"God Ænd Minh Riht" An Anglo-Saxon England under the Godwinson house.

¿What will be the fate of wales?

  • Independent.

    Votes: 9 11.7%
  • Independent but with Anglish influence.

    Votes: 25 32.5%
  • Part of Angland.

    Votes: 43 55.8%

  • Total voters
    77
  • Poll closed .
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Chapter IX Basilea Komnenoi.
Chapter IX.

Basilea Komnenoi.

"Great was, indeed, the happiness of the Basileous when the land lost to the Turk and the Mahometans was freed and liberated from the foreign invader."

The Alexiad.


After the crusade and the destruction of the Seljuk the Romans reimposed their control in Anatolia, bordering with the original Armenia, still under the oppression of the Caliphate.

Antioch was given to the vassal kingdom of Cilicia, that effectively was a mediator between the emperor and the crusaders, the help that Byzantium gave to the latins was brutal and Alexius played well his cards, effectively vassalizing Edessa and Jerusalem.

His domestic policies towards the recovered land was the assimilation or expulsion of all Turkish males and the marriage of women with greeks, the children were re-educated or assimilated, with most male teens forced to serve in the army.

He also invited Latin immigration from Italy, France and Spain, along German and Anglish one.

He decided to rebuild and improve the empire infrastructure, he reformed the tax, weights and customs codes to make commerce easier and simplify the life of the subjects, ha reparted the ancient fiefdoms of Turkic warlords between nobles and the peasantry to improve agricultural production.

His burocratic reform simplified and improved the government hability to mobilize troops and resources, acknowledge and resolve problems and made easier to ensure law and order, reducing crime.

From 1101 to 1109 the Basileus built several Aqueducts, churches and hospitals through Anatolia.

His relationship with the Crusaders and the Papacy were warm and constructive, he made a law facilitating the commerce with the western kingdoms, effectively reviving Mediterranean comercial activities in a way not seen since the Fall of Rome.

In 1119 Alexius died, his passing was mourned in the whole Christendom, especially in Cilicia.

From 1120 and forth the Greek Empire saw a military revival, reform and expansion to counter the reborn Abbasid and Gazhanid empires, preparing for a decisive conflict against the Islamic Orde.
 
The biggest problem of the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium or the Roman Empire as they call themselves was that the monarchy existed in a republican system which made the role of emperor being unstable when it came to inheritance I would also add in Roman history there's been over 900 emperors from Augustus Constantine XI. I am thinking should England be at peace and not suffering the same internal wars which happened under the Normans and Plantagenet Dynasty than the country may have a greater population but I am thinking of some thing around 5 million to France's 15 to 25 million but with that stated depopulation was also doused by the various invasions of England and William the conqueror Burning the North and the border wars between England and Scotland depopulated Northumberland. I can think of two places the kings of the English can expand there territories the first being Wales due to its divided politics and inheritance system and the second being Ireland with the high Kings ship about die out I would also mention that nationalism do the exist yet so nobody should be talking the English persecuting the Irish or Welsh. Also a fun fact the Pop legitimized Plantagenet rule and Dominion in Wales, Scotland and Ireland in the same fashion at the pope's supported the kings of France because it supported the Roman Catholic churches politics. I think I should also talk about how the pope's undermined the holy Roman Empire and destroyed the Dynasty of Frederick barbarossa.
 
The biggest problem of the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium or the Roman Empire as they call themselves was that the monarchy existed in a republican system which made the role of emperor being unstable when it came to inheritance I would also add in Roman history there's been over 900 emperors from Augustus Constantine XI.
It will change at some point, don’t worry my little friend.
 
I can think of two places the kings of the English can expand there territories the first being Wales due to its divided politics and inheritance system and the second being Ireland with the high Kings ship about die out I would also mention that nationalism do the exist yet so nobody should be talking the English persecuting the Irish or Welsh.
Yo can also legitimate the conquest of Ireland by marrying with some Irish noble and then claiming the right to conquer the land.
 
1FA56F9A-F3C5-4AF5-B925-2984FED8B6DE.jpeg

Alexius I Komnenos.
 
He lost all credibility and people defied his rule as pope.

He still is able to do some evasive maneuvers.
I think the one who loses all credibility is Hildebrand who persuaded the pope to sanctify William's invasion. Gregory will be weakened but not fatally so. What will be the effect on the Anglish church? Bear in mind, the great monasteries of the North will not be weakened by the Harrying. Jarrow persists!
 
