A Kingdom Forged in Snow: The Story of Norway

Eastern Byzantium, 1035: Harald Sigurdsson cursed lightly to himself as he regrouped his men. He was told it'd be an easy mission; they walk in, kill the Arabs who had taken over the village, and they walk out. Instead, he'd watched half his men die and the rest take cover in an old tavern. He had a sentry watching out the window for Arab movements, some Byzantine named Amenas. Yeah, he was pretty sure he said it was Amenas.

"Sir, what if send a large force out towards their strong point, here," His second in command, a fellow named Gabalas pointed out a house on the map, "And then a smaller force can sneak around it, getting them from both sides?"

"Gabalas, that's a shitty plan. But there's not much else we can do, so it'll have to work. Send fifteen of the men as the big force, and you, me and two others will have to do as the smaller one."

He really wished he had more than nineteen troops to work with, but he guessed that was his fault for only bringing a squad of thirty-five and then falling for the Arab's ambush.

The plan proceeded as it should have; the large force approached the house, slicing up any smaller groups, while Harald and his squad sneaked around the backside of it. He heard fighting inside, which was the sign to get his ass in there, and kicked out the window. One glass filled tumble later, he was lying on his chest, looking up at a much larger group of Arabs with his troops nowhere to be seen.

The biggest Arab pulled out a knife out of a hidden sheath and walked up to him with a grin on his face. "Unhand me you dirty subhuman." Harald spat in his face, a look of hatred taking over as his troop mates dove in through the window. Just then, a door fell down and the fifteen reinforcements swarmed the room, but it was too late. Harald Sigurdsson had died, his throat cut by an unknown Arab. He would never return to Norway to take back his father's throne.

Danemark, 1045: Without Harald coming to the rescue, Sweyn Estridsson would continue to serve under Magnus Olafsson as the Earl of Jutland, never gaining the support or power to rebel alone. Fate had dealt Magnus a hand that would help strengthen his throne in Danemark-Norway. But would it help him escape his untimely death?

Afternote: This was my first attempt at a timeline, and the first POD was Harald Hardrada dying as a mercenary in Byzantium. Any feedback/comments would be great! :D
 
So nothing at all of note happened from butterflies in-between 1035 and 1045? There should've been something!
 
Well, yes, there were more butterflies. Maybe the most significant one being that since Harald died in 1035, he couldn't go on the expedition to Sicily. Although the Byzantines would still be victorious, they wouldn't have the manpower afterwords to stop the Lombardy-Norman revolts and southern Italy, which then after would take Sicily quicker. (Which happened OTL, it'd just speed up the process).

He'd also never marry the daughter of Yaroslav of Rus, Elisiv.
 
He'd also never marry the daughter of Yaroslav of Rus, Elisiv.

It could have interesting butterflies : who Elisiv would marry eventually? Yaroslav tried to expand union with other european powers at this time (England, Hungary, France,...)
I don't see any clear reason for having Elisiv marrying Henri Ier o France instead of Anna (someone more knowledgable than me about Rus' customs could answer), but it would certainly have important effects for Capetians.
 
Copenhagen, Danemark, 1046: Magnus Olafsson, King of Danemark and Norway was meeting with Einar Thambarskelfir, Kalv Arnesson, and Sweyn Estridsson. Einar and Kalv were trusted friends of Magnus; they was the ones who gave him his throne! Sweyn wasn't so trusted. He was an upstart noble with a rebellious streak and that wasn't someone Magnus could have beside him. He wanted the noble loyal to him to be on his side; people like Einar and Kalv. This 'meeting' was to get things settled in Danemark-Norway to make preparations for the invasion of England, but it was oh so more than that. This meeting was a trap - they would get rid of Sweyn, Einar would be Jarl of Norway and Kalv would be Jarl of Danemark. With their help, the nobles who were loyal to Magnus would have more power, and his realm would be stabilized.

