Dramatis personae
Name: Erling Gnupasson d’Eu
Born : 1235
Children : Ragnhild Erlingsdottir
Father : Gnupa Öysteinsson d’Eu
Title : King of Ireland and Wales
King Erling had become king of Ireland in 1266, after the suicide of his brother, Harald Gnupasson a.k.a. ‘Harald the Mad’ or ‘Harald the Kinslayer’. His father was Gnupa Öysteinsson d’Eu, who was murdered by the occult Muslim sect of the Assassins in 1245 during his crusade to liberate Jerusalem from the Saracens.
His eldest son, Harald, was with king Gnupa at that time and it is believed that this traumatic experience was the cause of the later insanity of Harald. At first Haralds condition seemed harmless, but his moodswings got worse and worse until he got so crazy that he killed his wife and only legitimate son, Halsten in 1264. In 1266, servants found king Harald dead in his room, he had hanged himself. Though it was whispered that some people had given him a helping hand.
King Erling has reasonable administrative, military and diplomatic skills, but his political abilities aren’t considered very high. His wife and he are still praying and hoping that they will get a son and heir to the throne.
Erling is also a very pious person who even his visited the Holy land, though his campaign to liberate Sicily from the Saracens failed when his compatriots, the duke of Salerno and that of Apulia. Double-tricked him and made peace behind his back with the Emir of Palermo. But his piety has gained him enormous influence in the Papal court, an influence which he used to excommunicate the king of Wales, Owain von Franken.
This excommunication lead to a war between Ireland and Wales. A war in which Erling was victorious and gaining him the kingtitle of Wales and the duke-title of Gwynedd.
King Erling is married to Zwinislava Moneta and they have one daughter named Raghnhild Erlingsdottir.
Name : Torben Haraldsson d’Eu
Born : 1254
Children : Gudrød Torbensson, Bjørn Torbensson and Fiongualla Torbensdottir
Father : Harald Gnupasson d’Eu
Title : Duke of Northumbria
Duke Torben is the only surviving (illegitimate) son of king Harald Gnupasson, he bas been made duke of Northumbria by his uncle, king Erling. Torben is married to Aina van Vlaanderen and they have three young children. Two boys, Gudrød and Bjørn and one daughter Fiongualla.
Torben is a loyal supporter (or so it seems) of his uncle, the king. Unlike the king though, his political skills are rated much higher. So you never know what he really is up to.
Torben is hoping that king Erling will, soon, legitimise him and declare him as his heir. He knows that once Erling gets a son of his own, this hope will be in vain. So there is every reason for him to prevent such a thing from happening.
Name : Henry FitzAlexander d’Eu
Born : 1213
Children : Zwinislava
Father : Alexander FitzOdo d’Eu
Title : Duke of Norfolk
Duke Henry, is the oldest living member of the d’Eu-family and the son of the first d’Eu king of Ireland, Alexander FitzOdo. His wife is Kunegunda Wlostowic, a member of the royal house of Sweden, they have one daughter Zwinislava.
King Alexander FitzOdo only had illegitimate children but of those he had plenty, namely 7 sons. When it became clear to his sons that they would never inherit their fathers titles they started conspiring against the new king, Öystein. But the rebellion of the two elder brothers of Henry FitzAlexander was simply crushed.
Henry himself raised the banner of revolt in 1266 against king Erling, claiming that it was Erling who was behind the death of king Harald ad that he, Henry, was the eldest living d’Eu more entitled to become king that this new kinslayer. But Henry’s revolt also failed, because of the lack of support. Though king Erling was very generous towards Henry and let him keep all his titles, Henry just had to swear his loyalty and had to promise never to rebel again. This generosity made Henry a loyal follower of the king. But now at the age of 65, he has turned into a grumpy old man without a son to inherit him and a man who might feel that there is just one more chance to make his mark on history.
Name : William FitzAlexander d’Eu
Born : 1246
Children : -
Father : Alexander FitzGodfrey d’Eu
Title : Duke of Munster
William FitzAlexander is a cousin of king Erling and currently heir-presumptive of the crown. He also is the first Prince of the Blood and has been made duke of Munster in 1266, receiving the duchy from king Erling, who was duke of Munster before him. William is married to Prawst von Franken, a sister of the former king of Wales, Owain.
Many people consider duke William as a genius, he himself thinks so to. His wife though has a big influence on any decision he makes. There only child, a boy named Drogo has died in his infancy, leaving the couple hapless.
Duke William himself is obsessed with a thing he calls the ‘True Blood’, he dislikes anyone who isn’t from the ‘True Blood’ of the Noble Normans. Bastards, even if they are relatives and nobility themselves, are considered by him as lowly creatures.
William’s dislike for bastards is only exceeded by his personal hatred against king Erling. A hatred that is fuelled by his wife, who wants to revenge her brother, the former king of Wales.
Name : Henry FitzRobert d’Eu
Born : 1227
Children : Richard FitzHenry, Gerald FitzHenry, Godfrey FitzHenry, Randolph FitzHenry and William FitzHenry
Father : Robert FitzAlexander d’Eu
Title : Duke of The Isles
Henry FitzRobert is the second Prince of the Blood in the kingdom. He was made Prince of the Blood in a grand ceremony in 1267. His father was Robert FitzAlexander, another bastard-son of king Alexander FitzOdo. But because Henry had stayed loyal to king Erling in the revolt of the duke of Norfolk, Erling legitimised Henry’s father posthumely, as a reward. Henry had succeeded as father as the second duke of the Isles in 1243.
Henry has been married twice, first to Sibylla of Cumberland who gave him three sons, Odo, who died at a young age, Richard and Gerald. After the death of his first wife, Henry took as his second wife, his cousin Clemenza d’Eu, whose grandfather had been one of the stepbrothers of duke Henry’s father. This marriage gave him, besides three daughters, two more sons, Randolph and William.
There are rumours though that some of the children of this second marriage are mentally weak and physically disabled, a thing blamed on the consanguinity of the two parents.
Duke Henry is also the father of Godfrey FitzHenry and he is the one that wrote him a letter, urging him to come home in complete secrecy.
Name : Richard FitzHenry d’Eu
Born : 1246
Children : -
Father : Henry FitzRobert d’Eu
Title : -
Richard is the oldest living son of duke Henry of the Isles. In his younger years he was regard a happy and cheerful person. But a personal tragedy all changed this, his three young sons, Robert, Roger and Richard went sailing one day without approval and also without any adult present, there small boat was caught into one of the many strong currents that surrounds The Isles and the boat was smashed on a cliff, causing the death of all three of them.
From that day on, Richard became a much more darker and sceptical figure who saw no meaning in life anymore.
Name : Gerald FitzHenry d’Eu
Born : 1248
Children : 5 daughters
Father : Henry FitzRobert d’Eu
Title : -
Gerald is the second son of duke Henry, he is not very liked figure and is hostile to any person that he meets. When he was still a young boy he liked to bully his step-brother Godfrey. Even now that he is a grown man he still likes to bully anyone who is smaller and weaker them him. And because he is the son of the duke most people are weaker then him and even those who dare to stand up to him will feel his wrath.
Another thing that is upsetting him, and a thing he also sees as a personal insult to his manliness is the fact that he only has fathered daughters, five of them none the less.
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