One can always rely on scions of Wessex to be ... scions of Wessex. Perhaps especially with each other.
The Song of Wessex
- Thread starter coz1
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Hmm, one gets the impression at least one of those undercurrents will turn into a treacherous rip-tide in the next little while ...
No murders yet, then, but imprisonment; and a divorce rather than a beheading of the wife. Anselm seems to be a bit Wessex-lite!
No murders yet, then, but imprisonment; and a divorce rather than a beheading of the wife. Anselm seems to be a bit Wessex-lite!
Henry VIII tried the subtle route first too remember. It's just that the Pope was literally under house arrest by his wife's family.
Anslem on the other hand is running an even more powerful and important version of england, one that's already said by becoming an empire that the pope is more of an equal rather than a superior. And as the papacy is probably depending on Brittania to keep the HRE distracted from italy and conquer Iberia from the muslims, they have to play ball sometimes. When theres only two powers in christendom, the pope basically just does whatever the emperors say. This might lead to an interesting backlash if the reformation happens, since in this case theres actually quite a lot of religious unity in christendom. The pope would have to basically choose one side or the other for authorities to start openly supporting protestantism.
As for france, it was basically made by the previous emperor, so anslem could indeed just tear it down and start again.
Anslem on the other hand is running an even more powerful and important version of england, one that's already said by becoming an empire that the pope is more of an equal rather than a superior. And as the papacy is probably depending on Brittania to keep the HRE distracted from italy and conquer Iberia from the muslims, they have to play ball sometimes. When theres only two powers in christendom, the pope basically just does whatever the emperors say. This might lead to an interesting backlash if the reformation happens, since in this case theres actually quite a lot of religious unity in christendom. The pope would have to basically choose one side or the other for authorities to start openly supporting protestantism.
As for france, it was basically made by the previous emperor, so anslem could indeed just tear it down and start again.
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And not to give too much away, but I'll say that imprisonment comes to become Anselm's favorite remedy for all sorts of issues. We'll just say that the Tower gets very full after a while.
To all - A lot happened in this decade but I have to say...you ain't seen nothin' yet. The biggest get was Scotland, but I also thought getting the White Company as vassals was pretty big. Practically doubling the size of France and I must say, having that southern port on the Med comes to be pretty valuable in the future. The other big part of this period were the various plots and factions still raging (as they do under any new ruler) and the biggest was indeed Matilda. In fact, she was plotting to kill Anselm. I had to take decisive action, especially as Anselm still didn't have a son and having a daughter only at this time was not ideal. I must say that I was surprised that she so readily went to prison instead of rebelling, but thankfully she went without a fight. It didn't solve all of the issues around plots and factions, but it solved a pretty big one. As you'll see soon enough, Anselm had to get a little creative to fully solve them.
While I admit I was a bit sad when Queen Maud finally died, it was so gratifying to finally inherit Scotland after working at that for so long. Remember, Arthur was still a relatively young King when all the plots for Scotland started and even though I had some few scares there when first Arthur's son and then grandson died, at least Arthur kept going and going long enough to leave it all to a young but not too young Anselm. Maud couldn't live forever and had even done some good by taking back much of her north before the inheritance. It was really satisfying.
He can and will change the laws but it takes a bit of time. First I needed at least high if not absolute crown authority within France to change inheritance laws to primogeniture and then to change any inheritance law, Anselm needed to reign for at least ten years. It is covered in one the next few updates. It was definitely on the order list of things to do.
You'll see that this is far from the worst thing Anselm does during his reign. He never stooped so low as Arthur, but he did indeed inherit much of the Wessex way.
No murders yet.Hmm, one gets the impression at least one of those undercurrents will turn into a treacherous rip-tide in the next little while ...
No murders yet, then, but imprisonment; and a divorce rather than a beheading of the wife. Anselm seems to be a bit Wessex-lite!
And not to give too much away, but I'll say that imprisonment comes to become Anselm's favorite remedy for all sorts of issues. We'll just say that the Tower gets very full after a while. It's hard for me to imagine how the protestant reformation, as we know it today, happens in this world. At least anytime soon. There are trickles of heresy here and there but I was always quick to put my Bishop there to convert back. Plus, as you mention, the Popes in this world are not nearly as powerful as those in OTL. Especially as regards England/Britain, in the historical timeline, Henry's "reformation" was more of a reaction to his situation than any truly felt theology given that just some few years earlier he'd written his treatise supporting the Papacy and Catholicism against Luther. Sure, he was led along a bit by Thomas Cromwell, but he certainly didn't break from the church because he was a rabid follower of any type of Protestantism. In this world, Arthur hardly ever looked to Rome for anything, never needing them. He never went on Crusade or even supported any type of Christian Holy War. And I think you are right to suggest that the Pope has likely always half supported Britain by keeping the HRE busy and away from Italy. Anselm is a little different in this regard, as you'll see, but never were Rome and Westminster closer than this period of my history.
To all - A lot happened in this decade but I have to say...you ain't seen nothin' yet.
