The Anglo-Saxon's never had strict hereditary succession , while a son normally followed their father they were by law elected. The Witan could elect any Atheling ( a man of royal descent ) to the throne. Indeed this is the only reason Alfred himself became King rather than his nephew. With a war on, they went with the proven warrior, even in peace only adult men ( by Anglo-Saxon standards ) ever got elected.
Christians of the North: A Tale of Celtic Christianity
- Thread starter Sarthak
- Start date
Jonathan1997
Banned
Is that at split in the kingdom it self or are you referred to wars of succession. For England it was not until Henry iii of England that the succession to the English crown was truly resolved. As for the French Capetians they wore very effective when it came to success and peaceful transitions of power from father to son.
I'm wondering what the Pope is going to make of this "Northern" Christianity. A Papal legation will probably be dispatched at some point, to try and bring it into line.
Maybe Albionic missionaries will end up converting the Norse, the Anglo-Saxons and even the Wends and Balts.
Maybe Albionic missionaries will end up converting the Norse, the Anglo-Saxons and even the Wends and Balts.
Jonathan1997
Banned
If Albionic is a strong kingdom than it is perfectly possible that they my go and fight in Scandinavia itself. This could lead the Viking to focus there fighting and raiding in frankia and by the Picts to the North.
Internal Splits and Wars of Succession will take place - especially with the presence of sub kingdoms.
innocnent I will take notice of Pelagius soon enough
We'll see.
Convert Scandinavia is a possibility, but go and fight there? With medieval technology this is nigh impossible other than a few bands here and there.
Of course, the real question is - how long before we have a Massive Nepal(TM)? 
no i have different plans ittl.Of course, the real question is - how long before we have a Massive Nepal(TM)?
Doubt it, these Christians might be for forgiving but they are still going to favour fellow Christians so the economic benefits will cause conversions as well as missionaries. Lets remember Paganism is an artificial construct to lump 100's of non Christian religion's together rather than a single faith. The modern pagans blend the bits they like to get religions that bare no real relationship to any of the historical ones.
There is a reason Ireland for example converted without much bloodshed, Christianity was seen in many cases as a better way to describe the modern ( from their perspective of course
) world than the older faiths. Compared to a lot of the older faiths it was seen to speak of hope rather than fear. Early Christianity is a very different beast to the medieval version that had by then absorbed a lot of intolerance, high handedness, corruption and other negative behaviours due to the power of being the official religion.
I do hope you aren’t suggesting that such accusations have any uniqueness to Christianity holding power.
The medieval church was by any standard corrupt and high handed , that was the main cause of the Reformation, as for intolerant , burning those that it deemed heretic is pretty much a definition of intolerance. So they are more statements than accusations, now would any other religion have fallen the same way, probably , that degree of power tends to corrupt absolutely.
So is the changing of Alban(us) to Alvan deliberate? I'd have thought the association with Albion to have maintained the B.
Chapter 2: Collapse
Christians of the North: A Tale of Celtic Christianity
Chapter 2: Collapse
***
From Pryddain: A Long and Tenuous History
“In late 404 AD, the famous monk Pelagius on word from his family in Britannia decided to return to his homeland alongside a group of followers and students. His journey was not a pleasant one. German raids into Italia had slowed down his accessibility to proper ships willing to take civilian customers, and the sloppy weather of the area made his journey all the more slower. The collapse of Roman authority in Hispania temporarily made port stops take very long time periods, and were more like extended stays rather than actual port stops. The seas surrounding Britannia were rife with Irish pirates and German raiders as the Roman Navy on the Channel declined terminally against the raiders. All of these factors made Pelagius’s return to Britannia a very slow affair, much to the irritation of Pelagius and many of his Briton followers who were eager to return to Britannia.
