Wessex falls!
- Thread starter Kerney
- Start date
Perhaps at least some, if not most of what is, IOTL, today's England might well become an extension of Scandinavia. But what if a (mostly) Celtic remnant survives in the farther west of Britain afterwards, like in say, Wales, and Cornwall + Devon(and maybe a few places besides)? It would be interesting to see how these two very different civilizations might develop in the centuries to come.
I think terrain would help the Welsh and the Scots hold on. However, there would be more settlers attracted by the victory, so Ireland and Normandy might have a harder time of it and or become more Norse in character.
Also, Christianity would spread more slowly if at all. Otl England was the source of most missionaries that were effective in Scandinavia. With the Churches in ruins and the priests slaughtered, England might do something like Iceland (to a lesser extent), where there were numerous Christians among the original settlers (mostly Irish) but no infrastructure to sustain the faith. As a result the faith died in a generation.
Also, Christianity would spread more slowly if at all. Otl England was the source of most missionaries that were effective in Scandinavia. With the Churches in ruins and the priests slaughtered, England might do something like Iceland (to a lesser extent), where there were numerous Christians among the original settlers (mostly Irish) but no infrastructure to sustain the faith. As a result the faith died in a generation.
GdwnsnHo
Banned
Mercia moves in to take over the region, supported by the Anglo-Saxons already present - easily conquering the region from the Norse.
It creates an opportunity for the Northumbrians and East Anglians to invade Mercia. If this happens, the Britons in Wales join in the dogpile.
The reckless Vikings who didn't invade in crazy numbers (I'm assuming no Great Heathen Invasion here) are quickly defeated, their most significant detail being that they threw the current English stalemate to the wind.
It creates an opportunity for the Northumbrians and East Anglians to invade Mercia. If this happens, the Britons in Wales join in the dogpile.
The reckless Vikings who didn't invade in crazy numbers (I'm assuming no Great Heathen Invasion here) are quickly defeated, their most significant detail being that they threw the current English stalemate to the wind.
The OP is pretty obviously talking about the Great Heathen Army, and Alfred the Great being defeated.
That said, you probably would still see a rump Anglo-Saxon state holding out (compare Spain after the Moorish invasion destroyed the Visigoths). And of course Scotland, Ireland and Wales had their own Viking problems.
But I suspect you would still see a fairly quick conversion and assimilation of the ruling class to Christianity and a similar culture; there are too few Vikings and too many Anglo-Saxons.
That said, you probably would still see a rump Anglo-Saxon state holding out (compare Spain after the Moorish invasion destroyed the Visigoths). And of course Scotland, Ireland and Wales had their own Viking problems.
But I suspect you would still see a fairly quick conversion and assimilation of the ruling class to Christianity and a similar culture; there are too few Vikings and too many Anglo-Saxons.
GdwnsnHo
Banned
The pedant in me always likes to make a distinction between the Norse and Vikings, one is a culture, the other a career.
POD
878 Gothrum kills Alfred and his court in a surprise night-attack. G proclaims himself king of the norse, angels and saxons. (in that order). The rebuild of London ensues where he places his capital.
879 -889 Some consilidation of the land is done, there is a steady influx of norse people, danes in the south but mostly norwegians in Northubria.
890 Gothrum dies, chaos ensues. Wessex, Mercia and Northubria declares petty kings for themselves while no dane seems to get the upperhand in the denelaw proper.
892 -96 Due to changing luck on the continent a large viking fleet sets sail for England, the notorious Hastein quickly emerges as the victor with his experienced troops after a short but brutal campaign. Hastein doesn't declare himself king but is the facto ruler of the danelaw and saxon lands.
His oldest son Jostein is set as Jarl over the Saxon lands and the younger Öystein is set to be Jarl of the eastern provinces. Northubria is subdued but can govern themselves under a Norwegian Jarl.
