alternatehistory.com
A summary of Norman History, 1066-1149
To whet your appetite for the next update, here's a small treat. I wrote this to help Elfwine to write English history in the IE universe. Now his other commitments have prevented him from doing this, I thought I may as well publish it. Not very detailed, but hey. Enjoy! 
1066- Edward the Confessor dies on schedule, nominating as his heir not Harold Godwinson but his teenage nephew Edgar. The regime of Edgar is shaky, though, and is badly damaged by a severe defeat suffered at the hands of Harald Hardraada, who captures York before marching south to London. In panic, Edgar’s regime turns to the Normans, who enter the country and defeat Hardraada at the Battle of Hertford. Edgar is forced to marry William’s daughter Cecilia.
1070- Cecilia gives birth to a son, Robert.
1072- English rebellion in East Anglia breaks out, with the support of Sweyn of Denmark. This is defeated, and the last remaining English barons at court are removed by William, who is now in effective control of the realm.
1073- Edgar dies in mysterious circumstances, to be succeeded by his son Robert. William remains regent for his grandson.
1077- William’s two eldest sons, Robert and Richard, take part in a major offensive against Byzantine positions in southern Italy. Both are killed early in 1078 in the disastrous raid on Thessalonica. The administration of England is left in the hands of the Queen Dowager Cecilia, while William makes war on the King of France.
1080- William sacks Paris, but is unable to consolidate his gains and is soon driven out by King Philip I.
1081- At the Treaty of Caen, King Robert of England is betrothed in marriage to Emeline, the daughter of the King of France. William the Conqueror is now linked by blood to both the French and English monarchies.
1084- William attempts to return to England, but is overwhelmed by a storm at sea. The Duchy of Normandy passes to his eldest surviving son, William Rufus, who defeats and kills his younger brother Henry in battle for the Duchy to become his father’s last surviving son.
1085- Queen Dowager Cecilia dies, and William Rufus crosses to England to assert his authority over his teenage nephew Robert, who is brought back to Normandy as an effective prisoner.
1089- In a reversal of fortune, William Rufus is himself captured and held hostage by the Duke of Anjou. Robert escapes from Normandy and returns to London. A second revolt in East Anglia is summarily crushed, but he is unable to prevent the Scots from asserting authority over much of Northumbria.
1091- Robert’s eldest son Richard is born.
1092- William Rufus is ransomed, but is forced to feudally submit to his nephew in London. Queen Emeline provides King Robert with a daughter, Agatha.
1095- King Robert’s second son, William, is born.
1097- French invasion of Normandy breaks the alliance between England and the Capetians. William Rufus, with English reinforcements, routs the French army.
1101- King Robert suffers a sharp defeat at the hands of the Scots. The Anglo-Scottish frontier is fixed along the Rivers Ribble and Aire.
1103- Battle of Preston ends in an English victory but King Robert is killed fighting. William Rufus quickly seizes the opportunity to emulate his father, and, in a reversal of the expected feudal role, becomes dominant over the young King Richard of England. A posthumous daughter, Adela, is born to the deceased king Robert.
1104- Richard is forced to marry Matilda, the only daughter of William Rufus, and a woman some ten years his senior.
1108- A civil war breaks out amongst the Normans, encouraged by the French, with Queen Dowager Emeline using her second son William as a tool against William Rufus. Matilda gives birth to King Richard’s son Robert.
1109- William Rufus defeats the forces of Queen Emeline, and she and William flee to Scotland. William Rufus himself, though, is executed by his great nephew Richard, who also forces his wife Matilda into a convent and proclaims himself Duke of Normandy.
1111- After a protracted siege, Caen falls to the French and Richard’s control is mostly restricted to the Contentin peninsula. Further erosion of the position is prevented by a skilful defence provided by Edward of Winchester, a native English commander.
1112- William is proclaimed Earl of Northumbria by the Scots, with his seat at Durham.
1117- Robert is made Duke of Normandy as heir to the throne, with the Isle of Wight added to his holdings.
1119- King Richard begins four years solid campaigning to subdue the peoples of Wales. This ends with the southern western areas annexed to England, but little more.
1124- Edward of Winchester defeats an attempted Cornish uprising and then transfers the fight to Brittany.
1126- Large parts of Brittany are forced to submit to the English crown. Edward himself, though, suffers execution, a victim of King Richard’s murderous paranoia.
1129- Robert, Duke of Normandy and heir of King Richard is imprisoned at Winchester.
1132- King Richard executes two more high-flying barons, who have been supported by his brother William from Durham. His kingdom is becoming ever more centralised upon his royal person.
1133- First recruitment of a sort of professional army by King Richard.
1139- Using this new model army, Richard raids deep into Northumbria, and sacks York and several other cities. William’s second son Henry is killed. The main prize for King Richard though is the capture of his mother, the aged Queen Emeline, who is brought back to London and decapitated.
1141- Richard engages in one final Welsh campaign, which is brutally successful, with a large part of the north coast of Wales annexed to England. His son Robert escapes from a twelve year captivity.
1142- While marching on Robert, Richard falls ill and dies at the age of fifty-one. Robert is able to quickly be crowned King of England, though it takes several years for Richard’s war machine to fully accept him.
1143- Robert II intervenes on the French side in a war with the Occitanian nobles. Though the French King is defeated, Robert is able to profit from the war, by marrying a French princess, Bertha, and regaining much of Normandy.
1145- Birth of Matilda to Queen Bertha.
1148- William of Northumbria launches another invasion of England, which is fairly successful. Birth of Henry to Queen Bertha.
