BRITONS TRIUMPHANT: An Alternate History of Dark Age Britain
- Thread starter robertp6165
- Start date
Most Arthurian sources involve the whole "High King" and "Aurelianus" thing. Some include Vortigern as a Roman (sometimes as Arthur, other times not) as well.
I liked Jack Whyte's Arthurian series, personally. Just enough myth, but not necessarily fantasy (the explanation of Excalibur is decent). Although some of the history was flawed (the invention of the cavalry sword is nothing new).
I liked Jack Whyte's Arthurian series, personally. Just enough myth, but not necessarily fantasy (the explanation of Excalibur is decent). Although some of the history was flawed (the invention of the cavalry sword is nothing new).
Mikey said:
I have actually never read the series of which you speak or the series by Jack Whyte of which the others speak. The only Arthurian fictional series I have ever read was the one by Mary Stewart (THE CRYSTAL CAVE, THE HOLLOW HILLS, THE LAST ENCHANTMENT, THE WICKED DAY) written back in the 1970s and 1980s. I did not consciously use any of that as feedstock for ideas for the timeline, although, thinking back on it, there are some similarities.
The main source of ideas for this came from the book KING ARTHUR: A MILITARY HISTORY, by Michael Holmes. Holmes supports the idea that Arthur was the son and successor of Ambrosius Aurelianus the Younger, and it was from this book that I got the scenario for Medraut's revolt used in the timeline (Medraut being assigned to command the fortress at Domnoc, identified by Holmes as Walton Castle, which allows him to form an alliance with the Angles to the north against Arthur). Holmes also argues pretty persuasively in favor of Arthur creating a mobile cavalry force to supplement a static defense strategy begun by his father, which I also used in the timeline. I also used ARTHUR'S BRITAIN by Lesley Alcock as a background source, and fleshed it out with a lot of internet research and other historical books (I have read "De Excidio Britanniae" by Gildas, for example, and also have a translation of one version of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle in my home library).
I am posting an additions and corrections segment in preparation for the planned posting of the next full installment of the timeline (which I hope to have completed tomorrow).
ADDITIONS AND CORRECTIONS TO EARLIER SEGMENTS OF THE TIMELINE
388--Defeat of Magnus Maximus. Conan Meriadog and his British troops are forced to
settle in Armorica; British immigration to Armorica begins.
c.458-60 (note that this is a revision of a section already published)--Full-scale migration
of British aristocrats and city-dwellers across the Oceanus Britannicus to Armorica, in
north-western Gaul (the "second migration"). Among the British contingent is Prince
Vortimer, who will also be known in contemporary chronicles as “Riothamus.”
c. 460-700--With increased immigration of Britons to Armorica in the wake of the
Anglo-Saxon invasions of Britannia, three kingdoms are founded in
Armorica...Domnonia (“Devon”), Kernow (“Cornwall”) and Bro Erech. These
kingdoms, ruled by descendants of Vortimer, son of Vortigern (also known in
contemporary sources as “Riothamus”), who left Britannia in the aftermath of the defeat
and death of his father, Vortigern, will function most of the time as separate kingdoms,
but will sometimes be united under one ruler as the Kingdom of Brittany (or “Little
Britannia”). These kingdoms will not acknowledge the authority of the High King in
Britannia, as their rulers, being relations of Vortigern, consider the Ambrosian House to
be usurpers, and they will often provide a refuge for those who oppose the rule of said
House in Britannia (notably the dispossessed relations of the House of Gwynedd and the
royal houses dispossessed by Arthur I during his enforced consolidation of the
sub-kingdoms in Britannia), as well as being a springboard for attempts by these houses
to regain their lands in Britannia. Most of the time during these years the Breton
kingdoms will maintain a precarious independence of the powerful Frankish kingdoms to
their east (and indeed, in times of Frankish weakness, will sometimes hold land in Anjou
and other neighboring areas), but they will often be forced to accept vassalage to the
Frankish Kings, beginning with Clovis (c. 500 A.D.).
522--Death of Galan Arilith, King of Pictavia. At his death the kingdom of the Picts is
divided into the Kingdoms of the Southern Picts and the Kingdom of the Northern Picts,
a situation which will endure, with brief interruptions, for the next 175 years.
538-539--Brief Civil War in Britannia. Upon the death of High King Arthur, Rhun Hir
(“Rhun the Tall”), son of Maelgwn of Gwynedd, with assistance from King Budig ap
Erich of Brittany, forms an alliance with Llywarch ap Rigenew of the House of
Brycheiniog and Meurig ap Idnerth of the House of Buellt (the latter two being heads of
the dispossessed ruling houses of two former sub-kingdoms which had been forcibly
consolidated with the Kingdom of Cernyw by order of High King Arthur), and invades
Britannia in an effort to seize the High Kingship for himself. Upon their landing in July
538, Kings Morgan ap Pasgen of Powys and King Vortipor mac Aricol of Dyfed declare
for the rebels, and together the combined host advances west toward the High King’s seat
at Caer Camulod. The new High King, Constantius, however, meets them in battle near
the town of Caer Letoceton (about 14 miles north of what would be, in OTL, the city of
Birmingham, England) on September 12, 538. Although many of the sub-kings of
Britannia declare themselves neutral, preferring to “sit on the fence” and see who wins
the contest, most rally behind the High King, and the combined armies of the High King
and the loyal sub-kings destroy those of rebels. Rhun Hir is killed in the battle, and both
Llywarch and Meurig are captured shortly afterward. Kings Morgan ap Pasgen of Powys
and King Vortipor mac Aricol of Dyfed both escape to their respective kingdoms, where
they are besieged in their fortresses. These, in turn, surrender to Constantius before the
end of the year, and Constantius orders both Vortipor and Morgan executed, along with
Llywarch and Meurig, in early 539. Constantius, however, unlike his father, does not
dispossess and exile the remaining members of the royal houses of Powys and Dyfed.
Instead, he allows these dynasties to continue to rule, after taking an oath of loyalty and
providing hostages to the High King. It is here also that Constantius begins the policy of
using dynastic marriage to bind the royal houses of the sub-kingdoms with the House of
Ambrosius, wedding two of his sisters to the new King Pedr ap Cyngar of Dyfed and
King Cynan Garwyn ap Brochfael of Powys. The ties thus formed will prove to be
solid...indeed, King Pedr of Dyfed will name his own son “Arthur,” after High King
Constantius’s father...and long-lasting. Dyfed and Powys will thereafter be among the
most loyal of the sub-kingdoms of Britannia.
539 onward--The standard of resistance by those Britons opposed to the rule of the
Ambrosian High Kings in Britannia is taken up by Beli ap Rhun of the House of
Gwynedd, who escaped from the battle of Caer Letoceton and returned to Brittany in
early 539. From his base at the court of the Kings of Brittany, Beli will intrigue with the
kings of the Angles, Saxons, and Jutes against the High King, and Beli will lead a small
force (composed primarily of Breton troops and Frankish mercenaries) allied to King
Caewlin of Wessex during the Battle of Bedford in 571. But for the most part, Beli’s
intrigues bear little fruit, and he dies, childless, bitter and abandoned, in 599. With him
dies the last serious resistance by Britons to the rule of the Ambrosian High Kings in
Britannia, as the policy of dynastic marriage being pursued by the High Kings has
increasingly borne fruit and bonded the various royal houses to that of the High King.
Although the Kings of Brittany remain opposed to the Ambrosian House, they find their
own attention increasingly focused on maintaining their own independence from the
encroachments of the Franks to their east, and by the final decades of the sixth century
have ceased interfering in the affairs of Britannia.
599--To commemorate the great victory over the Angles of Bernicia and the reconquest
of Bryneich, High King Arthur II founds a monastery on the island of Ynys Metcaut
(known to the Angles as Lindisfarne), near the recently re-conquered town of Din Guardi
(or Bamburgh, as it had been known by the Angles of Bernicia).
600--At the orders of the new High King Cadwaladyr, the body of High King Arthur II is
buried at the monastery which the deceased King founded on the island of Ynys Metcaut.
605 onward--In the years after the death of Bishop Augustine of Canterbury, the Kings of
Kent and Essex will convert to the Roman form of Christianity. These kingdoms will
maintain their allegiance to Rome as a means of asserting their independence from the
British High King, even after they are finally forced to swear allegiance to said High King
later in the seventh century.
628--Biscop Baducing, son of an Anglish refugee who went into exile with King Edwin
of Deira to live in Kent, is born outside Canterbury.
653--Biscop Baducing travels to Rome to pursue a career in the church. He shortly
thereafter enters a monastery at Lerins, in the south of France. While there, he adopts the
name of Benedict.
669--Benedict Biscop Baducing travels with Theodore of Tarsus to Canterbury.
671-672--Benedict Biscop Baducing travels to Rome again. He returns to Canterbury
with a large collection of relics, holy pictures, and books.
673--Benedict Biscop Baducing travels to his ancestral homeland of Deira, where he
persuades King Beorna of Deira to convert to the Roman form of Christianity. Beorna
grants Benedict land near the Deiran capital of Malton (formerly Caer Deywr, the former
Roman town of Derventio, which had served as capital of the British sub-kingdom of
Deywr before it was overthrown by the Angles in 559) to build a monastery, and the
churchman uses his collection of relics, holy pictures, and books to found the monastic
library. He names the monastery St. Paul’s.
675--Crown Prince Arthur marries Princess Rhiannon, beautiful daughter of King Cadfan
of Dyfed.
678--A daughter is born to Crown Prince Arthur. She is named Isolde. Her mother,
Crown Princess Rhiannon, however, dies in childbirth. Crown Prince Arthur is
devastated by her death, and despite urging from his advisors and family, will never
remarry. The loss of his beloved wife also causes Arthur to turn ever more to a religious
pursuits. He therefore, unlike his predecessors, will not serve a term as Commander of the
mobile cavalry force prior to assuming the High Kingship, and he will show little interest
in military affairs during his subsequent reign as High King.
690--Princess Isolde, the twelve-year-old daughter of Crown Prince Arthur, dies during
an outbreak of plague in Caer Camulod. Crown Prince Arthur is left without a direct heir.
The next in line to the High Kingship, after Arthur, are the descendants of Arthur’s
younger brother, Custennin (“Constantius”).
697--The Kingdoms of the Northern and Southern Picts are united by King Brude mac
Derelei. Brude begins raiding the kingdoms of Strathclyde and Gododdin shortly
thereafter. The High King, Rhodri, is by now an old man, and does little in response, nor
does his son, Arthur, who is a man of little military experience or inclination. Instead, the
defense of northern Britannia is left to the Dux Brittaniarum, King Dogfael of
Strathclyde. Dogfael does a capable job in this capacity, and the Picts are usually repelled
with great loss when they venture over the borders of Britannia.
