Well, here it is, my first timeline. It's just a first draft so be gentle.
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Out of the North (844-900)
The history of the Almozudes begins with the first Viking raids in 844. There was no sort of master plan, but more to see what pickings could be had. In the summer of 844, a fleet of a hundred ships set sail to the south from Viking bases in Francia. There they found the Kingdom of Asturias in the grips of civil War between Ramiro and the usurper Nepocian. Ramiro attempted to drive off the Vikings and ultimately met his death at their hands. Nepocian now found his position greatly strengthened and continued the war against Ramiro's son, Ordoño.
By now, however the Vikings had moved south attacking the lands of the Emirate of Cordoba. They sacked Lisbon and sailed up the Guadalquivir to sack Seville, but were defeated by a Moorish army a few weeks later. Although many were killed, some did return to Noirmoutier and word spread among the Vikings of the plunder available in Asturias. Consequently, this kingdom was to see the worst of the Viking raids in Iberia over the next forty years.
The Vikings returned in 845 to sack Oviedo, killing many of the Asturian nobility. Nepocian, despite the warnings, neglected the coastal defenses in his war with Ordoño. Also neglected were the southern borders as the Moors made more inroads into the area, securing their borders along the Duero. In 848 Rodrigo, Ramiro’s son is captured by Vikings and slain.
The Vikings returned nearly every year to raid Asturias and occasionally Pamplona. The Pamplonans would buy them off with Danegelds, but in Asturias, Nepocian used nearly all his money to continue his war. He did hire the Vikings in 849 and gave them horses to fight against Ordoño’s forces which they inflicted a devastating defeat near Vigo, but they were in turn defeated at Pontevedra a few weeks later.
The raids continued into the 850’s as the war between Ordoño and Nepocian dragged on. Viking armies would occasionally fight for one side or another, but mostly they raided whenever they could. There is a questionable story that armies of Nepocian and Ordoño (without either commander present) joined together to fight off the Vikings at the sack of La Coruña in 852, although they arrived too late.
It was in 854 that Ordoño finally succeeded in capturing his enemy, Nepocian and executing him by the field known only as the Campo Dos Estrelas, whose exact location has been lost, but is speculated to be near Santiago de Compostela. After Nepocian's death, his followers returned to the countryside, and the nobles sowre fealty to Ordoño. With his hold over the kingdom secure, Ordoño begins constructing coastal defenses. His greatly weakened army however, is at a loss to try and defend both the coast and the south. In 856 he moved the capitol to Lugo from Oviedo.
854 also marks the first appearance of a man who would change the course of history: Bjorn Ironsides. A son of Ragnar Lodbrok, Bjorn was a successful Viking with a long raiding career in France, and would join raids in Spain over the next few years, leading the sack of Santander in 857. His greatest feat, however, came in 859 when he and his brother Hastein sailed from Francia to raid Asturias and the Emirate with 62 ships. This was the first major raid on Andalus since the initial attacks in 844.
The Great Raid of 859-62 has become a thing of legend and treated in other works far better then here. So we will offer only a brief summary. Bjorn and Hastein found the Asturian defense of Ordoño formidable and sailed down the coast and after a naval battle with the Moors, the fleet slipped into the Mediterranean where they raided the East coast of Spain and the south coast of France into Italy where they sacked Luna, believing it to be Rome. From there their whereabouts are less certain, although there is a record of a raid against Cyprus. They returned to the western Med where they were defeated by the Cordovan fleet, but about thirty ships managed to slip through Gibraltar. On the way home to France, they managed to capture King Garcia of Pamplona and ransomed him for a large payment.
Bjorn returned again 863 to raid Asturias, and was paid off with a Danegeld of 8000 pounds of silver form the Pamplonans. It is believed that Bjorn returned to Scandinavia after this a rich man. It was in this time that Bjorn and his brothers were involved in a war in England over revenge for the death of their father at the hands of the king of Northumbria.
In Bjorn’s absence however, other Vikings continued the raids, among them Bjorn’s rival Weland and the mysterious Thorgil the Black of Dublin. It was during this time that Ordoño died and was succeeded by his son, Alfonso III of Asturias.
