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alternatehistory.com
Yes ladies and gentlemen, my fellow Althistorians. This is my first timeline. Have a pretty rough, but competent idea for the first few centuries, but after that it gets sketchy and wankish. Therefore, do enjoy this whilst you may.
Constructive criticisms welcome.
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If there is one notion that exemplifies history, it is that history itself examines the life of great men who made extraordinary impacts upon the world at large … men who changed the world for the better.
Jean-Jacques Villenuve, Philosopher General during the French Revolution, 1794.
Edward the Confessor is perhaps one of the greatest men of history. The impact that he imparted upon the world, though only minor at the time (and is thus dismissed by many contemporary historians), is considered a marvel and major historical event. If he had not made the decision that he did, and brought his young charge with him upon his return to England, history would definitely have been written differently. Although Edward set the foundations of a kingdom, it was those who inherited his legacy and transformed his kingdom from a mere medieval state into a world empire. Thus, the Legacy inherited by the heirs of Saint Edward the Confessor is not to be taken lightly.
Excerpt from the Prelude to ‘A History of Great Empires’ by Jonathon Dean-Ross, 1997.
1041 Midway between England and France,…
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As the ship drew closer to the coasts of England, Edward stood on the prow of the ship and stared at the oncoming shore. He mused that he had never felt so far from home at this moment. Nor had he ever felt so helpless. Edward knew almost nothing of his native country. For him, England would have been an almost untouchable paradise, akin to the Garden of Eden. A place, almost untouchable, myth-like, yet never forgotten. England was the prize which every monarch wanted to attain, though only few achieved such a desire. In the year 1013, during the reign of Edward’s father, King Æthelred, the Danes once again invaded the Kingdom of England. Yet, unlike their previous attempts at conquering the English Isle, they demanded nothing more that the complete subjugation of the English people to Danish control. Æthelred had sent his children across the channel to Normandy and safety. The king died in his attempts to remain in control of England, and for almost thirty years England had fluctuated under various Danish and English monarchs. As such, for the greater part of his life Edward had lived in exile across the channel which divided England and northern France, living off the expenses of his cousins, the Dukes of Normandy. Although Edward never forgot his ancestral roots, he continued to bathe in the glory of his Norman cousins, immersing himself within their culture and lifestyle.
In his youth within the court of the Dukes of Normandy, the English Prince formed a quick bond with the younger of the Dukes children, Robert. Although Richard, the elder, remained somewhat aloof of Edward, the two younger children seemed almost inseparable. A bond had formed between them which continued to strengthen into their adult years. They were one another’s advisors and confidants, and were as close as brothers. As such he urged caution when Robert took up with a mere ‘tanner’s daughter’. Yet, the bond only strengthened after the birth of the young William.
Like the bond that had formed between Edward and Robert years earlier, a similar bond formed between the English prince and the young William. Yet the bond that had formed between them held greater depth and meaning which would be felt in the decades to come. Because of this, Edward therefore, without permission from the Duke, kept himself close to the young William.
Therefore it was neither a shock nor surprise that when Robert ventured off on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem in 1035, that he not only made William his heir, but also named Edward as one of the young heir’s guardians. This, officially, made it far easier for a relationship between William and Edward to develop. Their relationship was more-so father-son like than the relationship that William had with his own father. Edward therefore began to take a far more active roll in young William’s life.
As fate determined, Duke Robert died on the return journey from the Holy Land, and a succession crisis quickly developed. By the will of the late Duke Robert, William was to succeed him as Duke of Normandy upon his death. Unfortunately for William many of the great nobles of Normandy refused to pledge allegiance to a mere child, and a bastard to boot. Many of these nobles desired to sit upon the throne of the duchy, others who refused to offer allegiance, just aspired to gain more power unto themselves. Hearing rumors of threats against the young heir, and fearing for his safety, those loyal to William’s father ferried the young Duke away from those who wished him harm.
For over six years the young Duke and his guardian advisors remained hunted men within the duchy as their enemies closed ranks around them. William and his loyalist supporters had been slowly pushed back by the rebellious Normans towards the coastal fortresses. There they were besieged for many months at a time, with young William being ferried from fortress to fortress whenever the situation became too dire. Several of his father’s closest allies and advisors died protecting the young duke from certain death and they didn’t know how many more would die to protect him. Williams’s greatest fear was that Edward would die. When he questioned Edward on why he remained with him, the noble Englishman merely answered that he believed it was his duty to protect William, as he had sworn to his father, just as he had to him, that he would do so until death.
Thus it was surprising when, in 1041, that Edward received a summons from the English Court that he was to return home and take his place at his brother’s side. Edward, although shocked, jumped in anticipation. He would be returning to England at the years end whereupon he would, hopefully, regain the throne of England. William, when told the news, offered no reaction. He was thoroughly saddened by this event. He was to lose one of his most resolute supporters, and greatest confidant, to a foreign land. Edward though, upon seeing the change in his young charge’s demeanor, offered to take the young Duke with him to England. William merely remained silent at the offer, as did the remaining loyal Norman nobles, though many did raise their brows at the suggestion.
As his guardians argued amongst themselves, the young William protested. He was resolute that he should remain in Normandy. He told them ‘it was not only his birthplace, but his birthright that he should remain in the land of his fathers,’ and that it would, at most, seem like cowardice if he were to abandon his supporters and his inheritance at such a time. Interested in only the protection, safety and security of their liege lord, his guardians overruled him. They agreed with Edward. The young duke would be safe in England. Therefore, it was perhaps of no surprise that in the year 1041, when Edward, soon to be named ‘the Confessor’, disembarked from ship in England, he brought with him his young charge, a Norman youth named William.
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So, for those of you who didn’t understand. Although the POD is Edward's lifetime within Normandy, the main POD is in the year 1041, when Edward the Confessor returns to England at the behest of his brother and kingdom, he takes William, the heir of the Duchy of Normandy with him.