Christians of the North: A Tale of Celtic Christianity

[Sarthak]

Christians of the North: A Tale of Celtic Christianity

Prologue: They Are Barbarians

***

Little antlered one, little belling one, melodious little bleater, sweet the lowing that you make in the glen. Apple tree, little apple tree, violently everyone shakes you. Rowan, little berried one, lovely is your bloom. Bramble, little humped one, you do not grant fair terms: you do not cease tearing me till you are sated with blood! – Irish Gaelic saying.

The night was calm and deep on the city of Wikon [1]. The skies were dark as the eternal void, and the stars glimmered in the dark sky, providing rays of light in a world consumed by darkness. The full moon gazed on the earth cheerfully watching stragglers and poor travelers using her gaze as their guide towards their destination. But for all intents, the land was calm…..and eerily silent. Only the sound of the crashing waves and the occasional growls of hunting wolves could be heard.

“Don’t go outside into the town and the outskirts.” Mothers and fathers would warn their children with avid seriousness present on their faces. “Carman [2] would love to take you away and use your bodies for nefarious purposes, before happily eating you.” Carman, the witch who walked on earth during the dead of night, alongside her evil sons Dub, Dother and Dain. Blighting crops when they saw them, and killing and eating lonesome children when they could. If you believed rumors, there was more than one Carman and that multiple witches, heretics against God and Christ, were running around the isles eating children aided by their incubus comrades.

Heretics like the witches weren’t uncommon here on the isles. They danced in tune with the old faith, denying the God and his divinely powers, and the eternal truth that Jesus had found. They went around gallivanting off, and came back to kill and bath in the blood of innocents. There were too many of them in the rural areas for good, learned and hardworking Christians to be at ease. These heretical bandits and marauders often had illicit rituals, if rumors were to be believed and gazed upon.

Or, in other words, these heretics were Barbarians.

But barbarians and their problems weren’t knew to the peoples of these islands. The King of Kings hadn’t defeated the Shore Barbarians for nothing had he? Centuries ago, the situation was even more bleak, yet he had stood firm and had seen the enemy destroyed, and the Barbarians defeated. However external barbarians were one thing, but internal barbarians were quite a different matter entirely. Even the King of Kings hadn’t been able to deal with them entirely. Expeditions within the countryside took place often to find these heretics for various purposes. Some tried to persuade them to convert, some tried to plead with them to turn to more moderate aspects of their heretical faiths. Others turned towards war as their speech. Too many farms and forests had been destroyed in such battles, much to the distaste of many in the lands near the Abus River [3], which found itself beset with many such events.

And the stories that men brought back about the heretics were always believable enough, though somewhat fantastical……

“I will tell you a story of the time when I killed a heretical chieftain with my own bare arms! I was rewarded several gold for the act!”

“You should have been with us during that battle! It was as if the heavens parted and angels came down goading us to fight against the heretics who fought against His image and message to us!”

“I swung my sword at the barbarians, thrust it into his guts, and vanquished him!”

But, of course as rumors grew, the tales turned towards the realm of fantasy and disbelief.

“C’mere, my boy. Your pap will tell you about the time I killed a heretic from the north in the highlands! He had five legs and four hands! And their eyes! Ooh! Their eyes!” “Father, it is nighttime. Let me sleep.”

And so the people slept. However as they slept, five ships, bearing the masthead of a dragon appeared on the midnight horizon, gleaming with weapons of war, that certainly meant they weren’t coming for small talk.

***

Sigurd Karlsonn was gleaming with his waraxe in hand and moving it from side to side to make sure he was warmed up. He would not like it if he was injured after the fight. His brother and friends wouldn’t let him live it down later on and would harass him about it for moons to come, if he did. The quaint settlement coming into view belonged to the so-called Sovereign of the Isles, though that made little sense, the last time he had seen a map of these fabled isles, the isles were just as divided as their little fiefdoms that the Jarls liked to call ‘Kingdoms’.

But he had heard rumors when he had gone to the land of the Franks. Rumors that the isles were valuable, and that they held a great secret. What secret, well Sigurd could care less. As long as they had gold, that was all that mattered for the Viking.