ADDITIONS AND CORRECTIONS TO EARLIER SEGMENTS OF THE TIMELINE
388--Defeat of Magnus Maximus. Conan Meriadog and his British troops are forced to
settle in Armorica; British immigration to Armorica begins.
c.458-60 (note that this is a revision of a section already published)--Full-scale migration
of British aristocrats and city-dwellers across the Oceanus Britannicus to Armorica, in
north-western Gaul (the "second migration"). Among the British contingent is Prince
Vortimer, who will also be known in contemporary chronicles as “Riothamus.”
c. 460-700--With increased immigration of Britons to Armorica in the wake of the
Anglo-Saxon invasions of Britannia, three kingdoms are founded in
Armorica...Domnonia (“Devon”), Kernow (“Cornwall”) and Bro Erech. These
kingdoms, ruled by descendants of Vortimer, son of Vortigern (also known in
contemporary sources as “Riothamus”), who left Britannia in the aftermath of the defeat
and death of his father, Vortigern, will function most of the time as separate kingdoms,
but will sometimes be united under one ruler as the Kingdom of Brittany (or “Little
Britannia”). These kingdoms will not acknowledge the authority of the High King in
Britannia, as their rulers, being relations of Vortigern, consider the Ambrosian House to
be usurpers, and they will often provide a refuge for those who oppose the rule of said
House in Britannia (notably the dispossessed relations of the House of Gwynedd and the
royal houses dispossessed by Arthur I during his enforced consolidation of the
sub-kingdoms in Britannia), as well as being a springboard for attempts by these houses
to regain their lands in Britannia. Most of the time during these years the Breton
kingdoms will maintain a precarious independence of the powerful Frankish kingdoms to
their east (and indeed, in times of Frankish weakness, will sometimes hold land in Anjou
and other neighboring areas), but they will often be forced to accept vassalage to the
Frankish Kings, beginning with Clovis (c. 500 A.D.).
522--Death of Galan Arilith, King of Pictavia. At his death the kingdom of the Picts is
divided into the Kingdoms of the Southern Picts and the Kingdom of the Northern Picts,
a situation which will endure, with brief interruptions, for the next 175 years.
538-539--Brief Civil War in Britannia. Upon the death of High King Arthur, Rhun Hir
(“Rhun the Tall”), son of Maelgwn of Gwynedd, with assistance from King Budig ap
Erich of Brittany, forms an alliance with Llywarch ap Rigenew of the House of
Brycheiniog and Meurig ap Idnerth of the House of Buellt (the latter two being heads of
the dispossessed ruling houses of two former sub-kingdoms which had been forcibly
consolidated with the Kingdom of Cernyw by order of High King Arthur), and invades
Britannia in an effort to seize the High Kingship for himself. Upon their landing in July
538, Kings Morgan ap Pasgen of Powys and King Vortipor mac Aricol of Dyfed declare
for the rebels, and together the combined host advances west toward the High King’s seat
at Caer Camulod. The new High King, Constantius, however, meets them in battle near
the town of Caer Letoceton (about 14 miles north of what would be, in OTL, the city of
Birmingham, England) on September 12, 538. Although many of the sub-kings of
Britannia declare themselves neutral, preferring to “sit on the fence” and see who wins
the contest, most rally behind the High King, and the combined armies of the High King
and the loyal sub-kings destroy those of rebels. Rhun Hir is killed in the battle, and both
Llywarch and Meurig are captured shortly afterward. Kings Morgan ap Pasgen of Powys
and King Vortipor mac Aricol of Dyfed both escape to their respective kingdoms, where
they are besieged in their fortresses. These, in turn, surrender to Constantius before the
end of the year, and Constantius orders both Vortipor and Morgan executed, along with
Llywarch and Meurig, in early 539. Constantius, however, unlike his father, does not
dispossess and exile the remaining members of the royal houses of Powys and Dyfed.
Instead, he allows these dynasties to continue to rule, after taking an oath of loyalty and
providing hostages to the High King. It is here also that Constantius begins the policy of
using dynastic marriage to bind the royal houses of the sub-kingdoms with the House of
Ambrosius, wedding two of his sisters to the new King Pedr ap Cyngar of Dyfed and
King Cynan Garwyn ap Brochfael of Powys. The ties thus formed will prove to be
solid...indeed, King Pedr of Dyfed will name his own son “Arthur,” after High King
Constantius’s father...and long-lasting. Dyfed and Powys will thereafter be among the
most loyal of the sub-kingdoms of Britannia.
539 onward--The standard of resistance by those Britons opposed to the rule of the
Ambrosian High Kings in Britannia is taken up by Beli ap Rhun of the House of
Gwynedd, who escaped from the battle of Caer Letoceton and returned to Brittany in
early 539. From his base at the court of the Kings of Brittany, Beli will intrigue with the
kings of the Angles, Saxons, and Jutes against the High King, and Beli will lead a small
force (composed primarily of Breton troops and Frankish mercenaries) allied to King
Caewlin of Wessex during the Battle of Bedford in 571. But for the most part, Beli’s
intrigues bear little fruit, and he dies, childless, bitter and abandoned, in 599. With him
dies the last serious resistance by Britons to the rule of the Ambrosian High Kings in
Britannia, as the policy of dynastic marriage being pursued by the High Kings has
increasingly borne fruit and bonded the various royal houses to that of the High King.
Although the Kings of Brittany remain opposed to the Ambrosian House, they find their
own attention increasingly focused on maintaining their own independence from the
encroachments of the Franks to their east, and by the final decades of the sixth century
have ceased interfering in the affairs of Britannia.
599--To commemorate the great victory over the Angles of Bernicia and the reconquest
of Bryneich, High King Arthur II founds a monastery on the island of Ynys Metcaut
(known to the Angles as Lindisfarne), near the recently re-conquered town of Din Guardi
(or Bamburgh, as it had been known by the Angles of Bernicia).
600--At the orders of the new High King Cadwaladyr, the body of High King Arthur II is
buried at the monastery which the deceased King founded on the island of Ynys Metcaut.
605 onward--In the years after the death of Bishop Augustine of Canterbury, the Kings of
Kent and Essex will convert to the Roman form of Christianity. These kingdoms will
maintain their allegiance to Rome as a means of asserting their independence from the
British High King, even after they are finally forced to swear allegiance to said High King
later in the seventh century.
628--Biscop Baducing, son of an Anglish refugee who went into exile with King Edwin
of Deira to live in Kent, is born outside Canterbury.
653--Biscop Baducing travels to Rome to pursue a career in the church. He shortly
thereafter enters a monastery at Lerins, in the south of France. While there, he adopts the
name of Benedict.
669--Benedict Biscop Baducing travels with Theodore of Tarsus to Canterbury.
671-672--Benedict Biscop Baducing travels to Rome again. He returns to Canterbury
with a large collection of relics, holy pictures, and books.
673--Benedict Biscop Baducing travels to his ancestral homeland of Deira, where he
persuades King Beorna of Deira to convert to the Roman form of Christianity. Beorna
grants Benedict land near the Deiran capital of Malton (formerly Caer Deywr, the former
Roman town of Derventio, which had served as capital of the British sub-kingdom of
Deywr before it was overthrown by the Angles in 559) to build a monastery, and the
churchman uses his collection of relics, holy pictures, and books to found the monastic
library. He names the monastery St. Paul’s.
675--Crown Prince Arthur marries Princess Rhiannon, beautiful daughter of King Cadfan
of Dyfed.
678--A daughter is born to Crown Prince Arthur. She is named Isolde. Her mother,
Crown Princess Rhiannon, however, dies in childbirth. Crown Prince Arthur is
devastated by her death, and despite urging from his advisors and family, will never
remarry. The loss of his beloved wife also causes Arthur to turn ever more to a religious
pursuits. He therefore, unlike his predecessors, will not serve a term as Commander of the
mobile cavalry force prior to assuming the High Kingship, and he will show little interest
in military affairs during his subsequent reign as High King.
690--Princess Isolde, the twelve-year-old daughter of Crown Prince Arthur, dies during
an outbreak of plague in Caer Camulod. Crown Prince Arthur is left without a direct heir.
The next in line to the High Kingship, after Arthur, are the descendants of Arthur’s
younger brother, Custennin (“Constantius”).
697--The Kingdoms of the Northern and Southern Picts are united by King Brude mac
Derelei. Brude begins raiding the kingdoms of Strathclyde and Gododdin shortly
thereafter. The High King, Rhodri, is by now an old man, and does little in response, nor
does his son, Arthur, who is a man of little military experience or inclination. Instead, the
defense of northern Britannia is left to the Dux Brittaniarum, King Dogfael of
Strathclyde. Dogfael does a capable job in this capacity, and the Picts are usually repelled
with great loss when they venture over the borders of Britannia.
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The next segment is here...
PART FOUR: 700-800 A.D.
698-742--Reign of High King Arthur III. Arthur III is a man cut of different cloth than
his predecessors. As mentioned elsewhere, he is the first High King who has no military
experience and no discernible interest in military affairs. He will therefore tend to
delegate those matters to others, especially to his younger brothers, Custennin, who will
serve as Cadlywydd (Commander) of the Byddin Mawreddog (the “Grand Host,” as the
High King’s mobile cavalry force is called) until his death in 725, and Cadwaladyr, who
will serve until his own death in 742. Another official in whom Arthur places great
reliance is the Dux Brittaniarum, who is charged with organizing the initial defense of the
northern frontier, where the Picts and Scots are once again threatening the tranquillity of
the kingdom. While this delegation of authority is in some ways a good thing, as it places
military affairs in the hands of experienced and able commanders, it also carries the seeds
of problems which will arise later on, as these officers begin to amass power bases for
themselves which will eventually enable them to consider challenging the power of the
High King. Thus Arthur’s reign sees the beginning of certain trends in the political
realm which will bear bitter fruit in the years to come.
In other areas, however, Arthur III’s reign is a brilliant one, especially in the fields of art,
learning, and religion. Arthur III will found or rebuild more churches and monasteries
during his reign than all the previous High Kings put together. The libraries and
scriptoria which he endows at the various monasteries will one day fuel an explosion of
learning not only in Britannia, but eventually throughout Western Europe. Among the
greatest achievements of the period is the creation of the first attempt at a dictionary for
Gymraeg, the Celtic language of Britannia. The period also sees the first substantial
amount of written literature in the language, as poems, legends, and other folk stories
which have been passed down orally for centuries are written down for the first time. He
patronizes Bards and other poets and writers, as well as historians, prompting the creation
of a substantial body of new literature as well.
