time, I learned that the Moslem army numbered over 23,000 men. My 4,500 couldn’t defeat them so I continued east into Castille and then turned north to try and link up with other Crusaders near Burgos.
The Emir’s army continued north into León and fought a third battle, leading to a third Crusader slaughter. Then the Emir settled into a siege to push my garrison out of León for the next six months. The remaining Crusader armies weren’t able to cobble together a strong enough force to dislodge the Emir and we began to bicker over a strategy. Eventually, I learned the Pope was gathering forces in the west, near Santiago, so I circled around León along the coast and made my way toward Santiago.
By November 1251, Santiago and Tui on the west coast were in the hands of the Crusaders and León had been freed by the Moors, The Crusaders were moving east through the French province of Astorga, so I turned south to intercept them. The Moslem forces had drifted south and soon vanished. By the time we Crusaders arrived back in the vicinity of León they were not to be found. So once again we spread out and concentrated on capturing the strongholds in the Duchy. I returned to the castle of Castile and started a new siege.
By the Spring of 1252, I had again breached the walls and captured the fortress. I also captured another of his wives, Emira Khadija, she didn’t have Princess Ra’isa’s pedigree but still was an important prisoner. Of even greater importance, I also captured two of Emir Ayyub’s sons, Ghalid and Ibrahim Abbadid, though unfortunately neither was his heir.
I then marched south and restarted the siege I had abandoned over a year before in Benavente. This siege lasted until September of 1252. I had barely taken control of Benavente when I was forced to flee south as the Emir’s armies appeared in the north and were bearing down on me, 13,000 men compared to my less 4,000 who had survived the first two years of the war.
In Salamanca, I rendezvoused with several other Crusaders and we formed a united army of 13,000 men. We turned and waited for the Emir, but he turned aside and did not offer battle. We didn’t learn until later that another Crusader army had arrived in the North and defeated a smaller Muslim army near León, Emir Ayyub hadn’t wanted to be caught between our two armies and had escaped to the west. But the Emir soon realized he could not win, and finally in December of 1252 he surrendered. Pope Victor III had not lived to see this victory. He had been over 80 when the war started and had not survived until the end. So it was Pope Martinus III who accepted Emir Ayyub’s surrender.
King Pero of Castille, who had sat out the war, was granted the victory and became liege over the reclaimed territory. Those of us who had actually fought were able to claim significant spoils and our beneficiaries received lands and titles. My half-sister Ecgfrida became the Countess of Tui on the west coast, a vassal to the newly created Duke Pantaleu of Galicia who had also received the County of Santiago (Pantaleu Toulouse-Rodez was an Occitan who had been granted the land and titles as the beneficiary of his cousin, King Uc of Sardinia). My kinsman, Count Antonino of Valladolid was able to install one of his younger sons as Count Pedro of Benavente, reclaiming a small part of the land and titles that the House of Badajoz had lost to the Moors. It was a Dane named Holger Valdemarsen Vognsen (unrelated to the Royal House in England) who received Count Antonino’s former title of Duke of León. Duke Holger appears to be the beneficiary of Count Uffe of Lubeck, he was his bastard nephew who had now founded his own dynasty as the new Duke of León.
I stayed in Iberia to see the new Countess Ecgfrida and her husband, Prince Christoffer, settled into their new home and visit with my other kin in Coimbra and Vallodid. By the time I was ready to sail, Ecgfrida told me she was pregnant and would soon have an heir.
She asked me again to stay longer as winter was just setting in and it was not the best time for a sea voyage, but I am eager to be home. Everything is stowed away on board our ships and we will cast off later tonight with the outgoing tide and set sail for England.
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May you have a safe journey! I am glad to see the spoils be divided and not given solely to the Castille who wanted his cake and eat it too.
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The crown seems to be as unsteady as ever, the Bamburghs will have to work hard to hold on. Ordgar might try to stake his own claim but he doesn't seem the type.
I'm surprised that there are so many crusades in Spain, is the Holy Land that secure?
I'm surprised that there are so many crusades in Spain, is the Holy Land that secure?
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Also popping in here to let you know that you've won this week's Best Character Writer of the Week! Congratulations and keep up the good work!
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Ordgar's trip home did not turn out well. King Pero was sly and got his fellow Christians to fight his war, but now he will be stuck with some pretty powerful foreign vassals to deal with.
As long as the electors are controlling succession, it will remain shaky. I still don't know if the Bamburgh's will manage to keep the throne, but I am trying to make it happen.
The Christians have maintained a foothold in the Holy Land since the first Crusade 140 years years ago, and have grown stronger with the following Crusades in that area and other events. Now Jerusalem, Syria, and Egypt are controlled by a mix of Catholics, Orthodox, and Coptic rulers.
Wow, thank you so much. I appreciate you continuing support of this and my other AAR.
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1250-1254 The Northumbrian Regency
1250-1254 The Northumbrian Regency
I am Wulfrun Ordgardohter of Bamburgh, daughter and heir to Duke Ordgar of Northumbria. My father returned to Bebbanburg in July of 1253 after three years away fighting in the Crusade for Castille. It should have been a time of celebration, as both my father and my husband had returned home alive from the Crusade. But instead, we were in shock as my father came off of the ship on a stretcher. He had taken a fever on the voyage home and it had ravaged his body, leaving him infirm, barely able to stand on his own. So, I find my time as regent of Northumbria will continue. My father has handed me his journals and ask that I continue to document his rule and, in time, my own.
I looked back through Father’s journals and saw that the last news of England he had documented revolved around crowning of King Ælfstan and the birth of my sweet daughter Ælflæd. Those events were some two years old. There have been a few more recent events in Northumbria that should be noted.
Firstly, we fought a war. Well, we joined a war, but the whole thing was over in 2 months. My uncle and ally, King Ernán, called us into another war in Wales. This was a peasant revolt, more of a riot, than an actual war, and the Welsh sorted it out before I could even organize a troop of whatever men we had from those who had not joined the Crusade. But King Ernán appreciated our show of support for the alliance, nonetheless.
Then we caught a spy, a hunter named Oshere of Surrey, who had been making maps of the defenses around Bebbanburg. Rather than hang him, I recruited him. After trying to raise an army to help Wales, I realized we needed some more skilled fighters here, as Father had taken our best men with him. He is an imposing fighter of great skill and strength.
