1020 Hardaknut left Vinland (Newfoundland) 4 years ago and ventured into the St. Ib’s River where he set up a small settlement. Another group of settlers went south to the Peninsula of New Sjaelland. In both areas the lands are quickly depopulated by Skraelings, whose children had been playing with Danish children used to milk the cows. A sign from God of the holy peregrinate of Hardaknut! Clemens the monk is now bishop of Vinland. Ships have reached the Danish Empire with news of the settlements of Hardaknut in Vinland and the civil war has forced a number of defeated nobility to leave with their entourage. The Vinland population is slowly but surely increasing. The horses brought originally from Greenland are breeding very well into larger animals given an abundance of grazing and water.
There is regular shipping between Vinland and Greenland, carrying timber and wood from Vinland trading with furs and ivory-tusks in Greenland.
King Sancho of Gothia son Ordono is married to Adelheid of Burgundy.
1021 Leaving the Danish Empire the Pope went to France settling for the time at Clairvaux. Soon the Papal court would attract envoys from France, Germany and Gothia as well as from Burgundy, Bavaria/Friuli and Constantinople.
1022 King Heinrich of Germany dies. His son Konrad succeeds him.
1025 Basilios 2. of the Byzantine Empire dies. His brother and co-regent Constantine 8. is a fragile old man and power slips away from the Emperors.
Konrad of Germany feels himself secure as King and begin a limited war against the Danish Empire, having some lesser nobles lay siege to a number of Danish nobles’ castles in Lower Lorraine.
1026 Konrad of Germany continues the war on Denmark. Erik of the Danish Empire is busy rebuilding the Empire after the civil war. He is making the nobles accept the church division of new arc-bishoprics and putting down uprisings in Norway and Scotland.
Duke Cnut of Bavaria/Friuli and King Stephan of Hungary decide, on the disruption of power in the Byzantine Empire, to cross the Danube and conquer lands in Bulgaria. They assemble their armies and cross the Danube. During the crossing Cnut falls off his horse and is drowned. The expedition is cancelled. Cnut’s son Erik succeeds his father to Bavaria/Friuli. The expedition has the unexpected result that the power-struggle in the Byzantine Empire is accelerated and Constantine 8. is deposed of and a general Maniakes is set-up as Emperor to counter the threat.
The Pope decides to return to Rome and hold parleys with the Christian Kings: Robert II of France, Konrad of Germany, Sancho of Gothia, Arnulf of Burgundy and Erik of Denmark. The Pope promises to crown the King who re-installs him in Rome as Holy Roman Emperor!
Erik of Denmark promises a small contingent of troops to support the Pope and then leaves Clairvaux after having made arrangements for his daughter Helena’s marriage to Konrad of Germany. The dowry is to be Lower Lorraine.
Another marriage is arranged between the son of Arnulf of Burgundy and the daughter of Duke Berengar of Lombardy, Maria to be held in 5 years.
Sancho of Gothia after having dinner with his father-in-law, Erik of Denmark (technically not the biological father, but the queen of Gothia was the daughter of Hardaknut of the Danish Empire who was shipped off to Greenland, and Erik has resumed fatherly responsibility for Edwina) also decides to keep out of the Pope’s games, and returns to Toulouse. They decide to draw up a campaign in the Med to isolate the Kalifate in Cordoba and spread the power of Gothia eastwards.
Robert, Konrad and Arnulf are all eager to support the Pope.
1027 With the threat of a Hungarian – Bavaria/Friuli invasion evaporated a treaty of everlasting peace is concluded between the Byzantine Empire and Hungaria – Bavaria/Friuli. The Byzantine Empire declares that it has no interests outside its borders in the Balkans.
The event of the Year: The marriage of King Konrad of Germany and Princess Helena of the Danish Empire.
Held in the cathedral of Caterbury and then redone in Mainz for all the nobility and clergy of the Danish Empire and the German Kingdom to witness. Present in Canterbury, a family affair, is King Sancho and queen Edwina of Gothia. Sancho is drawing up plans for the campaign in the Med, and has been promised ship-wrights from England and Denmark to bolster the campaign. In Mainz the Danish Emperor Erik has called the Kings of Poland Mieszko, of Czechia Vaclav, of Hungary Stephan, of Burgundy Arnulf and Robert of France. Duke Erik of Bavaria/Friuli is also present. At the end of the ceremony Erik of Denmark declare the dowry of Helena to be the Duchy of Lower Lorraine. Also a number of treaties of peace is made between the present Kings and Dukes.
1028 A new wave of immigrants arrive in Vinland. The majority is Norwegian and Scottish nobility forced to leave after the suppression by their uprising in 1026. After some initial squabbles Hardaknut is able to assert his authority. Having found their way into the Great Lakes, Hardaknut decide this is where the Danish main effort is going to be. Meeting the Huron peoples the Danes had, after the initial wave of small-pox, been able to make an agreement and set-up settlements. The only thing missing is iron to make tools, weapons and most important ship nails. So some time is dedicated to survey for bogs and the like where iron-ore (myremalm) can be found.
