Jonathan1997
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The question is will Arthur and his guinevere the daughter of constance the first have children. You many male hairs for stability
Christians of the North: A Tale of Celtic Christianity
- Thread starter Sarthak
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Chapter 5
Christians of the North: A Tale of Celtic Christianity
Chapter 5: Conflicts of Interest
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From The Late Antiquity: An Era of Tumultuousness
“Gwafa I of the Mauro-Berbers roared, and the Africans trembled. Where he fought, he won.” – 5th Century Berber Saying
“Heraclian I or Heraclianus I of Africa immediately came into conflict with Theodosius II of the Eastern Roman Empire over control over Cyrenaica. Heraclian I of Africa wanted to affirm his right of leadership and as Augustus of Africa with a quick conquest of Cyrenaica to prove himself to the population of his new country to prove himself to gain quick prestige. Heraclian I dispatched a strong and level headed Punic commander, Hamilcar, who shared his name with the famous brother of Hannibal, and sent him with a force of 10,000 elite troops, formed up in the legionary manner and advanced across Tripolitania to attack and conquer the region. Theodosius II was slow on the uptake about the threat that this new usurper and his empire posed to his own.
Heraclianus I of Africa.
Heraclian I however was drawn inwards by domestic events. The Berbers in inland Africa began to revolt against Heraclian I and were attempting to restore an independent Berber state, with Gwafa Abrika, a popular Romanized Berber chieftain being named Agelid (King) of the Berbers and they started a revolt, capturing the prominent city of Timgad with the aid of spies and traitors to the African cause. Heraclian I was forced to personally act against this Berber revolt, which eventually became known as the Berber War in Africa, and would last for decades to come, throwing Heraclian I’s new state into internal destabilization.
Gwafa I, the first Agelid of the Mauro-Berbers, nicknamed as the 'Lion of North Africa'
Gwafa Abrika, known to Berbers as Gwafa I, began a protracted campaign of fighting against the Africans with irregular methods of warfare. He never campaign directly in front of the African army and instead attacked its rearguards, and cut off its supplies as they came deeper into the mountains and the desert, cutting off their lines of supply and retreat before ambushing them. Stunned at the success of the Berbers, and Gwafa I, Heraclian I deployed his son-in-law, Sabian to become commander of a force of 8,000 men and sent him to defeat the Berbers and to destroy them. Sabian entered Berber territory in the African interior and began to locate the Berber bands and armies. Gwafa I, who found out about the punitive expedition retreated, but towards the northern mountains, where he found shelter. Sabian was forced to look around like a headless chicken without finding his prey. Gwafa I then began to send bands of his army men to cut off the supply network with his army seizing the supply columns and taking the supplies for themselves, enriching their army and starving the African army out.
In mid-418 AD, the 1st Agelid of the Mauro-Berbers, Gwafa I decided to finally give proper battle after he had deemed it suitable enough. Near the town of Altava, Sabian found himself fighting against the full might of the Berber army and was forced to stand his ground. The battle is described by Carthaginian and Punic records as “As Grandiose as is possible. The Lion of the Berbers commanded a force almost twice as small as the Sabian contingent. The Agelid routed them easily.” How the battle actually commenced has been lost to time, however from a sporadic amount of historical records, we can discern a basic outline. It seems that Sabian sent his cavalry into battle first, only to be killed by the Berber archers from far away and Gwafa I pinned the African army to the ground, and started to push them back towards the nearby mountains. After pinning the African army with their backs onto the mountains, Gwafa I unleashed the historically impressive Berber cavalry onto the flanks and the African army collapsed as a result, and was routed in the battle. Sabian managed to retreat and returned to Carthage where he was stripped of his position and the only respect he ever received after his loss in the battle was of being the son-in-law of the African Augustus.
After the fateful Battle of Altava, the cities of Altava, Pomaria and Tingurita fell under the command of the Mauro-Berbers, and Gwafa I, who made Pomaria his temporary capital. The multi-generational Berber Rebellion was just beginning.”
From Decline of the Rhomanoi
“Mervel Rhoman! Lezel Non Douar!” – 5th Century Armorican Folk Song which roughly translates to ‘Die Roman! Leave our Lands!’
“Armorica had once been home to the Veneti, fierce opponents of Roman Rule, however Armorica had long been pacified by several Roman Generals who had won the population over, and latinization soon seemed to seep into the lands as well. However, Armorica had never been a restive province. Unlike the other Gallic tribes of Gaul however, the tribes of Armorica, whilst Gallic in nature, had more of its traditions and languages derived from Brythonic and the peoples who inhabited Britannia. Historical records have shown massive intermarriages and trade between Armorica and Britannia even before Rome, so it is highly likely that these exchanges made Armorica more Brythonic in nature than Gallic. Under the Roman Empire, Armorica was administered as a part of the province of Gallia Lugdunesis, however the administrative reforms of the 4th century placed Armorica under the second and third administrative divisions of Lugdunensis.
the five Keltoi tribes of Armorica.
