A Story of Lions

1. The pains of Henry III of England.
1. The pains of Henry III of England.

Henry's heir, Edward, in his way to the Holy Land, landed in Tunis (summer 1270) to join hands with King Louis XI of France, only to be struck by the same epidemic that killed the French monarch, leaving two infant sons: Henry (born in May 1268) and Alphonso (born in April 1271 -1-). Henry's second son, Edmund, earl of Lancaster and of Leicester, claimed to be the new heir, in preference to the children of his late brother, claiming that the kingdom was in no shape to stand the long regency that it would follow after Henry III's death, whose heañth was declining fast since 1270.

Henry preferred to leave the throne to his grandson, but Edmund had the support of a big part of the nobility, and civil war ensued. The two opposing forces were fighting the Third Baron's War in all but in name and resulted in Henry being forced in 1274 to accept Edmund as his heir instead of his young grandsons.

However, Henry III allied himself with Alexander III of Scotland and stroke back and he seemed to be recovering forces and support in his later days. However, Henry III died in 1275, damming his son. His last will excluded Edmund, who was crowned in London nevertheless.

-1- For narrative purpose I've made Juliana to become Alphonso, Edward's posthumous son, and rushed a bit his arrival to this world.
 
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I wanted to get rid of Longshanks, the She-Wolf of France and Mortimer, and look and behold, Sancho just crossed my mind. However, there is another Castillian king that put the wheels on the move.

About some English de la Cerda clan... well... remember OTL Richard III?
 
Henry died in 1272 OTL. I'm more than happy for you to extend his life by a few years, but it does surprise me. He was already 65, which was already old for the time and in poor health. He's been very lucky, especially if he's been on campaign with William the Lion. Wouldn't it be better just to have him die as OTL and have someone like Simon de Montfort's son or even Eleanor of Castile herself defend her sons? If Eleanor of Aquitaine and Marguerite of Anjou, so can Eleanor.

Regardless, interesting TL idea. I look forward to more.
 
Sorry, but which William the Lion is the one of the update? The only one I could find is a king dead for about half a century by then.
 
2. The not too happy reign of Edmund the Crouchback.
2. The not too happy reign of Edmund the Crouchback.

Edmund came to regret his actions, as he spent most of his time worrying for his crown. Thus, in 1278 he had Guy de Montfort and Simon the Younger de Montfort, sons of Simon de Montfort, executed. In his time, King Edmund claimed that both Guy and Simon were conspiring to murder him to crown Edmund, 2nd Earl of Cornwall, grandson of King John. Present day historians have proved that, while Guy was indeed guilty of the charges, Simon had nothing to do with the actions of his brother.

Meanwhile, Llywelyn ap Gruffudd had launched a campaign in Wales taking profit from the troubles that Edmund had. Thus, the English king declared Llywelyn a rebel in 1278 an, in September 1279, Edmund marched against Wales. By June 1280, Llywelyn, bereft of allies, had been forced to surrender and, by the Treaty of Aberconwy, he was reduced to Gwynned, even if he kept the title of Prince of Wales.

In 1282 Edmund had to face another rebellion in Wales, as Dafydd, who was discontented with the reward he had received from Edmund in 1280, rebelled, followed soon by Llywellyn and other Welsh chieftains. Even worse, Edmund became obssesed with the idea that his cousin Edmund, 2nd Earl of Cornwall, was conspiring to take the crown of him, so he had him arrested and tried, and later on executed. Then he directed all his attention to Wales and moved to crush his enemies there. In spite of a few setbacks, he was able to defeat Llyewllyn at the Battle of Irfon Bridge, and to capture him and Daydd, who were executed then as traitors.

Edmund died unexpectedly in 1284, leaving his crown to his second son, Henry (his elder son, Thomas, Earl of Lancaster, had died from a fever while his father was away in the Welsh campaign), who was only three years old. By that time, Edmund had began to plan to march on crusade to the Holy Land.

Today, the memory of this king has been much maligned by Shakespeare play Edmund the Crouchback, written in the early 1590s.

Edmund married firstly on 8 April 1269 Aveline de Forz, daugther of William de Forz, 4th Earl of Albermale. She died just four years after the marriage, and the couple had no children. He married secondly on 3 February 1276 Blanche of Artois, in Paris, widow of King Henry I of Navarre, daughter of Rober I of Artois and Matilda of Branbat. With Blanche he had five children:

  • Thomas, (1277-1282)
  • Henry (1278-1305)
  • John (1279-1286)
  • Edward (1282-1312), Earl of Chester
  • Blanche (1283-1349).
 
