List of monarchs III

[TheNerd_]

Dukes of Sicily

871 - 885: Ubbe "Ulfr" Ragnarsson (House of Ulfrling) [1]
885 - 897: Erik Constantine Ubbesson (House of Ulfrling) [2]
897 - 915: Odda Boniface Ubbesson (House of Ulfrling) [3]
915 - 939: Otto John "The Bastard" Oddasson (House of Ulfrling) [4]
939 - 948: Gudbrandt John "The Kind" Ottosson (House of Ulfrling) [5]

Kings of Sutherland and Langbarðaland (Sicily and Southern Italy)

948 - 972: Gudbrandt John "The Kind" Ottosson (House of Ulfrling)

Spoiler: Legacy of Ulfr

Ubbe Ragnarsson[1], also called Ulfr and Ubba, was born around 830s and became the first Varangian ruler of Sicily, ruling from 874 to 885, ruling for 15 years. The Eastern Roman Empire had been through a rough period during the Second Iconoclast Period, where Iconoclast and Iconophile forces clashed. This gave him an opportunity to seek a kingdom for himself, a kingdom he would otherwise have never had. He would arrive in 861 and conquer the Island by 866. He would later, in 871 nominally accept Roman suzerainty. He would die in 885.

Not much is known of Ubbe before his conquest. The Sagas say he was the fifth son of Ragnar Loðbrok, historically Dubious King of Denmark and Sweden. His brothers were Bjorn "Ironside", King of Sweden, Halfdan, King of York, Ivar "The Boneless", King of Dublin, Sigurd "Snake in The Eye", King of Denmark, and Hitsverk. Historians speculate that after disagreements with his brothers, He sailed to create a Kingdom for himself, attaching himself to Bjorn's army in 859 sacking cities and eventually in 861, conquering Sicily. He would be visited by Emperor Basil "The Macedonian" who had encountered these strange men already. He cut a deal with Ubbe, where he would swear fealty to the Rhomanoi, but he would leave him alone. Essentially making him a protectorate. Ubbe, though fierce, wasn't stupid, and knew the Romans were powerful. The Basileus himself though was lying. Although an incredible administrator, Basil was short on resources and didn't have the ability to navally compete with the Scandians. After this event, Ubbe would rule and around him, the world was changing, with many Norsemen converting and accepting the cross. He would marry Audenzia, the daughter of a former Sicilian Baron, to strengthen his legitimacy, and have 6 children, 2 dying young. Alas, in his old age, the warrior would accept the cross himself, becoming Catholic, and adopting the name Umberto, even if he would always let his fellow Vikingr dock at the harbors of Sodernmark. He would die and be succeeded by his oldest son, Erik.

Erik [2] of Sicily, Constantine of his Christian name, was Duke of Sicily from 885 to 897, for twelve years. He rose to the throne at the age of 18 and reigned for twelve years. According to Roman sources, he was a good prince, but there's in fact very few local and trustworthy sources about his reign (as much was destroyed during the revolts that deposed him). He would be the one to make Salerno the capital, and he laid down many buildings and institutions, turning the collection of conquered land inherited from his father into a true and united Duchy.

Erik Ulfring is born in 868, even though the month is not known, shortly after his father married. His father thought the child looked weak, and delegated much of his education to his mother until young Erik turned 12. For this reason, he called himself Constantine, because it was the name his mother chose for his baptism and felt closer to Sicilian and Greek cultures than his father's. When he turned twelve, his father, realizing that the boy was more promising than he first thought, and his apparent heir took the decision to associate him with matters of the state gradually, and teach him proper Scandian culture. When his father passed five years later, Erik was crowned Duke, following both Christian and Viking traditions. He reaffirmed his oath to the Roman Emperor, seeking for stability and legitimacy, as well as protection from the Maurs. He kept close links with his father's companions despite the cultural differences, and proclaimed the Oath of Erik in 891 (that came to us through Roman transcriptions) that he would ennoble anyone who could take a city to the Moorish princes of Insular Sicily, if they stayed loyal to the Dukes of Sicily forever. He built the Castle of Salerno on the heights of the city, and made the city capital of the Duchy. He gave his two brothers the title of Stratagos, making them the military leaders of the army. He married twice, once with Aloara of Capua, daughter of the Prince of Capua, who died giving birth to his daughter Ingrid in 889, and then to Theophania, cousin of the Basileus, in 895, after long grief for Aloara.

His demise came in 897, with rumors of him being homosexual, or even zoophile, spread among the people of Salerno. No clue that could corroborate these rumors has arrived at us today, however, it was enough for the people to revolt against the Duke and slaughter him. Most documents were burnt, and the only known portrait of him to have existed, a stained glass, was shattered, during the following years. This explains why the only illustration that could be provided is a drawn reconstitution of what his face looked like, according to a Rhomanian embassy. He was only rehabilitated by recent historians, as what seemed to be a competent ruler who knew what he was and wasn't talented at, and knew when to delegate some of his power to trustful people. After he was slaughtered, his brother, Odda, took his place, though reluctantly.

[3] Odda was A younger brother of Erik/Constantine. He ruled, like his brother and father, using his baptismal name, Boniface, after several famous Popes. His father probably made the correct choice in selecting Erik as his heir because whilst Odda was big and strong and handsome, his intelligence was somewhat lacking. A good warrior, as Boniface was, would not necessarily make a good King but in the chaos that ended Erik's reign, Boniface held the loyalty of the largest faction - the members of the Sicilian Militia - and they placed him on the throne. As such, he had to continue with his brother's plans that involved investing funds in developing building work including a grand church in Salerno alongside his brother's planned castle. This brought the church back onto the side of the ducal family and he even pushed his youngest brother into joining the church to get him out of the way, believing him the largest threat to his own leadership.

Odda never married but had a number of lovers and many illegitimate children that he failed to legitimize. He had been only 25 upon his brother's death, and he would reign for barely longer than his father, passing away after 18 years at 43 in 915 with the crown passing to Otto.

[4] Otto has become renowned in history, known infamously by his baptist name and nickname: John the Bastard.

He was born in 886 when his father was 14 and his mother, Helena Kontomytes, a 16-year-old Byzantine noblewoman, herself a daughter of a mighty Byzantine general, having high command in Sicily.

He was the first bastard born to Odda, that would span 48 other children, however, his mother was unlike any of the other unwed women, in the sense that she knew her son was bound for greatness.
His maternal grandfather taught him how to wield a sword, this would come in useful when he began cutting down the number of opposing heirs.

Spoiler: Murder

His first kill came at the age of 11 when he was able to kill his half brothers Olav and Harald during the civil unrest of his uncle’s demise.
His kills would continue, he took no pity on their age or gender, killing his two-month-old half-sister Emilia in 910, he would kill their mother and the mother's family, if they got in the way.
During a confession in Palermo Cathedral, he killed his uncle, using the bishop’s own Rosary bead necklaces.
Rather than killing his aunt, he decided to go down a different route, he took her as a prisoner, raping her and having her womb boiled to make her sterile.

His killings made him the sole heir to succeed his father and he succeeded him in 915, aged 29.
He secured his power by making his followers pledge fierce loyalty to him, they became too scared to try and raise to the top, fearing someone might oust them and have them executed.
He reigned for nearly thirty years, of which every single year saw bloody massacres of forces Otto deemed unworthy, he extended his dukedom’s borders by conquering landing in Northern Africa, calling the Muslim natives inferior to his cause, he made sure no one survived, burning whole towns and villages to the ground, appeasing the Abrahamic god and Nordic gods alike.
His death in 939 came from a heart attack. He was survived by his only wife, Diana and their eight children.

Gudbrandt John "The Kind" of Sicily was Duke of Sicily and later styled himself as King of Sicily. He ruled from 939 to 972 A.D., expanding the realm into the Italian Peninsula, first by kicking out the "Emir of Lucania and Calabria" and then absorbing the Dukes of Naples, Capua, Benevento and partitioning the Duchy of Spoleto with the Pope. He was the first of the Kings of Sicily.

Born as the first son of Otto, he saw first-hand his savagery and violence, desiring to have nothing to do with it. In fact, historians have always noted how he expelled or converted Moors instead of killing them, being traumatized by it during his childhood and, a zealous man, always seeking to atone for the sins of his father. He would begin his conquest of Calabria and the Duchy of Benevento. Having visited Lucania during raids from his father, John knew the area and defeated the locals due to lack of oversight from the absentee lords. Furthermore, he would conquer the Duchy of Spoleto. This would disturb the Eternal City, which saw this as encroachment from Byzantine forces. Therefore he would stop here, ending the period of rapid expansion.

In the later years, he would declare himself "King of Sutherland and Langbarðaland". He felt that while he, and his forefathers, had been serving Constantinople until now, they were now allies, and no longer simply vassal and Liege. He would be coronated by the Bishop of Palermo, Asmondo of the Canutingi, the family to whom he had given the Barony of Ragusa, whose forefather was called Knut or Canute. Crowned in a Western-style, being declared "King of Sicily, by the grace of God".

He would become a patron of the arts, with "The Sicilian Chronicles" being written in Latin and Greek during this period, with obvious biases, such as the vivid description of the.e Savagery of Otto, and the supposed wickedness of Odda. Many churches would be built during this period and architectural knowledge from the Arab world would be used, with many arabesque-style buildings being constructed. Furthermore, many of Gudbrandt's veterans resettled the devastated city of Lillibeo*. He would give lands to his friends, Frode and Gandalf**, making them Dukes of Matera and of Benevento respectively.

During his reign, Abbots and bishop gained power and money, through his fervent Christianization policies. They would often extort and conspire, gaining power day by day. And while Gudbrand himself would choose Papal investiture, his vassals, many of whom his brothers and relatives would not, which laid the seeds for conflict with the popes, and the Varangians eventual alliance, and fallout, with the Holy Roman Empire.

He would finally die, with 5 children, 3 sons, and 2 daughters, in 972 and be succeded by ____.

*Thus, Marsala is butterflied.

**Real Norse name.

 

[wwbgdiaslt]

So ...