Of all the Gallic areas within the Roman Empire, west of the Rhine, the Armoricans were the most rebellious and had rebelled multiple times before, and were the most resistant to latinization, unlike their other Gallic counterparts, who by this point were more Latin than actually Gallic. In 410 AD, the Roman administration in Britannia collapsed and Emperor Honorius told the Britons to look after themselves. The Britons angered by this rejected Roman Rule and dismissed all Roman administrators and sent them back to Gaul. Emboldened by this act of defiance on part by their Briton brothers, the Armoricans decided that it was an opportune time to revolt. Under the leadership of Tibatto, an anti-Roman figure and Keltoi [1] chieftain of his own tribe, the Armoricans launched the Rebellion of 414 AD.
Tibatto managed to appeal to Constans I of Britannia, who could not intervene in the rebellion, however managed to gain 5000 gold coins from Constans I. Tibatto used the money given to him to gain the allegiance of the Osismi and Curiosolites Armorican tribes, who filled Tibatto’s forces with experienced troops. Some later Veneti tribal groups also came under Tibatto’s banner according to Roman records. Jordanes, the Eastern Roman Chronicler and Historian writes,
“Keltoi tribes, subjugated by the Rhomanoi of the West answered the call of Tibatto. Money and centuries of subjugation spoke and the tribes swore allegiance to Tibatto who soon fermented his rebellion against the court in Ravenna. Armorica was in turmoil.”
Tibatto managed to copy the tactics used by the 1st Agelid of the Mauro-Berbers in North Africa, and used irregular tactics to wear the Roman forces in the region and used his knowledge of the area to his advantage and in 415 AD, even managed to capture the key port town of Vorganium and deprived it of the Hispanian, Suevian, Visigothic and Briton trading network which made the port town decline in economic importance. Seeing the threat posed by this serious Armorican revolt, Honorius sent General Bonifacius, a general who had proven himself against the Visigoths, though ironically he had come under the partial authority of the Visigoths under his patron, Galla Placidia, who was the Queen of the Visigoths.
Bonifacius.
Bonifacius sent out from southern Gaul with a mixed Roman-Visigothic army of around 15,000 men and marched north to meet what was expected to be around 9,000 Armorican rebels. Tibatto however unlike Gwafa I did not have the prudence to retreat when needed. He decided to stand and fight against the army sent by Emperor Honorius and decided that him defeating the Romans would cement his position as leader of the Armoricans, and would throw the Romans out once and for all. Both armies marched to Duretia in southern Armorica where the two armies would clash with one another in 417 AD.
Tibatto’s army is estimated to have 10,000 men, with around 9000 infantrymen and around 1000 cavalry. He deployed 8,000 men in the center, and divided his cavalry into two, sending them to each flanks of his army. The 1000 infantrymen of his were said to be kept back as reserves. Bonifacius on the other hand is said to have had 15,000 men with him. He deployed the 3,000 Visigothic Foederati in front of his main lines as skirmishers. In the center, he deployed 8,000 of his men. On his flanks 2000 cavalry men each formed his flanks and rears. The exact location outside of Duretia, where the battle took place is unknown however it is expected to be near the northern sector of outer Duretia today.
Tibatto, whilst headstrong was a powerful general in his own right and attacked the weaker Roman center, with his left flank crashing down upon the Visigothic skirmisher lines and breaking them and making probes into the Roman center. Bonifacius used his cavalry and his reserves to push these cavalry probes back and pushed the Armorican cavalry back. Tibatto at this important time in battle, is said to have deployed his elite heavy infantry from the center to attack the dispersed Visigoths and the Roman center, and the heavy infantrymen of the Armoricans, wielding powerful heavy weapons with deadly efficiency crashed into the ranks of the Roman lines and broke the Visigothic lines and broke the first Roman center as well, before being plugged in by Roman reserves and a flanking maneuver by one of the Cavalry legions.
At this moment, Bonifacius created a pincer movement and trapped the heavy infantry within an encirclement and crushed them in a brutal massacre, whilst his cavalry made Armorican reinforcements and breaking attempts impossible. With the center heavy infantry gone and dead, Bonifacius turned his attention to the remaining troops under Tibatto. Morale dead, his troops started to desert him and as such his lines became dangerously thin. Enough for, Bonifacius to plug the gaps with his own troops and after that a massacre ensued. Tibatto, romantically is depicted as being a true leader and never retreated from the battle. Whether or not this is true is unknown but it is true that Tibatto was killed in the battle, and after that the Armorican revolt of 414-17 AD fizzled out.
a depiction of the Battle of Duretia.
Bonifacius as an aftermath of the revolt, and his victory at the Battle of Duretia managed to gain a lot of fame, which he would use to his advantage later on, when he became a usurper himself.”
From A History of the Autemic Church: The Northern Schism
“Of all Vexillifers, only Quintus Varius Felix became known as the Friend of the Paganoi, for his conciliatory policy and peaceful policy towards them.”- Historian Jordanes of the Eastern Roman Empire during his book ‘Fall of the West’.