We also had to deal with a scandal. My Aunt Mildrith, the youngest of my father’s sisters, just barely out of the schoolroom, found herself with child. She would not name the father, so the child would be borne out of wedlock. We kept Mildrith out of the public eye until she gave birth to her bastard child, a little girl, whom she called Gunhilda, while we arranged her betrothal. She was betrothed to a boy named Hupold, the son and heir to Count Berthold of Puttlingen. Count Berthold was aware of Mildrith’s circumstances, but was willing to overlook her indiscretion for an alliance with Northumbria.
Let’s see, what else happened. Our neighbor, Duke Ælfræd of Mercia, was forced to abdicate in favor of his young son, the new Duke Osweald of Mercia. Prince Werestan of Kent had had a hand in that so-called war against the tyranny of Duke Ælfræd. Now the young Duke was facing his own war of tyranny.
There was also the proclamation from King Ælfstan that he has led all of the Anglo Saxon peoples into a new era of innovation and scientific discovery. I was not sure what he was talking about as nothing had changed much since the last mentioned innovation, castle baileys, had started to be incorporated into castle defenses some five years ago. The King was currently spending his time talking to various artisans about their recent discussions involving organizing into craft guilds.
The last item of note, before Father and the Crusaders had returned, was I had arranged the marriage between my cousin Leofheah Beorhticson, the second in line for the throne of Wales, to Infanta Elo Gonzalez of Navarra. Leofheah had remained in Bebbanburg when his grandparents and father had gone to Wales to claim the throne. He had just been a young child then, and his family had thought it was safer to leave him here until things had settled.
Once my father had returned, he was soon settled in his chambers, which he then rarely left. His mind remained as sharp as ever, but his body had betrayed him, leaving him weakened and pain ridden. Rijeka took charge of his care. She had continued to improve as the court physician and was doing all she could to make him comfortable. But she feared that there was little to be done to improve his condition. My mother, Eithne, spent many hours a day with Father as well, talking of happier times.
I visited him every day to discuss the business of Northumbria and get his advice. Father had taken my son Harold as his ward, though more of a page, bringing him his meals and running messages throughout Bebbanburg to keep his grandfather in touch which his people, so he remained well informed for our discussions. He offered advice, but more and more he left the decisions to me. I think he feared his time left was short and wanted me to learn to bear the burden as a leader.
I continued to deal with most of the day-to-day issues as well as other aspects on ruling the Duchy. I sent congratulations to my Uncle Wiglaf, who at 18 had just had his first child. I also arranged the marriage of Farquhar Kelso-Bamburgh, Rijeka’s son, and Northumbria’s newest knight. He was married to a young Croatian woman named Valerija Trpimiriović. Valerija was the granddaughter of the former King of Croatia, but her grandparents and parents were dead, and she and her siblings, (three daughters and two sons) had fled Croatia. They all had claims to the crown and other titles, and they were seen as threats by the current King. They had been staying at Dauphin Leon II’s court in Viviers, but that was only temporary, so Valerija had been eager to accept the marriage to Farquhar as a chance for a more permanent home, even if it was far from her birthplace.
I also found my self dealing with some of the prisoners that had returned with my father from Iberia. Princess Ra’isa and Khadija, were both wives of the former Emir of León. But he was now landless and had no money to pay any ransoms. He had no interest in seeking the return of his wives, even one of such nobility as the Princess. And the Grand Emir of the Tamimid seemed to have no interest in his sister returning to his court. I couldn’t leave them rotting in a dungeon, so I promised to release them if they agreed to be baptized and give up their heathen faith. They agreed, but wailed that they had no where to go, so I allowed them to stay in Bebbanburg. I also released Khadija’s 4-year old son, Ibrahim Abbadid. His father insisted the boy be returned to him, even though he cared nothing for the mother or his other wife, Khadija was not happy, but decided it would be best that the boy return to his father to be raised alongside his three older brothers, Prncess Ra’isa’s sons, so she took him south back to Iberia.
But only six months after the Crusaders returned home, my father died. His weakened body just failed him. So we started the year 1254 with the burial of the 7th Bamburgh Duke, Ordgar, in the family plot. He was the third Bamburgh Duke to be lost to a Catholic Crusade, but at least this time we had his body to bury.
My sister, Judith, stayed for the funeral, then she left to claim her inheritance as the new Countess of the North Riding. I loved my sister, but I knew her, and she would not be content to be a mere Countess, especially with me as her liege as the new Duchess of Northumbria. That’s right, with my father’s death, I was now Duchess Wulfrun of Northumbria, making official a role I had already been filling for the past 4 years.
But though I had been essentially ruling Northumbria for years, there were many who may have tolerated me as my father’s regent, but would not support me as Duchess in my own right.
I am Wulfrun Ordgardohter of Bamburgh, daughter and heir to Duke Ordgar of Northumbria. My father returned to Bebbanburg in July of 1253 after three years away fighting in the Crusade for Castille. It should have been a time of celebration, as both my father and my husband had returned home alive from the Crusade. But instead, we were in shock as my father came off of the ship on a stretcher. He had taken a fever on the voyage home and it had ravaged his body, leaving him infirm, barely able to stand on his own. So, I find my time as regent of Northumbria will continue. My father has handed me his journals and ask that I continue to document his rule and, in time, my own.
I looked back through Father’s journals and saw that the last news of England he had documented revolved around crowning of King Ælfstan and the birth of my sweet daughter Ælflæd. Those events were some two years old. There have been a few more recent events in Northumbria that should be noted.
Firstly, we fought a war. Well, we joined a war, but the whole thing was over in 2 months. My uncle and ally, King Ernán, called us into another war in Wales. This was a peasant revolt, more of a riot, than an actual war, and the Welsh sorted it out before I could even organize a troop of whatever men we had from those who had not joined the Crusade. But King Ernán appreciated our show of support for the alliance, nonetheless.
Then we caught a spy, a hunter named Oshere of Surrey, who had been making maps of the defenses around Bebbanburg. Rather than hang him, I recruited him. After trying to raise an army to help Wales, I realized we needed some more skilled fighters here, as Father had taken our best men with him. He is an imposing fighter of great skill and strength.
