[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Europe 1150[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Scandinavia and the Baltics[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Norway has been engulfed in recurring civil wars since the death of King Sigur in 1134. This happy state of affair's have provided a breathing space in the British Isles, but more on this later.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Consumed in their own business the Norwegians is no way able to direct the state of affairs in Scandinavia. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Being just as occupied on the Baltic seashore the Danes, ruled de facto by Earl Thorgils, have no resources free to interfere in othern Scandinavian businesses. The main adversary's to the Danes are the Duke of Saxony, Henry the Lion, who robbed of any opportunity of getting near the Imperial throne throws his resources into competition with the Danes.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Thorgils robbed of English resources have to rely on what Denmark can provide and the occasional English crusader arriving at Jomsborg/Kammin in Pomerania.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Even as Thorgils was enjoying de facto independence Blood Harold and others of the ruling establishment of England haven't forgotten that the local Wends lords had pleged themselves subjects of King Robert and the action of Thorgils having new subject lords swear to him personally is not taken lightly. But at the time being no resources are available to punist Thorgils as he should be.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]In Sweden the petty kingdoms are very much alive thanks to absence of Danish and Norwegian interference. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]West Götaland (OTL at this time a Danish fief) is a player along Svear and East Götaland.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Having no access to the Baltic the West Götar are free of Wends and Batlic raids and with their port at the mouth of Götaelv they are well placed to act overseas. Internal waterways also provide for swift transport.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]As the Kievian Russian Empire falls apart West Götaland takes up the traditional connection to the Principality of Novgorod by royal marrige. Also Eastern Orthodox clergy is allowed access to West Götaland as was the case before the coming of the Catholics.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Generally West Götaland is reaping benefits of the situation.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]East Götaland and Svear are another story as they sit with their backs to the wall, Svear in effect as between too nails as they have to endure the occasional Norvegian raid when there is a lull in the Norwegian civil war.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Both petty Kingdoms is severely raided by Wends and Balts and the East Götar have the added responsibility of defending Gotland as stipulated in the treaty laid down half a century before. But all the East Götar wants is getting out. But the riches of Gotland can't buy the necessary ships and troops needed at the time.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Gotland is the jewel of the Baltic. Its riches being earned on trade with anybody in the area wanting to do so, its merchants travelling all the ways of old: England, Frisia, Russia, the Caliphate, Byzantium and of course any Scandinavian and Baltic country.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]The walls of its centre Visby is found to be in-conquerable and the harbour a forest of masts.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]But its weaknesses lies in lack of numbers.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]The English king had been a good choice in protecting the trade of the Baltic being far away but wielding immense power and able to project it! The ones close to the Baltic are less of Gotland interest as they might get the wrong idea of wanting Gotland and its riches to be part of their Kingdom. East Götaland had only been an emergency relief until the right protector had show himself, and only then had the Gotland merchants themselves realized this.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]But now times are much more dangerous and the potential powerful allies all engulfed in internal strife. New paths have to be thread and envoys are sent from Visby to the trading cities of HREGN: Lübeck (just founded a few decades ago but already flourishing), Hamburg and Bremen. To Novgorod and the English trading posts on the Baltic river mouths of Memel, Dvina and Narva as well as Reval. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]The object? To establish a merchant run union of self-protecting trade cities wealthy enough to buy their own protection and eager to keep their wealth to themselves and not share it with some greedy Duke or King.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]At a meeting in Lübeck this summer the Visby merchants are able to talk the other cities into their scheme of forming a practical union based on self interest and common need for protection of the trade routes and the cities. The union is termed Hanse in German, common tongue for the merchants of the Baltic of the day, and the role of Visby is played down in order to secure the support of the others. But a great diplomatic victory it is to the Gotland merchants and many a toast is drunk when they return, document in hand![/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif](I've tried to find who and when the Hanse was built. I haven't been able to find a specific year or date but the North German cities was party to it in the early 12. century as was Visby of Gotland. But this is of course my interpretation of when and why it came about. Any clearing up on this will by greatly appreciated – but won't change anything in TTL!)