The biggest get was Scotland, but I also thought getting the White Company as vassals was pretty big. Practically doubling the size of France and I must say, having that southern port on the Med comes to be pretty valuable in the future. The other big part of this period were the various plots and factions still raging (as they do under any new ruler) and the biggest was indeed Matilda. In fact, she was plotting to kill Anselm. I had to take decisive action, especially as Anselm still didn't have a son and having a daughter only at this time was not ideal. I must say that I was surprised that she so readily went to prison instead of rebelling, but thankfully she went without a fight. It didn't solve all of the issues around plots and factions, but it solved a pretty big one. As you'll see soon enough, Anselm had to get a little creative to fully solve them.
Hmm. Well the printing press will still happen, and thus people are going to figure out that the current church is far removed from actual biblical doctrine. What happens after that depends on how corrupt the church is, how much control the empires have over their own churches and how all three bodies respond.
If theres a ton of indulgence, rampant corruption and the pope is awful, then empires will be told to take over their churches and purge them of heresy. Otherwise, and this is the one I actually see happening, Luther or others like him will actually campaign hard for separation of church and state as they see the emperors leaning far too heavily on church authorities. This would either lead to empire wide but nominally separate new churches very similar to catholic ones or a focus on recentralsiing everything on rome, and forming a papal states there to act as a balance between churches, states and the religion itself. This might work for a while until the new world gets discovered and brittania becomes vastly more wealthy and powerful compared to the other two powers.
So here I return only to see that I have pages upon pages of new material to read!
It seems for me that the Song of Wessex never ends!
It seems for me that the Song of Wessex never ends!
Quite true that discovery of the new world will make Britain way more powerful than anything else, especially as they won't have nearly as many rivals looking to colonize.
Well, it will soon enough. We are just about to that point.So here I return only to see that I have pages upon pages of new material to read!
It seems for me that the Song of Wessex never ends!
The Song of Wessex
* * *
1372 to 1379
1372 to 1379
For the first twenty years of Anselm’s reign, from his Regency until now, events were rather dictated by actions closer to home. Securing his crown was paramount after he came of age and did take some time. However, in the previous decade the enemy of Emperor Arthur finally died and it was Emperor Luitpold’s son Hugo that now ruled in the Holy Roman Empire. Kaiser Hugo III was 42 in 1372 and already known as ‘the Great’ as his father had been known previously. Mainly this was due to keeping his realm together successfully just as it had been for Anselm upon assuming the throne. The son was little different than his father in many other ways. Much like Luitpold at first (and Anselm himself) Hugo’s heir was a daughter and his only child. Just as Luitpold had constantly faced problems to Aquitaine, so too did Hugo. And finally, this Emperor preferred to have his many Lords fight his battles for him as Luitpold had done before. For many years, and round after round, the realm of first England and then Britain had battled their Imperial foes throughout France and Germany. In every instance, the Holy Roman Empire had lost every time even with some few wins in battle. And after a brief interlude in 1372 in which Burgundy found a war within itself between brothers, the dawn of 1373 saw Emperor Anselm huddling with his trusted cousin Earl Giselbert. No war was seen in the early part of the year, but after Anselm’s cousin Lord Randolph of Munster died in October leaving a very young son Philip at 4 years old as Duke of Munster, both Giselbert and the Emperor decided the time was ripe to go forward and do.
Do he would as the next four years saw furious battles once again all across France and Germany. The ostensible claim of the war was over the region of Saintonge and Anselm felt it ought to be part of his Duchy of Poitou. However, many historians consider this act more of an attempt for Anselm to announce himself with strength and vigor to his older counterpart in Germany. It is true that much of the war was prosecuted by Earl Giselbert as Lord Marshal, but Anselm would participate on the field of battle in many instances, especially in an early Battle at Semur-en-Brionnais in which the British forces found a resounding victory. Earl Ewan and Captain Henry would also be excellent leaders in this war, as well as the Lords Guy of York and Nicholas IV of Norfolk. Despite these strong forces and martial minds, battles would go back and forth. It would take until late 1375 for Anselm to gain the upper hand fully after a great victory at Aachen and then another to Julich itself in 1376. Lusignan had fallen by this time to the Emperor and Saintonge remained under siege until December of that year. Finally, when Emperor Anselm hired the 10,000 strong Scottish Band in 1377, Hugo pressed for peace.
It was a costly victory for such a small gain, but it proved yet again that ultimately the Holy Roman Empire could not compete with the strong forces of Britain. It would also have a lasting influence within the realm. The White Company had proved a fine vassal throughout the war, yet time and again Captain Henry had been pushed aside in favor of other greater Lords. Further, much of the battles had occurred in and around Bourbon where Lord Baudouin II ruled and remained unfavorable to the Emperor. While plenty of the great Lords had come round, especially and strangely Lord John of Deheubarth who had inherited that Duchy from his aged mother in 1375 and still ruled as titular regent in Lancaster for his son Arthur and his wife Lady Matilda, this region of France was unhappy. Perhaps the spark that proved the ultimate fire was the changing of Lord Chancellor to Duke Alvar of Burgundy after the war. Regardless of why it happened, in late 1377, Anselm faced his first true test when Bourbon attempted to declare independence from the Empire alongside the White Company in Toulouse, Ulster in Ireland and even the region of Auvergne ruled by Lord Simon of the Isles.