“In 419 AD, three years after becoming the second Vexillifer, Owain died from a heart condition and left behind an empty post. Even his death is shrouded in mystery and many say that pro-Aurelianus forces within the Autemic sect managed to assassinate Owain, who was a fervent pro-Vortigern figure in the Autemic Church. This theory is certainly given credence that a pro-Aurelianus bishop from Lindum, Quintus Varius Felix. Felix is said to have been a Roman man who was born in Gaul, who migrated to Britannia alongside Pelagius as one of his disciples. In Britannia, he had settled down and had become the Bishop of Lindum. At the age of ~45, he was chosen to become the 3rd Vexillifer of the Autemics.
a portrait of Quintus Varius Felix.
At this same time, Pope Zosimus, the new pope after the death of Pope Innocent I sent a new delegation to Britannia, in the form of a bishop, who is called one of the Bishops of Auxerre. Auxerre at this time hosted a large number of Bishops, though a specific name has not been pinpointed by historians. This bishop came from Rome with good tidings, and told the new Vexillifer that the new Pope was willing to continue the pact that Innocent I had made with the Autemic Sect, if the new Vexillfer reaffirmed his sect’s loyalty to the Papacy and if the Autemics could act against the Pagan population of Britannia in a more active manner. Felix agreed to the former and also agreed to the latter, however lied through his teeth about the latter. His entire platform and backing had been committed by wealthy Pagans who had financed him because of Owain’s zealous persecution of pagans in Britain. Felix on the other hand sought for slow and steady conversion and a peaceful process of conversion whilst respecting the pagan traditions and culture.
Felix also soon came into conflict with the Consul of Britannia, Vortigern. Felix made his displeasure about Vortigern publicly known and unlike Aoife and Aurelianus, had the position of Vexillifer to protect him from the wrath of the Consul. He soon became a prominent member of the moderate faction of the Briton senate and replaced the late Ambrosius Aurelianus as Vortigern’s most fervent opponent in the Briton Senate.
St. Olympias.
With his peaceful and moral views, Felix is most famously known for his edict in the 3rd Briton Ecumenical Council in 420 AD. During the third council, he drew upon Saint Olympias the Deaconess and narrated her life. He narrated her wealthy origins, and her beloved upbringing and her loving marriage to her husband. Tragedy struck and her husband died, and unwilling to love any other man other than her dead husband, she threw herself into the church as her solace, serving as a deaconess in Constantinople and Antioch, becoming a good friend of Saint John Chrysostom. She was famously known for building a hospital, and an orphanage and looking after the monks who had been in exile from Nitria. Her support of John Chrysostom led to her banishment in 404 AD, losing her home in the process, and she lived the remaining four years of her life in holy living in Nicomedia. Felix praised the morality and the theological high living that St. Olympias had practiced, and the 3rd Briton Ecumenical Council laid out two important points for Autemic Christianity:-
Excerpts from Vortigern: Myths and Facts
“He was a proud leader, autocrat in all but name, majority of the Senate deep in his pocket, and he was a fool. A bad leader in everything.” – Artor I of Albion describing Vortigern.
“The imprisonment of Aoife, the wife of Constans I and her children, Constantine and Gwenhwyfar led to Drest I of the Picts swearing to topple Vortigern, who he deemed an unworthy successor to Constans I who he had respected immensely and he was personally affronted by the imprisonment of his daughter and his grandchildren, especially Constantine, with whom he had become close to during one of Aoife’s visits to the north before Constans I’s death.
Drest I assembled scores of Pictish tribes and sallied them across the Hadrian Wall, and managed to defeat the garrisons sent there repeatedly. In 419 AD, a large force sent by him managed to actually penetrate the wall and create a gaping hole in the wall, and flooded into northern Britannia, much to the panic of many northern Britons. Drest I, personally leading the charge, unleashed a volley of terrorism and war of terrorism against Britannia. Drest I sacked every village, town and city he could find with his marauding army in the north and managed to kill a number of subkings in the north as well, defeating their royal guards in several battles.
Whilst this would have made a normal Consul panic and move north to defend his lands, Vortigern had different plans. Much of his opponents in the Senate had lands in the north and using third party negotiators, he gave these men loans to keep them over their now destroyed economic properties. Then he removed the third party and showed himself as the true loaner and created a system of economic exploitation of his enemies and rivals in Britannia, soon making most of the Senate come under his pocket. This gave him legislation to rule Britannia as a virtual autocrat. A Greek patrician from the Eastern Roman Empire even went so far as calling Vortigern Autokrator.
However even the proud and cunning Vortigern would need to respond when in 420 AD, Drest I did something unfathomable. He managed to defeat a Briton army sent north by the King of Rheged, and reached the outskirts of Eburacum. At Eburacum, he demanded the surrender of the city. The old bishop of the city, a monk named Rhys came out to negotiate with the king. The governor of the city had apparently been killed in the aforementioned battle and the bishop was sitting in for him until the senate could appoint a new governor. Rhys peacefully handed the city over to Drest I on the condition that Drest I spare the citizens of the city and take gold and money from only the monuments and not the churches and the personal property of the civilians.