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3. Not born to sue, but to command: Henry IV
3. Not born to sue, but to command: Henry IV

Queen Blanche proved to be a worthy Regent for her son Henry IV. She completed the defeat of the last Welsh chieftains and began the colonisation of Wales. She also forced the Scots to agree to marry the heir of the Scottish crown, Margaret, who was three years old when her father, Alexander III died, to Henry, though Scotland would remain free of English overlordship. However, she died in 1290 and Scotland plunged into chaos until John Baliol was crowned in 1292. However, he was deposed by Robert the Bruce in 1296.

Henry IV, who had become of age in 1294, replied by invading Scotland, helped by some Scottish lords that rebelled against Robert, who they saw as a traitor and an usurper, crushed the Scottish resistance at Dunbar. There would be no more Scottish kings, Henry said, and left leaving English lords of his trust to rule the country.

However, Henry's subjects were unhappy due to the heavy taxes they had to pay to keep the war effort going on in Wales and Scottland. This was solved when Henry IV signed the Confirmatio Cartarum (Confirmation of Charters) – a confirmation of the Magna Carta. In exchange, the nobility agreed to serve with the King on a campaign in Scotland. Just in time.

In 1297 the Scots rebelled again led by William Wallace and, in spite of the best efforts of Henry, he was unable to defeat them as they refused to fight with him in open battle. Even worse, he had to return to England in 1302 to deal with his unruly subjets, that were complaining again, while Scotland fell into civil war with Robert the Bruce figthing with John Comyn for the crown, who was finally defeated and killed in 1303.

It was not until 1305 when Henry IV could return to Scotland, defeating the Scottish army outside Falkirk. Henry, however, could profit from this victory as he fell ill and died a few weeks later.

Henry IV of England married in 1299 Isabel of Castille, daugther of king Sancho IV of Castille. They had three children:

 
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4. I think the king is but a man: Henry V
4. I think the king is but a man: Henry V

Again, Queen Blanche became the Regent, this time for her grandson, until Henry was crowned in 1317. She had rejected the Regency, and suggested that his younger son, Edward, earl of Chester, uncle of the king, but he was not deemed worth of trust, as, apparently, Edward had his own agenda and had his eyes set upon the crown, too. Finally, it was decided that both Queen Blanche and Edward would be both regents of Henry, while her mother was sidelined and died of natural causes a few months later.

However, Edward soon began to act as the sole Regent of the kingdom and soon the nobility divided itself: in one side, those who supported Blanche, in the other the Edwardian supporters. When Wales rebelled again in 1308, this enemy was forgotten for a while, until the rebels were defeated. Then, Scotland also rebelled in 1312, and Edward marched north, but he was defeated and killed at Flodden. Scotland was to become a thorn on Henry's side. Queen Blanche, now sole Regent, had to accept a peace treaty, that brokered a truce for three years. That year, Henry V was bethroted to the daugther of king Louis X of France, Joan, who arrived to England in 1315, being just 3 years old.

In 1317, Henry V was crowned and set himself to put an end to the unruliness of his nobility. First, he executed Edmund FitzAlan, earl of Arundel, that had been one of the visible heads of the supported of his late uncle Edward and cause of endless headaches to Queen Blanche. Civil war again appeared likely, but in late October 1318, the Earl of Pembroke negotiated a potential peace treaty between the two sides. Then Henry V marched against Scotland, which was raided over and over again from 1320 to 1324, and marched again in 1328, when he defeated the last Scottish noblemen. From then on, Scotland would be ruled by Henry V.

As it happened to his father, the Scottish campaigns heavily taxed the treasury, and, again like in the past, the English nobility became unruly, In 1324 the war of Saint Sardos put England against France, further burdening the treasury. It began when the new French king, Charles IV, determined to reduce the English presence in France, pressed Henry V and a small trouble over a small village called Saint Sardos developed into an open war. To the surprise of many, Henry V defeated the invader armies and kept the French at bay. By 1325, after several failed attemps, Charles IV had to give up and the Peace of Saintoge returned everything to the status quo ante bellum.

In 1327 he married Joan, who, knowing too well the English court where she had been brought up, had began, the previous year, to conspire against her husband. However, Henry was aware of the plot, and, in 1331, Joan was spirited to a nunnery and kept there, after having given him two sons. Henry spent the remaining of his life keeping again his nobilty under control and having his wife under strict vigilance, but those questions were put aside when, in 1337, Phillip VI of France confiscated the Duchy of Aquitaine and the county of Ponthieu. Henry attempted to settle the question by paying homage to the French king, but, in 1338, he responded by claiming the French crown for his son John, who was the great grandson of Phillip IV of France. However, Henry V of England died in 1341 without having been able to do too much about the claim because of his bad health.