We also had to deal with a scandal. My Aunt Mildrith, the youngest of my father’s sisters, just barely out of the schoolroom, found herself with child. She would not name the father, so the child would be borne out of wedlock. We kept Mildrith out of the public eye until she gave birth to her bastard child, a little girl, whom she called Gunhilda, while we arranged her betrothal. She was betrothed to a boy named Hupold, the son and heir to Count Berthold of Puttlingen. Count Berthold was aware of Mildrith’s circumstances, but was willing to overlook her indiscretion for an alliance with Northumbria.
Let’s see, what else happened. Our neighbor, Duke Ælfræd of Mercia, was forced to abdicate in favor of his young son, the new Duke Osweald of Mercia. Prince Werestan of Kent had had a hand in that so-called war against the tyranny of Duke Ælfræd. Now the young Duke was facing his own war of tyranny.
There was also the proclamation from King Ælfstan that he has led all of the Anglo Saxon peoples into a new era of innovation and scientific discovery. I was not sure what he was talking about as nothing had changed much since the last mentioned innovation, castle baileys, had started to be incorporated into castle defenses some five years ago. The King was currently spending his time talking to various artisans about their recent discussions involving organizing into craft guilds.
The last item of note, before Father and the Crusaders had returned, was I had arranged the marriage between my cousin Leofheah Beorhticson, the second in line for the throne of Wales, to Infanta Elo Gonzalez of Navarra. Leofheah had remained in Bebbanburg when his grandparents and father had gone to Wales to claim the throne. He had just been a young child then, and his family had thought it was safer to leave him here until things had settled.
Once my father had returned, he was soon settled in his chambers, which he then rarely left. His mind remained as sharp as ever, but his body had betrayed him, leaving him weakened and pain ridden. Rijeka took charge of his care. She had continued to improve as the court physician and was doing all she could to make him comfortable. But she feared that there was little to be done to improve his condition. My mother, Eithne, spent many hours a day with Father as well, talking of happier times.
I visited him every day to discuss the business of Northumbria and get his advice. Father had taken my son Harold as his ward, though more of a page, bringing him his meals and running messages throughout Bebbanburg to keep his grandfather in touch which his people, so he remained well informed for our discussions. He offered advice, but more and more he left the decisions to me. I think he feared his time left was short and wanted me to learn to bear the burden as a leader.
I continued to deal with most of the day-to-day issues as well as other aspects on ruling the Duchy. I sent congratulations to my Uncle Wiglaf, who at 18 had just had his first child. I also arranged the marriage of Farquhar Kelso-Bamburgh, Rijeka’s son, and Northumbria’s newest knight. He was married to a young Croatian woman named Valerija Trpimiriović. Valerija was the granddaughter of the former King of Croatia, but her grandparents and parents were dead, and she and her siblings, (three daughters and two sons) had fled Croatia. They all had claims to the crown and other titles, and they were seen as threats by the current King. They had been staying at Dauphin Leon II’s court in Viviers, but that was only temporary, so Valerija had been eager to accept the marriage to Farquhar as a chance for a more permanent home, even if it was far from her birthplace.
I also found my self dealing with some of the prisoners that had returned with my father from Iberia. Princess Ra’isa and Khadija, were both wives of the former Emir of León. But he was now landless and had no money to pay any ransoms. He had no interest in seeking the return of his wives, even one of such nobility as the Princess. And the Grand Emir of the Tamimid seemed to have no interest in his sister returning to his court. I couldn’t leave them rotting in a dungeon, so I promised to release them if they agreed to be baptized and give up their heathen faith. They agreed, but wailed that they had no where to go, so I allowed them to stay in Bebbanburg. I also released Khadija’s 4-year old son, Ibrahim Abbadid. His father insisted the boy be returned to him, even though he cared nothing for the mother or his other wife, Khadija was not happy, but decided it would be best that the boy return to his father to be raised alongside his three older brothers, Prncess Ra’isa’s sons, so she took him south back to Iberia.
But only six months after the Crusaders returned home, my father died. His weakened body just failed him. So we started the year 1254 with the burial of the 7th Bamburgh Duke, Ordgar, in the family plot. He was the third Bamburgh Duke to be lost to a Catholic Crusade, but at least this time we had his body to bury.
My sister, Judith, stayed for the funeral, then she left to claim her inheritance as the new Countess of the North Riding. I loved my sister, but I knew her, and she would not be content to be a mere Countess, especially with me as her liege as the new Duchess of Northumbria. That’s right, with my father’s death, I was now Duchess Wulfrun of Northumbria, making official a role I had already been filling for the past 4 years.
But though I had been essentially ruling Northumbria for years, there were many who may have tolerated me as my father’s regent, but would not support me as Duchess in my own right.
- 2
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The sisters are very similar. Both Mil3, one 50 total points, the other with 49, 7 vs 9 personal combat. Rest in Peace, Duke Ordgar.
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We have a new duchess! Shame about Ordgar leaving us so soon but Wulfrun seems like quite the talented lady. We shall see where she will lead
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They may be too alike, which is why they don't get a long. Ordgar's rule had two major events, the first Bamburgh King (and the second) and a Crusade victory, but otherwise quiet.
Wulfrun now controls Northumbria in her own name, but is tested right at the start.
- 2
1254 – 1256 Betrayal and Forgiveness
1254 – 1256 Betrayal and Forgiveness
I am starting a new journal, no longer acting as scribe for my father, but recording the details of my own reign as Duchess Wulfrun of Northumbria.
My sister has always been a spoiled brat. While I was the older daughter and heir, with responsibility placed upon me from an early age, she was younger and prettier, who had always gotten everything she wanted, from dresses, to parties, to the pick of the boys, The only twice did she not get was she wanted, the first time was when I married the handsome prince, my husband Manfred, while she was married to Pedru de Vivar, regardless of the fact that although Mandfred was a prince, he stood to gain no land and titles, while Pedru was the oldest son and heir to the Duchess of Auvergne, meaning Judith and her children were destined to be Duchesses and Dukes in their own right. The second time was on Father’s death, and I became Duchess of Northumbria instead of her, even though I had been dealing with the responsibility for years, while she had been enjoying herself.
I knew she was upset, but I never suspected she would betray me outright. I had tried to appease her and other malcontent lords by appointing them to my Council, the people I chose to advise me, rather than those my father had chosen and I had been forced to work with for years as regent. My husband Prince Manfred, was of course on the Council as the Duke of Northumbria, and my trusted right hand. Bishop Leofwine remained, though the leprosy eating through his body meant he wouldn’t stay much longer, but I still need to win his support.