It was a short lived rebellion lasting only a year and a half into 1379, but it was ultimately squashed with extreme prejudice. It would cost these rebellious Lords their life when they went to the block in February 1379 and their titles were forfeit to the crown. Narbonne was revoked from the White Company as a new Captain was elected in the form of Arnold. Eustace of Wessex was the young Earl of Tyrone (and of the Norfolk branch of Wessex) and he was then created the new Duke of Ulster. Lord Baudouin’s young daughter Mathilde was granted the much smaller Duchy of Bourbon and the Isle of Man was gifted to the loyal Lord John of Deheubarth and regent of Lancaster. Finally, the one other that had been most loyal through it all was the Emperor’s cousin Earl Giselbert of Hainaut. This fine soldier and good friend was first granted the county of Narbonne and then by the end of 1379 named the Duke of Toulouse. While an irritant to the Emperor, it would prove to show his power and caused many other would be rebels to reconsider their various plots and factions. Further, between the war with the Germans and now this victorious campaign against these disloyal vassals, Anselm had consolidated his full power once and for all. As a final reward, the Empress would inform the Emperor in November of 1379 that she was once more with child. Perhaps this time, the Anselm would finally gain that sought after male heir.
* * *
1380 to 1389
1380 to 1389
The following decade was defined by two very different actions that still held similar purposes. Namely, further securing Emperor Anselm’s hold upon his Empire. We will deal with these separately even as they happened concurrent with one another. The first was a continuing effort to push back at the Holy Roman Empire as well as further consolidating the British Isles for the Empire. The second was more personal as Anselm continued to try and gain that much needed male heir to inherit it all when the time came. Finally, the decade would end with both of these things accomplished and a much grander vision attempted.
Before launching in the larger wars of this period, we must look back briefly. In 1378, the Kingdom of Castille had inherited the various lands of Brittany. Within four months, the Bretons rebelled. By 1380, Castille remained at war with the Bretons and Anselm and Giselbert decided it was time to finally push them from Ireland once and for all. War was declared over Desmond in Ireland in 1380 and last for barely over a year. The Bretons were already war weary and put up little in defense of this far flung land for them (even though it had been held for over a hundred years and more) and when it was done, all of Ireland was held by the Empire of Britain. Only the far north in Scotland and some few northern islands held out. From that day forward, the Emperor would be known as Anselm the Great. However, it was not due so much to the victory in Ireland as much as how Anselm handled another far more serious crises.
In the midst of the war over Desmond, the Holy Roman Emperor Hugo decided he would break the truce and attempted to claim Hainaut. Given the state of that province after Emperor Arthur took his revenge back in 1351, it was clear the claim itself did not matter. Rather, it was this Emperor Hugo smarting after his defeat in 1377 and desiring to reclaim his dignity in some fashion. Even while prosecuting the Irish war with the Bretons, Anselm wasted little time and by late 1380, he and Giselbert would take ship to the continent. Emperor Anselm headed an army of over 19,000 and Lord Giselbert lead 27,000. Large battles at both Semur and Ghent saw victory for these two armies and then after recruiting an 18,000 strong contingent from the White Company (for much coin), the war was on with full strength.
The war was fought on familiar fronts from the south in British Navarre to the north around the German court of Hugo at Julich and everywhere in between. Hugo’s armies found some small successes at siege in Jaca and Huesca, but by 1382 Lord Giselbert had chased the Germans completely from Iberia and Navarre. The great martial Duke then turned north and won every battle he faced through Gascony and France. And by 1383, Emperor Anselm had put Sponheim to siege and it fell to him just before the Battle of Coblenz in which the German Duke Sieghard IV of Bavaria was captured. In just three years, this Emperor Hugo was put low and back in his place once more. He would beg for peace in 1383 and forced to pay a heavy fine for the cost of the war and his ill considered venture.
For the next five years, and while Anselm was tending to matters closer to home (which we will cover below), the Emperor and his trusted cousin Lord Giselbert would plan for the next war with the Holy Roman Empire. Things would not go well for the German Emperor during these years. Just after this war, Pisa would break from the Holy Roman Empire which proved costly as the Pisan Doge controlled both of the trading centers of Genoa and Venice as well as the Neapolitan boot of Italy which assisted their trading ventures. That war would last for some years and in the midst of it, Emperor Hugo would die leaving only a daughter as his heir. Judith von Oldenburg was 34 years of age and married to a Byzantium Prince, the Duke of Aleppo. While highly irregular, she and her husband were still able to find election to what was quickly becoming an hereditary title under the House of von Oldenburg. However, as Kaiserin this Judith did no thing to instill confidence from the many German princes and within a year, she was murdered (it is rumored) and a more fitting candidate was found. The 64 year old Poppo was a grandson of the long dead Emperor Werner and may have pressed for the removal of his cousin or lead along by the various Lords in Germany and Italy. The year was 1387 and the Holy Roman Empire remained at odds with Pisa as well as a breakaway Tuscany and Gascony. No time could be better for the truce to run out and so once more and for the third time, Emperor Anselm declared war against the Holy Roman Empire for a claim over Lusignan in Poitou.