Ragnar Lodbrok

1) Bjorn, King of Sweden
2) Halfdan, King of York
3) Ivar, King of Dublin
4) Sigurd, King of Denmark
5) Ubba Ragnarson/Umberto, Duke of Sicily (871-885)

a) Erik Ubbeson/Constantine, Duke of Sicily (885-897)

1) Ingrid Eriksdottir, b. 889​

b) Odda Ubbeson/Boniface, Duke of Sicily (897-915)

1) Otto Oddason/John, Duke of Sicily (915-949)

a) Gudbrandt Ottoson/John, Duke/King of Sicily (949-972)​

X) 49 other illegitimate children​

c) Ada, Duchess of Trapani
d) Ubbe, Archbishop of Palermo​

6) Hitsvurk​

 

[wwbgdiaslt]

Dukes of Sicily

871 - 885: Ubbe "Ulfr" Ragnarsson (House of Ulfrling) [1]
885 - 897: Erik Constantine Ubbesson (House of Ulfrling) [2]
897 - 915: Odda Boniface Ubbesson (House of Ulfrling) [3]
915 - 939: Otto John "The Bastard" Oddasson (House of Ulfrling) [4]
939 - 948: Gudbrandt John "The Kind" Ottosson (House of Ulfrling) [5]

King of Sutherland and Langbarðaland (Sicily and Southern Italy)

948 - 972: Gudbrandt John "The Kind" Ottosson (House of Ulfrling)
972 - 999: Snorri John II Gudbrandtsson (House of Ulfrling) [6]

Spoiler: Legacy of Ulfr

Ubbe Ragnarsson[1], also called Ulfr and Ubba, was born around 830s and became the first Varangian ruler of Sicily, ruling from 874 to 885, ruling for 15 years. The Eastern Roman Empire had been through a rough period during the Second Iconoclast Period, where Iconoclast and Iconophile forces clashed. This gave him an opportunity to seek a kingdom for himself, a kingdom he would otherwise have never had. He would arrive in 861 and conquer the Island by 866. He would later, in 871 nominally accept Roman suzerainty. He would die in 885.

Not much is known of Ubbe before his conquest. The Sagas say he was the fifth son of Ragnar Loðbrok, historically Dubious King of Denmark and Sweden. His brothers were Bjorn "Ironside", King of Sweden, Halfdan, King of York, Ivar "The Boneless", King of Dublin, Sigurd "Snake in The Eye", King of Denmark, and Hitsverk. Historians speculate that after disagreements with his brothers, He sailed to create a Kingdom for himself, attaching himself to Bjorn's army in 859 sacking cities and eventually in 861, conquering Sicily. He would be visited by Emperor Basil "The Macedonian" who had encountered these strange men already. He cut a deal with Ubbe, where he would swear fealty to the Rhomanoi, but he would leave him alone. Essentially making him a protectorate. Ubbe, though fierce, wasn't stupid, and knew the Romans were powerful. The Basileus himself though was lying. Although an incredible administrator, Basil was short on resources and didn't have the ability to navally compete with the Scandians. After this event, Ubbe would rule and around him, the world was changing, with many Norsemen converting and accepting the cross. He would marry Audenzia, the daughter of a former Sicilian Baron, to strengthen his legitimacy, and have 6 children, 2 dying young. Alas, in his old age, the warrior would accept the cross himself, becoming Catholic, and adopting the name Umberto, even if he would always let his fellow Vikingr dock at the harbors of Sodernmark. He would die and be succeeded by his oldest son, Erik.

Erik [2] of Sicily, Constantine of his Christian name, was Duke of Sicily from 885 to 897, for twelve years. He rose to the throne at the age of 18 and reigned for twelve years. According to Roman sources, he was a good prince, but there's in fact very few local and trustworthy sources about his reign (as much was destroyed during the revolts that deposed him). He would be the one to make Salerno the capital, and he laid down many buildings and institutions, turning the collection of conquered land inherited from his father into a true and united Duchy.

Erik Ulfring is born in 868, even though the month is not known, shortly after his father married. His father thought the child looked weak, and delegated much of his education to his mother until young Erik turned 12. For this reason, he called himself Constantine, because it was the name his mother chose for his baptism and felt closer to Sicilian and Greek cultures than his father's. When he turned twelve, his father, realizing that the boy was more promising than he first thought, and his apparent heir took the decision to associate him with matters of the state gradually, and teach him proper Scandian culture. When his father passed five years later, Erik was crowned Duke, following both Christian and Viking traditions. He reaffirmed his oath to the Roman Emperor, seeking for stability and legitimacy, as well as protection from the Maurs. He kept close links with his father's companions despite the cultural differences, and proclaimed the Oath of Erik in 891 (that came to us through Roman transcriptions) that he would ennoble anyone who could take a city to the Moorish princes of Insular Sicily, if they stayed loyal to the Dukes of Sicily forever. He built the Castle of Salerno on the heights of the city, and made the city capital of the Duchy. He gave his two brothers the title of Stratagos, making them the military leaders of the army. He married twice, once with Aloara of Capua, daughter of the Prince of Capua, who died giving birth to his daughter Ingrid in 889, and then to Theophania, cousin of the Basileus, in 895, after long grief for Aloara.

His demise came in 897, with rumors of him being homosexual, or even zoophile, spread among the people of Salerno. No clue that could corroborate these rumors has arrived at us today, however, it was enough for the people to revolt against the Duke and slaughter him. Most documents were burnt, and the only known portrait of him to have existed, a stained glass, was shattered, during the following years. This explains why the only illustration that could be provided is a drawn reconstitution of what his face looked like, according to a Rhomanian embassy. He was only rehabilitated by recent historians, as what seemed to be a competent ruler who knew what he was and wasn't talented at, and knew when to delegate some of his power to trustful people. After he was slaughtered, his brother, Odda, took his place, though reluctantly.

[3] Odda was A younger brother of Erik/Constantine. He ruled, like his brother and father, using his baptismal name, Boniface, after several famous Popes. His father probably made the correct choice in selecting Erik as his heir because whilst Odda was big and strong and handsome, his intelligence was somewhat lacking. A good warrior, as Boniface was, would not necessarily make a good King but in the chaos that ended Erik's reign, Boniface held the loyalty of the largest faction - the members of the Sicilian Militia - and they placed him on the throne. As such, he had to continue with his brother's plans that involved investing funds in developing building work including a grand church in Salerno alongside his brother's planned castle. This brought the church back onto the side of the ducal family and he even pushed his youngest brother into joining the church to get him out of the way, believing him the largest threat to his own leadership.

Odda never married but had a number of lovers and many illegitimate children that he failed to legitimize. He had been only 25 upon his brother's death, and he would reign for barely longer than his father, passing away after 18 years at 43 in 915 with the crown passing to Otto.

[4] Otto has become renowned in history, known infamously by his baptist name and nickname: John the Bastard.

He was born in 886 when his father was 14 and his mother, Helena Kontomytes, a 16-year-old Byzantine noblewoman, herself a daughter of a mighty Byzantine general, having high command in Sicily.

He was the first bastard born to Odda, that would span 48 other children, however, his mother was unlike any of the other unwed women, in the sense that she knew her son was bound for greatness.
His maternal grandfather taught him how to wield a sword, this would come in useful when he began cutting down the number of opposing heirs.

Spoiler: Murder

His first kill came at the age of 11 when he was able to kill his half brothers Olav and Harald during the civil unrest of his uncle’s demise.
His kills would continue, he took no pity on their age or gender, killing his two-month-old half-sister Emilia in 910, he would kill their mother and the mother's family, if they got in the way.
During a confession in Palermo Cathedral, he killed his uncle, using the bishop’s own Rosary bead necklaces.
Rather than killing his aunt, he decided to go down a different route, he took her as a prisoner, raping her and having her womb boiled to make her sterile.

His killings made him the sole heir to succeed his father and he succeeded him in 915, aged 29.
He secured his power by making his followers pledge fierce loyalty to him, they became too scared to try and raise to the top, fearing someone might oust them and have them executed.
He reigned for nearly thirty years, of which every single year saw bloody massacres of forces Otto deemed unworthy, he extended his dukedom’s borders by conquering landing in Northern Africa, calling the Muslim natives inferior to his cause, he made sure no one survived, burning whole towns and villages to the ground, appeasing the Abrahamic god and Nordic gods alike.
His death in 939 came from a heart attack. He was survived by his only wife, Diana and their eight children.

Gudbrandt John "The Kind" of Sicily was Duke of Sicily and later styled himself as King of Sicily. He ruled from 939 to 972 A.D., expanding the realm into the Italian Peninsula, first by kicking out the "Emir of Lucania and Calabria" and then absorbing the Dukes of Naples, Capua, Benevento and partitioning the Duchy of Spoleto with the Pope. He was the first of the Kings of Sicily.

Born as the first son of Otto, he saw first-hand his savagery and violence, desiring to have nothing to do with it. In fact, historians have always noted how he expelled or converted Moors instead of killing them, being traumatized by it during his childhood and, a zealous man, always seeking to atone for the sins of his father. He would begin his conquest of Calabria and the Duchy of Benevento. Having visited Lucania during raids from his father, John knew the area and defeated the locals due to lack of oversight from the absentee lords. Furthermore, he would conquer the Duchy of Spoleto. This would disturb the Eternal City, which saw this as encroachment from Byzantine forces. Therefore he would stop here, ending the period of rapid expansion.

In the later years, he would declare himself "King of Sutherland and Langbarðaland". He felt that while he, and his forefathers, had been serving Constantinople until now, they were now allies, and no longer simply vassal and Liege. He would be coronated by the Bishop of Palermo, Asmondo of the Canutingi, the family to whom he had given the Barony of Ragusa, whose forefather was called Knut or Canute. Crowned in a Western-style, being declared "King of Sicily, by the grace of God".