Drest I had agreed, and he entered the city with his army. Predictably, he broke his promise as fast as one could think, and sacked the city. Civilians were murdered, stolen from, raped, and their carcasses were thrown to the fields for the vultures. The churches were raided and destroyed, and the monuments, with many roman statues still in the area, stripped down and destroyed. Poor Rhys is said to have been kept by Drest I at sword point whilst this was all going on and Rhys in a moment of terror, committed suicide, dying alongside the rest of his city.
the sacking of eburacum.
The sacking of Eburacum was disastrous for Britannia, and even Vortigern now had to negotiate. The message was clear for the new Consul. Repent, or Drest I would create a level of destruction so large, that the country would never recover. Vortigern managed to get a treaty from Drest I at the Chapel of St. Alvan in Eburacum where he signed the Treaty of Eburacum with Drest I. The terms of the treaty is said to have been a huge heap of money given to Drest I, and the release of Aoife and her children, all of whom would be transferred to the court of Drest I, whilst Drest I promised not to raid into Britannia for atleast 5 years.
Aoife and her children went to the court of Drest I and after the three were safely within his sphere, Drest I broke the treaty and began raiding into northern Britannia with just as much ferocity. Further bad news arrived when King Niall of the Nine Hostages invaded Cymru with around 3,000 raiders, led by his second in command, his own son, Loegaire. Niall and Loegaire landed in Cymru with 3,000 men near Segontium and laid siege to the city. This was King Niall’s most blatant attempt to attack Britannia and later on King Niall himself states that it was his intention to conquer Cymru and thus gain total command of the Ire Channel. [2]
Loegaire of the Hibernians.
King Niall managed to break into the citadel of Segontium and sacked the city in 421 AD and looted and raped the citizens of the city, and masses of refugees flooded to the east, wishing to flee from the Hibernian pirates and warriors. At Deva, the now old and wizened King Cunneda of Gwynedd, assembled an army of 5,000 men by himself and with the aid of his allies, knowing that Vortigern would not respond adequately. Cunneda then marched against Niall and his men and engaged King Niall at the Battle of Rhyl. Not much is known of this battle, however Cunneda is said to have defeated Niall and Loegaire and drove the Hibernian King and Prince back to the sea, however at the cost of his own life, as injuries sustained in this campaigned is said to have killed him soon after.
All of these actions and the constant raiding and pillaging from the Hibernians and Picts managed to drown the Briton economy with inflation and debts, something that Vortigern was becoming more and more acutely aware of, as his economic influence in the Senate waned as the economy waned as well. So he turned to potential solutions. In 423 AD, he got one. The Saxons had been raiders on Britannia as well, however in the past few years they had been relatively quiet due to the actions in Rome and their attention being drawn by the collapsing Western Roman Empire. Vortigern saw an idea to use the Saxons and their martial talent as Foederati within the Kingdoms of Britannia and brought the proposal to the Senate. Whilst his influence had waned, it was still enough to gain a majority vote, and despite the misgivings of Felix and the King of Dumnonia, King Corotius, the Saxon Kings, Hengist and Horsa were invited by Vortigern to Britannia.
a portrait of Hengist and Horsa.
In 424 AD, they arrived and were welcomed by Vortigern in Lunden. In return for lands in Caer Went, [3], the Saxon Kings agreed to become permanent Foederati of the Kingdoms of Britannia and soon enough Saxons started to flood into the lands given by Vortigern to the Saxons. This course of action would drown Britannia into decades of civil conflict.”
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[1] – ittl word of Celt.
[2] –Celtic Channel.
[3] – East Anglia
Chapter 5: Conflicts of Interest
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From The Late Antiquity: An Era of Tumultuousness
“Gwafa I of the Mauro-Berbers roared, and the Africans trembled. Where he fought, he won.” – 5th Century Berber Saying
“Heraclian I or Heraclianus I of Africa immediately came into conflict with Theodosius II of the Eastern Roman Empire over control over Cyrenaica. Heraclian I of Africa wanted to affirm his right of leadership and as Augustus of Africa with a quick conquest of Cyrenaica to prove himself to the population of his new country to prove himself to gain quick prestige. Heraclian I dispatched a strong and level headed Punic commander, Hamilcar, who shared his name with the famous brother of Hannibal, and sent him with a force of 10,000 elite troops, formed up in the legionary manner and advanced across Tripolitania to attack and conquer the region. Theodosius II was slow on the uptake about the threat that this new usurper and his empire posed to his own.
Heraclianus I of Africa.
Heraclian I however was drawn inwards by domestic events. The Berbers in inland Africa began to revolt against Heraclian I and were attempting to restore an independent Berber state, with Gwafa Abrika, a popular Romanized Berber chieftain being named Agelid (King) of the Berbers and they started a revolt, capturing the prominent city of Timgad with the aid of spies and traitors to the African cause. Heraclian I was forced to personally act against this Berber revolt, which eventually became known as the Berber War in Africa, and would last for decades to come, throwing Heraclian I’s new state into internal destabilization.