Alfonso was a patron of the arts and had chronicles created that present Asturias as the rightful heir to the Visigothic kingdom. He paid several Danegelds to the Vikings that raided, but his kingdom was still recovering from the long civil war under his father and grandfather. At the death of his father, the Moors had conquered Cantabria. He attempted to reconquer it, but was defeated by the Cordovans and was forced to pay tribute to them.
Bjorn Ironsides returned in 879 after the affairs in England ended in defeat by Alfred of Wessex. He intended to continue raiding, but found the situation changed. The Moors had taken Cantabria and strengthened the coastal defenses. He was able to sack Santander but was unable to take Pamplona, in a siege. After two weeks when reinforcements arrived he gave up and returned to his ships and said to Noirmountier.
The following summer he returned and was content to receive a large Danegeld and leave. The Moors however, had other plans. They decided the North was not worth defending, due to low population, distance from the capital and nearly constant Asturian raids. Bjorn accepted and was granted the title of Sahib of Almajussa, although he always referred to himself as a jarl.
Many doubted the sincerity of Bjorn’s conversion, as he frequently made allusions to the old gods. But in public, at least to the people and especially the Moors, he put on the front of a good muslim. He was notably impressed when he journeyed to Cordoba in 884. It was while he was here his son Gunni (believed to be the son of an Englishwoman named Hrethergleaw) was fostered to the Emir and raised as a devout Muslim.
Bjorn did go to war against the Asturians again, in 888. When the war ended in 890, the border between Asturias and Almajussa was fixed at the Esla River.
In many history books, the death of Bjorn Ironsides in 891 marked the end of the Viking Era in Majussa, as his son Gunni succeeded him and was a devout Muslim who brought many Cordovan features to the Majussan Court.
In reality, however, certain Viking features remained. Scandinavian was spoken in the court for possibly as long as another century. Al-Majussa was used as a raiding base until 950 AD, despite growing ties to the south.
From History of the Almozuda by Huelavo Ivtuerrimo (trans. William Tracey)
------------------------------
Out of the North (844-900)
The history of the Almozudes begins with the first Viking raids in 844. There was no sort of master plan, but more to see what pickings could be had. In the summer of 844, a fleet of a hundred ships set sail to the south from Viking bases in Francia. There they found the Kingdom of Asturias in the grips of civil War between Ramiro and the usurper Nepocian. Ramiro attempted to drive off the Vikings and ultimately met his death at their hands. Nepocian now found his position greatly strengthened and continued the war against Ramiro's son, Ordoño.
By now, however the Vikings had moved south attacking the lands of the Emirate of Cordoba. They sacked Lisbon and sailed up the Guadalquivir to sack Seville, but were defeated by a Moorish army a few weeks later. Although many were killed, some did return to Noirmoutier and word spread among the Vikings of the plunder available in Asturias. Consequently, this kingdom was to see the worst of the Viking raids in Iberia over the next forty years.
The Vikings returned in 845 to sack Oviedo, killing many of the Asturian nobility. Nepocian, despite the warnings, neglected the coastal defenses in his war with Ordoño. Also neglected were the southern borders as the Moors made more inroads into the area, securing their borders along the Duero. In 848 Rodrigo, Ramiro’s son is captured by Vikings and slain.
The Vikings returned nearly every year to raid Asturias and occasionally Pamplona. The Pamplonans would buy them off with Danegelds, but in Asturias, Nepocian used nearly all his money to continue his war. He did hire the Vikings in 849 and gave them horses to fight against Ordoño’s forces which they inflicted a devastating defeat near Vigo, but they were in turn defeated at Pontevedra a few weeks later.
The raids continued into the 850’s as the war between Ordoño and Nepocian dragged on. Viking armies would occasionally fight for one side or another, but mostly they raided whenever they could. There is a questionable story that armies of Nepocian and Ordoño (without either commander present) joined together to fight off the Vikings at the sack of La Coruña in 852, although they arrived too late.