Pelagius
In early 406 AD, Pelagius and his followers stepped ashore Dubris, perhaps the most major port on Roman Britannia and was welcomed by his family there. It is said that Pelagius’s cousin brother was the head of the family and he had welcomed his cousin back to Britannia. After the ceremonial feast made in his honor Pelagius and his men settled down into the city of Dubris, where they made their home. However whilst Pelagius would have been content to simply look after the administrative affairs of his family to aid them, Pictish raids and Irish piracy soon made this situation of affairs impractical. Stilicho had stripped the Hadrian Wall of its legions and had turned them against the Goths on the continent, leaving the northern border of the province of Britannia undefended and completely unguarded. The nearest legion next to the Hadrian Wall now stood near Eburacum. It was during this time that Niall Noigiallach, or known popularly as Niall of the Nine Hostages, a powerful petty king of Ireland decided to go on a raiding frenzy and managed to raze several Briton cities on the western coast to the ground. One attack, which is alleged to have killed Pelagius’s middle aged younger sister and her husband and her son along with it. When Pelagius heard of this disaster, he is said to have been consumed with anger and later professed in a confession that he would aid the governmental officials of the island to fight back against King Niall and his raiding forces.
The only problem was that all of the capable Roman Legions left in Britannia were all diverted to the north, to fight against the continuous Scotti and Pictish raids, and to prevent them from breaking into the fertile regions of Upper Britannia. As such, When Pelagius arrived in Deva on the western coast, he was confronted with the problem that the people and inhabitants of the western coast had very little to commit themselves with to fight back against King Niall and his miniature armada of raiders.
King Niall of the Nine Hostages.
Pelagius and his acquaintances decided to take things into their own hands, deeming the island’s roman authority’s having become too distracted by the Picts and the actions on the mainland. Pelagius decided to meet with one of the nearby kings, the young King Cunneda of Gwynned Castle. King Cunneda was not a king at this time, his more decrepit father was, however Cunneda was ruling in the name of his father as regent. After the Roman conquest of Britannia, many kings and monarchs had been allowed to retain their title however they commanded nothing outside of their own castles. Nonetheless, they still commanded strong influence within their traditional sphere of influence within the isles.
Pelagius sent his up and coming protégé, a Brigante Briton monk named Segovax to Cunneda to gain a loan of 1000 gold. With that gold, Pelagius intended to purchase mercenaries who would fight back against King Niall of the Nine Hostages. Cunneda was a young man, and ruled by his emotions. Segovax when he was granted audience to the man picked up on this immediately and appealed to his patriotic side to incite mutters of indignation from Cunneda against the Irish and Cunneda not only gave Segovax the 1000 gold that Pelagius had wanted, but also pledged his 200 men retinue to fight back against King Niall.
a statue of Segovax
When King Niall reached Deva in late 406 AD to raid the city again, he was confronted by a very strong amount of Briton mercenaries and 200 professional retinues who were defending the city. (historical accounts claim that the number of mercenaries was somewhere between 300 to 500 men). King Niall was a wily king, and could immediately recognize that he was being baited by the soldiers who withdrew when they saw the Irish raiding force arrive. Niall decided to stay on his fleet keeping his men at bay and stayed there. The mercenary commander was unwilling to attack next to the ports against the ships, for fear of destroying the port. Pelagius who didn’t have military experience and had sat on the sidelines for the confrontation decided to take action and conferred with the city’s local authorities who reluctantly agreed to allow the destruction of one of the port piers against the Irish. Pelagius gave up some of his own wealth later on to pay for the damage of the pier. The mercenary commander having received information that permission was granted attacked the Irish fleet using the forward pier to attack with burning arrows to set the Irish boats alight. King Niall was dealt a heavy blow in the Raid on Deva and was forced to withdraw from his raiding.
This victory was a great one for the Britons, even though it was a small battle in comparison to the heavy clashes going on in the mainland. However it was significant in the manner that it was the first time the Britons had fought back adequately to an Irish raid for the first time in many years. Pelagius’s own role in the Raid on Deva was publicized and well known by the general public. After the Raid on Deva, Pelagius and Segovax returned to Dubris and settled down thinking their role in the conflicts in Britannia over and Pelagius took over the administration of his family’s business. His high profile after the Raid on Deva made the gatherings during his public teaching sessions regarding his own brand of Christianity, which would one day become Autemic Christianity, grew and grew, and soon enough many people began to ‘convert’ themselves to this sect of Christianity and soon enough it became the most widely worshipped and practiced sect of Christianity in Britannia.