He would become a patron of the arts, with "The Sicilian Chronicles" being written in Latin and Greek during this period, with obvious biases, such as the vivid description of the.e Savagery of Otto, and the supposed wickedness of Odda. Many churches would be built during this period and architectural knowledge from the Arab world would be used, with many arabesque-style buildings being constructed. Furthermore, many of Gudbrandt's veterans resettled the devastated city of Lillibeo*. He would give lands to his friends, Frode and Gandalf**, making them Dukes of Matera and of Benevento respectively.

During his reign, Abbots and bishop gained power and money, through his fervent Christianization policies. They would often extort and conspire, gaining power day by day. And while Gudbrand himself would choose Papal investiture, his vassals, many of whom his brothers and relatives would not, which laid the seeds for conflict with the popes, and the Varangians eventual alliance, and fallout, with the Holy Roman Empire.

He would finally die, with 5 children, 3 sons, and 2 daughters, in 972 and be succeded by ____.

*Thus, Marsala is butterflied.

**Real Norse name.

(6) Snorri (or John II) was the second son of Gudbrand after his eldest brother, Floki, rejected Catholicism and was exiled by his father. Snorri like his father was a devoutly religious man, and determined to heal many of the rifts his grandfather had created in Sicily. He became the first of the Ulfrling Kings to pilgrimage to Rome to meet the Pope himself and returned in time to marry Agata, a cousin through his mother's sister who proceeded to bear him five children in as many years, dying in childbirth with the last.

In his sole act of vengeance, Snorri had the nursemaid who had attended his wife executed. He then spent several months attaining for his sins in which time his younger brother acted as Lord Protector of Sicily on his behalf. Whilst his father had invested funds in expanding territory, Snorri looked onwards, reinforcing infrastructure and ploughing a lot of money into building castles on the mainland, and a new harbour to help with trade and troop movement. For that reason he is sometimes called John The Builder.

He died after a reign of 25 years, passing the crown to ...

Spoiler: Family Tree

Ragnar Lodbrok

1) Bjorn, King of Sweden
2) Halfdan, King of York
3) Ivar, King of Dublin
4) Sigurd, King of Denmark
5) Ubba Ragnarson/Umberto, Duke of Sicily (871-885)

a) Erik Ubbeson/Constantine, Duke of Sicily (885-897)

1) Ingrid Eriksdottir, b. 889​

b) Odda Ubbeson/Boniface, Duke of Sicily (897-915)

1) Otto Oddason/John, Duke of Sicily (915-949)

a) Gudbrandt Ottoson/John, Duke/King of Sicily (949-972)

1) Floki Gudbrandsson, exiled
2) Snorri Gudbrandsson/John II, King of Sicily (972-999)

a) 5 Children​

3) Third Son
4) 2 Daughters​

b) 7 other children​

2) 49 other illegitimate children​

c) Ada, Duchess of Trapani
d) Ubbe, Archbishop of Palermo​

6) Hitsvurk​

 

[Kynan]

Dukes of Sicily

871 - 885: Ubbe "Ulfr" Ragnarsson (House of Ulfrling) [1]
885 - 897: Erik Constantine Ubbesson (House of Ulfrling) [2]
897 - 915: Odda Boniface Ubbesson (House of Ulfrling) [3]
915 - 939: Otto John "The Bastard" Oddasson (House of Ulfrling) [4]
939 - 948: Gudbrandt John "The Kind" Ottosson (House of Ulfrling) [5]

King of Sutherland and Langbarðaland (Sicily and Southern Italy)

948 - 972: Gudbrandt John "The Kind" Ottosson (House of Ulfrling)
972 - 999: Snorri John II Gudbrandtsson (House of Ulfrling) [6]
999 - 102: Otto I Snorrisson (House of Ulfrling) [7]

Spoiler: See Previous Footnotes

Ubbe Ragnarsson[1], also called Ulfr and Ubba, was born around 830s and became the first Varangian ruler of Sicily, ruling from 874 to 885, ruling for 15 years. The Eastern Roman Empire had been through a rough period during the Second Iconoclast Period, where Iconoclast and Iconophile forces clashed. This gave him an opportunity to seek a kingdom for himself, a kingdom he would otherwise have never had. He would arrive in 861 and conquer the Island by 866. He would later, in 871 nominally accept Roman suzerainty. He would die in 885.

Not much is known of Ubbe before his conquest. The Sagas say he was the fifth son of Ragnar Loðbrok, historically Dubious King of Denmark and Sweden. His brothers were Bjorn "Ironside", King of Sweden, Halfdan, King of York, Ivar "The Boneless", King of Dublin, Sigurd "Snake in The Eye", King of Denmark, and Hitsverk. Historians speculate that after disagreements with his brothers, He sailed to create a Kingdom for himself, attaching himself to Bjorn's army in 859 sacking cities and eventually in 861, conquering Sicily. He would be visited by Emperor Basil "The Macedonian" who had encountered these strange men already. He cut a deal with Ubbe, where he would swear fealty to the Rhomanoi, but he would leave him alone. Essentially making him a protectorate. Ubbe, though fierce, wasn't stupid, and knew the Romans were powerful. The Basileus himself though was lying. Although an incredible administrator, Basil was short on resources and didn't have the ability to navally compete with the Scandians. After this event, Ubbe would rule and around him, the world was changing, with many Norsemen converting and accepting the cross. He would marry Audenzia, the daughter of a former Sicilian Baron, to strengthen his legitimacy, and have 6 children, 2 dying young. Alas, in his old age, the warrior would accept the cross himself, becoming Catholic, and adopting the name Umberto, even if he would always let his fellow Vikingr dock at the harbors of Sodernmark. He would die and be succeeded by his oldest son, Erik.

Erik [2] of Sicily, Constantine of his Christian name, was Duke of Sicily from 885 to 897, for twelve years. He rose to the throne at the age of 18 and reigned for twelve years. According to Roman sources, he was a good prince, but there's in fact very few local and trustworthy sources about his reign (as much was destroyed during the revolts that deposed him). He would be the one to make Salerno the capital, and he laid down many buildings and institutions, turning the collection of conquered land inherited from his father into a true and united Duchy.

Erik Ulfring is born in 868, even though the month is not known, shortly after his father married. His father thought the child looked weak, and delegated much of his education to his mother until young Erik turned 12. For this reason, he called himself Constantine, because it was the name his mother chose for his baptism and felt closer to Sicilian and Greek cultures than his father's. When he turned twelve, his father, realizing that the boy was more promising than he first thought, and his apparent heir took the decision to associate him with matters of the state gradually, and teach him proper Scandian culture. When his father passed five years later, Erik was crowned Duke, following both Christian and Viking traditions. He reaffirmed his oath to the Roman Emperor, seeking for stability and legitimacy, as well as protection from the Maurs. He kept close links with his father's companions despite the cultural differences, and proclaimed the Oath of Erik in 891 (that came to us through Roman transcriptions) that he would ennoble anyone who could take a city to the Moorish princes of Insular Sicily, if they stayed loyal to the Dukes of Sicily forever. He built the Castle of Salerno on the heights of the city, and made the city capital of the Duchy. He gave his two brothers the title of Stratagos, making them the military leaders of the army. He married twice, once with Aloara of Capua, daughter of the Prince of Capua, who died giving birth to his daughter Ingrid in 889, and then to Theophania, cousin of the Basileus, in 895, after long grief for Aloara.

His demise came in 897, with rumors of him being homosexual, or even zoophile, spread among the people of Salerno. No clue that could corroborate these rumors has arrived at us today, however, it was enough for the people to revolt against the Duke and slaughter him. Most documents were burnt, and the only known portrait of him to have existed, a stained glass, was shattered, during the following years. This explains why the only illustration that could be provided is a drawn reconstitution of what his face looked like, according to a Rhomanian embassy. He was only rehabilitated by recent historians, as what seemed to be a competent ruler who knew what he was and wasn't talented at, and knew when to delegate some of his power to trustful people. After he was slaughtered, his brother, Odda, took his place, though reluctantly.

[3] Odda was A younger brother of Erik/Constantine. He ruled, like his brother and father, using his baptismal name, Boniface, after several famous Popes. His father probably made the correct choice in selecting Erik as his heir because whilst Odda was big and strong and handsome, his intelligence was somewhat lacking. A good warrior, as Boniface was, would not necessarily make a good King but in the chaos that ended Erik's reign, Boniface held the loyalty of the largest faction - the members of the Sicilian Militia - and they placed him on the throne. As such, he had to continue with his brother's plans that involved investing funds in developing building work including a grand church in Salerno alongside his brother's planned castle. This brought the church back onto the side of the ducal family and he even pushed his youngest brother into joining the church to get him out of the way, believing him the largest threat to his own leadership.

Odda never married but had a number of lovers and many illegitimate children that he failed to legitimize. He had been only 25 upon his brother's death, and he would reign for barely longer than his father, passing away after 18 years at 43 in 915 with the crown passing to Otto.

[4] Otto has become renowned in history, known infamously by his baptist name and nickname: John the Bastard.

He was born in 886 when his father was 14 and his mother, Helena Kontomytes, a 16-year-old Byzantine noblewoman, herself a daughter of a mighty Byzantine general, having high command in Sicily.

He was the first bastard born to Odda, that would span 48 other children, however, his mother was unlike any of the other unwed women, in the sense that she knew her son was bound for greatness.
His maternal grandfather taught him how to wield a sword, this would come in useful when he began cutting down the number of opposing heirs.
His killings made him the sole heir to succeed his father and he succeeded him in 915, aged 29.
He secured his power by making his followers pledge fierce loyalty to him, they became too scared to try and raise to the top, fearing someone might oust them and have them executed.
He reigned for nearly thirty years, of which every single year saw bloody massacres of forces Otto deemed unworthy, he extended his dukedom’s borders by conquering landing in Northern Africa, calling the Muslim natives inferior to his cause, he made sure no one survived, burning whole towns and villages to the ground, appeasing the Abrahamic god and Nordic gods alike.
His death in 939 came from a heart attack. He was survived by his only wife, Diana and their eight children.

Gudbrandt John "The Kind" of Sicily was Duke of Sicily and later styled himself as King of Sicily. He ruled from 939 to 972 A.D., expanding the realm into the Italian Peninsula, first by kicking out the "Emir of Lucania and Calabria" and then absorbing the Dukes of Naples, Capua, Benevento and partitioning the Duchy of Spoleto with the Pope. He was the first of the Kings of Sicily.