The ambush worked almost too easily. The four of them sat down at a table, each with a goblet of wine, and started discussing plans. About two hours in, right during a heated argument about how Sweyn wanted more power in Danemark, his face started to turn a flushed blue color. He stopped talking, and his hands started clutching his throat. Sweyn II of Danemark's last moments were of him falling to the floor choking, watching as the three conspirators walked over to stare down at his dying body.

The next day the 'unfortunate disappearance' of Sweyn Estridsson was talked about briefly in a speech where Magnus put Kalv in charge of Danemark. There were a few riots where those loyal to Sweyn attacked, but the Royal Hird put them down quite easily. The biggest of those riots was what would come to be known as the Battle of the Bakery, where a breadmaking shop was barricaded by the rebels. The Hird went in, and in a showing of power, killed all the rebels. This event scared anymore rebellions in Danemark, at least for the time being.

There was less fighting in Norway, where Einar had successfully bribed, bartered, or bargained most of Norway's Thing to his side. They were under his control, and through him, under Magnus'. Magnus decided to help give himself power, created the Royal Thing, where certain nobles from Danemark and nobles from Norway would both meet to discuss matters involving the entire realm. It was Magnus' thinking that if he had the nobles thinking they had more power than they really did, they'd stay more loyal to him.

Later in that week, the hand of fate that once helped Magnus did so again. He was working on a ship when a shipboy, carrying a load of boxes that were heavy and blocked his sight, lost balance and almost tumbled into Magnus. If fate didn't outstretch his hand, Magnus would've been caught in the boy's clumsy path and fallen off the ship to his death.

Instead, at the same exact time, a young woman, daughter of the nobles ran on deck. While the shipboy was headed towards him, Magnus noticed the woman and ran towards her to find out why she was on the ship. It was the loud crash, only moments later, that made him realize what had almost happened. The shipboy had fallen off board, into the icy waters of death. It was both a happy and saddening moment, as a young worker had lost his life, but fate had let Magnus keep his. The woman, Tora Torbergsdatter, who was the niece of Kalv and daughter of Torberg Arnesson, was looking for her uncle. Poems written later on would say that fate favored Magnus twice that day; with a life and a love.

Afternote: And here's the second POD. Magnus' death was highly questioned, and one of the most used reason (and most convenient) was that he fell or was pushed off a ship, so I decided to go with that one. Tora was the OTL wife of Harald Hardrada, but since he's dead in Byzantium, I decided to bring her into the fray. Again, any comments/feedback would be great! :D
 
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It could have interesting butterflies : who Elisiv would marry eventually? Yaroslav tried to expand union with other european powers at this time (England, Hungary, France,...)
I don't see any clear reason for having Elisiv marrying Henri Ier o France instead of Anna (someone more knowledgable than me about Rus' customs could answer), but it would certainly have important effects for Capetians.

I was thinking somewhat on that, actually. A Kievan-French alliance may be hard to do, especially because I don't want Rus to die off ITTL.
 
Copenhagen, Danemark, 1048: Love is a strange thing. It shows up at the most unexpected of times and changes the most unexpected of people. King Magnus Olafsson of Danemark and Norway was saved by Tora Torbergsdatter
in 1046, albeit indirectly. She'd shown up at the right place and the right time, and if she hadn't, Magnus' corpse would've joined the shipboy who fell off the ship. He was most gracious to her, and after a brief period of time, the courting began.

Kalv Arnesson, Jarl over Danemark and uncle of the young Tora, saw this courtship as a chance to strengthen his own standing and have Magnus under his control. Ever since he and Einar Thambarskelfir had been given their respective Jarldoms, there had been a silent war, each trying to gain Magnus' favor. Kalv realized he had finally found out how, and told Magnus that if he loved her, he should marry her.

The marriage was looked down upon by Einar, who both wanted Magnus to marry someone of more political significance and also someone he chose. Einar suggested Elisiv of Kiev, someone who was promised once to his dead uncle Harald Hardrada, but Magnus wouldn't hear any of it. An alliance with Rus wasn't important enough to throw away his beloved Tora. This was seen as a personal insult to Elisiv, who would see to Magnus' paying for rejecting her.