897 Jostein is declared king as the by now elderly Hasteins authoroty veins with his age. He marries off his oldest son Hastein to westsaxon noble-woman. By this the formerly Wessex is somewhat subdued but rule of Mercia remains shaky.
After Hasteins death 899 Jostein sets to modernize and reformate the country after continental standards and a period of rehabilitation ensues.
905 Öystein dies in sickness without a son tok take over as Jarl. Josteins appoints one of the not too well liked danes from the continental troops as Jarl of the eastern provinces. One of Öysteins daughters i married to a prominent merican family. Northumbria expands towards the north since after a new influx a loot-hungry norse vikings.
As Jostein growls older his consoldiation of the south continues but Northumbria is getting more independent by the day, in 911 their Jarl proclaims himself king, but is mostly interested in adventoures in the north.
913 Hastein II becomes king as his father dies, with him most of the continental vikings are gone and the land is on a more equal foot, although there are som rifts between the danish and anglosaxon parts.
915 Without the old guard of battlexperienced continentals as a viable powerbase Hastain II is not seen as a strong ruler and there are words of conspiracies in both Merica and Danelaw. To strenghten his position he declares that there should be 4 Jarls instead of 2. The new Jarls resides in Wessex, Sussex (London), Mercia and East Anglia (Danelaw). He appoints members of his wifes westsaxon family as Jarls of two most western jarldoms and appoints his brother as Jarl of the danelaw regions. His young son Harald is set as a mostly cermonial Jarl of the smallest region. By this he thinks that he has strenghten his bond to the Wessex powerbase and tighten his reign in the east.
918 In a change of luck the norse in Northumbria is are overrun by a Scottish invasion and a great deal of norse flee to the danelaw. This helps to reverse some of the demographic discepencies between the danish and east-anglian commons. But Northubria is left in an anemic state. The northumbrian king is killed in battle and Hastein is sent pleas for help.
919 Hastein is no warrior-lord as his forefathers but when the unrest threathens to spread in to Mercia he call upon his armies.
920 Hastein is wounded in an early battle and withdraws to London to recover, Harald on the other hand distinguishes himself as a berserker of the old times and after a few initial setbacks he clears the north of intruders with a help of a few new norse reinforcements. After this Northubria is anew set under rule from London where as Harald is placed as Jarl. Sussex on the other hand comes directly under the king instead, so the number of jarls remain four.
925 There is a bit of a outrage when Harald in contrast to earlier customs in the family marries a woman of norse decent instead of english and thereby undermines his fathers diplomatically crafted political platform. Hastein tries to sooth his allies in Wessex by coupling his daughter and his brothers daughters to the sons of the western Jarls. He also appoints an Anglian nobleman as Jarl of the danelaw region which is seen favourable by the majority of the countrys population but not so by those of danish decent.
927 Harald joins a civilwar over the sees in Norway to help some of his wifes parties wich came to help on his side in the Northubrian campaign. They mangage to dethrone the former king who manages to escape to Denmark.
931 Hastein II dies and Harald returns to take up the crown, a controversial figure in his native country to whom he is hard to distinguish from a foreign warlord. Unlike his father he has proven himself a strong leader and doesn't concern himself too much with his fathers diplomatic framework.
935 Harald I doesn't particulary trust the Jarls of the western provinces and decides to shuffle things around in manner more to his liking. He appoints his norse wifes brother as a Jarl of the northmost province, reinstates the side-branch of his family deposed by Hastein II as Jarls of the Danelaw. In Murcia and Wessex he angers the locals by putting men of norse decent as Jarls of the western provinces, which has been unheard of for decades. In a small concession the wessex-lord married to his sister gets to be Jarl of Sussex, even if it is seen as a hostage by some in Wessex. By this his Jarls are very loyal to him, but overall condition of the land is a bit more at unrest than under his father. But with his strong grip he sees it fit to take increase the taxes to help realise his military reforms.