Henry V and Joan had two children:
  • William (1326-1327)
  • Edward I of England (1328-1373).
Henry had also seven illegitimate sons with his lover, Joan of Kent.
  • John (1325-1335), earl of Norlfok
  • Henry (1327-1360), earl of Leicester
  • Edmund (1329-1352), twin brother of Henry
  • Edward (1330-1346), marquess of Somerset
  • Thomas (1333-1360), marquess of Dorset.
  • Joan (1336-1358), married Sir Robert Ferrers, 1st Baron Ferrers of Wem
  • William (1339-1358), marquess of Tankerville
 
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5. Suspicion always haunts the guilty mind: Edward I, 1st part
5. Suspicion always haunts the guilty mind: Edward I, 1st part

To this day, Edward I of England is one of the most controversial kings by any standards of any nation. A cruel madman with a death wish for some, a hard but just king for other, Edward battle at home and abroad and made himself a name to be remembered.

When he was born, his father, Henry V, had long get tired of Edward's mother, the ambitious Joan of France, and had fathered two bastards sons, John and Henry, and had made them earls of Norfolk and Leicester. That would be the cause of the deep enemity, of the deep hatred that Edward felt towards his half-brethen, as he felt that his father cared too lavishly of them while neglecting his son, born from a woman that he, Henry, hated with all his heart. Thus, with every further bastard son and every honour that Henry rained upon them, the hatred of Edward grow to become almost a malady.

When his father died, three parties fought for the will of the king, first, and for the power of the crown after. Of course, there was the party of the queen mother, Joan of France; too, the party of the bastard sons, that were played by troublesome and ambitions noblemen, which, at the same time, were a third power by themselves in their effort to curb the royal power.

Joan had the upper hand. With the support of Henry of Grosmont, Duke of Lancaster, son of Edward, earl of Chester and grandson of king Edmund the Crouchback, one of the most powerful lord of the realm. Lancaster became the de facto regent of Edward, who was king just in name due to his age. One of the first actions of the "regent" was directed against two of the half-brothers of the king, Henry of Leicester and Edward of Somerset, who were to be sent to the Tower and deprived of their titles. This caused that the two brothers almost rebelled against the royal authority in the summer of 1340, but young Edward I pardoned his brothers and reprimanded his uncle, who was not used to be talked that way and resented it.

Using the Breton War of Succession as an excuse, Edward I began to take an active part in the French affairs. As the Breton War was stalemated by 1344, Edward I reacted by invading Normandy on the next year while claiming his rights upon the French crown. In July he landed in Normandy and, hardly a month later, in late August, he crushed the French at Crecy. At home, Lancaster had defeated a Scottish invasion. Thus, with his rear well protected, Edward I kept wrecking havoc upon France and conquered Calais in November, after a two months siege.

Only the arrival of the Black Death put an stop to the English chain of victories, and Edward had to return to England to fight the efects of the epidemic. He was to remain there until 1352, busy battling the effects of the Black Death and taming his nobility. Of course, among the troublesome were his half-brothers, giving more strenght to the hatred that Edward felt towards them.

In 1353 a peace treaty was signed by Edward I and Jean II of France. Henry was to keep the conquered lands and he was to marry Marie, the daughter of the French king (1). However, this agreement had been more the wish of his noblemen and of Henry of Lancaster, who rembered the Scottish wars and were not too willing to repeat the strain again. In the end, the peace would come to naugh when Edward abandoned his wife after the first night to go to his lover, Joan de Berkeley, grand daughter of Roger Mortimer, Earl of March.

This act was to have terrible consequences, as not only the marriage and the peace with France were broken, but also because a rebellion erupted in England.


(1) The children of Jean II and Bonne of Bohemi in this TL
  1. Charles (b. 1338)
  2. Louis (b. 1339)
  3. Jean (b. 1340)
  4. Marie (b. 1342)
  5. Phillip (b. 1343)
  6. Joan (b. 1344)
  7. Agnes (b. 1345)
  8. Margaret (b. 1347)
  9. Isabellle (b. 1348)
 
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6. Good Lord, what madness rules in brainsick men: Edward I, 2nd part
6. Good Lord, what madness rules in brainsick men: Edward I, 2nd part

Of course, the truce with France was broken, and those who had supported it rose in anger against the king. Henry, Duke of Lancaster, uncle of Edward, was the first to raise his voice over the issue to berate the king. The Duke was also the first to taste his anger, as he was removed from his offices. Thus, Henry joined those who were critical with Edward. However, in face of the renewal of the war with France, the differences between the king and his noblemen was put aside, for a while.

