The Irish wars and the expansion of liberty
In 1163, Iceland had greatly expanded its power by conquering provinces in the Baltic and Ireland. However, not everyone was too happy about their conquests and another war in Ireland, this time against Connacht, would not be looked upon brightly. Iceland's alliance with the so called evil barbarian of Europe at that time, Norway, did not make them very popular, nor did their way of governing, which was seen as a threat. In Norway, the civil war blussed up again after Håkon Herdabrei had been dethroned by Magnus Erlingsson and his father Erling Skakke, a former general of King Inge. They had ceased power, but had to fight rebels for over a year, after that however, Norway was free of inner troubbles and ready to defend themselves against the Holy Roman alliance.
In April, 1166, the Allthing decided that it was time to declare war on Connacht, if Ireland was to be united as a free land under the government of the people of Iceland, Connacht was to be conquered first, as the Scots held Meath. Connacht were not allied to anyone, but after the declaration of war, the governor of Ireland, Thorstein or Borgr and his army were forced to reatreat after an overwhelming attack by the Irish against Ulster. They retreated into enemy land, where they found no garrison. Connacht was taken and the army marched with new spirit back to Ulster and defeated the Irish in a great battle. The people of Connacht was liberated, another step towards Irish freedom was taken.
The war with the Holy Roman alliance raged on, combined forces from the emperor, Saxonia and smaller German states depending on the emperor, invade Jylland and captured it from Norway. However, when they tried to invade the Scandinavian peninsuela, they were beaten off at sea by the superior Norwegian longships before they even managed to land. Therefore, the Italians decided to attack the Icelandic province of Ingermannland, thinking of the Icelanders as a less worthy enemy. Their plan was to land in Ingermannland with 3,000 forces, defeat the army there and ride into unfortified Finland, forcing the Norwegians to sign a humiliating peace. The outcome of the war was in the hands of Thorvardr inn Raudi, the minister of war and the governor of Ingermannland. Thorvardr was an experienced commander, he had led the Icelandic armies into victory in Ulster, he had defeated the Novgorians in several battles and even helped King Inge in the siege of Novgorod. His men were veterans of war and they were well prepared for any attacks, though they had not expected a fleet coming all the way from Italy.
The battle was hard and longlasting, but the Icelanders gained the day, driving the Italians out of Ingermannland. The Italian fleet saw that it was no chance for the army to survive, so they decided to reatreat and leave the men behind. Thorvardr ordered the fleet stationed in Finland's ports to sail out and meet the Italian fleet. In the middle of the Baltic sea a hard battle was fought between sixty snekkjar longships (6 galleys) and thirty Italian war vessels (3 warships). The Icelandic fleet won in the end, making the Italians suffer a humiliating defeat. One man was left alive among the Italians, to ride back to Italy and tell the story of the humiliating defeat. However, he would return not to see a united Italy, but a Italy divided. The victory was celebrated on the Allthing when the news arrived. Thorvardr had become a popular man in Iceland, though he would not see his popularity in years, since he had left home over a decade ago.
During the defence against Italy, things were stirring up in the west as Munster had declared war upon the free people of Iceland. The king of Munster was probably afraid that such freedom and liberty that Ulster and Connacht were experiencing would finally come to Munster. He was right, that had always been in the mind of the Allthing, ever since Jon Loftsson was the law-speaker. The war went bad in the beginning, armies of Munster rushed into Connacht in August and captured the town there without much resistance. Thorstein was eager to meet them in battle and attacked before any re-inforcements had arrived from Iceland. He was defeated and had to retreat to Ulster. Another attack was made in october, the re-inforcements had still not arrived. Thorstein or Borgr raised the wartaxes and recruited 2,000 Irish natives before attacking Connacht once more. He was again defeated. It was time to wait, for the re-inforcements from the homeland to arrive.
It is recorded in a letter from Thorstein or Borgr to Thorvardr inn Raudi of his actions in Ireland:
"Why am I always defeated? I suffered defeat in my first battle against Connacht, then I suffer defeat again now, over and over. Why? Why can't I just win? Has God allmighty abandoned me? Is this my faith, to die in the hands of Irish savages, remembered as a defeatist and a bad leader?"
The responce from Thorvardr was rather short...
"Stop wining, or you would wish it the Irish would have captured you before I arrived!"
Thorstein waited not a second after the re-inforcements from Iceland had arrived before he marched into Connacht with an army of 7,000 men and new spirit, defeating the Irish wherever he went. When the Irish in Munster heard the news of their king's defeat after defeat, they revolted against him and made him a puppet king. Thorstein was in Leinster at the moment and had captured the province from Munster, when he heard the new government was willing to make peace, he accepted it, gaining the provice of Leinster. A new step had been taken towards the liberation of Ireland.
The following years would be rather peacefull, though Iceland was still at war with the Holy Roman alliance. Trade was expanded and the damages caused by the war was taken care of. Royalist revolts in Ireland was defeated and stability restored to the Lawdom of Iceland after a small revolt on the island itself against the governing of Snorri Hunbogasson and the heavy war taxation, the rebels were pardoned and the people were pleased, for a while at least, by this as Snorri, on the Allthing meeting in august 1169, promised not to raise more wartaxes as long as the people elected for him in the next election. However, his reign was not looked upon as the brightest by most of the people and there was many who had plans to vote for Hvamm-Sturla Thordarsson (the father of Snorri Sturlasson) at the next election, his plans for the future was to lighten the taxes, become more innovative and open to thinkers and new ideas and that the army becomes as professional as possible.