Somewhat ironically, it will be Arthur’s pre-occupation with religion which will spark the
only real interest he will ever show in a military enterprise during his reign. Concerned
after hearing reports about the spread of Islam from the Iberian peninsula into the
Frankish lands to the north, he will offer aid, first to Duke Odo of Aquitaine, and then to
Charles Martel, Mayor of the Palace and effective ruler of the Franks. More on this later.
701--Death of King Beorna of Deira. He is succeeded by his son, who reigns as King
Aethelwulf. Although Aethelwulf, like his predecessor, swears allegiance to the British
High King, privately he wants full independence for Deira, and begins working toward
that goal. He enters into secret negotiations with the Kings of Kent, Essex, and Wessex
aimed at an anti-British alliance.
702--For some years, the sub-kings of Dyfed, Dumnonia, and Strathclyde have
maintained small naval forces used to combat raiding by Irish “pirates.” Now, the Kings
of Strathclyde are pursuing a more offensive strategy for dealing with the problem.
Although this is not an official policy of the British High King, it is approved by him.
And so in this year, King Irgalach ua Conaing of Brega is killed by British raiders at
Ireland's Eye.
703--British raiders in Ireland are defeated by the Ulaid at Ards peninsula. The Kings of
Kent, Essex, Wessex, and Deira enter into a secret alliance aimed at asserting their
independence from the domination of the British High King. They also begin secretly
treating with King Brude mac Derelei of Pictavia, exploring the possibility of a joint war
the Picts against the hated British foe. Brude proves a canny negotiator, and the talks
drag on with no agreement being reached.
704--The King of Connacht invades the midlands and kills Loingsech mac Oengusso,
who styles himself “King of Ireland.”
706--King Brude mac Derelei of Pictavia dies. He is succeeded by his brother, Nechtan
mac Derelei. Nechtan, unlike his brother, is not much a military man and is more
interested in religious matters than in conquest (in many ways, he is a man of similar sort
to High King Arthur III, with whom he will forge amicable relations), and Britannia’s
northern borders will experience a period of peace. He will make numerous reforms to
the Pictish church during his reign, converting to the Roman form of Christianity after
being visited by missionaries based at St. Paul’s monastery in Deira. The plans of King
Aethelwulf of Deira for a joint war of the Anglo-Saxons and Picts against the British are
foiled when Nechtan peremptorily ends the negotiations between them.
709--Ui Chennselaig of South Leinster with British mercenaries from Strathclyde and
Dyfed defeats King Cellach Cualann of Leinster; a plague called baccach (poliomyelitis?)
with dysentary in Ireland.
710-722--Fergal mac Maele Duin, High King of Ireland; Cenel nEogain of the Ui Neill
becomes dominant in the north.
711-718--The Muslims conquer Iberia.
713--Death of King Eadwulf of East Anglia. He is succeeded by Aelfwald.
714--Death of King Berhtun of Sussex. He is succeeded by Athelstan.
715--Death of King Sigeheard of Essex. He is succeeded by Swaefbert. Swaefbert
withdraws from the anti-British alliance forged by King Aethelwulf of Deira, and the
other members of the alliance shortly begin arguing among themselves. The alliance
collapses. Ui Dunlainge and Ui Chennsealaig contest the Leinster kingship on the death
of King Cellach Cualann of Leinster.
717--The Irish clergy are expelled from Pictland by King Nechtan mac Derelei. Nechtan
also expels British clergy from the kingdom shortly thereafter as he moves toward full
adoption of Roman Catholicism.
719--Muslim forces from Iberia over-run Septimania (the southern coast of what is now
France). From bases in this region, the Muslims will launch frequent raids into the
surrounding lands of the Franks and Burgundians.
720--Death of King Athelstan of Sussex. He is succeeded by Nothelm.
721--Battle of Toulouse. Duke Odo of Aquitaine defeats the Arabs forces under Al-Samh
ibn Malik In Ireland, King Cathal mac Finguine of Cashal and King Murchad mac Brain
of Leinster ally to ravage the Ui Neill of Brega.
722--Death of Dogfael, King of Strathclyde. High King Arthur III appoints King Urien II
map Rhun of Rheged as the new Dux Brittaniarum. Also in this year, High King Arthur
contacts Duke Odo of Aquitaine, offering military assistance against the Arabs, which the
Duke gratefully accepts. Arthur sends Custennin, his brother and Cadlywydd of the
Byddin Mawreddog, to Aquitaine in command of a force of 1,000 men (representing half
of the Byddin Mawreddog). While these troops will prove useful to the Duke,
representing the only significant force of cavalry at his disposal, they will not prove
decisive, as the Muslim cavalry greatly outnumbers them. In Ireland, High-King Fergal
mac Maele Duin is killed by the Laign at the battle of Almu.
725--Death of King Aethelwulf of Deira. He is succeeded by his nephew, who reigns as
King Oswald. Death of King Nothelm of Sussex. He is succeeded by Athelbert.
Custennin ap Rhodri, Cadlywydd of the Byddin Mawreddog, is killed near Autun,
Burgundy, while in action against an Arab army raiding north from Narbonne. He is
replaced in this post by another brother of High King Arthur, Cadwaladyr ap Rhodri.
725-726--Civil War in Kent. King Wihtraed of Kent dies. A civil war over the
succession breaks out between his sons, Aethelberht, Eadberht, and Aelfric. In the end,
Aethelberht wins, and takes the throne as King Aethelbert II.
726--King Nechtan of Pictavia is deposed Drust son of Talorgan (possibly a nephew of
Nechtan’s) and forced to enter a monastery.
728--Death of King Ine of Wessex (Wight). Ine had no children, and at his death there is
a brief civil war in Wessex between supporters of Oswald, a descendant of King Caewlin,
and Aethelheard, a brother-in-law of Ine. Oswald is victorious, and Aethelheard flees to
the court of King Aethelbert II of Kent.
728-729--A struggle for the throne of Pictavia breaks out between the former King
Nechtan, who has left the monastery to attempt to retake his throne; King Drust mac
Talorgan; Alpin, a Prince of Dal Riada; and Oengus mac Fergus, another member of the
Pictish royal house who also is related to the royal family of the Scottish kingdom of Dal
Riada. In the end, Alpin is defeated and driven back to Dal Riada; Drust is killed;
Nechtan is forced to abdicate again and return to the monastery (where he lives, in peace,
until his death in 732); and Oengus mac Fergus emerges victorious and assumes the
throne of Pictavia as King Oengus I.
729--Aethelheard of Wessex is murdered in Kent by parties unknown (probably agents of
King Oswald).
730-741--Wars of King Oengus I of Pictavia against Dal Riada. The Picts are victorious,
and Dal Riada is made tributary to Pictavia.
730--Concerned by encroachments by the Franks on his northern borders, Duke Odo of
Aquitaine makes an alliance with Uthman ibn Naissa, Berber Emir of Catalonia. When
High King Arthur hears of this “betrayal” on the part of Odo, he withdraws his army back
to Britannia.
731--Death of King Oswald of Deira. He is succeeded by Egbehrt. Also in this year,
Uthman ibn Naissa revolts against Abdul Rahman, Governor of Al-Andalus. Uthman is
defeated, and Abdul Rahman follows up with an invasion of Aquitaine. Duke Odo
suffers a catastrophic defeat at Bordeaux, and the Arabs devastate Aquitaine. High King
Arthur III offers troops to Charles Martel of the Franks, who he sees as the last bulwark
of Western Christendom against the Muslim infidels. Charles, like Odo before him,
accepts. Arthur’s brother, Cadwaladyr ap Rhodri, is sent to France with an expeditionary
force of 2,000 (1,000 cavalry of the Byddin Mawreddog, and 1,000 infantry, many of
whom are Angles and Saxons supplied, at Arthur’s request, by the Kings of East Anglia
and Sussex).
732--Battle of Tours in Francia. Charles Martel of the Franks defeats a Muslim invasion
force, ending serious Muslim attempts to conquer western Europe outside of the Iberian
Peninsula. The British troops supplied by High King Arthur III are present at the battle
and play a significant part in the Christian victory. Indeed, at one point in the battle,
when the Muslim heavy cavalry had broken into the Frankish infantry formation, a
counter-charge by the British cavalry repelled them and may well have saved the day for
the Christian forces.
733--The Battle of Tours will prove to be the high point of British cooperation with the
Franks. Shortly thereafter, word will get back to High King Arthur of Frankish
disapproval of the peculiar rites and practices of the British Church, which will lead to a
break between the two powers. High King Arthur is particularly angered by disparaging
remarks made by Charles Martel about the tonsure of the British monks (British monks
wore the Celtic tonsure, which consisted of shaving the whole front of the head from ear
to ear, the hair being allowed to hang down behind. Frankish monks wore the Roman
tonsure, which consisted of shaving only the top of the head, so as to allow the hair to
grow in the form of a crown) sent to minister to the religious needs of the British troops,
since Arthur himself, as an expression of his piety, wears the same tonsure. Arthur
withdraws his troops by mid-733, and relations between Britannia and Francia will
remain strained for a long time to come. War does not break out between them,
however, as Charles Martel and his successor, Pepin the Short, will be fully occupied
with reconquering Septimania and Narbonensis from the Arabs, putting down rebellions
by the Frisians and Burgundians, and warring against the Saxon tribes to the east of the
Frankish realm and the Lombards in Italy.
734--Aed Allan mac Fergaile of Cenel nEogain defeats and deposes High King
Flaithbertach mac Loingsig, the last Cenel nConaill High King. A fleet from Dal Riada
fought for Flaithbertach.
735--Aed Allan, High King of Tara (734-43), defeats the Ulaid at the battle of Fochairt ;
King Cathal mac Finguine of Cashal is defeated by Leinster at the battle of Belach Eile.
737--All of Ireland recognizes the primacy of Armagh as the chief religious center of
Ireland.
738--Death of King Swaefbert of Essex. He is succeeded by Saelred. Aed Allan defeats
the Laigin at the battle of Uchbad (Ballyshannon, Co. Kildare); King Aed mac Colggen
and many sub-kings of Leinster are killed.
741--Death of Charles Martel. He is succeeded by his sons, Pepin and Carloman, who
serves Mayor of the Palace of the Kingdoms of Neustria and Austrasia, respectively.