​

As the ships came ashore, he jumped out of the longship, and followed his fellow men and warriors to the small town and started to loot the area. The monastery overlooking the quaint town was looted thoroughly. Sigurd laughed as he took the weird cross from the monastery and saw the priests begging him not to take it, saying “Pennon!” [4] over and over again. Sigurd got the distinct feeling they were asking for him to end their suffering. He did just that.

Soon he managed to drag his loot towards his longship and stuffed himself full of all the riches he could find. As the others returned they decided to leave this admittedly rich place, of peoples who spoke a funny language and of a faith that he seemed to find similar to that of the Franks, but different in many aspects as well.

The one hostage that he intended to enslave looked at him miserably on the way home. Burning with curiosity, Sigurd knelt down and did some things with his hand motioning them in a way that the future slave may understand. Sigurd asked the future slave the name of the isle they had just attacked and sacked.

The slave let out a long suffering sigh, and seemed to have understood the motions and answered “Pritaini.” [5]

Sigurd continued with his questions. His second question was to ask the name of the Kingdom that they had attacked just now. It was never too late to wonder about their enemies after all.

“Teyrnas Albion.” [6]

Huh, that was a funny name.

Sigurd turned back to the disappearing shore line and muttered under his breath. “Teyrnas Albion eh? Well I hope I remember that the next time I come here for gold.”

***
[1] - Bradlington
[2] - Mythological Celtic Witch(es)
[3] - Humber River
[4] - End it!
[5] - Britain
[6] - Kingdom of Albion

***

 

[Sarthak]

Hi! Some of you guys will remember my what medieval timeline should i write thread! I Remember Christianity and Sassan China won however resources to write these were very scarce, so i turned to Christians of the North. Bewarned, this timeline is going to be very slowly updated, as resources and research for this and to manipulate religious laws to fit (this is a religious timeline after all) will take a lot of time!

 

[Sarthak]

 

[FleetMac]

Very interesting; it looks like Lunden will end up being the capital ITTL for Britain (at least the Brythonic parts), does that mean that the Britons have resettled the area post-Roman abandonment of the southeast? Also curious about that continental Angland, seems to be in the same place as Flanders and NNE France, wonder why they settled there and the implications thereof? Also a nitpick, but I think the lands of the Picts and Albans are inverted (at the least, the Picts were most prevalent/held out the longest in OTL Northeastern Scotland).

At any rate, I'll be watching this!

 

[jackson3]

so i turned to I Remember Christianity.

You mean Christians of the North?

edit:Okay that map has gotten me excited! Looking forward to where this is going.

 

[Brita]

Wow, a Celtic Christianity timeline!
Definitely watching it

 

[Analytical Engine]

You have my attention. *watches thread*

 

[RedKing]

Interesting, definitely watched. Wonder if this could lead to a United Irish Kingdom?

 

[Sarthak]

Very interesting;

Thank you!

it looks like Lunden will end up being the capital ITTL for Britain (at least the Brythonic parts), does that mean that the Britons have resettled the area post-Roman abandonment of the southeast?

Basically in simple terms, yes

Also curious about that continental Angland, seems to be in the same place as Flanders and NNE France, wonder why they settled there and the implications thereof?

Yes, a peculiar string of events leads that really

Also a nitpick, but I think the lands of the Picts and Albans are inverted (at the least, the Picts were most prevalent/held out the longest in OTL Northeastern Scotland).

That was done purposefully. That is the result of an important event in the future of this tl.

 

[Sarthak]

You mean Christians of the North?

yes, sorry edited

edit:Okay that map has gotten me excited! Looking forward to where this is going.

Thanks!

Wow, a Celtic Christianity timeline!
Definitely watching it

Thank you.
I didn't see any tl exploring this so i decided to have a crack at it

You have my attention. *watches thread*

Thanks!

Interesting, definitely watched. Wonder if this could lead to a United Irish Kingdom?

United Ireland? That is certainly a possibility.

 

[Analytical Engine]

How unified is Albion? Have the various Post-Roman kingdoms been reorganised into subdivisions? Or are there a number of vassal sub-kingdoms within it?