[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]The British Isles[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Apart from England now ruled by the excommunicated Earl Harold Godwinson of Northumbria, having been so by his decision to kill off all the adult male members of the royal family in the Cathedral of York during the Easter meeting he himself had called to end the royal civil war, the British Isles is host to many a petty Kingdom especially in Ireland but also in Scotland where every magnate take the opportunity of making himself independent in light of the weaknesses of Norwegian and Scots royal authority.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Scots King David had received the blessing of King Robert at the death of King Alexander's 1124; in the day a proven warrior was seemed the right choice against the strong Norwegian pressure on Scotland and Alexander's illegitimate son Malcolm was pushed aside. Now Malcolm felt his time had arrived, allied himself to several petty kings and marched on David, who robbed of English resources had to yield but kept the crown for the time being.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]The Norwegians still being soaked up in civil war for succession which at times will drag the Norwegian lords of Scotland to Norway is providing a breathing space for David to concentrate on other enemies.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]The Welsh still being in rebellion had made Deheubart de facto independent once again and had called for aid from their kin in Ireland.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Other petty kings weren't as lucky as the Irish when not infighting took up their old habit of looting their neighbours across the Irish Sea adding to the discomfort of everybody not least King David of Scotland but also his adversary's.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Western Europe[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]In the Iberian Peninsular the Reconqista went on as it had for two and a half centuries. Of English interest was the fate or rather expansion of the Kingdom of Aragon to the shores of the Ebro and Tajo Rivers.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Ever since the marriage of Estrid, daughter of King Svend and his consort Matilda in 1073 to King Sancho Ramirez of Aragon and Navarra a small detachment of Englishmen, Danes and Anglo-Saxons alike, had fought there in the honour of Estrid and the Church. But now their numbers had dwindled to just a handful of knights and their retinue. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Flying the banner of St. Michael this group of dedicated knight would centuries later give rise to a common misconception that an English Religious Knights Order had been instated in the early 12. century. Its members it was claimed was present in the Baltic, the Holy Land itself as well as in Iberia always at the forefront of battle.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]The intermarrying of the Aragonese and English royal families had given new vitality to the Aragonese royal house. The fertility of the Sven dynasty was certainly found in both male and female members and Estrid had been no exception to the rule. Rapidly the couple was blessed by Ramiro, Esveno (of the difficulties in tranlating Sven into Spanish), Alphonso, Isabel and Matilda.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Ramiro would follow his father on the throne 1094 and rule for more than thirty years. His offspring numbered among others a Sancho, Ramon, Esveno and others. He had married a daughter of the Count of Barcelona to create an alliance. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]The house of Aragon would not at this time make a fusion with the Barcelona counts.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]France at this time was just as fractured as it had been since its invention and this had served to keep King Louis 7. from joining in on the Second Crusade. His abstaining had been much repudiated by the Church but in the wake of the disastrous outcome of said Crusade he was to be praised for his interpretation of the situation, by any but his magnates![/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]The influx of Bogomil preachers into Languedoc was just one of Louis' many worries.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Another was the Duke of Normandy still a nuisance even after the departure from this world of the Bishop Odo of Bayeux in 1101.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]The Duchy of Normandy had been the cause of unrest almost since its invention and the issue of Duke William the Bastard hadn't served to calm it. Following in his father's footsteps Duke Robert Curthose had been a constant threat to the stability of the Kingdom even passing into the eighties but his son William inheriting the title in 1142 was generally unlucky in his endeavours even if his activities served to constantly keep the Kings attention away from other issues. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]More than once had the King of England had to fulfil his alliance obligations to the King of France.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Even if these obligations was a drain on resources they managed to keep the English nobility occupied and not be a threat to the King. Things as happening in other places of Europe was not pleasant to a Monarch.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]In the HREGN Conrad 3. is able to hold the reins until his death in 1152. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Duke Henry the Lion is occupied in carving out new territories on the Baltic shores in competition with the Danes.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Eastern Europe[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Poland following the death of Boleslaw Wrymouth in 1138 had been divided among his four sons and ceased for the time being to be a power to be reckoned with.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]In the far East the Russian Principalities warred among themselves and occasionally fought the Poles, Cumans and Volga Bulgars.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]The approach of the West Götar towards the Principality of Novgorod served to orient this somewhat towards the Baltic and west, especially in light of the riches to be gained from trade in the Baltic and adjacent waters.[/FONT]