Earl Áeducán of Cheshire, I named Chancellor. He was a skilled diplomat, whose silver tongue served him well in public service, but not so well in his private life, where there had been charges of adultery and rumors of pox. Countess Wulfhild of Lancashire was one of the malcontents with ambitions that I was trying to appease. I appointed her Steward. My sister Judith, the new Countess of the North Riding, I named my Marshal. Only young Farquhar understood strategy better than her, but he was simply a distant kinsman and a knight in my household, so the honor went to Judith. Finally, I kept Earl Cytelbearn of Dunholm on spymaster as he had served my father well in that capacity, though at 66 years of age, I was not sure how much longer he could continue.
Organizing my own Council drove home the fact, for the first time since my great-great-grandmother’s regency, the lord of Northumbria was not invited to sit on the King’s Council. Earl Scule of Gloucester, a man less skilled at war than my father had been, and much less educated in tactics and warfare than myself, had been chosen to replace my father as Marshal of England. Meanwhile, the Dukes of Cornwall, East Seaxe, and Kent made up the rest of King’s Councilors.
As I mentioned, in appointing my sister and Countess Wulfhild to the Council I was trying get them to abandoned the so-called “Liberty Faction” they had joined to try and further limit the power I needed to rule Northumbria and protect its people. That strategy failed as they both continued to plot against me.
As I took the reins of Northumbria in my own name, I decided to try and make the Duchy and my court focus on honor, not greed or glory. I wanted them to follow the Chivalric code. I sent out a call for knights who would help uphold that honor.
That code was soon put the to the test, as Prince Manfred’s nephew, King Hartmann II of Lotharingia called on Northumbria to honor our alliance and join him in defending against charges of tyranny by his own vassals. I immediately began gathering an army to sail for the Continent.
While the army gathered, I attended a feast in Westmorland, hosted by Countess Mildrith at Kendal. It was in celebration of her marriage to 17-year old Gyth Sifflædson a bastard in House Bamburgh. The boy went from bastard to Earl, all he had to do is wed a woman 50 years his senior.
The other Mildrith, my disgraced aunt, was sent to Puttlingen to marry her betrothed, Hupold Chatenois-Lure. She did not take her daughter, the fruit of her sin, with her. My young cousin, Gunhilda, would remain in Bebbanburg and be raised in my household.
In June of 1754, I sailed with 3,800 men-at-arms and levys. However, by the time we landed at Emden in Ostfreisland, the war was over. The leader of the revolt Duke Pietro III of Savoy had died trying to mount his horse. The strain of trying to swing his fat ass over the saddle had proven too much for his heart. With Pietro dead, the rebels faded away and King Hartmann’s throne was secure.
The death of Duke Pietro may have also saved my own rule. Sometime after I sailed, Countess Wulfhild of Lancashire and the rest of her faction had sent their demands to my Council. They had either expected me to agree to their demands because my army was tied up in Lotharingia, or they expected to be able to have a significant military advantage until I could extract myself for any fighting on the Continent. To their surprise and chagrin, my army sailed back into Bebbanburg shortly after they sent their demands.
Altogether, four of my vassals had joined this faction and raised armies when I refused to meet their demands. Countess Wulfhild was the leader, with my sister Judith at her side. There was also my Uncle Wiglaf of the Isle of Manx and Earl Leofhelm of Lindsey. Together they fielded over 5,400 men.
I decided not to take any chances. First, I turned one the ships around immediately and sent a messenger back to Lotharingia, asking for King Hartmann’s support in my own war of tyranny. Then I spent some of the gold earned over several Crusades and hired several mercenary companies. Our long-time go to company, Madhmann’s Company out of Leinster was already engaged elsewhere, so I was forced to deal with mercenaries we had no history with. The Border Reivers, a band of Scots out of Lothian compromised of pikemen and support levys led by Captain Rædwald, a skilled warrior; Iron Arm’s Company, a Norman company from Rouen wielding the new crossbows, led by Captain Raimond; and the Gaelic Band of Ross, a mix of armored footmen and supporting levys led by Captain Fergus. This gave me an additional 2,800 men including 6 knights, combined with my own men and knights, including my two newest, Cearl Clifford and Beorhtnoth Holter. This should allow us to more than hold our own until reinforcements from Lotharingia arrived.
I also needed to replace the two Councilors who had turned traitor. My Uncle Swithræd, Earl of the East Riding, I named as my new Steward, and Farquhar Bamburgh-Kelso I named as my Marshal even though he was barely 18, he had the knowledge and training, time to put it to the test.
My son Harold I named my squire and ward, he had already proven his bravery when he had tried to enter a tourney this past summer at the age of 7.
The year 1255 started with some ill-timed news. I realized I was pregnant, not the best condition to be in when leading men into battle. My husband was proud and happy, and I was happy too, but also worried.
I also received a delayed appointment to the Royal Council as Chancellor of England. My cousin King Ælfstan had finally seen fit to add Northumbria to the Council.
I was focused on news from Bolton, where Captain Rædwald of the Border Reievers had taken overall command of my mishmash of troops and met the Manx army on combat. We had almost twice as many men as the Manx, and close to half were professional fighters. The rebels received some reinforcement part way through the battle, but it wasn’t enough and they were driven from the field, giving us our first victory. Madilos, Earl Leofhelm’s spymaster, and Wulfstan, a knight in service to Countess Wulfhild, were captured in the battle.
While we had been seeking battle in Bolton, another rebel army had captured Kendal in Westmorland. After the victory at Bolton, my army headed to Westmorland to free the castle held by rebels. By June of 1255, Kendal was free again.
The Manx army had regrouped across the border, so my army heading north to face them. I joined them as they passed through Bernicia, and I took command as we caught the Manx outside Edinburgh. It was a slaughter, as my uncle lost half his men, and I lost only 260. The Reeve Eormenred of Salford and a mercenary knight, named Anselm, who served under Captain Georg of the Thuringian Blades, were both captured and made prisoner.
That was my first and last battle of the war leading troops, as a month later I was back in Bebbanburg giving birth to my second son, who I named Æthelric after my great-grandfather. Æthelric favored Manfred like his older sister, Ælflæd, sharing his blond good looks. Harold, of course, had my dark hair.