While Anselm’s great-grandfather had always been considered the German butcher due to the many long and deadly wars over Arthur’s lengthy reign, no war in history until this time could be considered more successful. Declaring war in January 1387, the first battles would be quickly won at Belfort in both March and April. By November of that year, Lusignan fell to Lord Giselbert and then Anselm won another great battle at Brussels at the start of 1388. Charroux would fall to Lord Giselbert that summer and by August of 1388, Emperor Poppo had seen enough. In a shockingly short span of less than two years, Anselm gained once more at the expense of the Germans and proved his now given moniker as ‘the Great.’
As all of these events were going on throughout the decade, the other central concern of the Emperor and his privy council was the lack of a male heir. As has been mentioned, Anselm had divorced his first wife Countess Blanche of Macon and then married his current Empress Adelheid. She had already given him a daughter in the form of Princess Anne and then in 1380, she bore him another daughter named Mathilda. While he held male heirs in other forms – his still imprisoned sister’s son Arthur and his cousin to Munster, Lord Philip - these were not ideal. Lord John of Deheubarth had been loyal throughout these years and took control of his son Arthur when the boy came of age and the Lord of Munster remained young as well, but as long as Anselm only held female heirs, a danger would always persist. And then Lord John died at 47 in 1382. The young Arthur would gain his seat amongst the Lords as Anselm’s mother (still living at 65) Lady Maud Hayles took on as regent in Lancaster for her first child and daughter Matilda.
Throughout all of this, the Empress Adelheid had remained a loving and caring spouse and by 1383, Anselm depended upon her as his master of spies. Her connections within the Empire were vast either despite of or because of her foreign tongue. She was a terribly well educated Lady and smart of mind and never spent a day within Anselm’s court without working to protect him. By this time, any visitor to court could clearly see that these two were very much in love as we might say it in the modern parlance. So it was a great surprise to any and all that in 1383, Emperor Anselm petitioned the Pope for a divorce from his loving wife that had given him two children already and remained young enough though was close to 40 years in age. It may be the most shocking event in the entirety of Anselm’s reign and perhaps the most scandalous as he remained a most Christian ruler and prayed many times a day. What was even more unusual is that the former Empress was then styled merely the Lady Adelheid and remained as the Emperor’s master of spies. While there are no extant records to prove this theory, many historians look to some written rumors of the day that suggest that it was Adelheid herself that pressed for the divorce in the hopes that her revered husband and Emperor might find that desired male heir. It is a believable theory due to what would happen later.
Yet first we must look at where Anselm looked next. It was agreed by both Emperor and his privy council that he would cast his eye even further afield and eventually settled on the 16 year old Lady Sofie of Vestergotland. They were married in 1384 though surprisingly she was never fully crown Empress. That may have been due to the various wars of the day and planning of these years as Anselm remained busy. Not only did he fight his wars but also arranged the betrothal of his then 14 year old first daughter Princess Anne to the even younger King Ewen of Navarre who was still only 7. And then, and finally, Sofie would present with child. In 1387, Sofie would give birth to a son named for Anselm’s great-grandfather. Every precaution would be taken with this young Prince Arthur and he would be raised almost as a joint affair between Empress Sofie and Lady Adelheid who by all accounts were friendly to one another in every way.
It may have been this great personal victory that pressed Anselm to make his next move against the Holy Roman Empire, but all were well pleased to see this final hurdle finally jumped. As well, the quick prosecution of the German war would bring Anselm back to England swiftly and by 1389, Empress Sofie would have another child. This time, it was a girl named Isabel and sadly within the month, this third Empress would die of complications from the birth. No one considered foul play in this death, but the next events do give credence to the former rumors regarding the Lady Adelheid. In the very same year, and just after the death of Anselm’s mother Lady Maud Hayles, the Emperor would remarry his second wife and Lady Adelheid became Empress once more. Even more, she was formally crowned for a second time to rule alongside him. In the annals of all history, there is little to compare with this sequence of events and due to the unique nature, the true events of what happened will likely never be known. Yet it can be said that Anselm depended on Adelheid in every way from his first days with her until their last together. To divorce her only to remarry her within six years is highly unusual, but we do know that he would find his male heir in between. If this was the goal of their gambit (if, in fact, it was a gambit), it was immensely successful.