The 1st Briton Ecumenical Council.
During this time period, before the Great Crossing of the Rhine became known in earnest, Pelagius held the 1st Briton Ecumenical Council in Dubris to discuss his growing sect of Christianity and to hash out the theological debates within Pelagian Christianity and Autemic Christianity. He reaffirmed the basic tenets of his sect (free will, morality, practical ascetic practice, and grace) before starting to expand on it, settling to mediate debates with his students who argued the finer details of the growing theology. The 1st Briton Ecumenical Council was a great leap forward for proto-Autemic Christianity and it declared that:
It was after this time that Pelagius was brought into the growing conspiracy in Roman Britannia as news of the Great Crossing of the Rhine in 406 AD became known. As there was no effective Roman response to the great crossing, the remaining Roman generals in Britannia feared that a Germanic crossing into Britannia was next, and dispensed with imperial authority, they decided to choose a commander who would lead them in securing their future. Their first choice, Marcus had been killed in a mutiny and they generals were now calling for Pelagius to come to Eburacum to ask for his wisdom and counsel. Pelagius decided to go, taking Segovax with him, naming Segovax his successor should anything happen to him as the head of the Autemic sect. This is the first time the word ‘Autemic’ crops up in history to describe Pelagius’s sect.
Eburacum
However near Venta, in Caer Went [1] Pelagius fell ill and died in his sleep during his stay at the governor’s villa. A great procession and funeral was held for the revolutionary monk who was then buried in the Tomb of Venta. As decreed by Pelagius, Segovax was named his successor and Segovax titled himself Vexillifer of the Autemic Sect. Vexillifer means ‘Bearer’ in Latin and is considered to mean the head of the Autemic Sect. Till this day, the title of Vexillifer is used to describe the leader of the Autemic Church.
the Cross of the Vexillifer of the Autemic Church
The new Vexillifer arrived in Eburacum and was confronted by the fact that the generals had already chosen a new pretender, a general named Gratian, who was soon deposed, and then replaced with a charismatic young general named Constantine who was named Constantine III of the Western Roman Empire. Segovax was informed by the generals that Constantine III would lead the remaining Britannian Legions into the mainland, defeat the barbarians and force Emperor Honorius to make Constantine III co-emperor to secure the future of Britannia against the Germanic invaders.
Segovax profusely protested against this course of action and stated that such an action would be folly, as taking all of the legions left in Britannia would leave the island virtually defenseless. He also pointed out that Honorius and his chief general, Sarus were commanding formidable armies which could stop the barbarians sooner or later and the Briton legions needed to be kept at home in case of the worst case scenario. Constantine III, charismatic and confident as he was, snidely told Segovax that it was the now late Pelagius’s wisdom which he had wanted and not Segovax. Segovax, affronted by the insult, stormed out of the council and left for Dubris. Constantine III’s excursion into the mainland would be as disastrous as Segovax thought it would, vindicating the young Vexillifer.
Pope Innocent I.
In Dubris, he was greeted by the Bishop of Sicily who had been sent by Pope Innocent I to speak with the leader of the Autemic Christians. Pope Innocent I’s papal delegation to the Autemics spoke out politely against some of the theological backgrounds of Autemic Christianity. Innocent I did not agree with the idea of Free Will and instead followed the general ideology of the Original Sin, which was rejected by the Autemic Christians during this time. Nonetheless, Innocent I was becoming extremely desperate as the only real Christian presence in Britannia following the radical decline in governance in Britannia was that of the Autemics. And as such the pagans, who still made up a strong plurality of Britannia were becoming more and more empowered. Innocent I agreed to sanction this sect of Christianity on the condition that it remained local in Britannia and fought back against the encroaching presence of the evergrowing pagans in Britannia. Losing Britannia back to paganism would have emboldened Innocent I’s opponents in the holy synods and the Bishopric of Rome, and would have toppled him from power. Segovax agreed to the terms and affirmed the loyalty of the Autemic Sect to the Pope. In return Innocent I recognized the title of Vexillifer as the leader of the Autemic Sect and established the Archbishopric of Londinium to acknowledge the new pact between the Papacy and the Autemics.”