My cousin Leofheah and his wife Infanta Elo had their second son Cuthræd about the same time. Their first son, Beorhtric, had been born the year before. Both their boys were now in the line of succession for the throne of Wales.
While back in Bebbanburg, I arranged the ransom for Reeve Eormenred of Salford. He was a dwarf, and I didn’t think returning him to the rebels would have much impact on their war effort.
Late in 1255, word came from Winchester King Ælfstan had begun licensing charters for the formation of trade guilds throughout England. This was one of his latest innovations. As Chancellor, I had to work with the Steward, Duke Eastmund, and the trade representatives, to ensure the charters were written in such a way as to ensure that the King, and the rest of us nobles, still collected our share of the profits from trade within our fiefs.
By the Spring of 1256, we had Lancaster under siege. The rebels did have Derby under siege as well, but frankly, Derby held little strategic value, so we ignored it. Both Derby and Lancaster fell by the end of April, but as I said Derby was of little consequence in determining the outcome of the war. Lancaster, however, was a different story. It was the rebel Countess Wulfhild’s capitol and when it fell Countess Wulfhild’s daughter-in- law and grandson were both captured. With her capitol and her grandson in my hands, Countess Wulfhild was ready to surrender. A month later, all four rebel lords were locked up in Bebbanburg, awaiting my judgement, including my sister, Judith.
By both my faith and my personal nature, I was inclined to be forgiving towards those who had trespassed against me. But these rebels had done more than betray me personally, they were also responsible for the deaths of hundreds, if not thousands, of the people of Northumbria. I could not let that go unpunished, whatever my personal feelings might be, they had to be punished for their betrayal and to prevent others from repeating their mistakes. And it did pain me, I agonized over the decision. In the end I stripped, Countess Wulfhild, the leader of the rebellion of the Earldom of Lancashire, taking her and her daughters’ and grandsons’ home away from them. Wulfhild remained my prisoner, as I didn’t know what to do with her, and she hated me and wasn’t safe to set free.
Next, I had to deal with my sister, Judith, her betrayal cut the deepest. I revoked her inheritance from her, taking the Earldom of the North Riding. Judith took my punishment stoically, it was I who couldn’t handle it, I had to retreat to my chambers as stress overwhelmed me. I tired to assuage the guilt I felt, by reminding myself, that in time, when Pedru came into his inheritance, she would have a new home and title as the Duchess of Auvergne. I couldn’t bear to keep her locked up, so I allowed her to pay a ransom of a hundred gold to go free and rejoin her husband and young daughter.
To relieve the guilt I felt, I ended up giving away most of the ransom money to charity. I found immediate relief from the stress, and soon was giving to charity on a regular basis, sometimes sums that worried my steward.
After my breakdown, I realized I couldn’t face forcing more families from their homes. So instead of revoking my Uncle Wiglaf (with his pregnant wife Cristina) and Earl Leofhelm’s land and titles, I simply fined them and let them go home. Most of those fines also found their way to charitable causes.
Northumbria was once again at peace, but both my Marshal and Steward were quick to remind me that I had three mercenary companies under contract for at least another 18 months.
I am starting a new journal, no longer acting as scribe for my father, but recording the details of my own reign as Duchess Wulfrun of Northumbria.
My sister has always been a spoiled brat. While I was the older daughter and heir, with responsibility placed upon me from an early age, she was younger and prettier, who had always gotten everything she wanted, from dresses, to parties, to the pick of the boys, The only twice did she not get was she wanted, the first time was when I married the handsome prince, my husband Manfred, while she was married to Pedru de Vivar, regardless of the fact that although Mandfred was a prince, he stood to gain no land and titles, while Pedru was the oldest son and heir to the Duchess of Auvergne, meaning Judith and her children were destined to be Duchesses and Dukes in their own right. The second time was on Father’s death, and I became Duchess of Northumbria instead of her, even though I had been dealing with the responsibility for years, while she had been enjoying herself.
I knew she was upset, but I never suspected she would betray me outright. I had tried to appease her and other malcontent lords by appointing them to my Council, the people I chose to advise me, rather than those my father had chosen and I had been forced to work with for years as regent. My husband Prince Manfred, was of course on the Council as the Duke of Northumbria, and my trusted right hand. Bishop Leofwine remained, though the leprosy eating through his body meant he wouldn’t stay much longer, but I still need to win his support.
Earl Áeducán of Cheshire, I named Chancellor. He was a skilled diplomat, whose silver tongue served him well in public service, but not so well in his private life, where there had been charges of adultery and rumors of pox. Countess Wulfhild of Lancashire was one of the malcontents with ambitions that I was trying to appease. I appointed her Steward. My sister Judith, the new Countess of the North Riding, I named my Marshal. Only young Farquhar understood strategy better than her, but he was simply a distant kinsman and a knight in my household, so the honor went to Judith. Finally, I kept Earl Cytelbearn of Dunholm on spymaster as he had served my father well in that capacity, though at 66 years of age, I was not sure how much longer he could continue.
Organizing my own Council drove home the fact, for the first time since my great-great-grandmother’s regency, the lord of Northumbria was not invited to sit on the King’s Council. Earl Scule of Gloucester, a man less skilled at war than my father had been, and much less educated in tactics and warfare than myself, had been chosen to replace my father as Marshal of England. Meanwhile, the Dukes of Cornwall, East Seaxe, and Kent made up the rest of King’s Councilors.
As I mentioned, in appointing my sister and Countess Wulfhild to the Council I was trying get them to abandoned the so-called “Liberty Faction” they had joined to try and further limit the power I needed to rule Northumbria and protect its people. That strategy failed as they both continued to plot against me.
As I took the reins of Northumbria in my own name, I decided to try and make the Duchy and my court focus on honor, not greed or glory. I wanted them to follow the Chivalric code. I sent out a call for knights who would help uphold that honor.
That code was soon put the to the test, as Prince Manfred’s nephew, King Hartmann II of Lotharingia called on Northumbria to honor our alliance and join him in defending against charges of tyranny by his own vassals. I immediately began gathering an army to sail for the Continent.
While the army gathered, I attended a feast in Westmorland, hosted by Countess Mildrith at Kendal. It was in celebration of her marriage to 17-year old Gyth Sifflædson a bastard in House Bamburgh. The boy went from bastard to Earl, all he had to do is wed a woman 50 years his senior.