1031 Lothair, second son of King Arnulf of Burgundy and Maria daughter of Duke Berengar of Lombardy are married.
Robert II of France on his way home from the marriage in Milan catches a cold and dies of pneumonia in the Alpes. His body is not recovered and rumour has it that the Arnulf of Burgundy has captured him and is holding him hostage. Prince Henry of France goes to Burgundy to have his father set free or recover the dead body. Meanwhile Prince Robert grabs power in France and as Henry rushes back, he is met by Robert’s men and assassinated. Robert assumes power in France as King Robert III and immediately goes to war with Burgundy to have his father released from captivity. At the same time Lombardy and the rest of French Italy splits from France, declaring independence or allegiance to some neighbour Kingdom. The War between France and Burgundy quickly bogs down to a few sieges.
King Mieszko of Poland forces Czechia to cede the lands north of Bohemia between the Elbe and the Oder after the death of King Vaclav by a hunting accident.
Having completed preparations Sancho of Gothia initiates his campaign in the Med. His troops lands in the Baleares claiming the Islands.
1032 Needing the money for war on Burgundy and true to his nature Robert III robs the churches, monasteries and bishops of France of all of value. Learning this, the Pope leaves Clairvaux and moves to Arles in Burgundy. A Papal Bull is issued demanding Robert III to give the church everything back that it was robbed of. The Pope also claims Burgundy’s War to be just and ask all Princes of Christianity to support Burgundy.
Arnulf of Burgundy together with Duke Berengar of Lombardy invades the Duchy of Burgundy in France. Trying to lift the siege of Nevers Robert III is thoroughly defeated and is forced to cede the Duchy of Burgundy.
Feeling at a peak Mieszko of Poland invades Thüringa. Losing the battle of Erfurt, King Konrad asks his father-in-law, Erik of Denmark for aid and a Saxon army is sent off. In return Konrad is forced to take his Kingdom as a fief of Denmark.
King Erik is still focused on securing his lands and their stability. The King reasserts his right to tax trade and Gotland and Hiiumaa (off the coast of Estonia) is conquered to secure the route to Novgorod.
Sancho of Gothia invades Sardinia and Corsica.
Having found the right areas in Vinland and New Sjaelland the Danes begin to make their own iron. Also copper is mined on Keweenaw Peninsula, but only to a lesser extend.
1033 Still in need of money and wanting to re-fight Burgundy, Robert III pillages lands of his vassals. This act stirs up the French nobility and count Rolf of Loire leads the insurrection.
Mieszko is beaten at Fulda. He is forced to leave German lands and take the area between Elbe and Oder as a German fief – Mark Lausitz.
In reaction King Erik of Denmark make Konrad cede his claim to Mark Lausitz and recognize Mieszko’s authority.
Sardinia and Corsica is claimed by Gothia.
1037 Robert III is deposed from the throne by count Rolf, who is elected King of France. Rolf is married to a niece of the former Danish Emperor Hardacanute (906-938).
Sancho of Gothia dies. His son Ordono is crowned King of Gothia.
The Seljuq Turks conquer Chorasan, defeats the Ghzanavid’s and enters Iran.
1038 King Stephan of Hungary dies. As agreed by Stephan and Cnut in 1007, Erik and Zsofia inherit Hungary and Bavaria/Friuli. Due to the agreement the lands are able to merge peacefully.
In Vinland the settlements are slowly prospering. The cattle and horse are thriving and breeding into larger animals. So are the peoples, Danes, Scotsmen and Norwegians and the population exceeds 20000 in the three settlements. Trade expeditions have reached the Great Plains and the Vinlanders find them inviting to travel by horse. The Greenlanders are being ever more dependent on Vinland support and the Bishop of Gardar, Greenland recognizes Hardaknut’s Bishop Clemens as his church lord. There is no recognition by the Pope, but due to circumstances this isn’t missed by anyone.
1045 Ordono of Gothia finishes the conquest of Sicily.
The Pope once again tries to rally support for his return to Rome. Still feeling victorious Arnulf of Burgundy reassures the Pope of his support, and lust for the title of Holy Roman Emperor, and at the head of the Burgundian-Lombardian army marches into Tuscany. After a successful siege of Pisa, Arnulf moves on and encounters a Byzantine army at Grosseto. Battle is joined. After the initial skirmish Arnulf is cut off by Byzantine cavalry and cut down. His son Lothair is however able to reform the Burgundian army and fight it to a stalemate. After the battle parley is joined and a treaty is agreed to. Tuscany is ceded to Burgundy and the Pope is given Rome back. The Pope however is forced to recognize the authority of the Byzantine Metropolit. At the head of a small Burgundian army the Pope enters Rome. Lothair asks the Imperial Crown of the Pope, but the Pope replies that it was his father who was given the promise. Angry Lothair marches his army to Rome, take the city, sacks and burn it and throws the Pope into prison.
1046 Angered by Lothair’s actions King Ordono of Gothia moves an army into Burgundy and lay siege to Arles. Lothair hurries home and is forced to release the Pope and move his troops out of Rome. A Gothian army is shipped off for Rome.