From Collapse of Roman Rule in Britannia: Origins of Albion
“In early to mid 407 AD, Constantine III crossed the channel and landed at Bononia, and took with him all the mobile troops left in Britannia, thus denuding the province of any first line military protection. The roman forces in northern Gaul declared their loyalty to him followed by many in Hispania. Constantine III then drew his attention to fight against the Vandals, and defeated them managing to negotiate a truce after the victory. Emperor Honorius ordered Stilicho and Sarus at the same time to expel Constantine III. Constantine III sent an army led by Edobichus and Gerontius, against Sarus, and as such Sarus had to retreat into Italia, needing to buy his passage from the brigand, Bagaudae to pass through the Alps. With these advances, Constantine III managed to bring Britannia, Gaul and Hispania under his command. He made Arles his capital in early 408 AD where he appointed Apollinarus, a local aristocrat, as his prefect.
Constantine III
Constantine III’s victories had been great, and fearing for his own life and throne, Honorius acknowledged Constantine III as co-emperor and as consul of the empire.
408 AD was Constantine III’s high water mark. While he had been fighting Honorius, some of the Vandal tribes broke their truce and overran Constantine III’s Rhine defenses and spent their entire time pundering their way through Gaul. The tribes eventually reached the Pyrenees, and broke into Hispania. Constantine III prepared to send his son Constans back to deal with this crisis when word came that his general, Gerontius had rebelled against him, raising Maximus of Hispania, his cousin, as co-emperor. Gerontius allied with the vandal tribes and attacked Constantine III and his forces all throughout Hispania and southern Gaul.
Gerontius managed to defeat Constantine III and slay him in battle near Vienne in mid-409 AD. Constans, Constantine III’s son fled the mainland and with the remaining ~100 loyalists fled to Armorica, where one sympathizing aristocrat gave him passage back to Britannia, where they brought news of the disaster that had been Constantine III’s expedition to the mainland. All that remained of the strong Briton legions were 100 ragged and exhausted men and the provinces went into an uproar.
Repeated Saxon raids had been disturbing the province ever since early 409 AD and when Constans returned to Britannia in late 409 AD bringing news of the utter military disaster, the people were now fearing for the general stability of society as a whole. Segovax, from Londinium, in his new role as the Archbishop of Londinium, called for calm, and decided to call the major monarchs of Britannia to a council on the question on what to do after this disaster.
The 5 Major Kingdoms of the provinces of Roman Britannia were the Kingdoms of Dumnonia, Gwynedd, Alt Clut, Ceint and Rheged, ruled by King Tutwal ap Conan, King Cunneda, King Corotius, King Emrys and King Meirchion Gul respectively. The 5 kings who were kings only in nominal terms under Roman authority were caught off guard by actually having to exercise their power. Only Cunneda agreed to come at first and that too because he knew Segovax personally and trusted him. King Emrys of Ceint knew of Pelagius and his family who had lived in the capital of Ceint, Dubris and as such reluctantly agreed to hear Segovax out and came to Londinium as well. King Corotius was coerced into coming by a sympathizer in his court. King Tutwal and King Meirchion however at first refused to come, citing the need to defend themselves against Pictish raids. Segovax politely threatened the two kings using measures of blackmail and forced the two come to Londinium as well. The 5 kings and the Vexillifer met each other in early 410 AD and debated on the proper course of action to take after this.