Born as the first son of Otto, he saw first-hand his savagery and violence, desiring to have nothing to do with it. In fact, historians have always noted how he expelled or converted Moors instead of killing them, being traumatized by it during his childhood and, a zealous man, always seeking to atone for the sins of his father. He would begin his conquest of Calabria and the Duchy of Benevento. Having visited Lucania during raids from his father, John knew the area and defeated the locals due to lack of oversight from the absentee lords. Furthermore, he would conquer the Duchy of Spoleto. This would disturb the Eternal City, which saw this as encroachment from Byzantine forces. Therefore he would stop here, ending the period of rapid expansion.

In the later years, he would declare himself "King of Sutherland and Langbarðaland". He felt that while he, and his forefathers, had been serving Constantinople until now, they were now allies, and no longer simply vassal and Liege. He would be coronated by the Bishop of Palermo, Asmondo of the Canutingi, the family to whom he had given the Barony of Ragusa, whose forefather was called Knut or Canute. Crowned in a Western-style, being declared "King of Sicily, by the grace of God".

He would become a patron of the arts, with "The Sicilian Chronicles" being written in Latin and Greek during this period, with obvious biases, such as the vivid description of the.e Savagery of Otto, and the supposed wickedness of Odda. Many churches would be built during this period and architectural knowledge from the Arab world would be used, with many arabesque-style buildings being constructed. Furthermore, many of Gudbrandt's veterans resettled the devastated city of Lillibeo*. He would give lands to his friends, Frode and Gandalf**, making them Dukes of Matera and of Benevento respectively.

During his reign, Abbots and bishop gained power and money, through his fervent Christianization policies. They would often extort and conspire, gaining power day by day. And while Gudbrand himself would choose Papal investiture, his vassals, many of whom his brothers and relatives would not, which laid the seeds for conflict with the popes, and the Varangians eventual alliance, and fallout, with the Holy Roman Empire.

He would finally die, with 5 children, 3 sons, and 2 daughters, in 972 and be succeded by his second son, Snorri.

*Thus, Marsala is butterflied.

**Real Norse name.
(6) Snorri (or John II) was the second son of Gudbrand after his eldest brother, Floki, rejected Catholicism and was exiled by his father. Snorri like his father was a devoutly religious man, and determined to heal many of the rifts his grandfather had created in Sicily. He became the first of the Ulfrling Kings to pilgrimage to Rome to meet the Pope himself and returned in time to marry Agata, a cousin through his mother's sister who proceeded to bear him five children in as many years, dying in childbirth with the last.

In his sole act of vengeance, Snorri had the nursemaid who had attended his wife executed. He then spent several months attaining for his sins in which time his younger brother acted as Lord Protector of Sicily on his behalf. Whilst his father had invested funds in expanding territory, Snorri looked onwards, reinforcing infrastructure and ploughing a lot of money into building castles on the mainland, and a new harbour to help with trade and troop movement. For that reason he is sometimes called John The Builder.

He died after a reign of 25 years, passing the crown to his elder son, Otto.

[7] Prince Otto was 16 when he rose to the throne, and 19 when he was murdered by his brother. A noble young man, he had earned acclaim prior to his accession in 996, when he had travelled to Barcelona for the marriage of his sister to the King of Barcelona, a twice widowed, childless man who had promised his Kingdom to the King of Sicily should he die without an heir. While this would never come to pass, as his young bride delivered a son a month before his death, this visit was famous in that the young Prince left a married man, to his new brother-in-law's former sister-in-law, Alys of Champagne, who had remained at his court after her sister's death a decade prior. 13 years the senior of the 13 year old prince, it is said that the King of Barcelona had taken her as a mistress during his time as a bachelor, and had promised her a crown. Regardless, the Prince returned with a bride, faced his father's wrath, and saw his first and only child born and buried the year before his accession. His wife would be imprisioned in 100, after it she was found having an affair with his illegitimate cousin, Harrold Ivarsson, grandso of Boniface, Duke of Sicily.

Otto's brief time as ruler was marked by two things: his search for a new bride, and the increasing hostility his rule created amongst the court. Interested in an alliance with the Marquess of Verona, he envisioned a United Italy, but recognised the increasing difficulties that sprung from his family's decision to spurn Catholicism. His intended bride, the Princess Isabeau of Verona, was a pious Catholic, and even had she been willing to convert, there was little chance of taking Northern Italy with such a difference in religion. Thus, he converted towards the end of 101. This was where the problems truly began.

To begin with, while she herself has not been popular, the imprisonment and replacement of the Queen was an increasingly unpopular move, particularly as rumours circulated that she had almost died delivering a stillborn child that, rumour had it, the King had given her by "unkind means". Furthermore, he had not actually ended their marriage, probably due to his increasingly firm beliefs that the marriage was false and that marrying under the Catholic faith would put this bride aside (despite the fact she herself was Catholic). Furthermore, his brother's increasing visibility as a warrior and supporter for the previous Queen led him to release her himself, declare his brother "mad and impossible to rule", and decree that the King himself must be imprisioned.

This was easier said than done, and Sicily fell into Civil War.

Spoiler: Family Tree

Ragnar Lodbrok

1) Bjorn, King of Sweden
2) Halfdan, King of York
3) Ivar, King of Dublin
4) Sigurd, King of Denmark
5) Ubba Ragnarson/Umberto, Duke of Sicily (871-885)

a) Erik Ubbeson/Constantine, Duke of Sicily (885-897)

1) Ingrid Eriksdottir, b. 889​

b) Odda Ubbeson/Boniface, Duke of Sicily (897-915)

1) Otto Oddason/John, Duke of Sicily (915-949)

a) Gudbrandt Ottoson/John, Duke/King of Sicily (949-972)

1) Floki Gudbrandsson, exiled
2) Snorri Gudbrandsson/John II, King of Sicily (972-999)

a) Otto I Snorrisson (999-102)
b) Ada Snorrisdatter m. Martin, King of Barcelona (979-997)

1) Manuel, King of Barcelona​

c) Odda/Boniface Snorrisson
d/e) 2 Daughters​

3) Third Son
4) 2 Daughters​

b) 7 other children​

2) 49 other illegitimate children​

c) Ada, Duchess of Trapani
d) Ubbe, Archbishop of Palermo​

6) Hitsvurk​

 

[TheNerd_]

Dukes of Sicily

871 - 885: Ubbe "Ulfr" Ragnarsson (House of Ulfrling) [1]
885 - 897: Erik Constantine Ubbesson (House of Ulfrling) [2]
897 - 915: Odda Boniface Ubbesson (House of Ulfrling) [3]
915 - 939: Otto John "The Bastard" Oddasson (House of Ulfrling) [4]
939 - 948: Gudbrandt John "The Kind" Ottosson (House of Ulfrling) [5]

King of Sutherland and Langbarðaland (Sicily and Southern Italy)

948 - 972: John I Gudbrandt "The Kind" Ottosson (House of Ulfrling)
972 - 999: John II Snorri Gudbrandtsson (House of Ulfrling) [6]
999 - 1002: Otto I Snorrisson (House of Ulfrling) [7]
1002 - 1016: War of the Three Kings [8]

Battle of Trapani, with the Aragonese Flag in the background​

The War of the Three Kings, or War Of Sutherland Succession, was a military conflict between Folke "The African" Felmansson, Manuel de Barcelona, Guglielmo Gunnar Jarisson and Cacciaguida Dei Norreni.

David Folke "The African" Felmansson, an ambitious general from the Herleiflings, the noble family of Counts of Skideriksborg*, created when John "The Bastard" awarded it to a distinguished peasant soldier, Heirleif. He wanted to secede from Sicilian Crown and Become Kongr Afrikaner, King of Africa. He would do so in the Peace of Marseille in 1016.

Infante Manuel de Barcelona was a child who could claim the throne from the Crown of Aragon. The real power was held by her regent, Ada Snorrissdatter, sister of the dead King and leader of the Valencian Faction, who wanted to claim the throne for herself. Many of the descendants of the Lombard mainland lords from Spoleto supported the option, as they could reclaim their power.

Guglielmo Gunnar Jarisson was the Otto's grandson through his brother, and lead the "Legitimist" Party, being the oldest son of Jari, Otto's uncle. He was a popular option especially in Sicily, where he would raise his army to fight the other pretender.

Last of the pretenders was Captain Cacciaguida Dei Norreni, a descendant of Boniface, the Third Duke, he had become a feared mercenary and was one of the foremost patricians in Rome. Having heard of the possibility of claiming a Kingdom of his own, he left the Pontifex's court and called his fellow soldiers to war.

At first, they would face each other in Naval chases and skirmishes, where Folke would come out victorious. Ramon of Laura, part of the Valencians, would be defeated when trying to land in Africa by a smaller African force, thus sealing the independence of Africa, which had struck a deal with the legitimists, who promised independence if they helped them and the "Romans" who didn't care. Three of these forces, the legitimists, the Valencians and "Romans" would duke it out in the Battle of Trapani, where ______ came out victorious. ______ would be coronated King of Sutherland and Langbarðaland in 1016 A.D.

*OTL Tripoli. It is named after Duke John, and while it's official name was Ottosborg, it became known as Skideriksborg, The Bastard's town.