Many of the time considered this the pinnacle of Emperor Anselm’s reign never thinking that he might do even more. He’d bested the Holy Roman Empire three times, conquered the rest of Ireland, inherited the long desired Kingdom of Scotland and created the Kingdom of Aquitaine and now held a male heir named after the most infamous member of House Wessex. And yet, Anselm was only 47 years old and remained vigorous as well as prayerful. Within the last year, the current Pope Celestine III had pressed all of the rulers of Europe to push against the various heresies within their realms. And then in this year of 1389, the Holy Father would call for what was called the 7th Crusade...another Holy War for Jerusalem. The Emperor and his most trusted cousin and advisor Lord Giselbert would leave for the Holy Land within the year.
* * *
To be continued...
To be continued...
A dodgy manoeuvre indeed, but a cunning one, given the no doubt simply fortuitous circumstances. And we’ll get a Crusader King, as well!
Leaving your kingdom worked so well for Richard the Lionhearted, but let's pray that doesn't happen in this timeline. Seems like not, given the foreshadowing.
But that twist between the Emperor and the Empress! I wished you would write this out before. Now I really, really, really wished you did!
Seems like not, given the foreshadowing. But that twist between the Emperor and the Empress!
I wished you would write this out before. Now I really, really, really wished you did!
Depends now what happens with this crusade and Pisa. If the British take the holy land and keep it, or various vassal states do that form weak but Christian realms after, then there's no need to go west because they can go east instead. Indeed, even if Pisa gets really strong and can at least match the British in the med if not in land, then it would probably be more worthwhile annexing Spain and North Africa to get the trade network they already have going then form expensive new ones in unknown waters.
If the HrE get kicked out of France entirely and spend a few centuries focused eastwards and southwards towards Poland and Italy, then the British can focus on the med and reclaiming the best bits of Iberia and North Africa, and then onto Asia and the actual wealthy trade routes. I actually don't see a massive explosion towards the new world happening in this timeline, since only one big power can access it easily, and there's no reason for it to heavily invest there when it can easily get to better places.
If one was in any doubt that Anselm was of Wessx, these marital shenanigans would surely prove it. The stain upon their shared character is virtually as good as a coat of arms.
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However, that pales in comparison to some of the other things Wessex Kings and Emperors have done.
To all - So yes...this passage was a biggie for me. And everything about it is true from the gameplay. Anselm and Adelheid had an event in which they became lovers after their marriage but I still couldn't get that son and she was getting older. So I had them divorce but she remained his lover AND spymaster. She never left court so when Sofie died, it made perfect sense for him to remarry Adelheid as he now had that required son. It's that sort of strange thing that can easily be made into a book which I was sorely tempted to write. However, hopefully it is covered well here and as you can see there were quite a few other events during this reign. It might have taken a while to cover them all in narrative form.
The next section follows and is perhaps the one I am most prideful about in gameplay. I'll speak more about after some comments, but it was fun. Thanks for reading, folks, and most especially thank you for your comments!
I'll speak more in it below, but I did say I had to get a bit creative to gain that male heir.
Of all the things during this reign, the divorcing and remarrying Adelheid was absolutely the thing that kept me thinking about writing a new book. It's just so unique and how it happened was really quite interesting.Leaving your kingdom worked so well for Richard the Lionhearted, but let's pray that doesn't happen in this timeline.
But that twist between the Emperor and the Empress!
I'd say that for the most part you are likely right. However, I'd separate discovery and colonization. It's true that with a conquered middle east, there is no reason to find some other way to the far east, but there is no guarantee that it will or might remain conquered (as well, it's only the Levant - not the larger area as in Persia.) Even without needing to find an alternate route, I'd think at some point as time went on that sailors might eventually come across this rather large mass of land and no one is better situated than Britain to take advantage of it. They are already one of the most seafaring kingdoms in the world (and about to do even more) so it's highly possible they would stumble upon North or South America.
Marital Shenanigans was the name of my short lived garage band in college.
However, that pales in comparison to some of the other things Wessex Kings and Emperors have done.To all - So yes...this passage was a biggie for me. And everything about it is true from the gameplay. Anselm and Adelheid had an event in which they became lovers after their marriage but I still couldn't get that son and she was getting older. So I had them divorce but she remained his lover AND spymaster. She never left court so when Sofie died, it made perfect sense for him to remarry Adelheid as he now had that required son. It's that sort of strange thing that can easily be made into a book which I was sorely tempted to write. However, hopefully it is covered well here and as you can see there were quite a few other events during this reign. It might have taken a while to cover them all in narrative form.
The next section follows and is perhaps the one I am most prideful about in gameplay. I'll speak more about after some comments, but it was fun. Thanks for reading, folks, and most especially thank you for your comments!
The Song of Wessex
* * *
1390 to 1398
1390 to 1398
The history of the crusades are obviously long and complicated, especially as it relates to the Kingdom of England now the Empire of Britain. The early Kings of House Wessex after the Confessor held little interest in assisting the Pope as they were deeply involved with securing their own realm at the time. It would not be until 1168 that King Æthelric I finally decided to help and it would be a catastrophe. Some still suggest that it was the death of his favorite Sir Giles de Mortain at the walls of Acre that lead swiftly to his late infirmity and eventual death (though rumor remains strong that his daughter and future Queen Mary had him killed in the end.) Queen Mary herself would commit to the ongoing crusade and her attempts were possibly even more catastrophic as that of her father. That her great uncle Thurfrith was able to return after defeat was astounding given the great losses in the Holy Land. However, Mary’s daughter Queen Anne would also send English and Welsh soldiers in the 4th Crusade and much like everything else in her great life, this was successful. It would take twenty one years, but in the end the Knights Hospitaller were able to set up a Kingdom of Christians in the Holy Land and Jerusalem. That would sadly only last until 1266 when once more Jerusalem and surrounding lands fell again to the infidel.