They decided to send a letter to Emperor Honorius asking him to send a legion to Britannia to reaffirm the status of Roman Britannia and to mint coins in Britannia again, which hadn’t taken place since 406 AD, and asked Honorius to protect Britain from Saxon raids. Honorius had relegated the matter to a subordinate of his in northern Gaul. This subordinate, whose name is lost to history rejected this letter from Britannia [2] and Honorius later sent a letter to Londinium telling the Britons to look after their own defense. King Cunneda of Gwynedd angered by the rejection by the Roman Emperor, told the roman governors and civil authorities not of Briton origin to leave the island and never come back. In this endeavor he was supported by King Corotius and King Emrys, both of whose kingdoms were placed at risk by the Saxon raids and were angered by the Roman refusal to protect them. Roman Britannia as a result collapsed.
a painting of the Council of Londinium.
Segovax was neutral in regards to anger towards Rome and decided the best course of action was to call for a Britannia wide council before the precarious situation turned to anarchy. Segovax called for the council of all the royal heads of Britannia, the aristocratic families of Britannia and the leaders of the major guilds of Britannia as well as the local oligarchs. Segovax pointed out to the disgruntled kings that the kingdom was undefended, and that something needed to be done about this. The 5 monarchs reluctantly agreed to this proposal, and letters were sent throughout the four corners of former Roman Britannia asking royals, aristocrats, guild leaders and oligarchs to attend a massive meeting at Londinium, which had been renamed Lunden by Segovax, to discuss the future of Britannia. The Council of Lunden was about to start.”
***
[1] – Northern East Anglia
[2] – this is one of the more popular theories about Honorius’s rejection otl.
***
Chapter 2: Collapse
***
From Pryddain: A Long and Tenuous History
“In late 404 AD, the famous monk Pelagius on word from his family in Britannia decided to return to his homeland alongside a group of followers and students. His journey was not a pleasant one. German raids into Italia had slowed down his accessibility to proper ships willing to take civilian customers, and the sloppy weather of the area made his journey all the more slower. The collapse of Roman authority in Hispania temporarily made port stops take very long time periods, and were more like extended stays rather than actual port stops. The seas surrounding Britannia were rife with Irish pirates and German raiders as the Roman Navy on the Channel declined terminally against the raiders. All of these factors made Pelagius’s return to Britannia a very slow affair, much to the irritation of Pelagius and many of his Briton followers who were eager to return to Britannia.
Pelagius
In early 406 AD, Pelagius and his followers stepped ashore Dubris, perhaps the most major port on Roman Britannia and was welcomed by his family there. It is said that Pelagius’s cousin brother was the head of the family and he had welcomed his cousin back to Britannia. After the ceremonial feast made in his honor Pelagius and his men settled down into the city of Dubris, where they made their home. However whilst Pelagius would have been content to simply look after the administrative affairs of his family to aid them, Pictish raids and Irish piracy soon made this situation of affairs impractical. Stilicho had stripped the Hadrian Wall of its legions and had turned them against the Goths on the continent, leaving the northern border of the province of Britannia undefended and completely unguarded. The nearest legion next to the Hadrian Wall now stood near Eburacum. It was during this time that Niall Noigiallach, or known popularly as Niall of the Nine Hostages, a powerful petty king of Ireland decided to go on a raiding frenzy and managed to raze several Briton cities on the western coast to the ground. One attack, which is alleged to have killed Pelagius’s middle aged younger sister and her husband and her son along with it. When Pelagius heard of this disaster, he is said to have been consumed with anger and later professed in a confession that he would aid the governmental officials of the island to fight back against King Niall and his raiding forces.
The only problem was that all of the capable Roman Legions left in Britannia were all diverted to the north, to fight against the continuous Scotti and Pictish raids, and to prevent them from breaking into the fertile regions of Upper Britannia. As such, When Pelagius arrived in Deva on the western coast, he was confronted with the problem that the people and inhabitants of the western coast had very little to commit themselves with to fight back against King Niall and his miniature armada of raiders.
King Niall of the Nine Hostages.
Pelagius and his acquaintances decided to take things into their own hands, deeming the island’s roman authority’s having become too distracted by the Picts and the actions on the mainland. Pelagius decided to meet with one of the nearby kings, the young King Cunneda of Gwynned Castle. King Cunneda was not a king at this time, his more decrepit father was, however Cunneda was ruling in the name of his father as regent. After the Roman conquest of Britannia, many kings and monarchs had been allowed to retain their title however they commanded nothing outside of their own castles. Nonetheless, they still commanded strong influence within their traditional sphere of influence within the isles.