939 Haralds allies in Norway gets ousted from the throne once Olav, the son of former Norwegian king is reinstated with help from Denmark. Some of the theese flee to Haralds court for protection, by the same year Harald sets to harry the welsh territories in the far west on the island. The norwegian refugees are put at leaders for these parties which is seen as an insult to the native noblemen who was eager to seek glory as leaders in combat.
941 Haralds forces subdues most of the resistance in the Welsh parts, any form of real annexion is not enforced though. Harald recieves word from Olaf that those who fled from Norway are wanted for treason and he could go the same way if he contiues to protect them. Some of the nobles from Wessex and Mercia means that it would be best to comply and send away those northern troublemakers but Harald is dismissive of the request and manages to insult the new king of Norway further.
945 The comparatively hard rule of Harlad takes it toll and a few norse taxcollectors are slain in the saxon parts of the country, Harlad sends a punitive expidition but the locals rallies to resist. The situation i at risk to sprial out of hands when a few lesser noblemen sides with the rebellion, the still formidable Harald I takes the matter in own hands an rides out with his own hird of norsmen to quenches the upstartlers before a real wildfire starts. The dissent doesn't go unnoticed abroad though...
948 An open rebellion starts in Wessex which instigation seems to have been bolstered by envoys of the Norwegian king, Harald sends his son Haakon to test his wings in battle but the youngling is not up to the task and the rebellion i soon spread to Mercia. Those not native in birth and tounge of the saxon parts are driven to the east. The now greybearded Harald has lost some swiftness from his youth and leaves London to take command of loyal forces from the danelaw Jarl while the nothernmost Jarl sets to join forces with the struggeling Haakon in Mercia.
Thanks to some goodwill from the Sussex the entirety of the Wessex is not engulfed in rebellion and Harald succeeds in stomping out the rebellion in the southern parts before joining forces with Haakon, who by now has made up some ground, to finish off the rebellion.
950 The peace has only just been achieved before a doublepronged norwegian-danish fleet is sighted in the eastern shores. Olaf lands in the still norseinfluenced Northumbrian province and the danish fleet lands longer to the south. Since the most capable forces are in taken to the field in the west bridgeheads are soon established.
Harold doesn't want to split his forces once again and but tries to rally some saxon troops considering the recent rebellion he is left mostly emptyhanded. He recognises the army of the danish king as the biggest threath, by now besigeing London, and heads to the south, while a skirmish force is sent to fend the Norwegians.
Harolds forces are battlehardened but not in the greatest of condition after a prolonged campaign, the numerical is also to their disadvantage. Harold army clashes with the army from Denmark and takes a Pyrrhic-victory in a bloody battle where Haakon dies early on and Harald later succumbs to his wounds after having succeeded in driving away the danish invadors.
This leaves the kingdome without a king and a clear heir, with a the norwegian army still in the field. It seems the closest in line for the throne is the son of Haralds sister in Sussex, incrodulously enough he goes by the name of Harstein.
As Hastein the III he up to a tough situation where much of the lands resources and armies are depleted. Due to his lineage to Wessex through his father and a smooth tounge he is able to bolster his armies before facing to the north.
951 Hastein III takes his army north and and meets Olaf who by then has made his way to Mercia. As it happens Olaf was mostly bolstered as a puppet of the danes and withouth them as his backbone, his army is routed by Harsteins forces. Olaf manages to flee back to Norway but is quickly owerthrown after the danish support is withdrawn.
955 After a couple of years dealing with the direct aftermath of the previous years crisis, Hastein III is compelled to make an accord with the nobles and commons of his land as stabilize the country. The biggest problem with Haralds rule was the precieved alienness of the ones he appointed. Hastein was willing to grant that taxcollectors would only be locals, the Jarls was a harder concession but it was agreed upon that a Jarl in the west had to be of Saxon origin and those in the east of norse. By this time christianty had begun to take root also in the danelaw region, as to accomodate the majority of his subjects Hastein converted to Christianity.
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Wait, the long term consequenses=?
Oh, well...
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