The other Mildrith, my disgraced aunt, was sent to Puttlingen to marry her betrothed, Hupold Chatenois-Lure. She did not take her daughter, the fruit of her sin, with her. My young cousin, Gunhilda, would remain in Bebbanburg and be raised in my household.
In June of 1754, I sailed with 3,800 men-at-arms and levys. However, by the time we landed at Emden in Ostfreisland, the war was over. The leader of the revolt Duke Pietro III of Savoy had died trying to mount his horse. The strain of trying to swing his fat ass over the saddle had proven too much for his heart. With Pietro dead, the rebels faded away and King Hartmann’s throne was secure.
The death of Duke Pietro may have also saved my own rule. Sometime after I sailed, Countess Wulfhild of Lancashire and the rest of her faction had sent their demands to my Council. They had either expected me to agree to their demands because my army was tied up in Lotharingia, or they expected to be able to have a significant military advantage until I could extract myself for any fighting on the Continent. To their surprise and chagrin, my army sailed back into Bebbanburg shortly after they sent their demands.
Altogether, four of my vassals had joined this faction and raised armies when I refused to meet their demands. Countess Wulfhild was the leader, with my sister Judith at her side. There was also my Uncle Wiglaf of the Isle of Manx and Earl Leofhelm of Lindsey. Together they fielded over 5,400 men.
I decided not to take any chances. First, I turned one the ships around immediately and sent a messenger back to Lotharingia, asking for King Hartmann’s support in my own war of tyranny. Then I spent some of the gold earned over several Crusades and hired several mercenary companies. Our long-time go to company, Madhmann’s Company out of Leinster was already engaged elsewhere, so I was forced to deal with mercenaries we had no history with. The Border Reivers, a band of Scots out of Lothian compromised of pikemen and support levys led by Captain Rædwald, a skilled warrior; Iron Arm’s Company, a Norman company from Rouen wielding the new crossbows, led by Captain Raimond; and the Gaelic Band of Ross, a mix of armored footmen and supporting levys led by Captain Fergus. This gave me an additional 2,800 men including 6 knights, combined with my own men and knights, including my two newest, Cearl Clifford and Beorhtnoth Holter. This should allow us to more than hold our own until reinforcements from Lotharingia arrived.
I also needed to replace the two Councilors who had turned traitor. My Uncle Swithræd, Earl of the East Riding, I named as my new Steward, and Farquhar Bamburgh-Kelso I named as my Marshal even though he was barely 18, he had the knowledge and training, time to put it to the test.
My son Harold I named my squire and ward, he had already proven his bravery when he had tried to enter a tourney this past summer at the age of 7.
The year 1255 started with some ill-timed news. I realized I was pregnant, not the best condition to be in when leading men into battle. My husband was proud and happy, and I was happy too, but also worried.
I also received a delayed appointment to the Royal Council as Chancellor of England. My cousin King Ælfstan had finally seen fit to add Northumbria to the Council.
I was focused on news from Bolton, where Captain Rædwald of the Border Reievers had taken overall command of my mishmash of troops and met the Manx army on combat. We had almost twice as many men as the Manx, and close to half were professional fighters. The rebels received some reinforcement part way through the battle, but it wasn’t enough and they were driven from the field, giving us our first victory. Madilos, Earl Leofhelm’s spymaster, and Wulfstan, a knight in service to Countess Wulfhild, were captured in the battle.
While we had been seeking battle in Bolton, another rebel army had captured Kendal in Westmorland. After the victory at Bolton, my army headed to Westmorland to free the castle held by rebels. By June of 1255, Kendal was free again.
The Manx army had regrouped across the border, so my army heading north to face them. I joined them as they passed through Bernicia, and I took command as we caught the Manx outside Edinburgh. It was a slaughter, as my uncle lost half his men, and I lost only 260. The Reeve Eormenred of Salford and a mercenary knight, named Anselm, who served under Captain Georg of the Thuringian Blades, were both captured and made prisoner.
That was my first and last battle of the war leading troops, as a month later I was back in Bebbanburg giving birth to my second son, who I named Æthelric after my great-grandfather. Æthelric favored Manfred like his older sister, Ælflæd, sharing his blond good looks. Harold, of course, had my dark hair.
My cousin Leofheah and his wife Infanta Elo had their second son Cuthræd about the same time. Their first son, Beorhtric, had been born the year before. Both their boys were now in the line of succession for the throne of Wales.
While back in Bebbanburg, I arranged the ransom for Reeve Eormenred of Salford. He was a dwarf, and I didn’t think returning him to the rebels would have much impact on their war effort.
Late in 1255, word came from Winchester King Ælfstan had begun licensing charters for the formation of trade guilds throughout England. This was one of his latest innovations. As Chancellor, I had to work with the Steward, Duke Eastmund, and the trade representatives, to ensure the charters were written in such a way as to ensure that the King, and the rest of us nobles, still collected our share of the profits from trade within our fiefs.
By the Spring of 1256, we had Lancaster under siege. The rebels did have Derby under siege as well, but frankly, Derby held little strategic value, so we ignored it. Both Derby and Lancaster fell by the end of April, but as I said Derby was of little consequence in determining the outcome of the war. Lancaster, however, was a different story. It was the rebel Countess Wulfhild’s capitol and when it fell Countess Wulfhild’s daughter-in- law and grandson were both captured. With her capitol and her grandson in my hands, Countess Wulfhild was ready to surrender. A month later, all four rebel lords were locked up in Bebbanburg, awaiting my judgement, including my sister, Judith.
By both my faith and my personal nature, I was inclined to be forgiving towards those who had trespassed against me. But these rebels had done more than betray me personally, they were also responsible for the deaths of hundreds, if not thousands, of the people of Northumbria. I could not let that go unpunished, whatever my personal feelings might be, they had to be punished for their betrayal and to prevent others from repeating their mistakes. And it did pain me, I agonized over the decision. In the end I stripped, Countess Wulfhild, the leader of the rebellion of the Earldom of Lancashire, taking her and her daughters’ and grandsons’ home away from them. Wulfhild remained my prisoner, as I didn’t know what to do with her, and she hated me and wasn’t safe to set free.
Next, I had to deal with my sister, Judith, her betrayal cut the deepest. I revoked her inheritance from her, taking the Earldom of the North Riding. Judith took my punishment stoically, it was I who couldn’t handle it, I had to retreat to my chambers as stress overwhelmed me. I tired to assuage the guilt I felt, by reminding myself, that in time, when Pedru came into his inheritance, she would have a new home and title as the Duchess of Auvergne. I couldn’t bear to keep her locked up, so I allowed her to pay a ransom of a hundred gold to go free and rejoin her husband and young daughter.