742-743--Smallpox outbreaks in Ireland.
742--In June, 742, Pictish armies lead by King Oengus I invade Gododdin, laying siege to
it’s capital, Din Eidyn. In July, the Dux Brittaniarum, King Urien of Rheged, rallies the
forces of Strathclyde and Rheged and attempts to raise the siege, but Urien is killed and
the British relief force is scattered. King Gawain II of Gododdin manages to get a
messenger out to High King Arthur III, appealing for aid. But upon his arrival in Caer
Camulod in late August, the messenger finds the High King on his deathbed, too ill to
even communicate, and no relief force is immediately dispatched as a result. The High
King lingers for several weeks before he finally passes away on September 22, 742, and is
succeeded by his nephew Peredyr, son of Arthur’s brother, Custennin.
In the interim, however, King Oengus captures Din Eidyn, which is burned to the ground,
and most of the royal house of Gododdin is captured and drowned in the River Forth at
the orders of Oengus. Oengus’s victory is short-lived, however. By October 742, the
new High King, Peredyr, has gathered his Byddin Mawreddog (mobile cavalry force),
under the command of it’s Cadlywydd (Commander), Cadwaladyr ap Rhodri, at Caer
Camulod, and he leads it northward, where it joins the remnants of the army of Gododdin
(under the command of Prince Lludd, the only surviving member of Gododdin’s royal
house) and the armies of Strathclyde, Rheged, and Deira (whose king, a vassal of the
High King, has responded to a request for assistance from Peredyr) outside the city of
Eborac. The united British force meets the Picts south of Din Eidyn in November 742.
In a sanguine struggle, the Picts are forced to retreat from Gododdin, but the losses to the
British forces are severe and High King Peredyr does not pursue. Among the slain is
Cadwaladyr, Cadlywydd of the Byddin Mawreddog, who is replaced by his deputy
commander, a cousin of the High King named Cynddylan ap Einion, a descendant of one
of the younger brothers of High King Rhodri. An uneasy peace settles over the northern
border which will hold for a few years. Prince Lludd is soon afterward installed as King
Lot II of Gododdin, and sets about rebuilding his capital at Din Eidyn.
746--Death of King Saelred of Essex. He is succeeded by Swithred.
747--High King Peredyr marries Meredydd, daughter of King Gwalchmei of Pengwern.
Carloman, Mayor of the Palace of Austrasia, retires to a monastery, leaving his brother,
Pepin the Short, as Mayor of the Palace of all of Francia.
748--King Oengus I of Pictavia invades Strathclyde. His forces are defeated, however,
and retire into Pictland. Aed Find mac Echdach becomes King of Dal Riada. However,
he is still a vassal of King Oengus of Pictavia. A son is born to High King Peredyr. The
boy is named Cadwallon ap Peredyr of the House of Ambrosius, and is installed as King
of Gwynedd later this same year.
749--Death of King Aelfwald of East Anglia. He is succeeded by Beorna.
750--King Oengus I of Pictavia is once again defeated when he invades Strathclyde.
Talorgan, brother of Oengus and his most able lieutenant, is killed in the battle. Death of
King Egbehrt of Deira. He is succeeded by Alfred. Death of King Athelbert of Sussex.
He is succeeded by Osmund.
750 onward--In the wake of the defeat of King Oengus I of Pictavia by the Britons, civil
war breaks out in Pictavia. Although Oengus manages to hold onto his throne, his
authority is severely weakened, and Pictavia effectively splinters into separate kingdoms
once again. Following the death of Oengus in 762, Dal Riada will once again have
asserted it’s independence as well.
751--Pepin the Short, with the blessing of Pope Zachary, deposes the last Merovingian
King, Childeric III, and becomes King of the Franks, establishing the Carolingian House
on the Frankish throne.
756--King Oengus I of Pictavia, having briefly defeated his Pictish rivals, once again
attacks Strathclyde. He lays siege the capital at Alclud (OTL Dumbarton), but High King
Peredyr arrives with reinforcements and the Picts are decisively defeated.
758--Death of King Swithred of Essex. He is succeeded by Sigeric. Death of King
Beorna of East Anglia. He is succeeded by Aethelred.
760--Death of King Oswald of Wessex (Wight). He is succeeded by his son, Cynewine.
762--Death of King Oengus mac Fergus of Pictavia. He is succeeded by his brother,
Brude mac Fergus. Death of King Aethelbert II of Kent. He is succeeded by Eanmund.
763--King Brude mac Fergus of Pictavia is killed in battle by a Pictish rival, Cineod mac
Wredech, who takes the throne for himself.
764-770--Civil War in Britannia. When High King Arthur III died childless, there was
quite a bit of dissension within the House of Ambrosius over who should succeed him.
Although Peredyr ap Custennin held the senior position within the dynasty, and was
clearly the legal successor, there were nevertheless members of the family less closely
related to the outgoing High King who felt themselves more deserving and who argued
that the decision should have been put before the Cyngor Mawr (High Council). In 764,
High King Peredyr is assassinated on the orders of Cynddylan ap Einion, Cadlywydd of
the Byddin Mawreddog and a descendant of one of the younger brothers of High King
Rhodri. As Crown Prince Cadwallon has not yet reached the age of maturity, at the
special meeting of the Cyngor Mawr called to discuss the matter of the succession after
Peredyr’s death, Cynddylan persuades a majority of the Council to accept him as Rhaglaw
(Regent). He shortly thereafter sends troops to place Crown Prince Cadwallon in
“protective custody,” but Cadwallon’s mother, Brenhines (Queen) Meredydd, hears of
this and, suspecting treachery, flees with Cadwallon to the court of King Lludd of
Gododdin, who owes the family of Peredyr a debt of honor in return for Peredyr’s aid in
restoring his kingdom after the Pictish invasion of 742. When Cynddylan demands that
Lludd turn over the Crown Prince to his custody, Lludd refuses. Cynddylan thereupon
declares Lludd an outlaw and begins mobilizing an army.
However, in doing so, Cynddylan has miscalculated, because many who supported his
election as Rhaglaw view his obsession with gaining control of the person of the Crown
Prince with suspicion and alarm, and many begin to suspect that Cynddylan had a hand in
the death of High King Peredyr. And so the various sub-kings take sides, as do the
commanders of the various units of the Byddin Mawreddog (the High King’s mobile
cavalry force), and by the end of the year, a war has broken out between the factions.
Needing more troops, Cynddylan offers the kings of the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms political
concessions and bribes in the form of land taken from sub-kings who support Cadwallon,
and the invaders also get involved, with Wessex, Essex, Kent, and Deira providing troops
for Cynddylan while Sussex and East Anglia remain loyal to Cadwallon.
The war is very destructive, as rival armies stage invasions and counter-invasions and
kingdoms across the island are ravaged by their foes. But in the end, the forces of Crown
Prince Cadwallon, who has proved to be a naturally gifted military commander despite
his young age, prevail, and Cynddylan is besieged in Caer Camulod, which falls in the
year 767. Cynddylan is captured and executed, which effectively ends British resistance
to the High King’s rule. However, the invaders are another story, and it will take another
three years before they, too, are defeated.
768--King Aed Find mac Echdach of Dal Riada revolts against Pictish rule and
re-establishes the independence of Dal Riada. He invades Pictavia shortly thereafter, but
is forced to retreat. King Pepin of the Franks dies. His realm is divided between his
sons, Charles and Carloman.
Also in this year, High King Cadwallon, in cooperation with King Aethelred of East
Anglia, invades Essex. King Sigeric of Essex barely escapes by ship with a few
followers when his capital falls, taking refuge at the court of King Charles of the Franks.
Cadwallon and Aethelred divide the lands of Essex between them, with Cadwallon taking
the region of Caer Lundein and Aethelred taking the rest.
769--Death of King Eanmund of Kent in battle with the forces of Cadwallon and King
Osmund of Sussex. Fall of Kent, which, with the approval of Cadwallon, is absorbed by
Sussex. Also in this year, High King Cadwallon invades and conquers Deira, personally
killing it’s last king, Alfred, in the final assault on the Deiran citadel at Malton.
770--King Osmund of Sussex and Cadwallon launch a seaborne invasion of Wessex
(Wight). King Cynewine of Wessex is captured and executed, along with the rest of the
royal family of Wessex. With the approval of Cadwallon, the Isle of Wight is annexed by
Sussex.
770-812--Reign of High King Cadwallon ap Peredyr. The reign of High King Cadwallon
will see major reforms to the political structure of the Kingdom that will have great
impacts in the years to come. In the aftermath of the recently ended civil war, High King
Cadwallon knows that he has to restore and reinforce the authority of the High King, and
in order to do that, he needs to be ruthless. In pursuit of that aim, he seizes the kingdoms
of Calchvynydd and Rheged, which had sided with Cynddylan during the war. The royal
houses of these kingdoms are dispossessed and exiled (some go to Brittany, others to
Ireland), and the kingdoms become provinces under the direct rule of the High King.
Cadwallon appoints a loyal Llywodraethwr (Governor) to govern each of them for him.
As mentioned elsewhere, he also sees to it that the kingdoms of Deira, Kent, Essex, and
Wessex cease to exist. Only those loyal to the High King are allowed to remain in their
positions. As the High King now controls the Cyngor Mawr...the kingdoms of Caer
Lerion, Gwynedd, Eborac, Elmet, Dwrn Gwarae, and Caer Gwinntguic which have been
claimed as personal land by the High King have never lost their votes on the council, and
the acquisition of the votes of Rheged and Calchvynydd and the reconquest of Deywr and
Caer Lundein has finally given the High King a clear majority of votes in that
body...Cadwallon is able to push through laws which dramatically reduce the
independence of the sub-Kings, each of whom in effect becomes little more than a
Llywodraethwr. With the examples of the Houses of Calchvynydd and Rheged clearly
before them, the remaining sub-Kings do not protest too loudly.
Cadwallon also makes another decision which will be of great importance in years to
come...he decides to create a navy, for the first time in the history of the Kingdom.
Cadwallon had been forced to rely on his Anglo-Saxon allies for his naval strength during
the recent war, especially during the invasion of the Isle of Wight which lead to the
destruction of the Kingdom of Wessex, and while he trusts in the loyalty of the Kings of
East Anglia and Sussex, he realizes that this might not be a permanent situation. He also
is concerned by the rising and hostile Frankish power across the Oceanus Britannicus.