Pelagius sent his up and coming protégé, a Brigante Briton monk named Segovax to Cunneda to gain a loan of 1000 gold. With that gold, Pelagius intended to purchase mercenaries who would fight back against King Niall of the Nine Hostages. Cunneda was a young man, and ruled by his emotions. Segovax when he was granted audience to the man picked up on this immediately and appealed to his patriotic side to incite mutters of indignation from Cunneda against the Irish and Cunneda not only gave Segovax the 1000 gold that Pelagius had wanted, but also pledged his 200 men retinue to fight back against King Niall.
a statue of Segovax
When King Niall reached Deva in late 406 AD to raid the city again, he was confronted by a very strong amount of Briton mercenaries and 200 professional retinues who were defending the city. (historical accounts claim that the number of mercenaries was somewhere between 300 to 500 men). King Niall was a wily king, and could immediately recognize that he was being baited by the soldiers who withdrew when they saw the Irish raiding force arrive. Niall decided to stay on his fleet keeping his men at bay and stayed there. The mercenary commander was unwilling to attack next to the ports against the ships, for fear of destroying the port. Pelagius who didn’t have military experience and had sat on the sidelines for the confrontation decided to take action and conferred with the city’s local authorities who reluctantly agreed to allow the destruction of one of the port piers against the Irish. Pelagius gave up some of his own wealth later on to pay for the damage of the pier. The mercenary commander having received information that permission was granted attacked the Irish fleet using the forward pier to attack with burning arrows to set the Irish boats alight. King Niall was dealt a heavy blow in the Raid on Deva and was forced to withdraw from his raiding.
This victory was a great one for the Britons, even though it was a small battle in comparison to the heavy clashes going on in the mainland. However it was significant in the manner that it was the first time the Britons had fought back adequately to an Irish raid for the first time in many years. Pelagius’s own role in the Raid on Deva was publicized and well known by the general public. After the Raid on Deva, Pelagius and Segovax returned to Dubris and settled down thinking their role in the conflicts in Britannia over and Pelagius took over the administration of his family’s business. His high profile after the Raid on Deva made the gatherings during his public teaching sessions regarding his own brand of Christianity, which would one day become Autemic Christianity, grew and grew, and soon enough many people began to ‘convert’ themselves to this sect of Christianity and soon enough it became the most widely worshipped and practiced sect of Christianity in Britannia.
The 1st Briton Ecumenical Council.
During this time period, before the Great Crossing of the Rhine became known in earnest, Pelagius held the 1st Briton Ecumenical Council in Dubris to discuss his growing sect of Christianity and to hash out the theological debates within Pelagian Christianity and Autemic Christianity. He reaffirmed the basic tenets of his sect (free will, morality, practical ascetic practice, and grace) before starting to expand on it, settling to mediate debates with his students who argued the finer details of the growing theology. The 1st Briton Ecumenical Council was a great leap forward for proto-Autemic Christianity and it declared that:
- The Virgin Mary was honored to become known as the ‘Bearer of God’ or Cludwr Duw within Brythonic Circles.
- Jesus was declared to be both ‘manly’ and ‘divine’ not being a singular aspect distinct from the other.
- It believed that the Holy Spirit of man was consumed and mixed in with the will of man, guiding him in his actions
It was after this time that Pelagius was brought into the growing conspiracy in Roman Britannia as news of the Great Crossing of the Rhine in 406 AD became known. As there was no effective Roman response to the great crossing, the remaining Roman generals in Britannia feared that a Germanic crossing into Britannia was next, and dispensed with imperial authority, they decided to choose a commander who would lead them in securing their future. Their first choice, Marcus had been killed in a mutiny and they generals were now calling for Pelagius to come to Eburacum to ask for his wisdom and counsel. Pelagius decided to go, taking Segovax with him, naming Segovax his successor should anything happen to him as the head of the Autemic sect. This is the first time the word ‘Autemic’ crops up in history to describe Pelagius’s sect.