A 5th Crusade was called and fought between 1282 and 1286 that was ultimately unsuccessful and for much of the next hundred years, no further large scale attempts were made. The late Emperor Arthur never held any interest in the Holy Land such were his pursuits at building his Empire and fighting against the Holy Roman Empire. A brief and limited Crusade was called in the latter part of the century (and agreed to by the late Lord Nicholas of Norfolk) that found the Knights Hospitaller once more protecting the local Christians, but it was small and based in Tiberias north of Jerusalem. Yet now, the Holy Father Pope Celestine III was proving to be a warrior Pope. With pledges made already by the Doge of Pisa and the Knights Hospitaller, the 7th Crusade was called in 1389 and all three powers were already on their way to the Levant. It was assumed that the Knights Templar might also assist after their almost successful reconquista of Iberia, however it would be Emperor Anselm that was the first Christian Prince to offer assistance. And as stated above, before the year was out both the Emperor and his favorite Lord Giselbert would be on their way to the Holy Land.
It is possible to say that perhaps Emperor Anselm made the decision as a result of the death of his third wife, but as has been seen he quickly and happily remarried his second wife the Empress Adelheid. Regardless of the reason, by February of 1390, 32,000 British had arrived and landed in the Levant. Never before had an English or British monarch ever led his army in the Holy Land. And while Lord Giselbert was the more martial mind and planner, Anselm indeed led his soldiers and directed all of the diplomacy between the various other leaders of Pisa, the Pope and the Knights. He was 48 years old in 1390 and seemingly at the height of his power. And much as he had done in previous efforts, this Emperor threw himself in full bore. Quick victories were found at Irbid and Acre before Anselm set to siege at Arsuf. Before the year was out, Arsuf would fall to him and word was sent back to his Empire to call up all the Lords and an additional 30,000 soldiers.
It was an amazing effort by all involved and even though some of the great Lords would die (namely the Lord Chancellor Duke Alvar of Burgundy and Duke Raynaud of Berry), by 1391 Acre, Mirabel, Haifa, Nablus and Asqalan had fallen to either Giselbert or Anselm. The Pope himself arrived in the Holy Land and fought alongside the British Emperor. Within a year, the armies of the British would be the lead contributor as more and more cities fell to Anselm’s powerful might. The Duke of Normandy would die as the walls of Harbijah fell and the husband of Duchess Mathilde of Bourbon fell in battle near the same time possibly leading to her premature death at only 22, but Anselm pushed forward. Agelen fell to him in the summer of 1392 and then finally Semsem in October. In short, within three years, the Crusade was over. No other Christian Prince had followed the initial members and so it was only natural and right that Emperor Anselm was to be claimed the King of Jerusalem.
At 50 years old, Emperor Anselm was now King of seven Kingdoms and held land and titles throughout the known world. Many of his faithful knights were rewarded with lands and titles in the Levant, most notably Sir Ralph of Lindisfarne who was created the Earl of Hebron. Anselm created for himself the Duchy of Ascalon which someday was to be gifted to his young son Arthur. And the Emperor’s distant cousin Hugo was named the Bishop of Jerusalem, which would within two years, completely convert to Christianity as all moslem faith was snuffed out. It was perhaps the greatest victory of any English/British monarch in history and Emperor Anselm was rightly lauded with praise and honor all the way on his return to England.
While a huge victory, it was to be short lived for while Anselm was gone, certain actors decided to take advantage. Upon his return, the Emperor would learn of a plot involving his eldest daughter Princess Anne. Another involved his cousin to Munster, Lord Philip. Whether to his credit or discredit, it can surely be seen that the historical nature of Wessex maintained in this great Emperor as we look to his reaction to these twin troubles. In the latter issue, Anselm had long held distrust with his cousins to Munster from the time he was a minority Emperor until now. They held great claim being directly related through the male line of Arthur of Wessex and for many years, there were no lack of others hoping to stand behind these figures, whether it be Lord Eadgar, his son Lord Randolph or the now Lord of Munster, Duke Philip. Whether for Wales or Ireland and especially England, there would always be some minor Lord or Baron looking to prop them up and by this date, it could no longer be ignored. It can be argued that it was the Empress that pushed these policies at the time, but it is known that at some point within 1393, Emperor Anselm started his own plot to kill his cousin to Munster. While it would take some time, ultimately it would be successful when highwaymen ambushed and killed the Lord on the road to his keep in 1396 and now it was a young boy of 2 in the form of Duke Gregory of Munster.