Gwafa I, the first Agelid of the Mauro-Berbers, nicknamed as the 'Lion of North Africa'
Gwafa Abrika, known to Berbers as Gwafa I, began a protracted campaign of fighting against the Africans with irregular methods of warfare. He never campaign directly in front of the African army and instead attacked its rearguards, and cut off its supplies as they came deeper into the mountains and the desert, cutting off their lines of supply and retreat before ambushing them. Stunned at the success of the Berbers, and Gwafa I, Heraclian I deployed his son-in-law, Sabian to become commander of a force of 8,000 men and sent him to defeat the Berbers and to destroy them. Sabian entered Berber territory in the African interior and began to locate the Berber bands and armies. Gwafa I, who found out about the punitive expedition retreated, but towards the northern mountains, where he found shelter. Sabian was forced to look around like a headless chicken without finding his prey. Gwafa I then began to send bands of his army men to cut off the supply network with his army seizing the supply columns and taking the supplies for themselves, enriching their army and starving the African army out.
In mid-418 AD, the 1st Agelid of the Mauro-Berbers, Gwafa I decided to finally give proper battle after he had deemed it suitable enough. Near the town of Altava, Sabian found himself fighting against the full might of the Berber army and was forced to stand his ground. The battle is described by Carthaginian and Punic records as “As Grandiose as is possible. The Lion of the Berbers commanded a force almost twice as small as the Sabian contingent. The Agelid routed them easily.” How the battle actually commenced has been lost to time, however from a sporadic amount of historical records, we can discern a basic outline. It seems that Sabian sent his cavalry into battle first, only to be killed by the Berber archers from far away and Gwafa I pinned the African army to the ground, and started to push them back towards the nearby mountains. After pinning the African army with their backs onto the mountains, Gwafa I unleashed the historically impressive Berber cavalry onto the flanks and the African army collapsed as a result, and was routed in the battle. Sabian managed to retreat and returned to Carthage where he was stripped of his position and the only respect he ever received after his loss in the battle was of being the son-in-law of the African Augustus.
After the fateful Battle of Altava, the cities of Altava, Pomaria and Tingurita fell under the command of the Mauro-Berbers, and Gwafa I, who made Pomaria his temporary capital. The multi-generational Berber Rebellion was just beginning.”
From Decline of the Rhomanoi
“Mervel Rhoman! Lezel Non Douar!” – 5th Century Armorican Folk Song which roughly translates to ‘Die Roman! Leave our Lands!’
“Armorica had once been home to the Veneti, fierce opponents of Roman Rule, however Armorica had long been pacified by several Roman Generals who had won the population over, and latinization soon seemed to seep into the lands as well. However, Armorica had never been a restive province. Unlike the other Gallic tribes of Gaul however, the tribes of Armorica, whilst Gallic in nature, had more of its traditions and languages derived from Brythonic and the peoples who inhabited Britannia. Historical records have shown massive intermarriages and trade between Armorica and Britannia even before Rome, so it is highly likely that these exchanges made Armorica more Brythonic in nature than Gallic. Under the Roman Empire, Armorica was administered as a part of the province of Gallia Lugdunesis, however the administrative reforms of the 4th century placed Armorica under the second and third administrative divisions of Lugdunensis.
the five Keltoi tribes of Armorica.
Of all the Gallic areas within the Roman Empire, west of the Rhine, the Armoricans were the most rebellious and had rebelled multiple times before, and were the most resistant to latinization, unlike their other Gallic counterparts, who by this point were more Latin than actually Gallic. In 410 AD, the Roman administration in Britannia collapsed and Emperor Honorius told the Britons to look after themselves. The Britons angered by this rejected Roman Rule and dismissed all Roman administrators and sent them back to Gaul. Emboldened by this act of defiance on part by their Briton brothers, the Armoricans decided that it was an opportune time to revolt. Under the leadership of Tibatto, an anti-Roman figure and Keltoi [1] chieftain of his own tribe, the Armoricans launched the Rebellion of 414 AD.
Tibatto managed to appeal to Constans I of Britannia, who could not intervene in the rebellion, however managed to gain 5000 gold coins from Constans I. Tibatto used the money given to him to gain the allegiance of the Osismi and Curiosolites Armorican tribes, who filled Tibatto’s forces with experienced troops. Some later Veneti tribal groups also came under Tibatto’s banner according to Roman records. Jordanes, the Eastern Roman Chronicler and Historian writes,
“Keltoi tribes, subjugated by the Rhomanoi of the West answered the call of Tibatto. Money and centuries of subjugation spoke and the tribes swore allegiance to Tibatto who soon fermented his rebellion against the court in Ravenna. Armorica was in turmoil.”