Spoiler: Family Tree

Ragnar Lodbrok
1) Bjorn, King of Sweden
2) Halfdan, King of York
3) Ivar, King of Dublin
4) Sigurd, King of Denmark
5) Ubba Ragnarson/Umberto, Duke of Sicily (871-885)
a) Erik Ubbeson/Constantine, Duke of Sicily (885-897)
1) Ingrid Eriksdottir, b. 889
b) Odda Ubbeson/Boniface, Duke of Sicily (897-915)
1) Otto Oddason/John, Duke of Sicily (915-949)
a) John I Gudbrandt Ottoson, Duke/King of Sicily (949-972)
1) Floki Gudbrandsson, exiled
2) Snorri Gudbrandsson/John II, King of Sicily (972-999)
a) Otto I Snorrisson (999-102)
b) Ada Snorrisdatter m. Martin, King of Barcelona (979-997)
1) Manuel, King of Barcelona
c) Odda/Boniface Snorrisson, died young
d/e) 2 Daughters 3) Jari Gudbrandtsson
a) Guglielmo Gunnar Jarisson
4) 2 Daughters b) 7 other children 2) 49 other illegitimate children c) Ada, Duchess of Trapani
d) Ubbe, Archbishop of Palermo 6) Hvitsärk

 

[wwbgdiaslt]

Ragnar Lodbrok

1) Bjorn, King of Sweden
2) Halfdan, King of York
3) Ivar, King of Dublin
4) Sigurd, King of Denmark
5) Ubba Ragnarson/Umberto, Duke of Sicily (871-885)

a) Erik Ubbeson/Constantine, Duke of Sicily (885-897)

1) Ingrid Eriksdottir, b. 889​

b) Odda Ubbeson/Boniface, Duke of Sicily (897-915)

1) Otto Oddason/John, Duke of Sicily (915-949)

a) John I Gudbrandt Ottoson, Duke/King of Sicily (949-972)

1) Floki Gudbrandsson, exiled
2) Snorri Gudbrandsson/John II, King of Sicily (972-999)

a) Otto I Snorrisson (999-102)
b) Ada Snorrisdatter m. Martin, King of Barcelona (979-997)

1) Manuel, King of Barcelona​

c) Odda/Boniface Snorrisson, died young
d/e) 2 Daughters​

3) Jari Gudbrandsson

a) Guglielmo Gunnar Jarisson​

4) 2 Daughters​

b) 7 other children​

2) 49 other illegitimate children​

c) Ada, Duchess of Trapani
d) Ubbe, Archbishop of Palermo​

6) Hvitsärk​

 

[wwbgdiaslt]

What If ... Alfred the Great died in 855 whilst visiting Rome with his father, Aethelwulf?

Kings of Wessex

871 - 888 : Aethelswith (871 - 888), with Burgred of Mercia (871 - 874) and Athelstan of East Anglia (879-888) (1)

(1) When Aethelred died in 871, his sons were infants and were passed over by the Witenagemot (understandably) for the crown of Wessex. Aethelwulf had no other male line successors, with his daughter Aethelswith, Queen of Mercia, presenting her husband as the primary candidate, by virtue of her own claim (he would be King jure uxoris). Whilst the Witenagemot were understandably hesitant that Wessex was to have a Mercian-borne King especially given that Aethelswith and Burgred had no legitimate children, the lure of additional territory was too much to pass over. But whilst an heir was unlikely, the Witenagemot ensured that Burgred and Aethelswith decreed that her nephews were to be the couple's heirs, over any children born to Burgred should Aethelswith predecease him, but after any children that Burgred and Aethelswith might provide.

Burgred died before his wife, within four years of being made King jure uxoris which left Aethelswith as Queen Regnant in her own right. Whilst unusual, a female ruler was not unheard of and a tight knit group within the Witenagemot ensured that she remained on the throne.

When her nephews reached marrying age, she sought to ensure the loyalty of her main supporters by marrying Aethelhelm and Aethelwold to daughters of leading Ealdormen, Alburga of Wiltshire and Osburga of Hampshire respectively. The plan worked, ensuring the loyalty to the House of Wessex (if not herself) of the Witan.

With the wealth of Wessex, Aethelswith resorted to paying off the Vikings to vacate lands owned by Wessex and Mercia. This initially worked, but Earl Guthrum began attacking Wessex and Mercia and resisted any bribery by Aethelswith.

However, hostilities resulted in Guthrums conversion to Christianity in 878, followed by his acceptance of the name Athelstan and his succession as King of East Anglia the following year.

879 also saw the somewhat surprising marriage of Guthrum and Aethelswith to ensure peace between Angle-Land (Mercia and Wessex), and East Anglia. The marriage was surprisingly happy and fruitful with three children being born despite her nearing almost forty years old by 880.

This did not endear the Queen to the Witan who had accepted that either Aethelwold or Aethelhelm would become King after her death, with resistance to her coming mainly from the Ealdorman of Wiltshire, whose daughter was married to Aethelhelm (the elder sibling), and therefore the most likely to see his line settle on the throne of Wessex.

Guthrum quickly set down the rebellion by the Ealdorman if Wiltshire, had him hung, forced Aethelhelm to abdicate his claim to Wessex, anulled his marriage to Alburga (by fabricating evidence she was already married) thus making Aethelhelms children illegitimate and illegible for the throne.

After this, nobody dared to rally against Aethelswith and Guthrum, and the pair remained married until her death in 888 caused another succession crisis ...



Aethelwulf

a) Aethelred

1) Aethelhelm, m. Alburga of Wiltshire (marriage annulled)

a) Several children (delegitimised following marriage annullment)​

2) Aethelwold, m. Osburga of Hampshire​

b) Aethelswith (871-888), m. (i) Burgred of Mercia (871-874), (ii) Athelstan/Guthrum (879-888)

ii) 3 Children​

 

[wwbgdiaslt]

What If ... Henry VI actually made Henry Beauchamp, Duke of Warwick, King if the Isle of Wight rather than just giving him it as a nickname ...

Monarchs of Wight

Henry I ... 1444 to 1446 (House of Warwick)
Anne I ... 1446 to 1502 (House of Warwick)


(i) Born 1443, Anne was suo jure Countess of Warwick and Queen of (the Isle of) Wight from the age of 4. As such, a Regency was installed, first under the Queen Mother, Dowager Queen Cecily, and then under her father's sister, Anne, Countess of Salisbury. The Countess and her husband were cold and ambitious, knowing they would inherit the Kingdom of Wight if their niece should die before producing an heir. Still, they dutifully arranged her marriage to James of France, Duke of Berry (son of Charles VII), and the ceremony would occur in 1561 when Anne was eighteen and James was twenty nine. Within the year, Anne was pregnant and their first child was born in 1562, with four more that survived infancy following over the next ten years.

Anne managed to have Wight quietly sit out the events of the Cousins War, when her Aunt attempted to seek sanctuary in Carrisbrooke, she refused, feeling it unwise to bring English soldiers to her shores, and thus ushered the Salisburys off to France where her cousin was married to Edward of Westminster, and subsequently to Richard III.

This attempt at neutrality served them well, and the island remained somewhat unscathed throughout the reigns of Edward, Richard and the subsequent rise of the Tudors. By this point, her children were of age to marry and she looked both to France and England, and considered Spain and Portugal as candidates. The nation's proximity to France and England suggested that a Tudor or Capetian match would be the most advantageous, purely for defense purposes an English match moreso.

Anne died at Carrisbrooke Castle in early 1502, having caught pneumonia whilst returning from the wedding of the future King Arthur of England and his Spanish wife, Catherine of Aragon, in London in November 1501.

She was succeeded by .........




The House of Beauchamp/Warwick:

Henry, Earl of Warwick, b. 1382, d. 1439, m(ii) Isabel Le Despenser, b. 1400, d. 1439

1) Henry I, Duke of Warwick, King of Wight, b. 1425, d. 1446, m. Cecily Neville, b. 1425, d. 1450

a) Anne I, Countess of Warwick, Queen of Wight, Duchess of Berry, b. 1443, d. 1502, m. James of France, Duke of Berry, jure uxoris Duke of Warwick, King Consort Wight, b. 1432, d. 1490

1) Five Children who survive to adulthood ​

2) Anne Beauchamp, b. 1426, d. 1492, m. Richard Neville, Earl of Salisbury, b. 1428, 1471

a) Isabel Neville, b. 1451, d. 1476, m. George, Duke of Clarence, b. 1449, d. 1478
b) Anne Neville, b. 1456, d. 1485, m(i) Edward of Westminster, b. 1453, d. 1471, m(ii) Richard III of England, b. 1453, d. 1485​

 

[The_Last_Plantagenet]

I have decided to continue the line established by @kasumigenx

Eleanor of Aquitaine does not divorce Louis VII
1131(1138) - 1180 Louis VII(House of Capet)[1]
1180 - 1229 Robert III (House of Capet)


[1]Louis VII (1120 – 18 September 1180), called the Younger or the Young (French: le Jeune), was King of the Franks from 1137 to 1180. He was the son and successor of King Louis VI, hence his nickname, and married Duchess Eleanor of Aquitaine, one of the wealthiest and most powerful women in western Europe. The marriage temporarily extended the Capetian lands to the Pyrenees, he would have four sons who lived to adulthood, namely, Philip, the Young King(1151), Robert, Duke of Aquitaine (1157), Louis, duke of Brittany(via his wife Constance of Brittany)(1158) and Jean lackland(1166) and five daughters, Marie, Countess of Flanders(wife of Philip I of Flanders)(1145), Alice, Queen of England (Wife of Henry III of England)(1153), Eleanor, Queen of Castile(1156), Agnes, Holy Roman Empress(1162) and Jeanne, Queen of Sicily(1165) and later Byzantine Empress, in 1180 he would be succeeded by his second son; Robert III, King of France

[2] Robert III (1157-1229), Robert would spend much of his early life in the shadow of his elder brother; Phillip. While Phillip had been made Rex-Iunior to his father, Robert had been made Duke of Aquitaine, inheriting almost all of his mothers land and wealth. While his brother made one substantial marriage, to Beatrice of Swabia, the daughter of Frederick Barbarossa, Robert would make another, and marry the daughter of Alfonso VII of Castile; Sancha of Castile.

It would be in the summer of 1178, during a stag hunt, where Phillip would meet his end. Having governed the kingdom for four and a half years due to his fathers inability and illness, Phillip had acquired the nickname of The Young King despite having never been crowned. Upon hearing of his elder sons death, Louis VII was reported to have said: “nous avons eu un bon roi, peut-être que nous aurons ensuite un grand roi”.

With the death of Louis VII two years later, Robert III would finally assume the throne of the kingdom he had governed for the past two years, and he could be said to have been a peaceful king, albeit dominated by his strong-willed wife. Sancha would also give three children to the King; Robert (1181), Francois (1185), and Charles (1186).