Accordingly, a small tax is imposed...with the approval of the Cyngor Mawr...which is
used to construct, train, and man a permanent British naval force. Squadrons are
stationed at bases near the mouth of the River Humbri (Humber) at the re-founded town
of Caer Petwary (the former Roman town of Petuaria Parisorum); on the River Tafwys
(Thames) at Caer Lundein (OTL London), Caer Clawsent (OTL Southampton) on the
southern coast, and Caer Afon (OTL Bristol) on the western coast. In addition, the small
naval forces maintained by some of the local sub-kings (the Kings of Dumnonia, Dyfed
and Strathclyde in particular) are integrated into the force structure of the Kingdom.
Meanwhile, the economy slowly recovers from the ravages of the war. Towns are rebuilt,
and areas abandoned during the conflict are gradually resettled. Nevertheless, it will take
some years for Britannia to recover it’s pre-war prosperity.
771--King Carloman of Austrasia dies. His brother, Charles of Neustria, becomes King
of All the Franks. Charles, who will go down in history as Charles the Great or
Charlemagne, is a devout Roman Catholic, and will spend most of his
reign involved in warfare against enemies of the Roman Church, including the Lombards
of Italy, the pagan Saxons, Slavs, Wiltzes and Avars to the east, and the Muslims of
Iberia. The ruthless conversion of the Saxons to Christianity...at one point, Charlemagne
is rumored to have had 4,500 Saxon noblemen beheaded for practicing their pagan beliefs
after having converted to Roman Catholicism...and the religious nature of most of
Charles’ other wars is of concern to the British High King, who knows how the Franks
feel about his own “heretical” British Church, and is a major factor encouraging the High
King’s foundation and development of a permanent British naval force. Fortunately, the
Frankish King will never find time during his busy reign to attempt an invasion of
Britannia.
772--Death of King Osmund of Sussex. He is succeeded by Elfwald.
775--High King Cadwallon marries Morgaine, daughter of King Lludd of Gododdin, with
whom he fell in love while at Lludd’s court in the first months of the civil war.
776--King Cineod mac Wredech of Pictavia dies. He is succeeded by Fergus mac
Echdach, brother of King Aed Find of Dal Riada.
778--Death of King Aed Find of Dal Riada. He is succeeded by Fergus mac Echdach
(also king of Pictavia).
779--Death of King Aethelred of East Anglia. He is succeeded by Aethelbehrt.
Aethelbehrt is married to High King Cadwallon’s sister, and the relationship between the
House of East Anglia and the British High King grows even closer during his reign. A
son is born to High King Cadwallon. The boy is named Custennin ap Cadwallon of the
House of Ambrosius, and is shortly thereafter installed as King of Gwynedd.
781--Death of King Fergus mac Echdach of Dal Riada and Pictavia. He is succeeded in
Dal Riada by Eochaid mac Aed Find. Pictavia, however, falls into a period of civil war in
which several kings will rule over the next few years.
786--Revolt of the Bretons against the Franks. It is crushed.
789--Caustantin (Constantine), son of King Fergus mac Echdach, defeats his last rival,
Conall mac Taidg, to reunite Pictavia. Conall flees to Dal Riada.
790--Death of King Elfwald of Sussex. He is succeeded by Aelle III.
792--Death of King Eochaid mac Aed Find of Dal Riada. He is succeeded by Conall mac
Taidg, former king of Pictavia, who usurps the throne at Eochaid’s death.
793--Norse raiders attack and pillage the monastery at Ynys Metcaut. This begins the
period known to history as The Viking Age, when kingdoms throughout western Europe
are beset by raids by Norse pirates, and eventually, Norse armies bent on conquest.
794--Death of King Aethelbehrt of East Anglia. He is succeeded by Eadwald.
c. 795--Norse raids on Ireland begin.
800--Charlemagne is crowned Emperor of the Romans by Pope Leo III at Rome.
PART FOUR: 700-800 A.D.
698-742--Reign of High King Arthur III. Arthur III is a man cut of different cloth than
his predecessors. As mentioned elsewhere, he is the first High King who has no military
experience and no discernible interest in military affairs. He will therefore tend to
delegate those matters to others, especially to his younger brothers, Custennin, who will
serve as Cadlywydd (Commander) of the Byddin Mawreddog (the “Grand Host,” as the
High King’s mobile cavalry force is called) until his death in 725, and Cadwaladyr, who
will serve until his own death in 742. Another official in whom Arthur places great
reliance is the Dux Brittaniarum, who is charged with organizing the initial defense of the
northern frontier, where the Picts and Scots are once again threatening the tranquillity of
the kingdom. While this delegation of authority is in some ways a good thing, as it places
military affairs in the hands of experienced and able commanders, it also carries the seeds
of problems which will arise later on, as these officers begin to amass power bases for
themselves which will eventually enable them to consider challenging the power of the
High King. Thus Arthur’s reign sees the beginning of certain trends in the political
realm which will bear bitter fruit in the years to come.
In other areas, however, Arthur III’s reign is a brilliant one, especially in the fields of art,
learning, and religion. Arthur III will found or rebuild more churches and monasteries
during his reign than all the previous High Kings put together. The libraries and
scriptoria which he endows at the various monasteries will one day fuel an explosion of
learning not only in Britannia, but eventually throughout Western Europe. Among the
greatest achievements of the period is the creation of the first attempt at a dictionary for
Gymraeg, the Celtic language of Britannia. The period also sees the first substantial
amount of written literature in the language, as poems, legends, and other folk stories
which have been passed down orally for centuries are written down for the first time. He
patronizes Bards and other poets and writers, as well as historians, prompting the creation
of a substantial body of new literature as well.
Somewhat ironically, it will be Arthur’s pre-occupation with religion which will spark the
only real interest he will ever show in a military enterprise during his reign. Concerned
after hearing reports about the spread of Islam from the Iberian peninsula into the
Frankish lands to the north, he will offer aid, first to Duke Odo of Aquitaine, and then to
Charles Martel, Mayor of the Palace and effective ruler of the Franks. More on this later.
701--Death of King Beorna of Deira. He is succeeded by his son, who reigns as King
Aethelwulf. Although Aethelwulf, like his predecessor, swears allegiance to the British
High King, privately he wants full independence for Deira, and begins working toward
that goal. He enters into secret negotiations with the Kings of Kent, Essex, and Wessex
aimed at an anti-British alliance.
702--For some years, the sub-kings of Dyfed, Dumnonia, and Strathclyde have
maintained small naval forces used to combat raiding by Irish “pirates.” Now, the Kings
of Strathclyde are pursuing a more offensive strategy for dealing with the problem.
Although this is not an official policy of the British High King, it is approved by him.
And so in this year, King Irgalach ua Conaing of Brega is killed by British raiders at
Ireland's Eye.
703--British raiders in Ireland are defeated by the Ulaid at Ards peninsula. The Kings of
Kent, Essex, Wessex, and Deira enter into a secret alliance aimed at asserting their
independence from the domination of the British High King. They also begin secretly
treating with King Brude mac Derelei of Pictavia, exploring the possibility of a joint war
the Picts against the hated British foe. Brude proves a canny negotiator, and the talks
drag on with no agreement being reached.
704--The King of Connacht invades the midlands and kills Loingsech mac Oengusso,
who styles himself “King of Ireland.”
706--King Brude mac Derelei of Pictavia dies. He is succeeded by his brother, Nechtan
mac Derelei. Nechtan, unlike his brother, is not much a military man and is more
interested in religious matters than in conquest (in many ways, he is a man of similar sort
to High King Arthur III, with whom he will forge amicable relations), and Britannia’s
northern borders will experience a period of peace. He will make numerous reforms to
the Pictish church during his reign, converting to the Roman form of Christianity after
being visited by missionaries based at St. Paul’s monastery in Deira. The plans of King
Aethelwulf of Deira for a joint war of the Anglo-Saxons and Picts against the British are
foiled when Nechtan peremptorily ends the negotiations between them.
709--Ui Chennselaig of South Leinster with British mercenaries from Strathclyde and
Dyfed defeats King Cellach Cualann of Leinster; a plague called baccach (poliomyelitis?)
with dysentary in Ireland.
710-722--Fergal mac Maele Duin, High King of Ireland; Cenel nEogain of the Ui Neill
becomes dominant in the north.
711-718--The Muslims conquer Iberia.
713--Death of King Eadwulf of East Anglia. He is succeeded by Aelfwald.
714--Death of King Berhtun of Sussex. He is succeeded by Athelstan.
715--Death of King Sigeheard of Essex. He is succeeded by Swaefbert. Swaefbert
withdraws from the anti-British alliance forged by King Aethelwulf of Deira, and the
other members of the alliance shortly begin arguing among themselves. The alliance
collapses. Ui Dunlainge and Ui Chennsealaig contest the Leinster kingship on the death
of King Cellach Cualann of Leinster.
717--The Irish clergy are expelled from Pictland by King Nechtan mac Derelei. Nechtan
also expels British clergy from the kingdom shortly thereafter as he moves toward full
adoption of Roman Catholicism.
719--Muslim forces from Iberia over-run Septimania (the southern coast of what is now
France). From bases in this region, the Muslims will launch frequent raids into the
surrounding lands of the Franks and Burgundians.
720--Death of King Athelstan of Sussex. He is succeeded by Nothelm.
721--Battle of Toulouse. Duke Odo of Aquitaine defeats the Arabs forces under Al-Samh
ibn Malik In Ireland, King Cathal mac Finguine of Cashal and King Murchad mac Brain
of Leinster ally to ravage the Ui Neill of Brega.
722--Death of Dogfael, King of Strathclyde. High King Arthur III appoints King Urien II
map Rhun of Rheged as the new Dux Brittaniarum. Also in this year, High King Arthur
contacts Duke Odo of Aquitaine, offering military assistance against the Arabs, which the
Duke gratefully accepts. Arthur sends Custennin, his brother and Cadlywydd of the
Byddin Mawreddog, to Aquitaine in command of a force of 1,000 men (representing half
of the Byddin Mawreddog). While these troops will prove useful to the Duke,
representing the only significant force of cavalry at his disposal, they will not prove
decisive, as the Muslim cavalry greatly outnumbers them. In Ireland, High-King Fergal
mac Maele Duin is killed by the Laign at the battle of Almu.
725--Death of King Aethelwulf of Deira. He is succeeded by his nephew, who reigns as
King Oswald. Death of King Nothelm of Sussex. He is succeeded by Athelbert.
Custennin ap Rhodri, Cadlywydd of the Byddin Mawreddog, is killed near Autun,
Burgundy, while in action against an Arab army raiding north from Narbonne. He is
replaced in this post by another brother of High King Arthur, Cadwaladyr ap Rhodri.