While this may be considered tragic, it is the first case of the two that brings more pause when looking back at this Emperor’s reign. It has already been seen that Emperor Anselm held few qualms placing his sister to a prison back in 1365. There she remained to Cupar as her son now ruled her realm with many restrictions. So it was quite a shock that upon his return from the Holy Land, Anselm placed his own daughter to her private rooms where she would never be released by her father. It can be argued that her new, young intended husband King Ewen of Navarre came of age in 1392 and once met they may have begun plotting to kill young Arthur. With him dead, Anne would inherit all but France. That she had returned to Westminster by this time perhaps gave it more credence. Yet who were her followers? That would never be revealed. All that is known from documents is that she was placed to prison, and more so by her own mother Empress Adelheid. More to that, her betrothal was broken to King Ewen of Navarre and instead he would be betrothed to the next sister Princess Mathilda whom would instead marry this King of Navarre in 1396.
If these events bothered the Emperor, few could see it though he would grow quite ill in 1393, however that can possibly be traced to his time in the Levant as many of the crusading soldiers came down with mysterious diseases upon their return. Anselm did spend a good time of the year to his sickbed as he dictated his desires to men of the privy council and his wife the Empress Adelheid. He would recover by the end of the year and then in 1394, set out on yet another adventure. The one hold out on the entirety of the British Isles remained the last of the so-called Kingdom of Moray located in the very far north in Caithness. Anselm’s grandmother Queen Maud had done much to reduce this highland kingdom before the Emperor inherited Scotland, but now was the time to complete her work. This war would take less than a year. Lead by the Emperor’s cousin the Duke Giselbert of Toulouse, a British army marched north and defeated all comers by May of 1394. Thurso would fall as the snows fell and in the end, the last of the island’s Kingdoms had been conquered. It was true that some small islands to the north were still held by the now very small Kingdom of Norway, but finally the entirety of the British Isles were held by the Empire.
1395 would see a change on the council as the Lord Chancellor Duke Lachlan II died at age 55, but his role was quickly filled by Earl Raymond of Leicester and in truth, the two most important advisors remained the Empress Adelheid and Lord Giselbert. As long as these two strong figures remained to Anselm’s side, he would be secure. As we have seen, the plot against Lord Philip was in full force at this time and after he was ambushed by highwaymen in 1396 and his very young son Gregory inherited Munster at only 2 years of age, the Emperor was now able to turn his attentions back to the continent. One might assume his eye would look to the Holy Roman Empire and he did consider another war. However by this date, there was yet another Kaiserin, the 32 year old Adelinde who held a husband considered infirm and incapable and a young son of her own named Georg. They were not considered much of a threat but that did not stop the Emperor and his wife the Empress from looking to mischief there. In fact, extent documents prove that they planned and succeeded with a plot to see the Kaiserin killed. It would take not only the life of her infirm husband, but even after she quickly remarried, her life as well. Little is known of the details of the plot, but she was found deceased in her bed in the late summer of 1396. The young Georg was then elected as Holy Roman Emperor and a regency was formed led by an unlikely figure, the elderly Duke Michael of Brabant who was a man of Wessex himself. Was this Duke involved in the plot? No records say yes, but that familial connection (no matter how distant) must be considered.
These events are but a precursor to what would come later, but first Emperor Anselm held another interest to the continent. While there remained some lands of the ancient Frankish Kingdom still under control of either the Holy Roman Empire and Castille and the Bretons who continued their fight with one another, Emperor Anselm at this time decided to open up yet another front for his Empire. For over a hundred years, Navarre had been split in half with first England and then the British Empire holding lands and vassals in the east. The rest of Iberia was a melange with the Knights Templar ruling much of the south after their successful reconquista of the Moors, the Kingdom of Leon ruling most of the rest, and the smaller Kingdoms of Castille, Galicia and the very tiny Kingdom of Aragon representing in various areas to the north. While the Holy Roman Empire found some few lands to the south of British Navarre, there did remain some Muslim influence still in the area of Valencia. Now ruled by the Catalan Duke Renard d’Alacant, he was a western Lord but took to the Sunni faith of Islam and ruled his lands as a Moslem. This Duke was currently involved in a war with the monarchs of Castille, Leon and Galicia and in 1396, Emperor Anselm made promise as a Holy cause that he would eradicate this heresy from Iberia. War was declared in 1396 and as has been seen in previous episodes, it would not last terribly long. Lasting only two years, at first all victories were had by Lord Giselbert but then Anselm himself left England to lead and arrived in Valencia in June of 1397. On the way, he would see his second daughter Princess Mathilda to Navarre to marry King Ewen who would then join the Emperor’s cause. Many more victories were then had as this Duke Renard had little left to resist his attackers and by August of 1398, Emperor Anselm was able to press his peace.