Have the Anglo-Saxons been repulsed, or have they been assimilated? Or a mixture of both?

 

[EvilJam]

This actually looks very interesting - I've liked all your timelines so far, I imagine I'll like this one as well.

This Kingdom should be by far the most powerful on the isles. England alone has had (historically) more than Wales + Ireland + Scotland combined. England with Wales, South Eastern Ireland and the good bits of Scotland would be so ridiculously more populated compared to the other entities. Especially if the Britons haven't been genocided.

 

[Glory2Cabinda]

So that Angland in Northern France is it Germanic? Or did it keep the name even though the populace is Romance speaking? Like how France is named after the Franks.

 

[Analytical Engine]

So that Angland in Northern France is it Germanic? Or did it keep the name even though the populace is Romance speaking? Like how France is named after the Franks.

I'm wondering if the Franks moved further south, taking Aquitaine as well, instead of the Visigoths ITTL.

 

[Some Bloke]

So the Proto English settle in Gaul? You've finally created a TL where Captain Picard's accent makes sense.

 

[RedKing]

Just noticed the alt Cork, Bhaile, literally means home in Modern Irish

 

[Sarthak]

Christians of the North: A Tale of Celtic Christianity

Chapter 1: Pelagius and Beginning

***

From A History of Religion in Albion: Animism to Paganism to Christianity

“Ever since the advent of Christianity, Britannia became a safe haven for many persecuted Christians within the Roman Empire. For the Romans, the Britannian provinces were on the fringes of the empire, and frankly, they held the best lands in the island and saw no need to conquer the rest, which they considered to be ill-suited, lacking in resources, and ungovernable and just too far away. Christianity however entered the Britannian Provinces properly in the 1st Century AD under the rule and reign of Emperor Tiberius.

Emperor Tiberius​

The first great Christian ‘saint’ according to the annals of history in this period in Albion goes to St. Lucius, though whether or not he actually existed is up to debate, though recent sources point that someone like him did exist. The Title of King of the Britons had been an old title, usually taken up by the strongest chieftain of the strongest tribe within pre-Roman Britain, who took up overlordship of what would soon become the Roman Provinces of Britannia, becoming something akin to the High Kings of Ire[1] during this time period. After the Romans conquered Britannia and subjugated its ruling dynasties, the title of King of the Britons managed to endure, however the Romans basically had free hand to choose the person who would receive the title. And unfortunately for many independent minded Britons, these puppet Kings were often Roman puppets, and not even properly Brythonic, with many being Latinized kings.

St. Lucius is depicted in the middle. ​

King Lucius according to the books and writings of later historians after the fall of the Roman Empire was the King of the Britons having been named as such sometime near ~120 AD. With this we can discern that the man was born some two or three decades before that. In Britannia itself, the native Brythonic peoples called him Lles map Coel, and though Lucius was not even a Brythonic native (there exists three tales to his origins. One tale goes to hint at greek heritage. A second story tells that he was a half Briton and half Latin, whilst another story tells us that he was born to a Roman father and Gaulish mother), he quickly assimilated into Britannic culture and became well-liked by the population of the isle. During this time period he became enraptured by the secret Christian faith, as monks from Mt. Athos managed to gain audience with the man and managed to convert the monarch of the Britons. However this conversion was made in secret, as it was obvious that Rome would dethrone him from his position if he publically announced that he was a Christian. His secret encouragement of Christianity on the isles made many within the provinces of Britannia Inferior and Britannia Superior convert to Christianity, for which many Christians on the continent gave him the title of Saint.

For the next two centuries, Christianity and paganism within the island seems to have existed with one another with fluid identities. As such, religious feelings and numbers cannot be discerned with simple numbers during this time. For many pagans, Jesus was simply another god on their list of many gods to worship at the end of the year and New Year and that was it. This relationship did lead to good relations between the Christians and Pagans of the island, however that didn’t mean conflict didn’t exist. Many riots between civilians of differing faiths, pagan and Christians alike rioted in many parts of northern Roman Britain throughout the two centuries, which paved way for Roman garrisons and legions to engage in brutal reprisals against perceived rebellions.