To relieve the guilt I felt, I ended up giving away most of the ransom money to charity. I found immediate relief from the stress, and soon was giving to charity on a regular basis, sometimes sums that worried my steward.
After my breakdown, I realized I couldn’t face forcing more families from their homes. So instead of revoking my Uncle Wiglaf (with his pregnant wife Cristina) and Earl Leofhelm’s land and titles, I simply fined them and let them go home. Most of those fines also found their way to charitable causes.
Northumbria was once again at peace, but both my Marshal and Steward were quick to remind me that I had three mercenary companies under contract for at least another 18 months.
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Thank you for updating! My Duchess, I commend you on hiring the Border Reivers. Good Lads, Brave and Loyal! (My first 1066 victory was as the Duchy of Lothian.) Revoking North Riding was a good long run idea. As her children would probably inherit Auvergne then become part of France and make North Riding a French toehold in the Islands. Countess Wulfhild needed to be introduced to the Axeman of Northumbria. Why should she receive a second chance when she has stolen first chances from many brave and loyal citizens of Northumbria?
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I applaud the player for having the patience to not squash all your neighbours in Brittania flat. As much as I love the game, balanced it is not.
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A rebellion right off the bat is not a pleasant thing. Wulfrun seems to have handled herself well enough for now. Although the pressures of ruling might take a toll on her
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Yes, did not want to see the center of my realm claimed by France down the road.
The ex-Countess may not meet the axe, but she may never see daylight again. As the leader of the rebellion and now a rival to Wulfrun, she was the only one who remains locked up and was not ransomed.
Yes, I've gone the route of chain-fabricating claims and rolling over all my neighbors. Not a fan of the guaranteed claims after a few months in CK3 (CK2 random chance at getting claims could be annoying, but I preferrd it). I'm trying to avoid that this game and sticking to reasonable claims through marriage and not turning anyone into a world conqueror. Instead spreading family through marriages and inheritances.
It was an unpleasant surprise, but a quick infusion of gold dealt with the war. Wulfrun, however, may not be ruthless enough due to her forgiving nature, to completely excise the cancer without suffering herself.
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1256 - 1258 Use Them Before You Lose Them
1256 - 1258 Use Them Before You Lose Them
From the hand of Wulfrun Ordgardohtor, Duchess of Northumbria.
A new knight has joined my court and my family. Eanhere de Ros arrived soon after the rebels were defeated. He was a renowned knight and blademaster of unquestionable prowess and religious devotion. He was the picture of the handsome knight and he quickly won the heart of my kinswoman, Shona Bamburgh-Kelso. He further proved his devotion to her by accepting a matrilineal marriage. I was happy to have such an impressive warrior tied to my cause by blood ties.
My loyal vassal Old Countess Mildrith of Westmorland visited me and gave me much comfort in dealing with the stresses I was feeling related to fighting against and having to punish members of my own family. She had seen much in her long life and gave me some perspective that helped in dealing with the stress
But I had learned from this rebellion that my paranoia and suspicions of others was not without cause. I felt I needed to pass this caution onto Harold, you can have friends and comrades, but trust must be hard won and you must always be on your guard and question every motive. Harold. I think, learned this lesson.
Shona’s brother, Farquhar, my Marshal, continued to chafe at having three companies of mercenaries sitting on their hands in Bernicia. He persuaded me to meet with the Council to best decide how we could make use of this strength. The current laws in England prohibited vassals from making war upon each other, which was inconvenient and prevented me from pressing any of my claims or my vassals claims against any of our neighbors. There were some claims that could be pressed in Wales, but my cousin Beorhtric had just inherited the crown of Wales, following his father’s death, giving us another Bamburgh King. While some would argue this was the perfect time to attack, before he could consolidate his rule, I was not ready or willing to make war on more family. Nor was I willing to risk weakening Beorhtric’s rule and possibly losing a Bamburgh crown.
It was north and west where an opportunity existed. My cousin and courtier Æthelburg Beorhtricdohtor, who was now a Princess of Wales, was married to a man named Fintan mag Échtgal Cétchathach-Elgin. Fintan had several claims in Alba, including the Duchies of Moray and Ulster. Fintan was not a pleasant young man, he was callous and scheming, but any children of his marriage to Æthelburg would be Bamburghs.
Fintan’s strongest claims were to the Duchy of ulster, therefore I decided to press his claim against King Ƥorbrandr mac Sorcha of Alba and put those three mercenary companies under contract to use. As soon as I sent the declaration of war north to King Ƥorbrandr, I sent another letter east to King Hartmann asking him to join me in this war. He soon replied that he was on his way.
My Marshal and my mercenary captains were all caught off guard by how quickly the King of Alba had responded to the declaration of war. He landed on the Isle of Man with close to 7,300 men while my armies were marching north toward his capitol in Gowrie.
Holmwick fell to the Albans by early August and one of my cousins was captured and then they crossed over to Northumbria and were marching on Bernicia. They arrived outside Bebbanburg in early October, but by that time, my armies were ending the siege of St. Johnston in Gowrie. A week later, St. Johnston had fallen and my men held King Ƥorbrandr’s 15-year old granddaughter Bé-Fáil and others prisoner.
King Ƥorbrandr’s response was surprising, he sued for peace, asking for an end to the bloodshed, even though there had been relatively little bloodshed, and not a battle fought. I was not ready to give up on my goals, I was marching south to relieve Bebbanburg, the Lotharingians had just landed, the tide was turning in my favor. So I, of course, refused his offer of peace.
The Albans retreated from Bebbanburg as I came from the north and the King Hartmann landed to the south. With that threat taken care of, I needed to sail for Ulster and claim the actual target of the war. All of our armies joined together and marched west to take ship from western shore.
Unfortunately, I was not with them, in the spring of 1258, I discovered I was again with child. I did not how long this campaign would last and could not risk going into labor far from home, on the wrong side of the Irish Sea. I wished them luck and returned home.
In July, I was in Kendal for the funeral of my friend and vassal, Countess Mildrith of Westmorland. She had lived a long life and lived it well (leaving behind a 20-year old husband). It was there that word reached me. My war was over, somehow.