Tibatto managed to copy the tactics used by the 1st Agelid of the Mauro-Berbers in North Africa, and used irregular tactics to wear the Roman forces in the region and used his knowledge of the area to his advantage and in 415 AD, even managed to capture the key port town of Vorganium and deprived it of the Hispanian, Suevian, Visigothic and Briton trading network which made the port town decline in economic importance. Seeing the threat posed by this serious Armorican revolt, Honorius sent General Bonifacius, a general who had proven himself against the Visigoths, though ironically he had come under the partial authority of the Visigoths under his patron, Galla Placidia, who was the Queen of the Visigoths.
Bonifacius.
Bonifacius sent out from southern Gaul with a mixed Roman-Visigothic army of around 15,000 men and marched north to meet what was expected to be around 9,000 Armorican rebels. Tibatto however unlike Gwafa I did not have the prudence to retreat when needed. He decided to stand and fight against the army sent by Emperor Honorius and decided that him defeating the Romans would cement his position as leader of the Armoricans, and would throw the Romans out once and for all. Both armies marched to Duretia in southern Armorica where the two armies would clash with one another in 417 AD.
Tibatto’s army is estimated to have 10,000 men, with around 9000 infantrymen and around 1000 cavalry. He deployed 8,000 men in the center, and divided his cavalry into two, sending them to each flanks of his army. The 1000 infantrymen of his were said to be kept back as reserves. Bonifacius on the other hand is said to have had 15,000 men with him. He deployed the 3,000 Visigothic Foederati in front of his main lines as skirmishers. In the center, he deployed 8,000 of his men. On his flanks 2000 cavalry men each formed his flanks and rears. The exact location outside of Duretia, where the battle took place is unknown however it is expected to be near the northern sector of outer Duretia today.
Tibatto, whilst headstrong was a powerful general in his own right and attacked the weaker Roman center, with his left flank crashing down upon the Visigothic skirmisher lines and breaking them and making probes into the Roman center. Bonifacius used his cavalry and his reserves to push these cavalry probes back and pushed the Armorican cavalry back. Tibatto at this important time in battle, is said to have deployed his elite heavy infantry from the center to attack the dispersed Visigoths and the Roman center, and the heavy infantrymen of the Armoricans, wielding powerful heavy weapons with deadly efficiency crashed into the ranks of the Roman lines and broke the Visigothic lines and broke the first Roman center as well, before being plugged in by Roman reserves and a flanking maneuver by one of the Cavalry legions.
At this moment, Bonifacius created a pincer movement and trapped the heavy infantry within an encirclement and crushed them in a brutal massacre, whilst his cavalry made Armorican reinforcements and breaking attempts impossible. With the center heavy infantry gone and dead, Bonifacius turned his attention to the remaining troops under Tibatto. Morale dead, his troops started to desert him and as such his lines became dangerously thin. Enough for, Bonifacius to plug the gaps with his own troops and after that a massacre ensued. Tibatto, romantically is depicted as being a true leader and never retreated from the battle. Whether or not this is true is unknown but it is true that Tibatto was killed in the battle, and after that the Armorican revolt of 414-17 AD fizzled out.
a depiction of the Battle of Duretia.
Bonifacius as an aftermath of the revolt, and his victory at the Battle of Duretia managed to gain a lot of fame, which he would use to his advantage later on, when he became a usurper himself.”
From A History of the Autemic Church: The Northern Schism
“Of all Vexillifers, only Quintus Varius Felix became known as the Friend of the Paganoi, for his conciliatory policy and peaceful policy towards them.”- Historian Jordanes of the Eastern Roman Empire during his book ‘Fall of the West’.
“In 419 AD, three years after becoming the second Vexillifer, Owain died from a heart condition and left behind an empty post. Even his death is shrouded in mystery and many say that pro-Aurelianus forces within the Autemic sect managed to assassinate Owain, who was a fervent pro-Vortigern figure in the Autemic Church. This theory is certainly given credence that a pro-Aurelianus bishop from Lindum, Quintus Varius Felix. Felix is said to have been a Roman man who was born in Gaul, who migrated to Britannia alongside Pelagius as one of his disciples. In Britannia, he had settled down and had become the Bishop of Lindum. At the age of ~45, he was chosen to become the 3rd Vexillifer of the Autemics.
a portrait of Quintus Varius Felix.
At this same time, Pope Zosimus, the new pope after the death of Pope Innocent I sent a new delegation to Britannia, in the form of a bishop, who is called one of the Bishops of Auxerre. Auxerre at this time hosted a large number of Bishops, though a specific name has not been pinpointed by historians. This bishop came from Rome with good tidings, and told the new Vexillifer that the new Pope was willing to continue the pact that Innocent I had made with the Autemic Sect, if the new Vexillfer reaffirmed his sect’s loyalty to the Papacy and if the Autemics could act against the Pagan population of Britannia in a more active manner. Felix agreed to the former and also agreed to the latter, however lied through his teeth about the latter. His entire platform and backing had been committed by wealthy Pagans who had financed him because of Owain’s zealous persecution of pagans in Britain. Felix on the other hand sought for slow and steady conversion and a peaceful process of conversion whilst respecting the pagan traditions and culture.