725-726--Civil War in Kent. King Wihtraed of Kent dies. A civil war over the
succession breaks out between his sons, Aethelberht, Eadberht, and Aelfric. In the end,
Aethelberht wins, and takes the throne as King Aethelbert II.
726--King Nechtan of Pictavia is deposed Drust son of Talorgan (possibly a nephew of
Nechtan’s) and forced to enter a monastery.
728--Death of King Ine of Wessex (Wight). Ine had no children, and at his death there is
a brief civil war in Wessex between supporters of Oswald, a descendant of King Caewlin,
and Aethelheard, a brother-in-law of Ine. Oswald is victorious, and Aethelheard flees to
the court of King Aethelbert II of Kent.
728-729--A struggle for the throne of Pictavia breaks out between the former King
Nechtan, who has left the monastery to attempt to retake his throne; King Drust mac
Talorgan; Alpin, a Prince of Dal Riada; and Oengus mac Fergus, another member of the
Pictish royal house who also is related to the royal family of the Scottish kingdom of Dal
Riada. In the end, Alpin is defeated and driven back to Dal Riada; Drust is killed;
Nechtan is forced to abdicate again and return to the monastery (where he lives, in peace,
until his death in 732); and Oengus mac Fergus emerges victorious and assumes the
throne of Pictavia as King Oengus I.
729--Aethelheard of Wessex is murdered in Kent by parties unknown (probably agents of
King Oswald).
730-741--Wars of King Oengus I of Pictavia against Dal Riada. The Picts are victorious,
and Dal Riada is made tributary to Pictavia.
730--Concerned by encroachments by the Franks on his northern borders, Duke Odo of
Aquitaine makes an alliance with Uthman ibn Naissa, Berber Emir of Catalonia. When
High King Arthur hears of this “betrayal” on the part of Odo, he withdraws his army back
to Britannia.
731--Death of King Oswald of Deira. He is succeeded by Egbehrt. Also in this year,
Uthman ibn Naissa revolts against Abdul Rahman, Governor of Al-Andalus. Uthman is
defeated, and Abdul Rahman follows up with an invasion of Aquitaine. Duke Odo
suffers a catastrophic defeat at Bordeaux, and the Arabs devastate Aquitaine. High King
Arthur III offers troops to Charles Martel of the Franks, who he sees as the last bulwark
of Western Christendom against the Muslim infidels. Charles, like Odo before him,
accepts. Arthur’s brother, Cadwaladyr ap Rhodri, is sent to France with an expeditionary
force of 2,000 (1,000 cavalry of the Byddin Mawreddog, and 1,000 infantry, many of
whom are Angles and Saxons supplied, at Arthur’s request, by the Kings of East Anglia
and Sussex).
732--Battle of Tours in Francia. Charles Martel of the Franks defeats a Muslim invasion
force, ending serious Muslim attempts to conquer western Europe outside of the Iberian
Peninsula. The British troops supplied by High King Arthur III are present at the battle
and play a significant part in the Christian victory. Indeed, at one point in the battle,
when the Muslim heavy cavalry had broken into the Frankish infantry formation, a
counter-charge by the British cavalry repelled them and may well have saved the day for
the Christian forces.
733--The Battle of Tours will prove to be the high point of British cooperation with the
Franks. Shortly thereafter, word will get back to High King Arthur of Frankish
disapproval of the peculiar rites and practices of the British Church, which will lead to a
break between the two powers. High King Arthur is particularly angered by disparaging
remarks made by Charles Martel about the tonsure of the British monks (British monks
wore the Celtic tonsure, which consisted of shaving the whole front of the head from ear
to ear, the hair being allowed to hang down behind. Frankish monks wore the Roman
tonsure, which consisted of shaving only the top of the head, so as to allow the hair to
grow in the form of a crown) sent to minister to the religious needs of the British troops,
since Arthur himself, as an expression of his piety, wears the same tonsure. Arthur
withdraws his troops by mid-733, and relations between Britannia and Francia will
remain strained for a long time to come. War does not break out between them,
however, as Charles Martel and his successor, Pepin the Short, will be fully occupied
with reconquering Septimania and Narbonensis from the Arabs, putting down rebellions
by the Frisians and Burgundians, and warring against the Saxon tribes to the east of the
Frankish realm and the Lombards in Italy.
734--Aed Allan mac Fergaile of Cenel nEogain defeats and deposes High King
Flaithbertach mac Loingsig, the last Cenel nConaill High King. A fleet from Dal Riada
fought for Flaithbertach.
735--Aed Allan, High King of Tara (734-43), defeats the Ulaid at the battle of Fochairt ;
King Cathal mac Finguine of Cashal is defeated by Leinster at the battle of Belach Eile.
737--All of Ireland recognizes the primacy of Armagh as the chief religious center of
Ireland.
738--Death of King Swaefbert of Essex. He is succeeded by Saelred. Aed Allan defeats
the Laigin at the battle of Uchbad (Ballyshannon, Co. Kildare); King Aed mac Colggen
and many sub-kings of Leinster are killed.
741--Death of Charles Martel. He is succeeded by his sons, Pepin and Carloman, who
serves Mayor of the Palace of the Kingdoms of Neustria and Austrasia, respectively.
742-743--Smallpox outbreaks in Ireland.
742--In June, 742, Pictish armies lead by King Oengus I invade Gododdin, laying siege to
it’s capital, Din Eidyn. In July, the Dux Brittaniarum, King Urien of Rheged, rallies the
forces of Strathclyde and Rheged and attempts to raise the siege, but Urien is killed and
the British relief force is scattered. King Gawain II of Gododdin manages to get a
messenger out to High King Arthur III, appealing for aid. But upon his arrival in Caer
Camulod in late August, the messenger finds the High King on his deathbed, too ill to
even communicate, and no relief force is immediately dispatched as a result. The High
King lingers for several weeks before he finally passes away on September 22, 742, and is
succeeded by his nephew Peredyr, son of Arthur’s brother, Custennin.
In the interim, however, King Oengus captures Din Eidyn, which is burned to the ground,
and most of the royal house of Gododdin is captured and drowned in the River Forth at
the orders of Oengus. Oengus’s victory is short-lived, however. By October 742, the
new High King, Peredyr, has gathered his Byddin Mawreddog (mobile cavalry force),
under the command of it’s Cadlywydd (Commander), Cadwaladyr ap Rhodri, at Caer
Camulod, and he leads it northward, where it joins the remnants of the army of Gododdin
(under the command of Prince Lludd, the only surviving member of Gododdin’s royal
house) and the armies of Strathclyde, Rheged, and Deira (whose king, a vassal of the
High King, has responded to a request for assistance from Peredyr) outside the city of
Eborac. The united British force meets the Picts south of Din Eidyn in November 742.
In a sanguine struggle, the Picts are forced to retreat from Gododdin, but the losses to the
British forces are severe and High King Peredyr does not pursue. Among the slain is
Cadwaladyr, Cadlywydd of the Byddin Mawreddog, who is replaced by his deputy
commander, a cousin of the High King named Cynddylan ap Einion, a descendant of one
of the younger brothers of High King Rhodri. An uneasy peace settles over the northern
border which will hold for a few years. Prince Lludd is soon afterward installed as King
Lot II of Gododdin, and sets about rebuilding his capital at Din Eidyn.
746--Death of King Saelred of Essex. He is succeeded by Swithred.
747--High King Peredyr marries Meredydd, daughter of King Gwalchmei of Pengwern.
Carloman, Mayor of the Palace of Austrasia, retires to a monastery, leaving his brother,
Pepin the Short, as Mayor of the Palace of all of Francia.
748--King Oengus I of Pictavia invades Strathclyde. His forces are defeated, however,
and retire into Pictland. Aed Find mac Echdach becomes King of Dal Riada. However,
he is still a vassal of King Oengus of Pictavia. A son is born to High King Peredyr. The
boy is named Cadwallon ap Peredyr of the House of Ambrosius, and is installed as King
of Gwynedd later this same year.
749--Death of King Aelfwald of East Anglia. He is succeeded by Beorna.
750--King Oengus I of Pictavia is once again defeated when he invades Strathclyde.
Talorgan, brother of Oengus and his most able lieutenant, is killed in the battle. Death of
King Egbehrt of Deira. He is succeeded by Alfred. Death of King Athelbert of Sussex.
He is succeeded by Osmund.
750 onward--In the wake of the defeat of King Oengus I of Pictavia by the Britons, civil
war breaks out in Pictavia. Although Oengus manages to hold onto his throne, his
authority is severely weakened, and Pictavia effectively splinters into separate kingdoms
once again. Following the death of Oengus in 762, Dal Riada will once again have
asserted it’s independence as well.
751--Pepin the Short, with the blessing of Pope Zachary, deposes the last Merovingian
King, Childeric III, and becomes King of the Franks, establishing the Carolingian House
on the Frankish throne.
756--King Oengus I of Pictavia, having briefly defeated his Pictish rivals, once again
attacks Strathclyde. He lays siege the capital at Alclud (OTL Dumbarton), but High King
Peredyr arrives with reinforcements and the Picts are decisively defeated.
758--Death of King Swithred of Essex. He is succeeded by Sigeric. Death of King
Beorna of East Anglia. He is succeeded by Aethelred.
760--Death of King Oswald of Wessex (Wight). He is succeeded by his son, Cynewine.
762--Death of King Oengus mac Fergus of Pictavia. He is succeeded by his brother,
Brude mac Fergus. Death of King Aethelbert II of Kent. He is succeeded by Eanmund.
763--King Brude mac Fergus of Pictavia is killed in battle by a Pictish rival, Cineod mac
Wredech, who takes the throne for himself.
764-770--Civil War in Britannia. When High King Arthur III died childless, there was
quite a bit of dissension within the House of Ambrosius over who should succeed him.
Although Peredyr ap Custennin held the senior position within the dynasty, and was
clearly the legal successor, there were nevertheless members of the family less closely
related to the outgoing High King who felt themselves more deserving and who argued
that the decision should have been put before the Cyngor Mawr (High Council). In 764,
High King Peredyr is assassinated on the orders of Cynddylan ap Einion, Cadlywydd of
the Byddin Mawreddog and a descendant of one of the younger brothers of High King
Rhodri. As Crown Prince Cadwallon has not yet reached the age of maturity, at the
special meeting of the Cyngor Mawr called to discuss the matter of the succession after
Peredyr’s death, Cynddylan persuades a majority of the Council to accept him as Rhaglaw
(Regent). He shortly thereafter sends troops to place Crown Prince Cadwallon in
“protective custody,” but Cadwallon’s mother, Brenhines (Queen) Meredydd, hears of
this and, suspecting treachery, flees with Cadwallon to the court of King Lludd of
Gododdin, who owes the family of Peredyr a debt of honor in return for Peredyr’s aid in
restoring his kingdom after the Pictish invasion of 742. When Cynddylan demands that
Lludd turn over the Crown Prince to his custody, Lludd refuses. Cynddylan thereupon
declares Lludd an outlaw and begins mobilizing an army.