Two years of courtship had culminated in a marriage. Tora wanted something extravagant, the entire population of Copenhagen as well as both Danish and Norwegian nobles had been invited to the event. Magnus didn't see the need for all of it, but he wouldn't argue with his beloved. The Royal Palace was practically bursting with people that day. Magnus' invitation of the common folk infuriated some of the nobles, but it helped his public image in many eyes.

Right after the wedding Tora was impregnated. All the fortune tellers and wise men of Europe were sent after, Magnus desperate to find out if it was a male or a female. He would be happy either way, but inside he really wanted a boy. Someone to inherit his small empire.

On the political side of things, Danemark-Norway was rather stable. Marrying a girl from one of the noble families of Norway appeased the Norwegians, although the Danish were mildly upset about it. He upped the tax, which caused much grumbling, but proposed that the members of the Royal Army would not have to be taxed. After that, the Army grew to a formidable size. The best of the Army were recruited into Magnus' own Royal Hird. Magnus also installed garrisons on the border between Jutland and Germany.

Diplomatically, he reached out his hand to the Holy Roman Empire and France as allies. Although the Empire somewhat declined, King Henry of France supported Danemark-Norway. The two kingdoms would later on solidify this alliance in battle and in marriage, but that would come later.

Magnus would need help in the coming years as the he set his sights on the prize: England. Magnus felt that, as was his pact with Harthacnut, England rightfully belonged to him. The current king of England, Edward, had no right to rule, and soon enough England would join Danemark and Norway in Magnus' possessions. It would be the jewel in his crown. And from England Magnus had found an unlikely ally; Edward's mother, Emma of Normandy.
She had written a letter to Magnus telling him that he had her support, and that when the time came, she would assist him.

Magnus would need Emma in the coming war, but for now he was content to enjoy his new bride and their kingdom.

Afternote: And the third posting is here! It was mainly filler content, but his marriage, the state of the empire, and the alliances with France, Normandy, and Emma needed to be put into words before I start the next few parts of it. I think i'm being pretty realistic, and once again any comments/feedback would be great, whether positive or negative! :)
 
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Afternote: And the third posting is here! It was mainly filler content, but his marriage, the state of the empire, and the alliances with France, Normandy, and Emma needed to be put into words before I start the next few parts of it. I think i'm being pretty realistic, and once again any comments/feedback would be great, whether positive or negative! :)

I see two, make it three, things that could be problematic.

1) A tax rise, before an expedition, touching a country that he doesn't really control (Norway) and another he just conquered (Danemark)? That's calling for kicks, especially as it's made void by exempting the army (aka a great part of armed men on his side that would have payed without too trouble). Maybe it's something you envisioned, and I should wait for more :)

2) Henri I alliance. It makes little sense, and really honestly looks like appearing out of nowhere. The french king have other problems, such as imposing his interest against neighbouring lords.
It's not really a problem itself, but I think it should be better explained.

3) William's claim was directly issued from Edward's legitimacy. Having Magnus refusing it means he refuses William's claim. That could be an alliance breaker.
 
I see two, make it three, things that could be problematic.

1) A tax rise, before an expedition, touching a country that he doesn't really control (Norway) and another he just conquered (Danemark)? That's calling for kicks, especially as it's made void by exempting the army (aka a great part of armed men on his side that would have payed without too trouble). Maybe it's something you envisioned, and I should wait for more :)

2) Henri I alliance. It makes little sense, and really honestly looks like appearing out of nowhere. The french king have other problems, such as imposing his interest against neighbouring lords.
It's not really a problem itself, but I think it should be better explained.

3) William's claim was directly issued from Edward's legitimacy. Having Magnus refusing it means he refuses William's claim. That could be an alliance breaker.

1) I get that, but he's gotten a pretty good hold on Norway and Danemark themselves right now. The army thing was to boost the numbers in the army (they either can pay in money or in service, if that makes any sense). I know OTL he wasn't in much of a place to do that, but because of him getting more and more of the nobles on his side, he's in a better place to try and tax the people.

2) Yeah, that came out of nowhere, but I have a plan for it. The reasoning will come in the next posting (although it's only halfway formed in my head) though, so don't worry about that!

