AH Challenge: Greater Britain

Come up with a "Greater Britain" that includes all of OTL Great Britain and Brittany (today part of western France). Bonus points if you can avoid the Norman Conquest while doing so.
 
POD - Battle of Dyrham is a Saxon defeat, so the Celtic tribes of the English West Country are not driven back to Wales or Devon/Cornwall.

Over the years a modus vivendi develops, especially as the Saxons convert to Christianity - dynastic marriages lead to a gradual merging of the Saxon and British kingdoms.

The Synod of Whitby rules in favour of the Celtic Church - there is a brief split from Rome but this is soon resolved. Maybe the threat that the Celtic Church could ally with the Orthodox in Constantinople brings Rome to accept the decision.

Charlemagne becomes emperor of the Holy Roman Empire - accepts that the Bretwalda of Alba as 'his' Caesar for the islands. The islands are still a series of nominally independent kingdoms subject to the overall rule of a high king who may come from any one of them. Over time the king who holds london beocmes de facto ruler. Important secondary capitals (more or less on the sites of modern Armagh, Edinburgh, York, Chester, Cardiff, Exeter) prevent London from becoming too dominant.

Viking Invasions - the combined Kingdoms unite to resist these and gradually move to expel or assimilate the invaders in Ireland / Scotland / Brittany.

The years of combat lead to a sense of national identity through the islands.

1066 - in an obscure skirmish near Mont St Michel. the so-called Duke of Normandy, one William the bastard, dies, pierced through the eye by an arrow fired by an archer from Gwynned serving with army of Bretwalda Harold sent to aid the Bretons against Norman depradations.
 
That's a pretty cool scenario, with a good POD. Where in Britain was Dyrrham?

Integrating the Saxon warlords into the pre-existing Celtic High Kingship is a very interesting idea.

Who's Bretwalda of Alba? The name sounds familiar; isn't "Alba" an old name for Scotland?
 
Matt Quinn said:
That's a pretty cool scenario, with a good POD. Where in Britain was Dyrrham?

I thought from the name it might be an early spelling for my stamping grounds up here in the land of the Prince Bishops but it's actually down south somewhere near Bath.
 
What about a more recent POD? Fascist Britain gets Britanny from their buddy Adolph, and stomps across Ireland.....
 
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