Total defeat was demanded and now all of the lands of Valencia were held by the Emperor. He would then create his own Duchy of Valencia and named the 39 year old Anselm of Bardney as Duke. The last of heresy was wiped away within Iberia and once more Emperor Anselm was hailed as a Christian hero. In less than ten years, this Emperor had reconquered the Holy Land and rid the continent of Moslem influence. He’d completed the conquest of the British Isles begun over 400 years earlier and even made the difficult choice of putting his own daughter to a prison to protect his son and heir as well as practiced in death plots against both his cousin to Munster and the very Kaiserin of the Holy Roman Empire. Emperor Anselm may have been called the most Christian of all monarchs, but it was clear to all that he would not cease in his efforts to not only protect his realm but continue to build in the manner of his great-grandfather. These twin concerns would rule the rest of his life which at this date would only be another ten years and will be covered in the next section.
* * *
To be continued...
To be continued...
It is a feature of these latter Wessex Emperors that, in public recognition, they ride high. Take Anselm, liberator of Jerusalem, defender of the church - there are so many accolades.
Indeed. Yet in descipable acts, he is as Wessex as any. Little seem to remain of the innocent young boy asked by Nicholas what is his dream.
A great crusading victory, with others to follow. Massive forces unleashed and it must have been a swashbuckling campaign, and not without losses.
But let’s now get into the juicy stuff!
Or was it just on general principles, because HRE?
But let’s now get into the juicy stuff!
Well, it’s Wessex vs Wessex again - always a death match! Fair enough.
Only a shock for those unfamiliar with Wessex family history.
The British map fully de-gored after centuries of effort.
But of course, after all she threatened - er, what was it she was threatening to do to demand this executive action?
Or was it just on general principles, because HRE?
The HRE to Wessex is like Phrygia to my AARs.Or was it just on general principles, because HRE?
France is still pretty messy and Iberia is a mess but yeah, much better.
The empire is doing very well. Depending on what they want to focus on now, they can either start taking more Mediterranean islands from Valencia to dominate trade in a network from Spain all the way to Jerusalem. They could also try the same thing by taking land against the remaining muslims in north Africa.
Iberia could be tamed either as tributaries or outright conquest, but that would probably be a huge commitment and take a long time.
They probably will finish the cleansing of france and kick the hre out to give both sides a much more secure and stable border.
Or, and this would be mostly for piety and prestige, they could carry on trying to build a kingdom in the middle east. That would also probably take a lot of commitment and time.
Lots of choices here.
Fb-fb:
That was likely the worst thing I did the whole game. Just for lack of something better to do. Pretty cavalier, I grant you. But they're the HRE. So yeah...general principles.
To all - The Crusade in this past update was truly a thing of wonder. I've tried it a few times with other monarchs (both in this game and others) but it never went this well. More to that, it was an edge of the seat thing as I kept notice of who had the most contribution. Right up until the last minute, Pisa and the Knights had edged me but I kept sending more and more and just before the peace was struck, I moved ahead. I mean...a matter of days! I overtook Pisa just as the war score reached 100%. If nothing else, this proved Anselm's moniker of 'The Great.' Sure, he got into some mischief elsewhere but God surely smiles upon him for reclaiming the Holy Land (and then finishing the reconquista.)
As I hinted, Anselm doesn't have much time left to him but there was still a lot left to go in the game. I'm just about to the end of the writing to get to 1453. Look for the next update tomorrow and thanks for reading and commenting!
Which only pushes their sense of self worth and indulges their worse instincts.
He's not as bad as Arthur, but indeed he did stoop to some underhanded means to gain his ends.
Because...HRE.A great crusading victory, with others to follow. Massive forces unleashed and it must have been a swashbuckling campaign, and not without losses.
But let’s now get into the juicy stuff!
Well, it’s Wessex vs Wessex again - always a death match! Fair enough.
Only a shock for those unfamiliar with Wessex family history.
The British map fully de-gored after centuries of effort.
But of course, after all she threatened - er, what was it she was threatening to do to demand this executive action?
That was likely the worst thing I did the whole game. Just for lack of something better to do. Pretty cavalier, I grant you. But they're the HRE. So yeah...general principles. Mortal enemies forever!The HRE to Wessex is like Phrygia to my AARs.
Lot of choices but I'm running out of time here. As you see, Iberia becomes the new focus in these last years and the French borders remained a desire. That quick war for Valencia was great. Frankly, I should have tried to do what the Knights Templar did years ago and kick the Moors out. Would have put me ahead of the game there.
To all - The Crusade in this past update was truly a thing of wonder. I've tried it a few times with other monarchs (both in this game and others) but it never went this well. More to that, it was an edge of the seat thing as I kept notice of who had the most contribution. Right up until the last minute, Pisa and the Knights had edged me but I kept sending more and more and just before the peace was struck, I moved ahead. I mean...a matter of days! I overtook Pisa just as the war score reached 100%. If nothing else, this proved Anselm's moniker of 'The Great.' Sure, he got into some mischief elsewhere but God surely smiles upon him for reclaiming the Holy Land (and then finishing the reconquista.)
As I hinted, Anselm doesn't have much time left to him but there was still a lot left to go in the game. I'm just about to the end of the writing to get to 1453. Look for the next update tomorrow and thanks for reading and commenting!