3) I understand that one too, but right now William's busy with maintaining control of Normandy and hasn't even looked towards England. My plan for this is that because of his friendship with William, he'll help him go against Edward, therefor he won't need the claim from Edward because he's already gotten power in England. This'll all happen with some careful scheming from Edward's mother, of course. ;)
 
1) I get that, but he's gotten a pretty good hold on Norway and Danemark themselves right now.
Wait. I'm a bit lost there, so you'll excuse me if I say something wrong.
Sveyn death, Magnus managed to get an hold on Danemark, that while a recent conquest, is under control.
But, as you said, Einar had to bribe his way to have a peace and not only it makes the norwegian nobles the most likely to have to pay for the incoming expedition (see below) but it made the norwegian nobility his direct clientele rather than Magnus'.


I would think he only have to promise to not tax them and to put out of the Thing the hated Danes nobles to affirm his position.

but because of him getting more and more of the nobles on his side, he's in a better place to try and tax the people.
I may be wrong, but didn't the royal tax system mostly was targeted on nobility? The people itself doesn't have much gold or what is necessary for an expedition. Nobles did and if Magnus want to raise an army, he needs that not the local peasant's chicken :)

3) I understand that one too, but right now William's busy with maintaining control of Normandy and hasn't even looked towards England.
Actually, yes he did. Edward began to acknowledge William as possible heir in the 1050's.
For Normandy, I think he's certainly less busy with his neighbours (far more than a mostly controlled Normandy) than Magnus should be with Norway turned into a sub-kingdom and Danemark. With the issue of Henri Ier being one of his rivals at this time, jeopardizing a franko-norman-dane alliance.

My plan for this is that because of his friendship with William, he'll help him go against Edward
Help him against Edward? But for which reason? Edward is, litterally, his only reason that he managed to have a claim in first place.
If Edward didn't have made William his heir, the duke wouldn't have nothing critically the support from his nobility and neighbours.
Not only there's ties between Normandy and House of Wessex since the 1010's with Edward being a refugee in Norman court, with a friendship longer and more accepted in Normandy, but that makes no sense.
 
Wait. I'm a bit lost there, so you'll excuse me if I say something wrong.
Sveyn death, Magnus managed to get an hold on Danemark, that while a recent conquest, is under control.

Magnus has had Danemark. Sweyn rebelled against him with the help of Harald Hardrada OTL because he wanted more power, but in TTL they kill him off for plotting rebellion. Cutting off the head of the snake before it attacks, if that makes sense. He hasn't just conquered Danemark, he's just solidified his control.

But, as you said, Einar had to bribe his way to have a peace and not only it makes the norwegian nobles the most likely to have to pay for the incoming expedition (see below) but it made the norwegian nobility his direct clientele rather than Magnus'.

Einar bribed some of them for their loyalty to both him and Magnus, and although Einar probably does have the most power in Norway, he's still pretty loyal to Magnus. There might be a rebellion later on, but for right now, his best interests lies in Magnus. Through him, control of Norway is safely in Magnus' hands.

I would think he only have to promise to not tax them and to put out of the Thing the hated Danes nobles to affirm his position.

I may be wrong, but didn't the royal tax system mostly was targeted on nobility? The people itself doesn't have much gold or what is necessary for an expedition. Nobles did and if Magnus want to raise an army, he needs that not the local peasant's chicken :)

Yeah, the tax system is mainly targeted on the nobles, but it's really a meager tax and it's not worth it for them to rebel, especially with him gaining more popularity with the common folk (which will be added more and more in the next few chapters). I'm not planning on him running some perfect kingdom that's 100% blindly loyal to him; there will be revolts, and one of them is going to be over the taxes. For now though, it's gonna go smoothly.


Actually, yes he did. Edward began to acknowledge William as possible heir in the 1050's.
For Normandy, I think he's certainly less busy with his neighbours (far more than a mostly controlled Normandy) than Magnus should be with Norway turned into a sub-kingdom and Danemark. With the issue of Henri Ier being one of his rivals at this time, jeopardizing a franko-norman-dane alliance.