To settle the issue, Edward landed in Gascony in October 1356 and raided Southern France. To the embarrassement of the French king, Edward I's chevauchée left a path of destroyed villages whithout finding any kind of opposition. Thus, he repeated the move in January 1357, conquering most of the Quercy and the Angenais. After this, he returned to England, where he was determined to settle scores with those who had dared to oppose his will. He, of course, also returned with his lover, to the changrin of his abandoned wife, and began to surround himself with the siblings of Joan (her two brothers: Edmund, Earl of March, and sir Thomas Mortimer).

Then, on March 1357, he had his uncle arrested and put forward charges against him: he was a traitor, as he was conspiring against the king. In those days, as the pressure on Edward grew when Pope Innocent VI send a legate to remember his martial duties, Edward spent a few days with Marie, but he rushed again to his lover's side. The noblemen who were deeply offended by the actions of the king, led by his half brother Henry, earl of Leicester, were determined to put a stop to the actions of the king, but then the French invaded Gascony.

An army led by Jean II of Armagnac, Count of Armagnac, began to reconquer most of the Quercy and his advance threatened Bordeaux. Edward, of course, was determined not to loose that rich province, and landed with an army in Gascony, having with them most of those who were critical to him. Instead of moving against Armagnac, Edward invaded and plundered his county in a fast advance that filled with terror the hearts of his enemies. Armagnac withdrew to Toulouse, hoping that Edward would go back to England after having fulfilled his wish of revenge with the raid. He was wrong.

Edward advanced towards Toulouse, leaving a trail of destroyed villages. Then, he flanked the city and moved towards Narbonne. Armagnac shadowed his movements, but refusing to give him a set-piece battle. Thus, amazingly, Edward was able to return to Gascony after plundering and destroying the French cities and fields, leaing a devastated Languedoc. The finances of king Jean were hit hard by the English chevauchée.

In early 1358, Edward I was ready to repeat the trick. He landed on July 1358 on Gascony and began another chevauchée through Auvergne, Limousin, and Berry, plundering and burning as he went. Jean II, who had now gathered a large force, crossed the Loire at Blois and went in pursuit of Edward. Thus, when the English king moved north, towards Orleans, Jean II of France advanced with his army to stop him. The two enemy forces met at Bougres. Outnumbered two to one, Edward takes defensive positions and waits. Jean II, with this superior army and presured by his nobles to take revenge from the enemy chevauchées, attacks... and it's crushed by the English archers. The French were utterly defeated and left seven thousand dead on the field.

Victorious, Edward returned to England, determined to settle the score with those who had dared to oppose him.
 
7 Suspicion always haunts the guilty mind: Edward I, 3rd part
7 Suspicion always haunts the guilty mind: Edward I, 3rd part

The first move was directed against his half-brother, William, marquess of Tankerville. Accused of having witheld the pay of the soldiers, William was arrested, but before he could be tried, Somerset died in prison, murdered by order of king Edward. Six other knights that had been accused of treason were also executed in the following days.

After this, he ordered his half-brothers Henry, earl of Leicester and Thomas, marquess of Dorset to be arrested, but both fled to Scotland. Unable to reach them there, Edward invaded France, hoping to capitalise on the discontent and seize the throne, but the French army refused to meet the English forces in the field, and, after three months of idle campaigning, Edward returned to England.

In his rage, Edward had John, earl of Kent and brother of Joan, the mother of Henry and Thomas, being put to death. He had also executed Jane of Tankerville, the wife of William. In April 1359 he returned to France to led a force of 9,000 men out from Calais on a major chevauchée, but, again, the French avoided a set battle. When he reached Gascony in October 1359, he had lost a quarter of his men. Although the march across France had been a remarkable feat, it was a military failure.

By 1360, some noblemen had grown tired of Edward's anger and thrist for revenge. The constant campaigning in France had brought no victories and they began to conspire. Richard, earl of Cambridge, and Sir Thomas Grey, brother in law of William of Tankerville. While they rose in arms in England, Henry of Leicester and Thomas of Dorset would invade England with an Scottish army. Edward I moved north with an army, thrice the number of the invaders, and met them at Hexham.

The first to fall was Thomas. When the main bodies became entangled on the battlefield, Thomas, marquess of Dorset, led the left wing of the Scottish army to flank the royal forces, but his attack was refused by the arrows of the royal archers and his wing fled in disarray. It was then when Thomas was hit by an arrow and thus killed. Henry, who was figthing in the other flank, charged also at that moment, but could not force the enemy ranks to withdrew, and soldiers of both sides fought and died where they stood. There Henry was also killed, but this was not know after the rebel army fled the field and his body was found among the debris of the battle.
 
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