Felix also soon came into conflict with the Consul of Britannia, Vortigern. Felix made his displeasure about Vortigern publicly known and unlike Aoife and Aurelianus, had the position of Vexillifer to protect him from the wrath of the Consul. He soon became a prominent member of the moderate faction of the Briton senate and replaced the late Ambrosius Aurelianus as Vortigern’s most fervent opponent in the Briton Senate.
St. Olympias.
With his peaceful and moral views, Felix is most famously known for his edict in the 3rd Briton Ecumenical Council in 420 AD. During the third council, he drew upon Saint Olympias the Deaconess and narrated her life. He narrated her wealthy origins, and her beloved upbringing and her loving marriage to her husband. Tragedy struck and her husband died, and unwilling to love any other man other than her dead husband, she threw herself into the church as her solace, serving as a deaconess in Constantinople and Antioch, becoming a good friend of Saint John Chrysostom. She was famously known for building a hospital, and an orphanage and looking after the monks who had been in exile from Nitria. Her support of John Chrysostom led to her banishment in 404 AD, losing her home in the process, and she lived the remaining four years of her life in holy living in Nicomedia. Felix praised the morality and the theological high living that St. Olympias had practiced, and the 3rd Briton Ecumenical Council laid out two important points for Autemic Christianity:-
- Felix emphasized the importance of the pursuit of holiness in salvation. He is said to have said ‘True faith…..cannot subsist without work.” As such, he emphasized the role of charity in Autemic Christianity and emphasized the need to engage in works of piety and works of mercy and made them works of sanctification and salvation within the Autemic Church. Felix listed out what he called the Works of Mercy and Piety in the Codex of the 3rd Ecumenical Council. They are:-
- To feed the hungry
- To give water to the thirsty
- To clothe the naked
- To shelter the homeless
- To visit the sick
- To bury the dead
- To visit the imprisoned and to ransom the captive.
- To instruct the ignorant
- To counsel the doubtful
- To admonish the sinner
- To bear patiently those who wrong us
- To forgive offenses.
- To comfort the afflicted
- To pray for the living and dead.
- To do good whenever and wherever one can.
- To earn, save and give all that once can.
- An official partial ordination of women was made a theological main point of the Autemics. Unlike many fathers of the Christian religion, like Clement of Rome, Irenaeus, Tertullian, Augustine etc, Felix pointed out that Ordination of women, on partial terms at least, was possible, as shown by St. Olympias and points out that the famous Deaconess Phoebe of the 1st century is said to be partially ordained. Paul’s letter to the Romans was cited as proof of this. As such the Autemic Church gave partial ordination to women, allowing them to become deaconesses within the church system of Britannia and allowed them to at times even become assistants to priests. Women were also allowed to participate in monasticism that Autemic Christianity held so dear.
Excerpts from Vortigern: Myths and Facts
“He was a proud leader, autocrat in all but name, majority of the Senate deep in his pocket, and he was a fool. A bad leader in everything.” – Artor I of Albion describing Vortigern.
“The imprisonment of Aoife, the wife of Constans I and her children, Constantine and Gwenhwyfar led to Drest I of the Picts swearing to topple Vortigern, who he deemed an unworthy successor to Constans I who he had respected immensely and he was personally affronted by the imprisonment of his daughter and his grandchildren, especially Constantine, with whom he had become close to during one of Aoife’s visits to the north before Constans I’s death.
Drest I assembled scores of Pictish tribes and sallied them across the Hadrian Wall, and managed to defeat the garrisons sent there repeatedly. In 419 AD, a large force sent by him managed to actually penetrate the wall and create a gaping hole in the wall, and flooded into northern Britannia, much to the panic of many northern Britons. Drest I, personally leading the charge, unleashed a volley of terrorism and war of terrorism against Britannia. Drest I sacked every village, town and city he could find with his marauding army in the north and managed to kill a number of subkings in the north as well, defeating their royal guards in several battles.
Whilst this would have made a normal Consul panic and move north to defend his lands, Vortigern had different plans. Much of his opponents in the Senate had lands in the north and using third party negotiators, he gave these men loans to keep them over their now destroyed economic properties. Then he removed the third party and showed himself as the true loaner and created a system of economic exploitation of his enemies and rivals in Britannia, soon making most of the Senate come under his pocket. This gave him legislation to rule Britannia as a virtual autocrat. A Greek patrician from the Eastern Roman Empire even went so far as calling Vortigern Autokrator.
However even the proud and cunning Vortigern would need to respond when in 420 AD, Drest I did something unfathomable. He managed to defeat a Briton army sent north by the King of Rheged, and reached the outskirts of Eburacum. At Eburacum, he demanded the surrender of the city. The old bishop of the city, a monk named Rhys came out to negotiate with the king. The governor of the city had apparently been killed in the aforementioned battle and the bishop was sitting in for him until the senate could appoint a new governor. Rhys peacefully handed the city over to Drest I on the condition that Drest I spare the citizens of the city and take gold and money from only the monuments and not the churches and the personal property of the civilians.