I didn't know that, and i'll probably take William out of the attack of England in that case. At the very least his friendship with both Edward and Magnus could put him into neutrality, instead of attacking Magnus. The thing is, if Magnus could manage the takeover of England, it'd almost double his power. I am planning on a franko-norman-dane alliance. Who was Henri's rival? Magnus, Edward or William? I thought he supported William?

Help him against Edward? But for which reason? Edward is, litterally, his only reason that he managed to have a claim in first place.
If Edward didn't have made William his heir, the duke wouldn't have nothing critically the support from his nobility and neighbours.
Not only there's ties between Normandy and House of Wessex since the 1010's with Edward being a refugee in Norman court, with a friendship longer and more accepted in Normandy, but that makes no sense.

Like I said, i'll probably take William out of the attack of England then, since i'm taking it directly from Edward instead of after his death. I'm thinking William might not fight with either of them if he's friendly with both, instead just watching and waiting for a victor. That's possible, right?
 
I didn't know that, and i'll probably take William out of the attack of England in that case. At the very least his friendship with both Edward and Magnus could put him into neutrality, instead of attacking Magnus.
Would friendship be enough if the cost is the entiere kingdom? Henri of France was the protector of young William, and it didn't prevented war between them.

The thing is, if Magnus could manage the takeover of England, it'd almost double his power. I am planning on a franko-norman-dane alliance. Who was Henri's rival? Magnus, Edward or William? I thought he supported William?
Not exactly double : I would expect at least as much resistance from Anglo-Saxons than Normans had to fight during and after the conquest. Probably more with a non discredited dominant House of Godwin that doesn't have to worry much about southern threat.
It would be a costly, difficult invasion admitting its success.

Frankish alliance is really to put in place. Henri have virtually 0 interest into supporting Magnus claims. On the other hand, he doesn't have an interest to oppose them as well.

The rival of William at this date is french nobles including Henri. And yes, he was initially a supporter of William.
It makes sense in context : the goal of royal diplomacy is to prevent the appearance of a strong rivaling principality on his western borders (remember that a part of Capetian demesne interest is that it controls Seine and Loire passage). So he first allied with William to prevent an union with Bourgogne or Anjou with a less legitime rule in Normandy that would mean trouble in short term, but when William allied himself with Flanders the threat of a Channel lords domination made him support Anjou and Brittany.

Welcome in the wonderful world of Early Capetians.

I'm thinking William might not fight with either of them if he's friendly with both, instead just watching and waiting for a victor. That's possible, right?
Honestly, I don't think so. If two friendships are concerned, the one that allows Williams to gain the Kingdom of England would be favoured.
If it helps, he could be very very sorry to crush the skull of Magnus fighting for his claim, but...
 
Would friendship be enough if the cost is the entiere kingdom? Henri of France was the protector of young William, and it didn't prevented war between them.

I didn't know all of that, but alright. Maybe they'll be a war with William as well, but it'll be later on. An idea for that is formulating in my head for William now.

Not exactly double : I would expect at least as much resistance from Anglo-Saxons than Normans had to fight during and after the conquest. Probably more with a non discredited dominant House of Godwin that doesn't have to worry much about southern threat.
It would be a costly, difficult invasion admitting its success.

I meant double his power if he could get it all under control, seeing as England is worth twice as much as Danemark-Norway. He's got the support of the Queen Mother though, and maybe that would help him with it all. OTL her plans to help him were found out, but ITTL they stay secret, so Edward doesn't know what's coming to him.

Frankish alliance is really to put in place. Henri have virtually 0 interest into supporting Magnus claims. On the other hand, he doesn't have an interest to oppose them as well.

As I said, the Frankish-Danish alliance will be more explained later on. He accepted it at first because that's another kingdom (even if it is far off) that he's got ties to, and if he goes to war with the HRE he would have help. There will be more on that later on!