With a forty nine year reign, Robert III expanded the wealth and majesty of the French Court to no end, having been said to have a court of “artists, merchants, monks, and Knights” around himself at all hours, and only two periods of war during his reign are known; the Catharist Crusade from 1210 to 1225, against the Cathar heretics in Languedoc, and the Breton war, in which he assisted his brother; Louis of Brittany, retain the Duchy after the death of his wife. The victories in both conflicts confirmed France as the preeminent power in the west, and Brittany was de jure vassalised by the King of France.

In 1229, the rule of Robert III would end abruptly, as the previously well Robert would collapse in the Parisian Street from his horse, and when his retainers would reach him, he was already dead.
He would be succeeded by ............

 

[Jonathan]

Eleanor of Aquitaine does not divorce Louis VII
1131(1138) - 1180: Louis VII (House of Capet)[1]
1180 - 1229: Robert III (House of Capet) [2]
1229 - 1277: Louis VIII (House of Capet)[3]


[1]Louis VII (1120 – 18 September 1180), called the Younger or the Young (French: le Jeune), was King of the Franks from 1137 to 1180. He was the son and successor of King Louis VI, hence his nickname, and married Duchess Eleanor of Aquitaine, one of the wealthiest and most powerful women in western Europe. The marriage temporarily extended the Capetian lands to the Pyrenees, he would have four sons who lived to adulthood, namely, Philip, the Young King(1151), Robert, Duke of Aquitaine (1157), Louis, duke of Brittany(via his wife Constance of Brittany)(1158) and Jean lackland(1166) and five daughters, Marie, Countess of Flanders(wife of Philip I of Flanders)(1145), Alice, Queen of England (Wife of Henry III of England)(1153), Eleanor, Queen of Castile(1156), Agnes, Holy Roman Empress(1162) and Jeanne, Queen of Sicily(1165) and later Byzantine Empress, in 1180 he would be succeeded by his second son; Robert III, King of France

[2] Robert III (1157-1229), Robert would spend much of his early life in the shadow of his elder brother; Phillip. While Phillip had been made Rex-Iunior to his father, Robert had been made Duke of Aquitaine, inheriting almost all of his mothers land and wealth. While his brother made one substantial marriage, to Beatrice of Swabia, the daughter of Frederick Barbarossa, Robert would make another, and marry the daughter of Alfonso VII of Castile; Sancha of Castile.

It would be in the summer of 1178, during a stag hunt, where Phillip would meet his end. Having governed the kingdom for four and a half years due to his fathers inability and illness, Phillip had acquired the nickname of The Young King despite having never been crowned. Upon hearing of his elder sons death, Louis VII was reported to have said: “nous avons eu un bon roi, peut-être que nous aurons ensuite un grand roi”.

With the death of Louis VII two years later, Robert III would finally assume the throne of the kingdom he had governed for the past two years, and he could be said to have been a peaceful king, albeit dominated by his strong-willed wife. Sancha would also give three children to the King; Robert (1181), Francois (1185), and Charles (1186).

With a forty nine year reign, Robert III expanded the wealth and majesty of the French Court to no end, having been said to have a court of “artists, merchants, monks, and Knights” around himself at all hours, and only two periods of war during his reign are known; the Catharist Crusade from 1210 to 1225, against the Cathar heretics in Languedoc, and the Breton war, in which he assisted his brother; Louis of Brittany, retain the Duchy after the death of his wife. The victories in both conflicts confirmed France as the preeminent power in the west, and Brittany was de jure vassalised by the King of France.

In 1229, the rule of Robert III would end abruptly, as the previously well Robert would collapse in the Parisian Street from his horse, and when his retainers would reach him, he was already dead.
He would be succeeded by, his grandson, Prince Louis, from his own son, Prince Robert.

[3] Prince Robert, the fair prince born in 1181, was married to his distant cousin, Joan I, Countess of Burgundy, daughter of Otto I, Count of Burgundy, and Margaret, Countess of Blois. Through her maternal grandmother, Alix of France, she was a great granddaughter of King Louis VII of France and Duchess Eleanor of Aquitaine.
In 1201, they had their only child, Prince Louis, who succeeded his mother on her death in 1205, as Count of Burgundy.

In 1225, the council of Bourges excommunicated the Count of Toulouse, Raymond VII, and declared a renewed crusade against the southern barons. Prince Robert happily raised an army in order to show off his military skills.

Roger Bernard the Great, Count of Foix, tried to keep the peace, but the Prince rejected his embassy and the counts of Foix and Toulouse took up arms against him.
Prince Robert was largely successful, taking Avignon after a three-month siege. While returning to Paris, to inform his father of his success, Robert became ill with dysentery, , and died following agonising four days.
24 year old, Prince Louis was angered that his war hero father, died, courtiers through out the castle heard him screaming “A plague o' both your houses!”
This plague would be in the form of Louis’s army, who in 1229, upon his succession, were ordered to eliminate all the nobilities in the counties of Folix and Toulouse.

With this done, Louis was able to raise up loyalist to these positions, including Prince Charles’s sons to become new dukes of these lands.

These acts of extinguishing noble houses that defied him, created a the fearsome reputation that was feared abroad as well as internally. His friend nicknamed him the Just, while many historical text define him simple as Louis the Executor.

Although this demeanour was never felt at home with his family, he was seen as a loving husband and devoted father.

His first wife, Marie de Courtenay (b. 1204) died in 1228 from childbirth and his second wife, ten year old Yolande of Brittany, who lived until 1272.

King Louis VIII died in 1277, aged 76, having ruled for 48 year, leaving behind his third wife, 24 year old, Matilda of Habsburg, (eldest daughter of Rudolf I of Germany and Gertrude of Hohenberg), fourteen children and many more grandchildren. His large and prosperous land were gained by his successor, _________.

 

[Jonathan]

@Shiva @Cate13 and @The_Last_Plantagenet my go has been completed. Thank you for my likes and hope that Louis VIII doesn’t sound too similar to Lord Tywin Lannister lol

 

[Shiva]

Eleanor of Aquitaine does not divorce Louis VII
1131(1138) - 1180: Louis VII (House of Capet) [1]
1180 - 1229: Robert III (House of Capet [2]) [2]
1229 - 1277: Louis VIII (House of Capet) [3]
1277 - 1282: Louis IX (House of Capet) [4]


[1] Louis VII (1120 – 18 September 1180), called the Younger or the Young (French: le Jeune), was King of the Franks from 1137 to 1180. He was the son and successor of King Louis VI, hence his nickname, and married Duchess Eleanor of Aquitaine, one of the wealthiest and most powerful women in western Europe. The marriage temporarily extended the Capetian lands to the Pyrenees, he would have four sons who lived to adulthood, namely, Philip, the Young King(1151), Robert, Duke of Aquitaine (1157), Louis, duke of Brittany(via his wife Constance of Brittany)(1158) and Jean lackland(1166) and five daughters, Marie, Countess of Flanders(wife of Philip I of Flanders)(1145), Alice, Queen of England (Wife of Henry III of England)(1153), Eleanor, Queen of Castile(1156), Agnes, Holy Roman Empress(1162) and Jeanne, Queen of Sicily(1165) and later Byzantine Empress, in 1180 he would be succeeded by his second son; Robert III, King of France

[2] Robert III (1157-1229), Robert would spend much of his early life in the shadow of his elder brother; Phillip. While Phillip had been made Rex-Iunior to his father, Robert had been made Duke of Aquitaine, inheriting almost all of his mothers land and wealth. While his brother made one substantial marriage, to Beatrice of Swabia, the daughter of Frederick Barbarossa, Robert would make another, and marry the daughter of Alfonso VII of Castile; Sancha of Castile.

It would be in the summer of 1178, during a stag hunt, where Phillip would meet his end. Having governed the kingdom for four and a half years due to his fathers inability and illness, Phillip had acquired the nickname of The Young King despite having never been crowned. Upon hearing of his elder sons death, Louis VII was reported to have said: “nous avons eu un bon roi, peut-être que nous aurons ensuite un grand roi”.

With the death of Louis VII two years later, Robert III would finally assume the throne of the kingdom he had governed for the past two years, and he could be said to have been a peaceful king, albeit dominated by his strong-willed wife. Sancha would also give three children to the King; Robert (1181), Francois (1185), and Charles (1186).

With a forty nine year reign, Robert III expanded the wealth and majesty of the French Court to no end, having been said to have a court of “artists, merchants, monks, and Knights” around himself at all hours, and only two periods of war during his reign are known; the Catharist Crusade from 1210 to 1225, against the Cathar heretics in Languedoc, and the Breton war, in which he assisted his brother; Louis of Brittany, retain the Duchy after the death of his wife. The victories in both conflicts confirmed France as the preeminent power in the west, and Brittany was de jure vassalised by the King of France.

In 1229, the rule of Robert III would end abruptly, as the previously well Robert would collapse in the Parisian Street from his horse, and when his retainers would reach him, he was already dead.
He would be succeeded by, his grandson, Prince Louis, from his own son, Prince Robert.

[3] Prince Robert, the fair prince born in 1181, was married to his distant cousin, Joan I, Countess of Burgundy, daughter of Otto I, Count of Burgundy, and Margaret, Countess of Blois. Through her maternal grandmother, Alix of France, she was a great granddaughter of King Louis VII of France and Duchess Eleanor of Aquitaine.
In 1201, they had their only child, Prince Louis, who succeeded his mother on her death in 1205, as Count of Burgundy.

In 1225, the council of Bourges excommunicated the Count of Toulouse, Raymond VII, and declared a renewed crusade against the southern barons. Prince Robert happily raised an army in order to show off his military skills.

Roger Bernard the Great, Count of Foix, tried to keep the peace, but the Prince rejected his embassy and the counts of Foix and Toulouse took up arms against him.
Prince Robert was largely successful, taking Avignon after a three-month siege. While returning to Paris, to inform his father of his success, Robert became ill with dysentery, , and died following agonising four days.
24 year old, Prince Louis was angered that his war hero father, died, courtiers through out the castle heard him screaming “A plague o' both your houses!”
This plague would be in the form of Louis’s army, who in 1229, upon his succession, were ordered to eliminate all the nobilities in the counties of Folix and Toulouse.