It took me a few weeks to find out what had happened. It appears Duke Conall of Strathclyde (and Ulster) was leading a rebellion against King Ƥorbrandr. My war was over, because, for the moment at least, the Duchy of Ulster was no longer under the control of the King of Alba.
I was not happy, not only had I spent a large amount of coin on this war, I had burned through most of the remaining time left on the three mercenary contracts. Even if I could identify another target, the contracts would be over before they could have any effect on the outcome of a new war.
Ransoming prisoners back to Alba, offset some of my expenses, but not enough. These last two wars have badly depleted Northumbria’s coffers.
Then to add to my frustration, in November, Duke Conall died from injuries he sustained in battle. With him died his rebellion and Strathclyde and Ulster were restored to Alba’s control. The bastard had done just enough damage to destroy my plans and then failed in his own. His 4-year old son, Sweeny, inherited all of his titles and returned as a vassal under King Ƥorbrandr.
The only joy I felt by the end of the year 1258 was the birth of my second daughter, Eadhburh Wulfrundohtor. She was another blond, taking after her father and my other younger children.
From the hand of Wulfrun Ordgardohtor, Duchess of Northumbria.
A new knight has joined my court and my family. Eanhere de Ros arrived soon after the rebels were defeated. He was a renowned knight and blademaster of unquestionable prowess and religious devotion. He was the picture of the handsome knight and he quickly won the heart of my kinswoman, Shona Bamburgh-Kelso. He further proved his devotion to her by accepting a matrilineal marriage. I was happy to have such an impressive warrior tied to my cause by blood ties.
My loyal vassal Old Countess Mildrith of Westmorland visited me and gave me much comfort in dealing with the stresses I was feeling related to fighting against and having to punish members of my own family. She had seen much in her long life and gave me some perspective that helped in dealing with the stress
But I had learned from this rebellion that my paranoia and suspicions of others was not without cause. I felt I needed to pass this caution onto Harold, you can have friends and comrades, but trust must be hard won and you must always be on your guard and question every motive. Harold. I think, learned this lesson.
Shona’s brother, Farquhar, my Marshal, continued to chafe at having three companies of mercenaries sitting on their hands in Bernicia. He persuaded me to meet with the Council to best decide how we could make use of this strength. The current laws in England prohibited vassals from making war upon each other, which was inconvenient and prevented me from pressing any of my claims or my vassals claims against any of our neighbors. There were some claims that could be pressed in Wales, but my cousin Beorhtric had just inherited the crown of Wales, following his father’s death, giving us another Bamburgh King. While some would argue this was the perfect time to attack, before he could consolidate his rule, I was not ready or willing to make war on more family. Nor was I willing to risk weakening Beorhtric’s rule and possibly losing a Bamburgh crown.
It was north and west where an opportunity existed. My cousin and courtier Æthelburg Beorhtricdohtor, who was now a Princess of Wales, was married to a man named Fintan mag Échtgal Cétchathach-Elgin. Fintan had several claims in Alba, including the Duchies of Moray and Ulster. Fintan was not a pleasant young man, he was callous and scheming, but any children of his marriage to Æthelburg would be Bamburghs.
Fintan’s strongest claims were to the Duchy of ulster, therefore I decided to press his claim against King Ƥorbrandr mac Sorcha of Alba and put those three mercenary companies under contract to use. As soon as I sent the declaration of war north to King Ƥorbrandr, I sent another letter east to King Hartmann asking him to join me in this war. He soon replied that he was on his way.
My Marshal and my mercenary captains were all caught off guard by how quickly the King of Alba had responded to the declaration of war. He landed on the Isle of Man with close to 7,300 men while my armies were marching north toward his capitol in Gowrie.
Holmwick fell to the Albans by early August and one of my cousins was captured and then they crossed over to Northumbria and were marching on Bernicia. They arrived outside Bebbanburg in early October, but by that time, my armies were ending the siege of St. Johnston in Gowrie. A week later, St. Johnston had fallen and my men held King Ƥorbrandr’s 15-year old granddaughter Bé-Fáil and others prisoner.
King Ƥorbrandr’s response was surprising, he sued for peace, asking for an end to the bloodshed, even though there had been relatively little bloodshed, and not a battle fought. I was not ready to give up on my goals, I was marching south to relieve Bebbanburg, the Lotharingians had just landed, the tide was turning in my favor. So I, of course, refused his offer of peace.
The Albans retreated from Bebbanburg as I came from the north and the King Hartmann landed to the south. With that threat taken care of, I needed to sail for Ulster and claim the actual target of the war. All of our armies joined together and marched west to take ship from western shore.
Unfortunately, I was not with them, in the spring of 1258, I discovered I was again with child. I did not how long this campaign would last and could not risk going into labor far from home, on the wrong side of the Irish Sea. I wished them luck and returned home.
In July, I was in Kendal for the funeral of my friend and vassal, Countess Mildrith of Westmorland. She had lived a long life and lived it well (leaving behind a 20-year old husband). It was there that word reached me. My war was over, somehow.
It took me a few weeks to find out what had happened. It appears Duke Conall of Strathclyde (and Ulster) was leading a rebellion against King Ƥorbrandr. My war was over, because, for the moment at least, the Duchy of Ulster was no longer under the control of the King of Alba.
I was not happy, not only had I spent a large amount of coin on this war, I had burned through most of the remaining time left on the three mercenary contracts. Even if I could identify another target, the contracts would be over before they could have any effect on the outcome of a new war.
Ransoming prisoners back to Alba, offset some of my expenses, but not enough. These last two wars have badly depleted Northumbria’s coffers.
Then to add to my frustration, in November, Duke Conall died from injuries he sustained in battle. With him died his rebellion and Strathclyde and Ulster were restored to Alba’s control. The bastard had done just enough damage to destroy my plans and then failed in his own. His 4-year old son, Sweeny, inherited all of his titles and returned as a vassal under King Ƥorbrandr.
The only joy I felt by the end of the year 1258 was the birth of my second daughter, Eadhburh Wulfrundohtor. She was another blond, taking after her father and my other younger children.
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Lawyer Dewey Cheatem loves to laugh at the plans of mortal men whether farmer or duchess. Thank you for the update.
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Yes, as the saying goes, 'no plan survives contact with the enemy'. An element of chaos always seeps in.
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