The rival of William at this date is french nobles including Henri. And yes, he was initially a supporter of William.
It makes sense in context : the goal of royal diplomacy is to prevent the appearance of a strong rivaling principality on his western borders (remember that a part of Capetian demesne interest is that it controls Seine and Loire passage). So he first allied with William to prevent an union with Bourgogne or Anjou with a less legitime rule in Normandy that would mean trouble in short term, but when William allied himself with Flanders the threat of a Channel lords domination made him support Anjou and Brittany.

Welcome in the wonderful world of Early Capetians.

Again, I wasn't too knowledgeable about that (i'm not a scholar when it comes to French history!), but I have plans for that. Especially if there is a Frankish-Danish alliance, with William warring them both.
 
Copenhagen, Danemark, 1049: William of Normandy had the same idea as Magnus; to incorporate England into his small empire. At first, Magnus had offered his hand in friendship, offering to split the kingdom, but William had sent back a rather rude message and a threat of war if Magnus attacked Edward. That's why Magnus decided to strengthen his ties to another power, one who also saw William as a threat: King Henry of Capetian France.

A pact was made, and if William attacked either of them, Magnus and Henry would together crush William. The two discussed battle plans over a bottle of wine in the Royal Castle of Copenhagen, both eager to see a friend turned rival out of the picture. Henry didn't want any duke in France to have too much power, while Magnus didn't want any competition in his conquering of England. It was an alliance made of a mutual hatred, although it would grow to be much more.

In early 1049, Magnus had announced that he would move the capital of Danemark-Norway to the city of Nidaros, in his homeland of Norway. This would both weaken Einar, who he felt was growing too powerful in his absence, and strengthen Kalv, who he felt was more loyal to him since the wedding. This move also gave him more support from the people of Norway, who didn't like being ruled from afar. The Danish commonfolk weren't as pleased by this move, and in the end it would lead to rioting. The Royal Hird had to be called in to put down several of the bigger ones, but for the most part Jarl Kalv had them under control.

Magnus decided the best way to get the two nations to coexist as one was to put their armies together as one. The Nordic Royal Army was established. This caused even more riots, and would lead to a huge rebellion later on, but for the time, Nordland was, by Magnus' standards, stable. The Royal Thing became known as the Royal Nordic Council, with representatives from both Danemark and Norway. For the time being, Magnus focused on getting the army ready for the invasion of England.

During the fall, the fleet was finally ready, and the attack on England would begin. At the same time, Queen Mother Emma of Normandy's army had shown their true colors, and taken York over in Magnus' name. Several of the higher noble families joined her, mostly the ones who had any kind of loyalty to Harthacnut's wishes. Edward was furious and sent the army that had stayed loyal to him. In September the Battle of York began.

Emma's army was vastly outnumbered, and although they did some collateral damage, it looked as if they would lose. But right as morale got low, the Nordic fleet landed in York and the tide of the battle had changed. Emma's English troops fought alongside the Nordic Royal Army, and together they defended the city from Edward's army. It wasn't easy getting the two groups to get along; Emma's army thought of Magnus' as barbarians, while Magnus' thought of Emma's as snobs. In the end, however, they managed to get along well enough to win the Battle.

Screams of "For the Norwegian Crown!" were heard that day, and Edward's army retreated to Winchester. That was a battle for another day, however. But even while the combined forces of Emma and Magnus rejoiced in their victory, the two were discussing plans for the attack on Winchester, to finish off Edward's army. He wouldn't be killed; instead he'd be sent down to Normandy.

What neither of them knew was that in Normandy, William had heard of the Battle of York, and he was planning on making his own appearance in Winchester.
 
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Normandy, September 1049: William of Normandy was said to give a look that could kill a man. This myth was a great over exaggeration, but all the same, he could give a nasty look. And he had a nasty look on his face as he explained the battle plans to his generals. Land in Winchester before Magnus' army got there, and then with the help of the English army, destroy the barbarian's horde. He didn't know what would happen to Nordland, and he didn't care. The brutish nobles would probably waste the newly found kingdom back into wars. Maybe Edward would even pass away in battle, giving him England in the meantime!

