Sorry, I don't think I'll be entering this time <snip> my brain unable to come up with any ideas.
Well, my brain appears to have woken up again, so here goes:
Flag of the North Sea Empire, 1145-1403
Despite the defeat of Harald Hardrada at the
Battle of Stamford Bridge, the rulers of Denmark and Norway continued to covet this rich land, but in-fighting amongst themselves left Cnut the Great's
North Sea Empire split amongst many different rulers. But the dream remained.
The rise to power of
Eric II of Denmark (Eric the Unforgettable) saw a resurgence of Danish influence. He joined forces with enemies of
Magnus IV of Norway (Magnus the Blind) and was acclaimed king of Norway in 1136. After some years of civil war, all the other claimants to the Norwegian throne were either dead or in exile, with Eric now undisputed king of both lands.
At the same time as Eric was asserting his right to both these crowns, the death of Henry I of England led to civil war there as well, as Stephen of Blois and the Empress Matilda competed for the throne.
The Anarchy lasted for many years and devastated large parts of the country.
In 1143, Matilda's half-brother and main supporter, Robert of Gloucester, was died when his horse slipped and fell crossing a ford. On the defensive, Matilda sought help from other sources. It is unclear whether her envoys approached Eric or if he saw a chance and offered support to her. Regardless of who approached whom, in early 1144 Eric landed in South Yorkshire with a substantial force (some sources claim he had over 15,000 men but it is generally believed that his army was about 9000 strong).
Eric's intervention was critical. Matilda's forces now had the upper hand and campaigned across much of southern England simultaneously, laying siege to castles and towns held by lords loyal to Stephen. The use of 'scorched earth' tactics by both sides increased, leading to starvation and outbreaks of disease across much of the land.
Early in 1145, Stephen was killed in an ambush en-route to Lincoln. Matilda, however, did not live long to enjoy her 'victory.' Both she and her 11-year old son died of an unidentified disease whilst travelling to London for her coronation as Queen and his as junior King.
Eric was quick to take advantage of the now unclear succession. Since his initial landing, he had gained the support of many of the northern lords and as a result could call on far greater forces than anyone else. He occupied London and instructed scholars there to seek out records of 'the lineage, descent and ancient right of the King of Denmark, Norway and the Faroe Islands to the crown of England as descendant of Cnut the Great.' Records showing his right to the throne were quickly located and he was crowned King of England on 16th August 1145.
An examination in 1991 of the only surviving record of the 'right' of the Kings of Denmark to the throne of England, apparently dated 1098, showed it to have been written over another document. In 2009, researchers at the University of Leiden recovered the wording of this other document, proving that it had been written some time between 1139 and 1142. It cannot be conclusively proven that Eric had the document forged, but if he did not order it himself, one of his supporters obviously did.
The rejuvenated North Sea Empire of Eric II proved to be longer-lasting than that of his forerunner Cnut. Though Eric himself died only 14 years later, the personal union lasted for another 150 years.
The empire's flag is first recorded in the
Gelre Armorial, alongside the flags of its constituent countries (Denmark, Norway and England).
The flag has the
red cross of England superimposed on the Danish
Dannebrog, with the three leopards (
lions passant guardant) of Denmark in the lower-left corner. Unlike the leopards in the
Danish coat-of-arms, these are uncrowned. The centre of the combined cross forms a
celtic cross, surrounded by four gold roundels. This combined symbol was seen on the reverse of
coins issued by Cnut the Great so is likely to be in tribute to him. The top left of the flag contains a dove, symbolising how the empire united three Christian realms in peace. Scholars dispute whether this was always a dove or whether it started as a raven, recalling the
raven banners borne by Viking armies, including those of Cnut and Harald Hardrada. One early armorial describes the bird as a raven volant argent, lending strength to this argument. It is possible that the raven was changed to a dove in an attempt to distance the new empire from the pagan past, but that the first doves were similar in form to the old ravens. As there are no clear examples of the earliest flags, we will never know.
Edit 17th August: added a bit more about the symbolism of the dove, changed the flag to swallowtail.