It was in 854 that Ordoño finally succeeded in capturing his enemy, Nepocian and executing him by the field known only as the Campo Dos Estrelas, whose exact location has been lost, but is speculated to be near Santiago de Compostela. After Nepocian's death, his followers returned to the countryside, and the nobles sowre fealty to Ordoño. With his hold over the kingdom secure, Ordoño begins constructing coastal defenses. His greatly weakened army however, is at a loss to try and defend both the coast and the south. In 856 he moved the capitol to Lugo from Oviedo.
854 also marks the first appearance of a man who would change the course of history: Bjorn Ironsides. A son of Ragnar Lodbrok, Bjorn was a successful Viking with a long raiding career in France, and would join raids in Spain over the next few years, leading the sack of Santander in 857. His greatest feat, however, came in 859 when he and his brother Hastein sailed from Francia to raid Asturias and the Emirate with 62 ships. This was the first major raid on Andalus since the initial attacks in 844.
The Great Raid of 859-62 has become a thing of legend and treated in other works far better then here. So we will offer only a brief summary. Bjorn and Hastein found the Asturian defense of Ordoño formidable and sailed down the coast and after a naval battle with the Moors, the fleet slipped into the Mediterranean where they raided the East coast of Spain and the south coast of France into Italy where they sacked Luna, believing it to be Rome. From there their whereabouts are less certain, although there is a record of a raid against Cyprus. They returned to the western Med where they were defeated by the Cordovan fleet, but about thirty ships managed to slip through Gibraltar. On the way home to France, they managed to capture King Garcia of Pamplona and ransomed him for a large payment.
Bjorn returned again 863 to raid Asturias, and was paid off with a Danegeld of 8000 pounds of silver form the Pamplonans. It is believed that Bjorn returned to Scandinavia after this a rich man. It was in this time that Bjorn and his brothers were involved in a war in England over revenge for the death of their father at the hands of the king of Northumbria.
In Bjorn’s absence however, other Vikings continued the raids, among them Bjorn’s rival Weland and the mysterious Thorgil the Black of Dublin. It was during this time that Ordoño died and was succeeded by his son, Alfonso III of Asturias.
Alfonso was a patron of the arts and had chronicles created that present Asturias as the rightful heir to the Visigothic kingdom. He paid several Danegelds to the Vikings that raided, but his kingdom was still recovering from the long civil war under his father and grandfather. At the death of his father, the Moors had conquered Cantabria. He attempted to reconquer it, but was defeated by the Cordovans and was forced to pay tribute to them.
Bjorn Ironsides returned in 879 after the affairs in England ended in defeat by Alfred of Wessex. He intended to continue raiding, but found the situation changed. The Moors had taken Cantabria and strengthened the coastal defenses. He was able to sack Santander but was unable to take Pamplona, in a siege. After two weeks when reinforcements arrived he gave up and returned to his ships and said to Noirmountier.
The following summer he returned and was content to receive a large Danegeld and leave. The Moors however, had other plans. They decided the North was not worth defending, due to low population, distance from the capital and nearly constant Asturian raids. Bjorn accepted and was granted the title of Sahib of Almajussa, although he always referred to himself as a jarl.
Many doubted the sincerity of Bjorn’s conversion, as he frequently made allusions to the old gods. But in public, at least to the people and especially the Moors, he put on the front of a good muslim. He was notably impressed when he journeyed to Cordoba in 884. It was while he was here his son Gunni (believed to be the son of an Englishwoman named Hrethergleaw) was fostered to the Emir and raised as a devout Muslim.
Bjorn did go to war against the Asturians again, in 888. When the war ended in 890, the border between Asturias and Almajussa was fixed at the Esla River.
In many history books, the death of Bjorn Ironsides in 891 marked the end of the Viking Era in Majussa, as his son Gunni succeeded him and was a devout Muslim who brought many Cordovan features to the Majussan Court.
In reality, however, certain Viking features remained. Scandinavian was spoken in the court for possibly as long as another century. Al-Majussa was used as a raiding base until 950 AD, despite growing ties to the south.
From History of the Almozuda by Huelavo Ivtuerrimo (trans. William Tracey)