Paris, France, September 1049: King Henry's spies in Normandy alerted him to the battle plans right away. His hand was shaking with excitement as he wrote a warning letter to Magnus; their back up plan would come into effect. While the majority of William's armies were in England, he'd strike at Normandy from the south. When William heard of this, he'd have to retreat; but by then it'd be too late. Normandy would be in his hands, and the threat of William would be long gone. Parisan power would grow, and soon the royal family of France would be the dominate power.

Winchester, England, September 1049: It'd been three weeks since Magnus and Emma took York, and from there it was victory after victory. The two had gone from city to city, and if the city pledged loyalty to them, they'd leave it alone. If not, they'd take it over. The Nordic Royal Army and Emma's own English troops conquered most of England within a week, but it seemed almost too easy. They rarely ran into the English army, and when they did it was just a token force. Sure, they'd destroyed a large part of it in the Battle of York, but around half escaped, and it wasn't the whole army.

Three weeks of taking minor cities and keeps had led up to this moment; the conquering of Winchester. If they pulled this off, Magnus would be the untested King over England. Any noble who would dare rebel would be executed before they had the chance to do anything. However, if this failed, Edward would retake England, both of them would end up on the chopping block, and all the work Magnus had put into his empire would be for nothing. Norway would fall back into infighting, and he couldn't have that. He'd put too much effort into trying to recreate Cnut's North Sea Empire, and he was halfway there. He wouldn't stop now.

The beginning of the siege went as planned; the field around the city became a battleground for the two armies, while the siege weapons attacked the walls of the city. The battle was going good for the Nordic Army; they were taking down their English foes by the dozens. But then, the tide of the war changed. Almost a dozen ships, filled with white tunic wearing troops, were seen on the horizon. The morale of the English Army doubled, and they fought with newfound prowess. Reinforcements were here, and the Norwegians would pay for their mistake. William the Conqueror, Lord of Normandy, had arrived.

Afternote: The Battle of Winchester will be next posting, and after that it'll settle a bit. Then it'll be less "oooh let's conquer" and more internal fighting and politics. Any feedback or comments would be great, and advice is always wonderful.
 
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A very....different WW1?

.................................

You know not how to properly apply butterflies and thusly make your TL more interesting.
 
A very....different WW1?

.................................

You know not how to properly apply butterflies and thusly make your TL more interesting.

You're saying I can't make my TL interesting because at some point there will be something vaguely similar to a world war? (Which was pretty much bound to happen?)

Alrighty then.
 
I doubt that any royal meeting would occur in the small fishing village that in another 150 years would become the city of Copenhage. A much more likely place would be Roskilde although the modern concept of a capital city would take several hundreds of years to develop in the Scandinavian countries (And most cities would not exceed 1000 inhabitants even during the Scandinavian medieval period). Mostly the kings traveled from one noblemans estate to another, both to ensure their loyalty and to take taxes (in kind).

The monetary systems was very underdeveloped at this period in Scandinavia, almost all taxes was in kind and most nobles were nobels just because they could contribute with armed men and the necessary logistics to keep THEIR men fighting. Smaller Thing consisting of the more influential farmers/protonobles in the area, that also in time of need would be the army/navy, would decide if they would heed a king or more influential Jarls request. The king would not have the possibility to outfit a royal army since he simply lacked the logistics, the influence and bureaucracy to pull it of. Most nobles and their hird would not appreciate if a king tried to to do that either. To get an army to invade England the promise of loot would convince most nobles that a trip to England would be nice.

Nothing would be called "nordic" at this period, a concept developed during the scandinavinism during the 19th century. Possibly royal. Neither Norway or Denmark had at this time been united long enough to have a strong sense of unity. That's why a king of Denmark could become king of Norway if the Norwegian king was unpopular enough among the noble. But be sure that if the Danish king angered the Norwegian nobles they would find a new candidate for the position and seek support in Sweden. The reveres also happened. The kingdoms was mostly based on personal strength, linage preferred but optional. The nobles would be loyal to a strong king, at signs of weakness or at successions... who knows?

Overall I get the feeling that the TL describe a Scandinavia in the 15th-16th century, both in development and in political thinking and not set in the middle of the viking age.
 
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