With this done, Louis was able to raise up loyalist to these positions, including Prince Charles’s sons to become new dukes of these lands.

These acts of extinguishing noble houses that defied him, created a the fearsome reputation that was feared abroad as well as internally. His friend nicknamed him the Just, while many historical text define him simple as Louis the Executor.

Although this demeanour was never felt at home with his family, he was seen as a loving husband and devoted father.

His first wife, Marie de Courtenay (b. 1204) died in 1228 from childbirth and his second wife, ten year old Yolande of Brittany, who lived until 1272.

King Louis VIII died in 1277, aged 76, having ruled for 48 year, leaving behind his third wife, 24 year old, Matilda of Habsburg, (eldest daughter of Rudolf I of Germany and Gertrude of Hohenberg), fourteen children and many more grandchildren. His large and prosperous land were gained by his successor, St. Louis IX 'the Martyr'.


[4] Louis IX, known to history as 'St. Louis the Martyr' and the first French King to be declared a Saint by the Catholic Church, began his short reign after the death of his father, Louis VIII.

As the eldest son, he was the natural heir and had been preparing to be King all his life, desperate to make his own mark on the world he was quickly convinced by Pope Innocent VI to undertake a Crusade to save what remained of the Kingdom of Jerusalem from the Muslim invaders.

The rest of Louis IX's reign would be spent overseas, leaving the Kingdom in the hands of a regency council, Louis IX was able to convince the Holy Roman Emperor Jakob I and King Edwin I of England to join him, leaving with an army of over 20,000 just from France alone.

When the forces of the Seventh Crusade reached shores of the Kingdom of Jerusalem, the situation was revealed to be highly complicated. The Mamluks of Egypt were ruled by Baibars I, who's ruthless determination to end the last Christian Crusader state and growing power was a major threat. However further east the Mongols had shattered much of the old order, in it's place had risen the Khanates and the nearest one, the Ilkhanate under the Nestorian Christian ruler Abaqa Khan were also launching invasions, planning to smash the heart of Islam, and to force the Jerusalemite Kingdom to abandon the Catholic Church and embrace the Church of the East, which was seeing a rebirth under the Khan's patronage.

Louis IX and Edmund I contacted Hugh I of Jerusalem and pledged support, the Holy Roman Emperor and his forces meanwhile had decided to attack the Mamaluks in their own homeland, leading to the disastrous Battle of Alexandria (1279) that led to the loss of the entire force from the Holy Roman Empire and the death of the Emperor.

The forces of Louis IX and Edmund I had some initial success against the Mamluks in the form of a series of hit and run attacks on their forces. The Battle of Ascalon (1280) would see the Kingdom retake a significant chunk of land back from the Mamluks, however a Mongol-Mamluk battle saw Jerusalem fall to the Nestorian Mongols six months later. Edmund and Louis would then become divided over what to do next, Edmund wanted to focus on the Mamluks, Louis saw retaking the city of Jerusalem as paramount.

This division would see the French forces launch two major assaults on Jerusalem in 1281, seeing nothing but heavy casualties and nothing regained. Meanwhile Edmund I managed a successful holding action against the Mamluks, ensuring that Ascalon would remain out of Muslim hands.

Edmund and Louis managed to reconcile, and in the beginning of 1282 would see another major Mamluk invasion of the Christian lands, at the Battle of Hebron (1282) would see the Mamluks repelled once more, however Louis IX would be separated from his troops in the chaos of battle and killed by an unknown soldier, his remains were identified and recovered by Edmund I himself and returned to France. The Seventh Crusade would ultimately be successful in pushing back the Muslim invaders, however Edmund would return home in 1284, knowing that Jerusalem was still threatened by the Mongols, but needing more troops.

Within a few months after burial, a number of miracles would be reported from Louis IX's lavish tomb in Paris. By the end of the century Louis IX would be proclaimed a Saint by the Catholic Church.

Louis IX's successor would be _____.

 

[The_Last_Plantagenet]

Eleanor of Aquitaine does not divorce Louis VII
1131(1138) - 1180: Louis VII (House of Capet)[1]
1180 - 1229: Robert III (House of Capet) [2]
1229 - 1277: Louis VIII (House of Capet) [3]
1277 - 1282: Louis IX (House of Capet) [4]
1282 - 1298: Louis X (House of Capet )[5]

[1]Louis VII (1120 – 18 September 1180), called the Younger or the Young (French: le Jeune), was King of the Franks from 1137 to 1180. He was the son and successor of King Louis VI, hence his nickname, and married Duchess Eleanor of Aquitaine, one of the wealthiest and most powerful women in western Europe. The marriage temporarily extended the Capetian lands to the Pyrenees, he would have four sons who lived to adulthood, namely, Philip, the Young King(1151), Robert, Duke of Aquitaine (1157), Louis, duke of Brittany(via his wife Constance of Brittany)(1158) and Jean lackland(1166) and five daughters, Marie, Countess of Flanders(wife of Philip I of Flanders)(1145), Alice, Queen of England (Wife of Henry III of England)(1153), Eleanor, Queen of Castile(1156), Agnes, Holy Roman Empress(1162) and Jeanne, Queen of Sicily(1165) and later Byzantine Empress, in 1180 he would be succeeded by his second son; Robert III, King of France

[2] Robert III (1157-1229), Robert would spend much of his early life in the shadow of his elder brother; Phillip. While Phillip had been made Rex-Iunior to his father, Robert had been made Duke of Aquitaine, inheriting almost all of his mothers land and wealth. While his brother made one substantial marriage, to Beatrice of Swabia, the daughter of Frederick Barbarossa, Robert would make another, and marry the daughter of Alfonso VII of Castile; Sancha of Castile.

It would be in the summer of 1178, during a stag hunt, where Phillip would meet his end. Having governed the kingdom for four and a half years due to his fathers inability and illness, Phillip had acquired the nickname of The Young King despite having never been crowned. Upon hearing of his elder sons death, Louis VII was reported to have said: “nous avons eu un bon roi, peut-être que nous aurons ensuite un grand roi”.

With the death of Louis VII two years later, Robert III would finally assume the throne of the kingdom he had governed for the past two years, and he could be said to have been a peaceful king, albeit dominated by his strong-willed wife. Sancha would also give three children to the King; Robert (1181), Francois (1185), and Charles (1186).

With a forty nine year reign, Robert III expanded the wealth and majesty of the French Court to no end, having been said to have a court of “artists, merchants, monks, and Knights” around himself at all hours, and only two periods of war during his reign are known; the Catharist Crusade from 1210 to 1225, against the Cathar heretics in Languedoc, and the Breton war, in which he assisted his brother; Louis of Brittany, retain the Duchy after the death of his wife. The victories in both conflicts confirmed France as the preeminent power in the west, and Brittany was de jure vassalised by the King of France.

In 1229, the rule of Robert III would end abruptly, as the previously well Robert would collapse in the Parisian Street from his horse, and when his retainers would reach him, he was already dead.
He would be succeeded by, his grandson, Prince Louis, from his own son, Prince Robert.

[3] Prince Robert, the fair prince born in 1181, was married to his distant cousin, Joan I, Countess of Burgundy, daughter of Otto I, Count of Burgundy, and Margaret, Countess of Blois. Through her maternal grandmother, Alix of France, she was a great granddaughter of King Louis VII of France and Duchess Eleanor of Aquitaine.
In 1201, they had their only child, Prince Louis, who succeeded his mother on her death in 1205, as Count of Burgundy.

In 1225, the council of Bourges excommunicated the Count of Toulouse, Raymond VII, and declared a renewed crusade against the southern barons. Prince Robert happily raised an army in order to show off his military skills.

Roger Bernard the Great, Count of Foix, tried to keep the peace, but the Prince rejected his embassy and the counts of Foix and Toulouse took up arms against him.Prince Robert was largely successful, taking Avignon after a three-month siege. While returning to Paris, to inform his father of his success, Robert became ill with dysentery, , and died following agonising four days. 24 year old, Prince Louis was angered that his war hero father, died, courtiers through out the castle heard him screaming “A plague o' both your houses!”
This plague would be in the form of Louis’s army, who in 1229, upon his succession, were ordered to eliminate all the nobilities in the counties of Folix and Toulouse.

With this done, Louis was able to raise up loyalist to these positions, including Prince Charles’s sons to become new dukes of these lands.

These acts of extinguishing noble houses that defied him, created a the fearsome reputation that was feared abroad as well as internally. His friend nicknamed him the Just, while many historical text define him simple as Louis the Executor.

Although this demeanour was never felt at home with his family, he was seen as a loving husband and devoted father.

His first wife, Marie de Courtenay (b. 1204) died in 1228 from childbirth and his second wife, ten year old Yolande of Brittany, who lived until 1272.

King Louis VIII died in 1277, aged 76, having ruled for 48 year, leaving behind his third wife, 24 year old, Matilda of Habsburg, (eldest daughter of Rudolf I of Germany and Gertrude of Hohenberg), fourteen children and many more grandchildren. His large and prosperous land were gained by his successor, Louis IX.

[4] Louis IX, known to history as 'St. Louis the Martyr' and the first French King to be declared a Saint by the Catholic Church, began his short reign after the death of his father, Louis VIII.

As the eldest son, he was the natural heir and had been preparing to be King all his life, desperate to make his own mark on the world he was quickly convinced by Pope Innocent VI to undertake a Crusade to save what remained of the Kingdom of Jerusalem from the Muslim invaders.

The rest of Louis IX's reign would be spent overseas, leaving the Kingdom in the hands of a regency council, Louis IX was able to convince the Holy Roman Emperor Jakob I and King Edwin I of England to join him, leaving with an army of over 20,000 just from France alone.