Eburacum
However near Venta, in Caer Went [1] Pelagius fell ill and died in his sleep during his stay at the governor’s villa. A great procession and funeral was held for the revolutionary monk who was then buried in the Tomb of Venta. As decreed by Pelagius, Segovax was named his successor and Segovax titled himself Vexillifer of the Autemic Sect. Vexillifer means ‘Bearer’ in Latin and is considered to mean the head of the Autemic Sect. Till this day, the title of Vexillifer is used to describe the leader of the Autemic Church.
the Cross of the Vexillifer of the Autemic Church
The new Vexillifer arrived in Eburacum and was confronted by the fact that the generals had already chosen a new pretender, a general named Gratian, who was soon deposed, and then replaced with a charismatic young general named Constantine who was named Constantine III of the Western Roman Empire. Segovax was informed by the generals that Constantine III would lead the remaining Britannian Legions into the mainland, defeat the barbarians and force Emperor Honorius to make Constantine III co-emperor to secure the future of Britannia against the Germanic invaders.
Segovax profusely protested against this course of action and stated that such an action would be folly, as taking all of the legions left in Britannia would leave the island virtually defenseless. He also pointed out that Honorius and his chief general, Sarus were commanding formidable armies which could stop the barbarians sooner or later and the Briton legions needed to be kept at home in case of the worst case scenario. Constantine III, charismatic and confident as he was, snidely told Segovax that it was the now late Pelagius’s wisdom which he had wanted and not Segovax. Segovax, affronted by the insult, stormed out of the council and left for Dubris. Constantine III’s excursion into the mainland would be as disastrous as Segovax thought it would, vindicating the young Vexillifer.
Pope Innocent I.
In Dubris, he was greeted by the Bishop of Sicily who had been sent by Pope Innocent I to speak with the leader of the Autemic Christians. Pope Innocent I’s papal delegation to the Autemics spoke out politely against some of the theological backgrounds of Autemic Christianity. Innocent I did not agree with the idea of Free Will and instead followed the general ideology of the Original Sin, which was rejected by the Autemic Christians during this time. Nonetheless, Innocent I was becoming extremely desperate as the only real Christian presence in Britannia following the radical decline in governance in Britannia was that of the Autemics. And as such the pagans, who still made up a strong plurality of Britannia were becoming more and more empowered. Innocent I agreed to sanction this sect of Christianity on the condition that it remained local in Britannia and fought back against the encroaching presence of the evergrowing pagans in Britannia. Losing Britannia back to paganism would have emboldened Innocent I’s opponents in the holy synods and the Bishopric of Rome, and would have toppled him from power. Segovax agreed to the terms and affirmed the loyalty of the Autemic Sect to the Pope. In return Innocent I recognized the title of Vexillifer as the leader of the Autemic Sect and established the Archbishopric of Londinium to acknowledge the new pact between the Papacy and the Autemics.”
From Collapse of Roman Rule in Britannia: Origins of Albion
“In early to mid 407 AD, Constantine III crossed the channel and landed at Bononia, and took with him all the mobile troops left in Britannia, thus denuding the province of any first line military protection. The roman forces in northern Gaul declared their loyalty to him followed by many in Hispania. Constantine III then drew his attention to fight against the Vandals, and defeated them managing to negotiate a truce after the victory. Emperor Honorius ordered Stilicho and Sarus at the same time to expel Constantine III. Constantine III sent an army led by Edobichus and Gerontius, against Sarus, and as such Sarus had to retreat into Italia, needing to buy his passage from the brigand, Bagaudae to pass through the Alps. With these advances, Constantine III managed to bring Britannia, Gaul and Hispania under his command. He made Arles his capital in early 408 AD where he appointed Apollinarus, a local aristocrat, as his prefect.
Constantine III
Constantine III’s victories had been great, and fearing for his own life and throne, Honorius acknowledged Constantine III as co-emperor and as consul of the empire.