St. Alvan​

The second important figure of Christianity to arise in Roman Britannia would be St. Alvan. He lived in late 100s and early 200s Britannia. Governors during this time began to turn more and more anti-Christian within Britannia and in the town that St. Alvan lived in, Verulamium, experienced a massive purge of Christians. St. Alvan during this time wasn’t a Christian, however many of his friends were, and to see his friends and acquaintances being put to the sword due to their faiths didn’t sit well with the man. He managed to protect a priest, who is named historically as Amphibalus, and led him from Verulamium all the way to Londinium. Amphibalus throughout the journey is said to have prayed and kept watch day and night, keeping faith in his religion and his freedom. St. Alvan was so impressed with the piety and faith present in the priest that the man converted to Christianity, though not in a normal fashion. He started to emulate the old priest, practicing piety and he prayed to God just as he prayed to the Roman Gods, according to historian Adair. At Londinium however, a friend of the persecutors in Verulamium found out that St. Alvans was sheltering the priest and gave orders to the Roman soldiers to make a strict search of Alvan’s house.

A statue of Amphibalus
​

As they came close to St. Alvan’s secret shelter where the priest hid, St. Alvan grabbed the cloaks and clothing of the priest and showed himself to the guards, making the guards mistake him for the priest. He was then brought before a judge, who had just been conducting a pagan ritual. The judge was outraged to hear that Alvan had been sheltering the priest and had taken his place, and demanded that Alvan comply with the pagan rites of the Roman pantheon. Alvan complied, however he did so everytime by muttering a prayer to God just as he muttered a prayer to Jupiter. This outraged the judge even more who tortured the poor man and ordered him to be scourged. When the judge asked Alvan why he prayed to God just as he prayed to the other Roman Gods, Alvan replied by stating that “I worship all that my faith wants to worship, and I shall worship God who created all things just as I shall worship Jupiter who commands the sky.” (These words are still used by the Alvan Cult till this day). Seeing that Alvan would not budge, the judge ordered Alvan to be executed.

Alvan was beheaded and his body thrown into a nearby river to rot. The priest whom he had given refuge, Amphibalus went to the river and collected the man’s body’s pieces and gave it the proper final rites, in a mixture of Christian and Roman final rites, just as Alvan would have wanted it. Whilst Alvan’s syncretic views were very controversial, Amphibalus later told many mainlander Christians that Alvan had only said as such to appease his pagan friends and said that ‘Alvan didn’t think he had the authority to strip others of their faith’. For his ‘high’ thinking and devoutness to Christ even until the end, he was given the title of Saint, though again, his syncretic views make this title a controversial one even till this day.

St. Alvan’s death led to a revival of interest in Christianity throughout the Britannian provinces, which had been going stale after a century of King Lucius’s rule, and revitalized the Christian sector of Britannia which led to renewed conversions to Christianity. It is in Alvan’s ideals and actions that the first ideology of Brythonic Christianity or Autemic Christianity [2]. Alvan pointed out that he didn’t have the right to strip others of their faith and that he would be willing to do as he could as long as he remained a devout Christian who didn’t commit sin. This would lead to the ideology of ‘will’ or more precisely ‘free will’ becoming one of the most defining ideals of Autemic Christianity.”

Excerpts from ‘St. Pelagius: Origins of the Autemic Church’

“The third and perhaps most important figure in the shaping of Autemic Christianity would be St. Pelagius. Pelagius was born in around ~350 AD to ~355 AD. Born somewhere in Britannia, he is also said to have had Irish origins as Saint Jerome once suggested that St. Pelagius was ‘stuffed with Irish porridge’ (Scotorum pultibus praegravatus). He is described to be tall in stature and slightly portly in appearance. Pelagius is said to have been highly educated, able to speak Brythonic, Latin and Greek with full fluency, and that he was well versed in theology.

