Chapter VI.
The Homefront.
"Eadmund was a great king, a dexterous warrior, a passionate husband and a devout catholic and father, through his thirty years reign Angland saw a cultural and military growth unparalleled in all of Northern Europe, during his reign he also played correctly the game for British domination, making the way up for his kin in political marriages."
Juan Camaney, Mexican Journalist.
He started the construction of a series of castles and fortifications in all the Kingdom, like the Castle of Windsor, Old Sarum and Bramber, alongside military reforms to improve efficiency and reduce costs.
With the constant influx of timber from the Baltic trade lines at a relatively low price and high efficiency he started the construction of a fleet to protect trade and invade other nations in case of war, none of the 56 ships commissioned survives to this day.
Wool commerce was taxed and vast quantities of land were used to produce it, this generated a small famine, forcing the Anglish farmers to work more and harder.
The commercial activities in the ports and cities contributed to their expansion and development, the amber and silver was used by the jewelers and most of the jewels production was traded with France.
In the cultural aspect of society French influence was huge in art and cuisine, but in the linguistic part the French apportion wasn’t significant.
After he betrothed his son Eadmund to Agnes, daughter of Gruffrud ap Cynan, king of Gwynedd, in 1086, both monarchs collaborated with each other in sake of personal gains: Gruffrud wanted to be the hegemon of Cymru, whilst Eadmund wanted to assert Anglish dominance in the region.
Before the crusade started he created the university of Oxnaford, but was unrecognized by the pope until 1254.
After the Anglish participation in the crusade he returned only to find more war; The Powys prince, Iorwerth ap Bleddyn attacked Gwynedd because of a land dispute.
The first battle of the war was in the outskirts of Shrewsbury, when a siege train of the Powys was attacked and destroyed by the Anglish, resulting in the death of 4,095 Powys and 1,234 Angles.
Later in 1104 the Anglish besieged Llanrillod, which fell in late 1105, the remaining Powys fought a irregular war in the Black Mountains and were finally defeated in 1107 when the leaders were captured and executed by the Gwynedd, the Battle of the Black Mountains had taken the life of 12,537 footmens in both sides.
With this Powys was incorporated into Gwynedd only to be lost in the succession after Gruffrud death.
The Sun Ætheling married with Agnes in 1087 when he reached adulthood, the celebration was grandiloquent and expensive, unlike the wedding of the king himself, in 1095 his cousin Etherelda, daughter of his uncle Girth, Earl of Northumbria, married with the king Edgar of Scotland and convinced him to kill his own brother.
Æthelstan was married the same year with Cecilia of Danmark months before the deposition and murder of his father the king Canute IV.
The last 16 years reign of Eadmund where calmed and prosperous in the national level, but in the personal one not so much.
The marital life of his son wasn’t smooth, Agnes became the lover of the ætheling Æthelstan and get pregnant, giving birth to a girl called Agnes, this degenerate into a friendly fratricide attempt by the part of Eadmund when the king tried a reconciliation in the royal palace, latter on the Sun Ætheling attacked his brother, kidnapped him and broke several of his bones, finally settling the issue, the king was so furious that he had a stroke while lecturing his two sons.
A year later Wulf was deformed after contracting leprosy, his beloved wife Emma died trampled by a horse and his mother also died after having a seizure while swimming in a lake.
The only thing that somewhat lessened his misery and suffering was the birth of the triplet sons of Eadmund with Agnes in 1115, one boy and two girls, Rhodri, Emma and Æthelthryth.
He was finally freed from his mortal shackles the last day of June of 1116, he was finally in peace...