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I think the one who loses all credibility is Hildebrand who persuaded the pope to sanctify William's invasion. Gregory will be weakened but not fatally so. What will be the effect on the Anglish church? Bear in mind, the great monasteries of the North will not be weakened by the Harrying. Jarrow persists!
Indeed, the impact was taxes and the expulsion of non-Anglish clergymen.
 
Chapter X.

Their Sonnen King.

"Bellum es Pacis"

Words engraved in the tomb of Eadmund IV.


In 1116 after the death of the king the Sun Prince took the kingdom lead, reigning with wisdom and iron hand.

His first years as king can be described as calm, later in 1125 he saw his first war as king, the Swedish Civil War.

On one side was Håkan Håkanson, cousin of the king as his mother was Gunhild of Wessex, in the other side Magnus, cognatic member of the house and the most important noble in Gothenland.

The war ended some months after the battle of Uppsala, in which Magnus was trampled by a horse and the nobles that supported him were killed, captured or fled the nation, with this Anglish influence in Scandinavia was strengthened along with the relationship between the Godwinson and the Stenkil, this was made manifest after several visits of each king to the other courts.

In one opportunity king Håkan tried to marry Edda Leofwinson of Wessex, daughter of Leofwine, but the church opposed this because clear consanguinity, this didn’t stopped them from fornicating under the king consent, something that ended in the birth of Erik Håkanson, a legitimized bastard.

This wasn’t the only case of endogamic fornication among the Godwinson, the earl of Northumbria, Leofwine and the daughter of Edwin, earl of Mercia, lived in a free union of More Danico until she ended blind because a disease and became nun as repentance for her sins, at least six sons born from this union: Edda, Gunhild, Æthereld, Leofwine, Harold and Mary.

Talking of something different, the Sun King only had three children, Rhodri or Edgar, Emma and Æthelthryth, Rhodri was the most polemic name because it was welsh and not Anglish, this was solved by legally naming him Edgar Rhodri.

He wanted to secure some important alliance in the continent through marriage and succession, he explored the options and finded a girl that looked promising and he found Richeza of Poland, daughter of Bolezlaw III, which wasn’t exactly important but it is something.

His economic policies were of continuation of those started by his father, he married his daughter Emma to the Scottish king and Æthelthryth married with the duke of Brittany, his reign continued calmed until the crusade...
 
That could result in a serious breach with Rome. How does this fit in with the enthusiastic crusading?
The successor of Harold, Eadmund was more tied to France and the continent because of his wife Emma, he was convinced to revert the changes made in the ecclesiastical structure of Angland by his father.
 
Chapter XI Bellum Crucis
Chapter XI.

Bellum Crucis.

"Their shelter has become their tomb."

Leonor of Aquitaine referring to the Siege of Damascus.


After the Muslims invaded Edessa and almost conquered it the Pope called the faithful to take the arms and protect Holy Land once more from the Sword of Islam.

The crusaders divided in three attack groups, Northern or Persian, in the direct hands of Manuel I Komnenos, the duke of Edessa and the Armenians, Syrian led by the King Baldwin III of Jerusalem, the count of Tripoli, Louis VII of France and Conrad of Germany, lastly African, led mostly by the Normans of Sicily and France and some Anglish crusaders although the main force was sent to fight the Wends.

After reaching Holy Land, the Christian leaders debated in the council of Jerusalem what should be their target: Damascus, Aleppo or Mosul, after some heated argument the crusaders decided to attack Aleppo and Damascus, first Aleppo.

In the way to Aleppo they laid siege upon Hieropolis to secure a direct way to Aleppo. Raids against the crusaders continued throughout the siege and almost forced the crusaders to abandon the siege, but the withdrawal of Saif ad-Din and his troops allowed the crusaders to gain the upper-hand and beat back Nur ad-Din’s forces around the city. The sight of the Saracen withdrawal caused the defenders of the city to lose hope and surrender the city, delivering it into the hands of the Christians. Hama and Caesarea were the next cities to fall to the crusaders as the moved north towards Aleppo virtually unopposed, Saif ad-Din having abandoned the campaign and returning to Mosul, whilst Nur ad-Din fell back to Aleppo to prepare the city’s defences. The crusader army now travelled through the Syrian desert towards Aleppo, later on the duke of Anjou Geoffrey and the duke of Burgundy, Robert. Their arrival also brought much needed supplies for them, since they had been struggling and suffering with the issue of supplies for the length of the war.