However, in doing so, Cynddylan has miscalculated, because many who supported his
election as Rhaglaw view his obsession with gaining control of the person of the Crown
Prince with suspicion and alarm, and many begin to suspect that Cynddylan had a hand in
the death of High King Peredyr. And so the various sub-kings take sides, as do the
commanders of the various units of the Byddin Mawreddog (the High King’s mobile
cavalry force), and by the end of the year, a war has broken out between the factions.
Needing more troops, Cynddylan offers the kings of the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms political
concessions and bribes in the form of land taken from sub-kings who support Cadwallon,
and the invaders also get involved, with Wessex, Essex, Kent, and Deira providing troops
for Cynddylan while Sussex and East Anglia remain loyal to Cadwallon.
The war is very destructive, as rival armies stage invasions and counter-invasions and
kingdoms across the island are ravaged by their foes. But in the end, the forces of Crown
Prince Cadwallon, who has proved to be a naturally gifted military commander despite
his young age, prevail, and Cynddylan is besieged in Caer Camulod, which falls in the
year 767. Cynddylan is captured and executed, which effectively ends British resistance
to the High King’s rule. However, the invaders are another story, and it will take another
three years before they, too, are defeated.
768--King Aed Find mac Echdach of Dal Riada revolts against Pictish rule and
re-establishes the independence of Dal Riada. He invades Pictavia shortly thereafter, but
is forced to retreat. King Pepin of the Franks dies. His realm is divided between his
sons, Charles and Carloman.
Also in this year, High King Cadwallon, in cooperation with King Aethelred of East
Anglia, invades Essex. King Sigeric of Essex barely escapes by ship with a few
followers when his capital falls, taking refuge at the court of King Charles of the Franks.
Cadwallon and Aethelred divide the lands of Essex between them, with Cadwallon taking
the region of Caer Lundein and Aethelred taking the rest.
769--Death of King Eanmund of Kent in battle with the forces of Cadwallon and King
Osmund of Sussex. Fall of Kent, which, with the approval of Cadwallon, is absorbed by
Sussex. Also in this year, High King Cadwallon invades and conquers Deira, personally
killing it’s last king, Alfred, in the final assault on the Deiran citadel at Malton.
770--King Osmund of Sussex and Cadwallon launch a seaborne invasion of Wessex
(Wight). King Cynewine of Wessex is captured and executed, along with the rest of the
royal family of Wessex. With the approval of Cadwallon, the Isle of Wight is annexed by
Sussex.
770-812--Reign of High King Cadwallon ap Peredyr. The reign of High King Cadwallon
will see major reforms to the political structure of the Kingdom that will have great
impacts in the years to come. In the aftermath of the recently ended civil war, High King
Cadwallon knows that he has to restore and reinforce the authority of the High King, and
in order to do that, he needs to be ruthless. In pursuit of that aim, he seizes the kingdoms
of Calchvynydd and Rheged, which had sided with Cynddylan during the war. The royal
houses of these kingdoms are dispossessed and exiled (some go to Brittany, others to
Ireland), and the kingdoms become provinces under the direct rule of the High King.
Cadwallon appoints a loyal Llywodraethwr (Governor) to govern each of them for him.
As mentioned elsewhere, he also sees to it that the kingdoms of Deira, Kent, Essex, and
Wessex cease to exist. Only those loyal to the High King are allowed to remain in their
positions. As the High King now controls the Cyngor Mawr...the kingdoms of Caer
Lerion, Gwynedd, Eborac, Elmet, Dwrn Gwarae, and Caer Gwinntguic which have been
claimed as personal land by the High King have never lost their votes on the council, and
the acquisition of the votes of Rheged and Calchvynydd and the reconquest of Deywr and
Caer Lundein has finally given the High King a clear majority of votes in that
body...Cadwallon is able to push through laws which dramatically reduce the
independence of the sub-Kings, each of whom in effect becomes little more than a
Llywodraethwr. With the examples of the Houses of Calchvynydd and Rheged clearly
before them, the remaining sub-Kings do not protest too loudly.
Cadwallon also makes another decision which will be of great importance in years to
come...he decides to create a navy, for the first time in the history of the Kingdom.
Cadwallon had been forced to rely on his Anglo-Saxon allies for his naval strength during
the recent war, especially during the invasion of the Isle of Wight which lead to the
destruction of the Kingdom of Wessex, and while he trusts in the loyalty of the Kings of
East Anglia and Sussex, he realizes that this might not be a permanent situation. He also
is concerned by the rising and hostile Frankish power across the Oceanus Britannicus.
Accordingly, a small tax is imposed...with the approval of the Cyngor Mawr...which is
used to construct, train, and man a permanent British naval force. Squadrons are
stationed at bases near the mouth of the River Humbri (Humber) at the re-founded town
of Caer Petwary (the former Roman town of Petuaria Parisorum); on the River Tafwys
(Thames) at Caer Lundein (OTL London), Caer Clawsent (OTL Southampton) on the
southern coast, and Caer Afon (OTL Bristol) on the western coast. In addition, the small
naval forces maintained by some of the local sub-kings (the Kings of Dumnonia, Dyfed
and Strathclyde in particular) are integrated into the force structure of the Kingdom.
Meanwhile, the economy slowly recovers from the ravages of the war. Towns are rebuilt,
and areas abandoned during the conflict are gradually resettled. Nevertheless, it will take
some years for Britannia to recover it’s pre-war prosperity.
771--King Carloman of Austrasia dies. His brother, Charles of Neustria, becomes King
of All the Franks. Charles, who will go down in history as Charles the Great or
Charlemagne, is a devout Roman Catholic, and will spend most of his
reign involved in warfare against enemies of the Roman Church, including the Lombards
of Italy, the pagan Saxons, Slavs, Wiltzes and Avars to the east, and the Muslims of
Iberia. The ruthless conversion of the Saxons to Christianity...at one point, Charlemagne
is rumored to have had 4,500 Saxon noblemen beheaded for practicing their pagan beliefs
after having converted to Roman Catholicism...and the religious nature of most of
Charles’ other wars is of concern to the British High King, who knows how the Franks
feel about his own “heretical” British Church, and is a major factor encouraging the High
King’s foundation and development of a permanent British naval force. Fortunately, the
Frankish King will never find time during his busy reign to attempt an invasion of
Britannia.
772--Death of King Osmund of Sussex. He is succeeded by Elfwald.
775--High King Cadwallon marries Morgaine, daughter of King Lludd of Gododdin, with
whom he fell in love while at Lludd’s court in the first months of the civil war.
776--King Cineod mac Wredech of Pictavia dies. He is succeeded by Fergus mac
Echdach, brother of King Aed Find of Dal Riada.
778--Death of King Aed Find of Dal Riada. He is succeeded by Fergus mac Echdach
(also king of Pictavia).
779--Death of King Aethelred of East Anglia. He is succeeded by Aethelbehrt.
Aethelbehrt is married to High King Cadwallon’s sister, and the relationship between the
House of East Anglia and the British High King grows even closer during his reign. A
son is born to High King Cadwallon. The boy is named Custennin ap Cadwallon of the
House of Ambrosius, and is shortly thereafter installed as King of Gwynedd.
781--Death of King Fergus mac Echdach of Dal Riada and Pictavia. He is succeeded in
Dal Riada by Eochaid mac Aed Find. Pictavia, however, falls into a period of civil war in
which several kings will rule over the next few years.
786--Revolt of the Bretons against the Franks. It is crushed.
789--Caustantin (Constantine), son of King Fergus mac Echdach, defeats his last rival,
Conall mac Taidg, to reunite Pictavia. Conall flees to Dal Riada.
790--Death of King Elfwald of Sussex. He is succeeded by Aelle III.
792--Death of King Eochaid mac Aed Find of Dal Riada. He is succeeded by Conall mac
Taidg, former king of Pictavia, who usurps the throne at Eochaid’s death.
793--Norse raiders attack and pillage the monastery at Ynys Metcaut. This begins the
period known to history as The Viking Age, when kingdoms throughout western Europe
are beset by raids by Norse pirates, and eventually, Norse armies bent on conquest.
794--Death of King Aethelbehrt of East Anglia. He is succeeded by Eadwald.
c. 795--Norse raids on Ireland begin.
800--Charlemagne is crowned Emperor of the Romans by Pope Leo III at Rome.
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The only real evidence we have for the ships the Saxons used is the Sutton Hoo ship. Basically the Sutton Hoo ship was quite similar to the later Viking vessels with two exceptions...it was not as large, and it had no mast, so it relied on oar power alone. It would be ships of this type which form the backbone of Anglo-Saxon sea power at this time. As for what size the Saxon navy is, probably not very large. East Anglia and Sussex can probably muster 50-100 ships between them, if an emergency arises.
The British had their own shipbuilding tradition, which probably traces back to the Romans and perhaps also to tribes like the Veneti encountered by the Romans...there were Veneti living in Britain as well as in Gaul prior to the Roman conquest. That they were building ships of some kind at this period in OTL is unquestionable...we have people migrating from Wales over the open sea to Brittany, and they didn't get there on foot.
But we don't really know exactly what type of ships they were, as there is little to no evidence for them. For the purposes of the timeline, since it has been mentioned that the British have been trading actively with the continent, even as far away as Byzantium, we can assume that Cadwallon's ships are some sort of fusion of Romano-Celtic and Saxon technology, perhaps with some influence from continental naval technology. Cadwallon's naval squadrons at each base consist of 30-50 ships per squadron.
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Any other comments, criticisms, etc. on the new segment I posted yesterday (or the other material I posted last weekend)?
Constantinople
Banned
Are the former Anglo, and saxon areas still fairly germanic or have they been ejected?
That's a complicated issue.
In some cases the Anglo-Saxon population has been forcibly ejected or massacred when the British reconquered an area (for example, in the early reconquests of Caer Lerion, Dwrn Gwarae and Caer Gwinntguic). Then later the policy changed, and after reconquest the population was allowed to stay, as long as they swore allegiance to the British High King, while the leadership was either killed off or exiled (examples of this would be Bernicia, Deira, Essex, Wessex, and Kent). Of course in Lindsay, which passed peacefully into British hands, the population was not molested.