408 AD was Constantine III’s high water mark. While he had been fighting Honorius, some of the Vandal tribes broke their truce and overran Constantine III’s Rhine defenses and spent their entire time pundering their way through Gaul. The tribes eventually reached the Pyrenees, and broke into Hispania. Constantine III prepared to send his son Constans back to deal with this crisis when word came that his general, Gerontius had rebelled against him, raising Maximus of Hispania, his cousin, as co-emperor. Gerontius allied with the vandal tribes and attacked Constantine III and his forces all throughout Hispania and southern Gaul.
Gerontius managed to defeat Constantine III and slay him in battle near Vienne in mid-409 AD. Constans, Constantine III’s son fled the mainland and with the remaining ~100 loyalists fled to Armorica, where one sympathizing aristocrat gave him passage back to Britannia, where they brought news of the disaster that had been Constantine III’s expedition to the mainland. All that remained of the strong Briton legions were 100 ragged and exhausted men and the provinces went into an uproar.
Repeated Saxon raids had been disturbing the province ever since early 409 AD and when Constans returned to Britannia in late 409 AD bringing news of the utter military disaster, the people were now fearing for the general stability of society as a whole. Segovax, from Londinium, in his new role as the Archbishop of Londinium, called for calm, and decided to call the major monarchs of Britannia to a council on the question on what to do after this disaster.
The 5 Major Kingdoms of the provinces of Roman Britannia were the Kingdoms of Dumnonia, Gwynedd, Alt Clut, Ceint and Rheged, ruled by King Tutwal ap Conan, King Cunneda, King Corotius, King Emrys and King Meirchion Gul respectively. The 5 kings who were kings only in nominal terms under Roman authority were caught off guard by actually having to exercise their power. Only Cunneda agreed to come at first and that too because he knew Segovax personally and trusted him. King Emrys of Ceint knew of Pelagius and his family who had lived in the capital of Ceint, Dubris and as such reluctantly agreed to hear Segovax out and came to Londinium as well. King Corotius was coerced into coming by a sympathizer in his court. King Tutwal and King Meirchion however at first refused to come, citing the need to defend themselves against Pictish raids. Segovax politely threatened the two kings using measures of blackmail and forced the two come to Londinium as well. The 5 kings and the Vexillifer met each other in early 410 AD and debated on the proper course of action to take after this.
They decided to send a letter to Emperor Honorius asking him to send a legion to Britannia to reaffirm the status of Roman Britannia and to mint coins in Britannia again, which hadn’t taken place since 406 AD, and asked Honorius to protect Britain from Saxon raids. Honorius had relegated the matter to a subordinate of his in northern Gaul. This subordinate, whose name is lost to history rejected this letter from Britannia [2] and Honorius later sent a letter to Londinium telling the Britons to look after their own defense. King Cunneda of Gwynedd angered by the rejection by the Roman Emperor, told the roman governors and civil authorities not of Briton origin to leave the island and never come back. In this endeavor he was supported by King Corotius and King Emrys, both of whose kingdoms were placed at risk by the Saxon raids and were angered by the Roman refusal to protect them. Roman Britannia as a result collapsed.
a painting of the Council of Londinium.
Segovax was neutral in regards to anger towards Rome and decided the best course of action was to call for a Britannia wide council before the precarious situation turned to anarchy. Segovax called for the council of all the royal heads of Britannia, the aristocratic families of Britannia and the leaders of the major guilds of Britannia as well as the local oligarchs. Segovax pointed out to the disgruntled kings that the kingdom was undefended, and that something needed to be done about this. The 5 monarchs reluctantly agreed to this proposal, and letters were sent throughout the four corners of former Roman Britannia asking royals, aristocrats, guild leaders and oligarchs to attend a massive meeting at Londinium, which had been renamed Lunden by Segovax, to discuss the future of Britannia. The Council of Lunden was about to start.”
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[1] – Northern East Anglia
[2] – this is one of the more popular theories about Honorius’s rejection otl.
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I'm assuming Britain is something like this:
www.historyfiles.co.uk
Map of Early Independent Britain
A map of Late Roman Britain showing the approximate borders and positions of the various territories and provinces.