Annals of the Anglo-Norse

tuareg109

Banned
Griffid Ap Lheuelin

Wut da hell is dat????

And yes, he was King of Wales and even in OTL invaded Hereford with the help of Aelfgar, who was exiled. Aelfgar's exile is butterflied away because Siward is still alive, and has a strong heir; no Godwinson will replace him to threaten Mercia on two fronts!
 
Wut da hell is dat????

That is an older Welsh spelling of said King
The traditional Welsh spelling only dates back to Middle Welsh of 1300s or so when doubled i and u were so common they became u and w along with using dd, ll, and consistent use of y.
So if you're going to use the contemporary spellings it pays to be consistent :D
 

tuareg109

Banned
Annals of the Anglo-Norse

JRNWgfY.jpg


Siward the Stout [Sigeweard Digri], Earl of Northumbria
Lived 1000-
Reigned 1023-

"False were the intrigues against High Reeve Osulf, and the grace and justice in lord Osbjorn saved his life; it did lord Osbjorn good as well, for throughout his whole life he only had one stauncher ally, that being Cenn Mor."
--Bishop Cola of Durham, Annals of the Anglo-Norse, Anno Domini 1217

Earl Siward and his sons and his retinue stayed in Winchester past Christmas and well into the New Year; the Godwinsons were obliged to leave, to attend to their own lands. Several letters were had from Earl Ralph the Timid of Hereford, complaining of large movements of and small raids by the Welsh under their King Gruffydd ap Llywelyn. King Edward, more timid than Ralph as he was, chose to ignore these signs of brewing war and descended into revelry and high fettle as his infant son developed strong and healthy. Often would lord Osbjorn espy King Edward's sometimes-jealous sometimes-grateful gaze, and would turn away somewhat embarrassed. The state of being embarrassed was something very novel to Osbjorn Anegde, and he resolved to be more careful in the future; Aedgyth, for her part, notified him that two pregnancies so near to each other in such close proximity to Osbjorn would raise suspicion. Osbjorn, for one, did not mind.

Then, on January 15th, arrived Edward the Exile from the domain of the Huns. Word had reached the royal court the previous day that Edward the Exile's party had docked in London. The king prepared the entire court, and indeed the entire city, for his nephew's arrival.

Edward Aetheling came with his Hungarian wife Agatha, his 5-year-old son Edgar, 14-year-old daughter Cristina, and 10-year-old daughter Margaret. He immediately earned the love of King Edward and the royal court, and the enmity of the Godwinsons; he knew, as all others did, of the role that Earl Godwin of Wessex had had in the apprehension and murder of Alfred Aetheling. Alfred was born of Aethelred the Unready, and was King Edward the Confessor's younger brother, and had returned on Knud the Great's death in 1035 to claim England for himself. Earl Godwin had lured him into a trap, and in 1036 he died. This all served to make newly-returned Edward Aetheling very wary of Godwinsons.

It is fortunate, too, for lord Osbjorn that he wintered in Winchester that year. Though Edward Aetheling was some ten years his senior, the two men had much in common; both reveled in war and mead, and preferred the company of men over the idle talk of women. Edward Aetheling had had to grow fast and tough in the semi-savage eastern courts of Kiev and Hungary, and had been so much aid in salvaging Hungary that his wife, Agatha, was the king's daughter. That was high praise in any court, and in any part of the world.

Agatha, for her part, did not tempt Osbjorn and was not tempted by him in return. Edward the Exile was the king of her heart, and man enough for her. The children, lord Osbjorn and the court were dazzled to find out, were a delight. Fluent in English, Latin, Hungarian, Rus, Polish, and Greek, each one owned a fire and independence not commonly seen in any brood; none was too dependent on mother and father. Little Edgar was always running round the practice yard and fighting men twice his size; Cristina was a dazzling beauty of almost-marriageable age who managed to foil every one of her disappointing suitors; and Margaret was a veritable saint, with her kindness and generosity. Truly enchanting, and worthy allies for the future.

However, every revel must come to an end, and Earl Siward and his company turned north on the 13th of March; lord Osbjorn sent word ahead to his cousin High Reeve Osulf of Bamburgh, to begin to gather levies. Cenn Mor too received word from his one-eyed cousin. However, Earl Siward arrived in Northumbria to find half the country in open revolt, and a noble's war ongoing; the country suffered, and less men would be available to fight the Morayvian rebels.

High Reeve Wulfnoth of York and his allies alleged that High Reeve Osulf had used the collected levy to loot across the border into Lothian and Mercia, which lowered Earl Siward's reputation overall. Storming with anger, Earl Siward first chastised his son, who had been Osulf's patron, and then flew north to Bamburgh, to deal with this betrayal. But Osulf protested his innocence!

Since many of his men were Anglo-Norse like Osbjorn, and not Anglo-Saxon like Osulf, and yet swore that he was telling the truth, lord Osbjorn believed him. He collected evidence from Bishop Wulfric of Bamburgh before presenting it to his father; thus convinced, Earl Siward and the collected forces of Osulf moved south to deal with the rebels.

Since Earl Siward was a fair and popular ruler, more father than earl to his people, jealous High Reeve Wulfnoth was quickly captured and put to death. This accomplished by 21st of April, lord Osbjorn and his cousin High Reeve Osulf then left Earl Siward at York, to move north and join Cenn Mor against Moray once more.
 
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