1149- An attempted revolt against King Robert, who is away on the continent, is only put down with some difficulty.
1066- Edward the Confessor dies on schedule, nominating as his heir not Harold Godwinson but his teenage nephew Edgar. The regime of Edgar is shaky, though, and is badly damaged by a severe defeat suffered at the hands of Harald Hardraada, who captures York before marching south to London. In panic, Edgar’s regime turns to the Normans, who enter the country and defeat Hardraada at the Battle of Hertford. Edgar is forced to marry William’s daughter Cecilia.
1070- Cecilia gives birth to a son, Robert.
1072- English rebellion in East Anglia breaks out, with the support of Sweyn of Denmark. This is defeated, and the last remaining English barons at court are removed by William, who is now in effective control of the realm.
1073- Edgar dies in mysterious circumstances, to be succeeded by his son Robert. William remains regent for his grandson.
1077- William’s two eldest sons, Robert and Richard, take part in a major offensive against Byzantine positions in southern Italy. Both are killed early in 1078 in the disastrous raid on Thessalonica. The administration of England is left in the hands of the Queen Dowager Cecilia, while William makes war on the King of France.
1080- William sacks Paris, but is unable to consolidate his gains and is soon driven out by King Philip I.
1081- At the Treaty of Caen, King Robert of England is betrothed in marriage to Emeline, the daughter of the King of France. William the Conqueror is now linked by blood to both the French and English monarchies.
1084- William attempts to return to England, but is overwhelmed by a storm at sea. The Duchy of Normandy passes to his eldest surviving son, William Rufus, who defeats and kills his younger brother Henry in battle for the Duchy to become his father’s last surviving son.
1085- Queen Dowager Cecilia dies, and William Rufus crosses to England to assert his authority over his teenage nephew Robert, who is brought back to Normandy as an effective prisoner.
1089- In a reversal of fortune, William Rufus is himself captured and held hostage by the Duke of Anjou. Robert escapes from Normandy and returns to London. A second revolt in East Anglia is summarily crushed, but he is unable to prevent the Scots from asserting authority over much of Northumbria.
1091- Robert’s eldest son Richard is born.
1092- William Rufus is ransomed, but is forced to feudally submit to his nephew in London. Queen Emeline provides King Robert with a daughter, Agatha.
1095- King Robert’s second son, William, is born.
1097- French invasion of Normandy breaks the alliance between England and the Capetians. William Rufus, with English reinforcements, routs the French army.
1101- King Robert suffers a sharp defeat at the hands of the Scots. The Anglo-Scottish frontier is fixed along the Rivers Ribble and Aire.
1103- Battle of Preston ends in an English victory but King Robert is killed fighting. William Rufus quickly seizes the opportunity to emulate his father, and, in a reversal of the expected feudal role, becomes dominant over the young King Richard of England. A posthumous daughter, Adela, is born to the deceased king Robert.
1104- Richard is forced to marry Matilda, the only daughter of William Rufus, and a woman some ten years his senior.
1108- A civil war breaks out amongst the Normans, encouraged by the French, with Queen Dowager Emeline using her second son William as a tool against William Rufus. Matilda gives birth to King Richard’s son Robert.
1109- William Rufus defeats the forces of Queen Emeline, and she and William flee to Scotland. William Rufus himself, though, is executed by his great nephew Richard, who also forces his wife Matilda into a convent and proclaims himself Duke of Normandy.
1111- After a protracted siege, Caen falls to the French and Richard’s control is mostly restricted to the Contentin peninsula. Further erosion of the position is prevented by a skilful defence provided by Edward of Winchester, a native English commander.
1112- William is proclaimed Earl of Northumbria by the Scots, with his seat at Durham.
1117- Robert is made Duke of Normandy as heir to the throne, with the Isle of Wight added to his holdings.
1119- King Richard begins four years solid campaigning to subdue the peoples of Wales. This ends with the southern western areas annexed to England, but little more.
1124- Edward of Winchester defeats an attempted Cornish uprising and then transfers the fight to Brittany.
1126- Large parts of Brittany are forced to submit to the English crown. Edward himself, though, suffers execution, a victim of King Richard’s murderous paranoia.
1129- Robert, Duke of Normandy and heir of King Richard is imprisoned at Winchester.
1132- King Richard executes two more high-flying barons, who have been supported by his brother William from Durham. His kingdom is becoming ever more centralised upon his royal person.
1133- First recruitment of a sort of professional army by King Richard.
1139- Using this new model army, Richard raids deep into Northumbria, and sacks York and several other cities. William’s second son Henry is killed. The main prize for King Richard though is the capture of his mother, the aged Queen Emeline, who is brought back to London and decapitated.
1141- Richard engages in one final Welsh campaign, which is brutally successful, with a large part of the north coast of Wales annexed to England. His son Robert escapes from a twelve year captivity.
1142- While marching on Robert, Richard falls ill and dies at the age of fifty-one. Robert is able to quickly be crowned King of England, though it takes several years for Richard’s war machine to fully accept him.
1143- Robert II intervenes on the French side in a war with the Occitanian nobles. Though the French King is defeated, Robert is able to profit from the war, by marrying a French princess, Bertha, and regaining much of Normandy.
1145- Birth of Matilda to Queen Bertha.
1148- William of Northumbria launches another invasion of England, which is fairly successful. Birth of Henry to Queen Bertha.
1149- An attempted revolt against King Robert, who is away on the continent, is only put down with some difficulty.
- Basileus Giorgios
- Word Count: 1.1k