In early August the Armies of the Cross laid siege over Aleppo, preparing themselves for what will be a long siege.

In the Northern front things were more complicated as they had to fight the Ghaznavids and their armies capables of causing several droughts in the land they passed, Manuel I tried to engage them in Artsaj but he was repelled, he then retreated to the Armenian highlands to have the advantage of the high ground.

In more than one opportunity the Roman soldiers started throwing stones to Persians, killing mens and animals along breaking some transports.

Then they retreated further in Anatolia, camping near Lake Van, where a "battle" ocurred, near seventy thousand Persian warriors marched against the Christendom, in paper sounds dangerous, in reality only means one huge logistical inconvenience and problem, leading to things like running out of water very soon.

Some general had the "brilliant" idea of taking the water from the Lake Van, which is saline and you know what happens to the body when we consume excessive salt quantities.

Almost all the army died or get severely ill to fight, then the Romans came and finished those who didn’t died or fled.

The Ghaznavids then decided to send small armies to harass the crusaders instead after this humiliating defeat.

In the African front the Normans harassed the Fatimid armies and ravaged the coast of Egypt, disembarking in Damietta, capturing it after a two months siege and establishing crusader control on the Sinai, creating a buffer zone between Egypt and the Levant.

In late November the siege of Aleppo came to an end, despite being close to defeat and starvation, the defenders of Aleppo continued to hold out, led by Nur ad-Din, until they were finally overwhelmed by a mixture of sheer numbers and starvation. The crusader sweep through the city, Nur ad-Din was killed as he attempted to fall back to the citadel. With this, the crusaders had succeeded in establishing what was to become part of the Duchy of Syria and capturing one of the main centres of power in the region.

After the fall of Aleppo the crusaders quickened to reach Damascus, letting the Germans to protect the rear in case of an Abbasid attack, the march north now began, first to Banias and then onto Damascus itself. When they arrived outside Damascus they attacked from the west, setting up their camp in the orchards there after driving back the Abbasid who were defending them.

After a catapult volley wrecked the gate and extensive parts of the walls the crusaders trampled the Islamic defenders, overwhelming them and breaking the barricades and barriers erected in the night, the subsequent sack of the city was so brutal and dishonorable that the king Louis executed many of the offenders.

In the north an Armenian army of fifty thousand recovered Edessa only to lose it again when the Caliph himself and a massive army swarmed and expelled the Armenians, even reaching Antioch and Cilicia.

The Franks tried to aliviate some pressure by cutting the Abbasid supply lines, something that worked until the Abbasids returned and chased them.

Because this the Armenians managed to retake land, they advanced and laid siege upon Mosul, that was severely unmanned after a plague wiped the garrison.

In Cisjordania, the armies of the Caliph entered like a beast, the Muslims reached the Dead Sea and captured the surroundings, reaching the vincinity of Jerusalem, being capable of using their siege weapons, but the arrival of the Norman duke to the zone halted them and created a stalemate between both armies.

The last blown against the Muslim Caliphate was the battle of Tikrit where Romans, Armenian and Crusaders battled against the Caliph himself and his army of sixty thousand soldiers after receiving reinforcements from the surroundings against them the Christian army was of fifty six thousand soldiers better trained and with better morale.

The battle ended with the death of the Caliph in the hands of the French King, his last breath was a hateful and impotent one, then his body fell and the Muslim demoralized and routed, creating a military anarchy that doomed the Abbasid caliphate and dinasty forever.
 
E078F5D2-0796-4568-88DE-ACCDE79F6B4A.jpeg


Orange the Najahid Sultanate of Yemen and Hijaz.

Grey are several minor Arab states.

Black are several Arab tribes.

Dark Brown the Kingdom of Jerusalem.

Marine blue is the Armenian Principality.

Blue is the Kartvelian Kingdom.

Pink the county of Tripoli.

Red the Eastern Roman Empire.

Yellow Cilicia.

Forest green the County of Edessa.

Aqua the Duchy of Syria.

And bone white is the Zengid Sultanate of Mosul and Mesopotamia.
 
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