Born in Britannia, he was of course well versed in the story of St. Alvan and soon the moral nature with which St. Alvan had acted became his role model, so to speak. He became a well-known ‘Alvanite’ [3] within Roman Britannia and was a popular local figure within Roman Britannia. In the late 370s, he moved to Rome to come into contact with the other Christian theologians and became much better known throughout the empire. There he enjoyed a reputation for being a strict theologian who was concerned with the laxity of society. In a contact with St. Paulinus of Nola, he writes that he was very concerned with the laxity of the moral standards of society. He blamed this laxity of theology on the divine grace ideology preached by St. Augustine, among others. He began to teach a very strict, rigid moralism, emphasizing a natural innate human ability to attain salvation.

St. Pelagius​

As he was an Alvanite he had a wide ranging views of theology which he wrote down in 392 called Code Moralis Christianae Religionis or the Code of Moral Christianity. This was a very important historical event in Autemic Christianity. This Code codified the first basic principles of Autemic Christianity.

In it, Pelagius wrote down that ‘grace’ consisted of free will, the Law of Moses, and the teachings of Jesus. With these, a person would be able to perceive the moral course of action and follow through with it. Prayer, fasting and practical occasional asceticism supported the will to do good in his view. For this he was accused by Augustine and many others that Pelagius only thought of God’s grace as consisting of only external helps. Pelagius reasoned that the ‘external’ help was humanity’s own free will.

Pelagius also claimed that all goods works are done by the grace of god, but he considered God’s grace as enabling, but not forcing good works. It would be humanity’s will to act upon this enablement that consisted of good works, in his view. He also stated that infants would have to be baptized for salvation, and that Saints were not sinless, but that some at least had been able to stop sinning. He also stated that saints should not waver from confessing sins, as it showed repentance, and God’s greatest gift – forgiveness.

The core of Pelagius’s teaching remained that mankind could avoid sinning, and that humans could freely choose to obey God’s will and commandments. His oratory skills and his fraternity with the Britons attracted many people in Rome to follow his teachings, with the Britons living in Rome becoming his main group of followers. He clashed with St. Augustine and St. Jerome regarding theology again and again and St. Augustine would denounce the Briton in public theological meetings throughout the capital of the Roman Empire in multiple meetings and whilst the two on a personal level remained great friends with one another, on a theological level, the two became bitter enemies as Augustine lambasted Pelagius’s free will ideology and the two never really reconciled with one another.

St. Augustine​

In 404 AD, Pelagius came into the knowledge that Stilicho, the ruler of the Western Roman Empire had stripped Hadrian’s Wall of its last defenders to defend Gaul from the Visigothic king, Alaric and Ostrogothic King, Radagaisus. His aristocratic lineage (hinted by scripts when describing his education) made him remain in contact with Britannia even though he was in Rome, and most probably his relatives implored the man to come back to Britannia to aid their family through the trying times. Following his own advice on morality, Pelagius agreed, and Pelagius set off to Britannia again, this time followed by many of his students.

It would be Britannia, and the collapse of Roman Rule in Britannia that Autemic Christianity would truly be solidified and consolidated, in its proto and early form. It's story only truly begins in the early 400s of Britannia.”

***

[1] – Ireland

[2] – Autem means ‘up’ in latin. Celtic Christianity ittl is called Autemic Christianity because of the northern nature of its influence.

[3] – the term for the early followers of St. Alvan’s free will ideology in religion

***

 

[Sarthak]

And the religious foundations are laid down, thoughts?

 

[Analytical Engine]

And the religious foundations are laid down, thoughts?

Very interesting.

I'm reminded a little of this film:

King Arthur (2004 film) - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

In which Arthur is a follower of St. Pelagius, which is given as an explanation of the roundness of the round table.

 

[EvilJam]

Certainly interesting - this form of Christianity would likely spread to the rest of the isles as well.

It might also be more palatable to other future converts - the Scandinavians being one example.

You do have to worry about the precedent that such a distinct church sets so early on, the Catholic Church post the fall of Rome (when it was the only main church) acted as a crucial diplomatic influence which helped the formation of many kingdoms in the area. An early example of not following central tradition could cause large splits in the church - which could cripple it and the general stability of "civilised" Europe.