The population in those regions where the Anglo-Saxon commoners were allowed to stay remains mostly Germanic, but of course, after their reconquest by the British, British settlers have come in as well, and the population in areas which have been under British rule for some time (Bernicia and Lindsay in particular) is quite mixed by now, and there has been a lot of intermarriage between the two groups. The Anglo-Saxon dialects spoken in Bernicia and Lindsay (as well as the British ally states of East Anglia and, to a lesser extent, Sussex) have been also been heavily influenced by close contact with Gymraeg, while the dialects in Essex, Wessex, Kent, and Deira...the "resisting states"... have remained relatively pure, to the point that the various dialects are almost mutually unintelligible by now.
BTW, East Anglia and Sussex, the only two surviving Anglo-Saxon kingdoms, both have a long history of alliance with the British High King, and as a result have a high admixture of British settlers as well, and there has been a lot of intermarriage between the two groups at all levels right up to the royal houses of these kingdoms. Their languages have probably seen the most influence by Gymraeg, and it is very likely that a man from East Anglia or Sussex would have great difficulty communicating with a man from Essex or Kent by now.
One thing that is probably going to be a problem with regard to the latest conquests is the fact that the population of the newly conquered territories is, for the most part, Roman Catholic, rather than adherents of the British Church. The British, East Anglians, and Sussexians did not force these people to convert to the Celtic church when they were conquered. This will be discussed more in the next segment of the timeline.
It's a good TL Robert - although I'm a fan of more the Hittite.
I've done the same approach although what you've done is a bit thick on the military adventures. While this is good - what about cultural? What about the other nations out there? Is there a map of the date you left off coming about?
I've done the same approach although what you've done is a bit thick on the military adventures. While this is good - what about cultural? What about the other nations out there? Is there a map of the date you left off coming about?
The military role of a LLywodraethwr or Governor appointed by the High King would be very similar to that of the Rhi (Sub-King) of a sub-kingdom. They basically are allowed to raise and maintain their own teulus (personal guards), as do the Sub-Kings. They also are responsible for organizing the militia levy of all the military-age males in their provinces. There are two main differences between the Llywodraethwr and the Rhi (Sub-kings)...
1) LLywodraethwr are appointed by the High King to their post, and can be replaced at the whim of the High King for any reason whatsoever. Rhi, however, inherit their posts by right of birth and cannot be removed by the High King, provided they do not engage in treason or rebellion.
2) Related to point #1...LLywodraethwr do not establish dynasties ruling over particular provinces, unlike the Rhi. The High King can choose anyone he trusts to be the Llywodraethwr of one of his personal provinces, without regard to family background (although, of course, he tends to appoint trusted members of his own family to these posts), and the sons of the Llywodraethwr do not inherit their father's title and position.
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G.Bone said:
To a certain extent, that is a result of the nature of the period of history we are dealing with in the timeline at present. Warfare was pretty much endemic to the period, and that was usually what a King spent most of his time doing or preparing to do during his reign, so it is natural that this is most of what will be found in the timeline. However, I am discussing cultural aspects as well, such as in the "snapshot" segment I did as well as the discussion of Arthur III's reign, to give a couple of examples. And I will continue to do so in upcoming segments. Were there any particular questions you had about cultural developments?
G.Bone said:
Outside of Britain, Ireland, and Francia, so far there haven't been too much in the way of ripples from the timeline. There has been some increased trade between Britannia and the rest of Europe, and possibly some migration of Angles, Saxons, and Jutes back to their homelands (or less immigration of these groups to Britannia), but other than that, not too much.
G.Bone said:
I posted a map of Britannia in 800 A.D. along with the last segment...was there another map you were expecting?
1) Law: The jury system, as we understand it, derives from the English Magna Carta of
the thirteenth century, and was based on Norman concepts of law (a similar system had
been used to decide land disputes back in Normandy before the Conquest). I think the
law of the ATL Britannia would actually be quite similar to the law code put together
under the auspices of Hywel Dda, Prince of Wales, in 945 A.D., which comes from
another tradition altogether. The Code of Hywel Dda was based on earlier codes of the
various Welsh kingdoms which can be demonstrated to be of quite ancient origin (they
bear a great similarity in many features to the Brehon laws of Ireland, which were
codified c. 600 A.D. and whose concepts go back to pre-Christian times). These earlier
codes were very likely already in use during the Arthurian period, and so it is not
unreasonable to postulate that a Code similar to that of Hywel Dda would be in use in
Britannia as of 800 A.D.
Welsh law did not use a jury system to decide cases. A Welsh court was basically an
assembly of the chief landowners of a Cantref. It would be presided over by the local
King, or if the King was unavailable, by his representative. The actual verdicts would be
handed down by judges, most of whom were professionals trained in the law. The task of
the judge, having considered the case, was to determine what sort of proof was
appropriate and which of the parties was to be required to produce proof, whether by the
calling of witnesses, by "compurgation" (explained below) or by pledges, then in the light
of the proof to adjudicate on the case and impose the appropriate penalty in accordance
with the law if a penalty was called for.
One interesting feature of Welsh law is that it allowed the accused to present evidence by
compurgation...i.e. a person accused of a crime could deny the charge by denying it on
oath and finding a certain number of persons prepared to go on oath that they believed the
oath of the accused to be true. A person accused of murder, for example, would need to
find 300 people willing to swear that they believe the oath of the accused, while lesser
crimes would require fewer "compurgators" to testify on behalf of the accused.
One area of OTL Welsh law that would differ radically from the law of the ATL
Britannia would be the laws which govern the distribution of land upon the death of a
landowner. In OTL Welsh law, on the death of a landowner the principle was that the
land should be shared equally between his sons. The youngest son was to divide the land
and the other brothers to choose their portions in turn. Illegitimate sons were entitled to
an equal share with the legitimate sons, provided they had been acknowledged by the
father. This system extended to all levels of society, right up to the King, which is why
Welsh kingdoms tended fragment into ever smaller subdivisions and civil wars would
break out as the various heirs attempted to reunite the fragments under his own rule.
In the ATL, High King Arthur I established the rule of primogeniture, in which all of the
land goes to the eldest son. This has been applied at all levels of society, which has had
some major impacts. Younger sons, left without land, have to find alternate careers.
Those who are very unlucky end up working as "taeogion" (villeins/serfs) on their family
lands. The luckier ones end up as soldiers in the Byddin Mawreddog, or in the teulu of a
Sub-King or LLywodraethwr. Those who cannot find places in the military
establishments or in other governmental posts might become merchants in the towns, or
they might go to a different part of Britannia and try to get land for themselves to farm.
This has been a large part of the stimulus which has fueled the economic growth and
recolonization of the reconquered territories of Britannia.
2) Fashion: We know next to nothing about the fashions which prevailed in the Celtic
areas of Britain during the Dark Ages. Given the lack of a starting frame of reference, it
is very difficult to speculate on what fashion might have developed into by 800 A.D.
3) Religion: Has been discussed in the timeline. If you have any specific questions that
you feel were not addressed by what has been posted already, please ask.
4) Establishment of pseudo-feudal systems: I suppose the answer to this depends on what
we mean by “feudal.” The classical definition of feudalism, of course, is a system
whereby a landowner (a lord), grants land (a fief) to a landless person, who thereby
becomes a vassal to the lord. In return, the vassal provides military service to the lord
when called upon to do so. A broader definition would include the manorial economic
system, in which a landowner allotted land to landless persons in exchange for farm labor
on the landowner’s own lands and/or a share of the produce of the land allotted by the
landowner to the landless person.
At the lower levels of society, systems with a lot of similarity to the feudalism practised
elsewhere in Europe were actually common in the Celtic parts of Britain in OTL. In
Wales, for example, society was broadly divided into two groups...the “bonheddwyr” or
free landowners, and the taeogion, or “unfree” villeins (note that by “unfree,” I do not
mean slaves...the taeogion did have legal rights and recourse to the law, unlike a slave.
They would have been more akin to serfs, bound to the land by bonds of mutual
obligation with the landlord). The taeogion were allotted land by the bonheddwyr, to
whom they paid renders in food and services, including both farm labor and military
service. At the upper levels of society, however, the situation differed. The idea that the
King owned all the land and then granted it to his subjects in the form of fiefs was not
found in Welsh society. Instead, land was inherited through family kinship groups (we
see something similar in the Clan system which operated in the Scottish Highlands until
the 18th century). There is no reason to think that a similar situation would not prevail in
the ATL as well, although it might be somewhat altered in some areas by survivals of
Roman law and custom.
5) Economic Impacts of coinages by the High King: In OTL, after the final withdrawal of
Roman troops from Britain at the beginning of the fifth century AD, the Romanized
Celtic population minted no official British coinage for another two hundred years.
Roman silver siliquae continued to circulate but were routinely clipped to remove silver
from the edges. We can assume this is the situation which would have prevailed when
Arthur I became High King. With the re-establishment of trade with the Continent, we
can assume that various foreign coins (Merovingian and Byzantine gold solidi, Byzantine
silver miliaresions, etc.) would have entered this mix, and that a limited coinage of native
British coins would have resumed, probably based on Roman models. Indeed, in OTL,
small-scale coinage began in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms beginning in the early sixth
century, not too many years after the death of Arthur. So we can assume the British High
Kings would have followed a similar course. If we assume the re-opening of some
Roman gold and silver mines in Wales, we might even assume a more widespread
coinage than occurred in OTL among the Saxons.
As to what the economic impacts would have been, aside from the obvious ones of
greatly facilitated trade within the country, it is hard to say.
6) Concept of Democracy: That is hard to say at this point. Based on my research into OTL Welsh society and what is known of the society which prevailed in sub-Roman Britain, there are some things that indicate that eventually a trend toward democracy might develop, and other things that argue against it. I will have to do more research into the matter and make a decision at some point.
It has been standard British policy since the time of High King Arthur II to send missionaries into the areas reconquered from the invaders to try to convert the Anglo-Saxon population. Missionaries have also gone into the "resister" kingdoms as well, where, for example, a British monk converted King Ine of Wessex (Wight). However, at the same time, Roman missionaries from Canterbury have been active in the same areas, in some cases undoing or co-opting the work of earlier British missionaries (so, for example, Wessex, instead of being primarily adherents of the British Church, are followers of the Roman Church instead).
I am not sure what you mean by this. What reconquered area in France???