Drest I had agreed, and he entered the city with his army. Predictably, he broke his promise as fast as one could think, and sacked the city. Civilians were murdered, stolen from, raped, and their carcasses were thrown to the fields for the vultures. The churches were raided and destroyed, and the monuments, with many roman statues still in the area, stripped down and destroyed. Poor Rhys is said to have been kept by Drest I at sword point whilst this was all going on and Rhys in a moment of terror, committed suicide, dying alongside the rest of his city.
the sacking of eburacum.
The sacking of Eburacum was disastrous for Britannia, and even Vortigern now had to negotiate. The message was clear for the new Consul. Repent, or Drest I would create a level of destruction so large, that the country would never recover. Vortigern managed to get a treaty from Drest I at the Chapel of St. Alvan in Eburacum where he signed the Treaty of Eburacum with Drest I. The terms of the treaty is said to have been a huge heap of money given to Drest I, and the release of Aoife and her children, all of whom would be transferred to the court of Drest I, whilst Drest I promised not to raid into Britannia for atleast 5 years.
Aoife and her children went to the court of Drest I and after the three were safely within his sphere, Drest I broke the treaty and began raiding into northern Britannia with just as much ferocity. Further bad news arrived when King Niall of the Nine Hostages invaded Cymru with around 3,000 raiders, led by his second in command, his own son, Loegaire. Niall and Loegaire landed in Cymru with 3,000 men near Segontium and laid siege to the city. This was King Niall’s most blatant attempt to attack Britannia and later on King Niall himself states that it was his intention to conquer Cymru and thus gain total command of the Ire Channel. [2]
Loegaire of the Hibernians.
King Niall managed to break into the citadel of Segontium and sacked the city in 421 AD and looted and raped the citizens of the city, and masses of refugees flooded to the east, wishing to flee from the Hibernian pirates and warriors. At Deva, the now old and wizened King Cunneda of Gwynedd, assembled an army of 5,000 men by himself and with the aid of his allies, knowing that Vortigern would not respond adequately. Cunneda then marched against Niall and his men and engaged King Niall at the Battle of Rhyl. Not much is known of this battle, however Cunneda is said to have defeated Niall and Loegaire and drove the Hibernian King and Prince back to the sea, however at the cost of his own life, as injuries sustained in this campaigned is said to have killed him soon after.
All of these actions and the constant raiding and pillaging from the Hibernians and Picts managed to drown the Briton economy with inflation and debts, something that Vortigern was becoming more and more acutely aware of, as his economic influence in the Senate waned as the economy waned as well. So he turned to potential solutions. In 423 AD, he got one. The Saxons had been raiders on Britannia as well, however in the past few years they had been relatively quiet due to the actions in Rome and their attention being drawn by the collapsing Western Roman Empire. Vortigern saw an idea to use the Saxons and their martial talent as Foederati within the Kingdoms of Britannia and brought the proposal to the Senate. Whilst his influence had waned, it was still enough to gain a majority vote, and despite the misgivings of Felix and the King of Dumnonia, King Corotius, the Saxon Kings, Hengist and Horsa were invited by Vortigern to Britannia.
a portrait of Hengist and Horsa.
In 424 AD, they arrived and were welcomed by Vortigern in Lunden. In return for lands in Caer Went, [3], the Saxon Kings agreed to become permanent Foederati of the Kingdoms of Britannia and soon enough Saxons started to flood into the lands given by Vortigern to the Saxons. This course of action would drown Britannia into decades of civil conflict.”
***
[1] – ittl word of Celt.
[2] –Celtic Channel.
[3] – East Anglia
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Fucking Vortigern.
May he be damned forever by Britannia and history for his lust of power.
May he be damned forever by Britannia and history for his lust of power.
Jonathan1997
Banned
East Anglia at this time I'm was mostly made up of swampland and marshes not to mention England used to have very large forests up until the industrial and agricultural Revolution. I believe Alfred the Great descendants was first mention sometime in the 6th or 5th century being a figure similar to Duke Rollo of Normandy. Historic its believed it took 50 years for the Anglo-Saxons to conquer England but they could not take Wales either due to inviting or terrain. I also suppose we will get Arthur aurelianus savings the kingdom through a combination of marriages, diplomacy, warfare, reconciliation and integration of the Anglo-Saxons. The North has just been depopulated.
Map of Britannia 424 AD
This is the map of Britannia in 424 AD.
The Yellow is the Pictish Confederacy under Drest I. The lighter yellow hue is the extent of Pictish raids.
The green is King Niall's Hibernian lands. The lighter green hue is the maximum extent to which Niall has raided Britannia.
The orange depict the lands given to Hengist and Horsa by Vortigern. They act like subkingdoms within the Kingdom of Britannia........for now.
No such culture as Vikings, Viking was an occupation ( a type of adventurer/raider) not an ethnic group. Normally they get referred to as Danes , who made up the bulk of the raiders. So they would be just North of the Saxons.
Jonathan1997
Banned
I know that I was just using the word Viking as a catch-all term because not everybody will understand.