When the forces of the Seventh Crusade reached shores of the Kingdom of Jerusalem, the situation was revealed to be highly complicated. The Mamluks of Egypt were ruled by Baibars I, who's ruthless determination to end the last Christian Crusader state and growing power was a major threat. However further east the Mongols had shattered much of the old order, in it's place had risen the Khanates and the nearest one, the Ilkhanate under the Nestorian Christian ruler Abaqa Khan were also launching invasions, planning to smash the heart of Islam, and to force the Jerusalemite Kingdom to abandon the Catholic Church and embrace the Church of the East, which was seeing a rebirth under the Khan's patronage.

Louis IX and Edmund I contacted Hugh I of Jerusalem and pledged support, the Holy Roman Emperor and his forces meanwhile had decided to attack the Mamaluks in their own homeland, leading to the disastrous Battle of Alexandria (1279) that led to the loss of the entire force from the Holy Roman Empire and the death of the Emperor.

The forces of Louis IX and Edmund I had some initial success against the Mamluks in the form of a series of hit and run attacks on their forces. The Battle of Ascalon (1280) would see the Kingdom retake a significant chunk of land back from the Mamluks, however a Mongol-Mamluk battle saw Jerusalem fall to the Nestorian Mongols six months later. Edmund and Louis would then become divided over what to do next, Edmund wanted to focus on the Mamluks, Louis saw retaking the city of Jerusalem as paramount.

This division would see the French forces launch two major assaults on Jerusalem in 1281, seeing nothing but heavy casualties and nothing regained. Meanwhile Edmund I managed a successful holding action against the Mamluks, ensuring that Ascalon would remain out of Muslim hands.

Edmund and Louis managed to reconcile, and in the beginning of 1282 would see another major Mamluk invasion of the Christian lands, at the Battle of Hebron (1282) would see the Mamluks repelled once more, however Louis IX would be separated from his troops in the chaos of battle and killed by an unknown soldier, his remains were identified and recovered by Edmund I himself and returned to France. The Seventh Crusade would ultimately be successful in pushing back the Muslim invaders, however Edmund would return home in 1284, knowing that Jerusalem was still threatened by the Mongols, but needing more troops.

Within a few months after burial, a number of miracles would be reported from Louis IX's lavish tomb in Paris. By the end of the century Louis IX would be proclaimed a Saint by the Catholic Church.

Louis IX's successor would be his young son; Louis X.


[5] The Young Louis-Édouard was born months before the fateful crusade was declared, and having never met his father, was immensely influenced by his mother and uncles. For the fifteen years in which Louis-Édouard ruled, little took place. After fourteen months of regency, his mother had finally chosen a regal name for the young king, and the regal name Louis X was officially struck onto the royal seals, replacing the Louis-Édouard which adorned them for the earlier portion of the rule.

The young King grew into a unruly man, feasting, hunting, and sporting like any man twice his age, and it would be his undoing. After escaping the royal confines and going to an inn, the young King would challenge the innkeeper to a duel. Either reportedly a single Punch, the young King who had never ruled in his own right was felled. The throne would pass to .........

 

[wwbgdiaslt]

Was pondering an entry but got ninja'd, so will leave you with the family tree that I'd collected thus far to help me ...

Louis VII, b. 1120, r. 1137 to 1180, m. Eleanor of Aquitane

1. Marie, Countess of Flanders, b. 1145, d. 1178, m. Philip of Flanders​

2. Philip, The Young King, b. 1151, m. Beatrice of Swabia​

3. Alice, Queen Consort of England, b. 1153, m. King Henry III of England​

a) at least one daughter, who married the Count of Burgundy​

1. Joan, Countess of Burgundy, m. Robert of France​

a) for line, see below​

b) a male line, resulting in the later Edwin/Edmund I of England​

4. Eleanor, Queen Consort of Castile, b. 1156​

5. Robert III of France, prev. Duke of Aquitane, b. 1157, r. 1180 to 1229, m. Sancha of Castile​

a) Robert, b. 1181, d. 1225, m. Joan, Countess of Burgundy​

1. Louis VIII "The Executor", also Count of Burgundy, b. 1201, r. 1229 to 1277, m1. Marie de Courtenay, m2. Yolanda of Brittany, m3. Matilda of Habsburg​

a) Louis IX of France, "The Martyr", r. 1277 to 1282​

1. Louis X of France, aka Louis Edouard, b. 1277, r. 1282 tp 1298​

b) 13 other children​

b) Francois, b. 1185​

c) Charles, b. 1186​

x. sons, made Dukes of Foix and Toulouse​

6. Louis, Duke of Brittany jure uxoris, b. 1158, m. Constance of Brittany​

7. Agnes, Holy Roman Empress, b. 1162​

8. Jean, Queen Consort of Sicily and Byzantine Empress, b. 1165​

9. Jean Lackland, b. 1166​

 

[The_Last_Plantagenet]

Would anyone object if I went next? I have a cool idea I think

 

[Cate13]

Fine with me

 

[The_Last_Plantagenet]

Eleanor of Aquitaine does not divorce Louis VII
1131(1138) - 1180: Louis VII (House of Capet)[1]
1180 - 1229: Robert III (House of Capet) [2]
1229 - 1277: Louis VIII (House of Capet) [3]
1277 - 1282: Louis IX (House of Capet) [4]
1282 - 1298: Louis X (House of Capet )[5]
1298 - 1319: Philippe-Cámille ( House of Capet)[6]

[1]Louis VII (1120 – 18 September 1180), called the Younger or the Young (French: le Jeune), was King of the Franks from 1137 to 1180. He was the son and successor of King Louis VI, hence his nickname, and married Duchess Eleanor of Aquitaine, one of the wealthiest and most powerful women in western Europe. The marriage temporarily extended the Capetian lands to the Pyrenees, he would have four sons who lived to adulthood, namely, Philip, the Young King(1151), Robert, Duke of Aquitaine (1157), Louis, duke of Brittany(via his wife Constance of Brittany)(1158) and Jean lackland(1166) and five daughters, Marie, Countess of Flanders(wife of Philip I of Flanders)(1145), Alice, Queen of England (Wife of Henry III of England)(1153), Eleanor, Queen of Castile(1156), Agnes, Holy Roman Empress(1162) and Jeanne, Queen of Sicily(1165) and later Byzantine Empress, in 1180 he would be succeeded by his second son; Robert III, King of France

[2] Robert III (1157-1229), Robert would spend much of his early life in the shadow of his elder brother; Phillip. While Phillip had been made Rex-Iunior to his father, Robert had been made Duke of Aquitaine, inheriting almost all of his mothers land and wealth. While his brother made one substantial marriage, to Beatrice of Swabia, the daughter of Frederick Barbarossa, Robert would make another, and marry the daughter of Alfonso VII of Castile; Sancha of Castile.

It would be in the summer of 1178, during a stag hunt, where Phillip would meet his end. Having governed the kingdom for four and a half years due to his fathers inability and illness, Phillip had acquired the nickname of The Young King despite having never been crowned. Upon hearing of his elder sons death, Louis VII was reported to have said: “nous avons eu un bon roi, peut-être que nous aurons ensuite un grand roi”.

With the death of Louis VII two years later, Robert III would finally assume the throne of the kingdom he had governed for the past two years, and he could be said to have been a peaceful king, albeit dominated by his strong-willed wife. Sancha would also give three children to the King; Robert (1181), Francois (1185), and Charles (1186).

With a forty nine year reign, Robert III expanded the wealth and majesty of the French Court to no end, having been said to have a court of “artists, merchants, monks, and Knights” around himself at all hours, and only two periods of war during his reign are known; the Catharist Crusade from 1210 to 1225, against the Cathar heretics in Languedoc, and the Breton war, in which he assisted his brother; Louis of Brittany, retain the Duchy after the death of his wife. The victories in both conflicts confirmed France as the preeminent power in the west, and Brittany was de jure vassalised by the King of France.

In 1229, the rule of Robert III would end abruptly, as the previously well Robert would collapse in the Parisian Street from his horse, and when his retainers would reach him, he was already dead.
He would be succeeded by, his grandson, Prince Louis, from his own son, Prince Robert.

[3] Prince Robert, the fair prince born in 1181, was married to his distant cousin, Joan I, Countess of Burgundy, daughter of Otto I, Count of Burgundy, and Margaret, Countess of Blois. Through her maternal grandmother, Alix of France, she was a great granddaughter of King Louis VII of France and Duchess Eleanor of Aquitaine.
In 1201, they had their only child, Prince Louis, who succeeded his mother on her death in 1205, as Count of Burgundy.

In 1225, the council of Bourges excommunicated the Count of Toulouse, Raymond VII, and declared a renewed crusade against the southern barons. Prince Robert happily raised an army in order to show off his military skills.

Roger Bernard the Great, Count of Foix, tried to keep the peace, but the Prince rejected his embassy and the counts of Foix and Toulouse took up arms against him.Prince Robert was largely successful, taking Avignon after a three-month siege. While returning to Paris, to inform his father of his success, Robert became ill with dysentery, , and died following agonising four days. 24 year old, Prince Louis was angered that his war hero father, died, courtiers through out the castle heard him screaming “A plague o' both your houses!”
This plague would be in the form of Louis’s army, who in 1229, upon his succession, were ordered to eliminate all the nobilities in the counties of Folix and Toulouse.

With this done, Louis was able to raise up loyalist to these positions, including Prince Charles’s sons to become new dukes of these lands.

These acts of extinguishing noble houses that defied him, created a the fearsome reputation that was feared abroad as well as internally. His friend nicknamed him the Just, while many historical text define him simple as Louis the Executor.

Although this demeanour was never felt at home with his family, he was seen as a loving husband and devoted father.

His first wife, Marie de Courtenay (b. 1204) died in 1228 from childbirth and his second wife, ten year old Yolande of Brittany, who lived until 1272.

King Louis VIII died in 1277, aged 76, having ruled for 48 year, leaving behind his third wife, 24 year old, Matilda of Habsburg, (eldest daughter of Rudolf I of Germany and Gertrude of Hohenberg), fourteen children and many more grandchildren. His large and prosperous land were gained by his grandson and successor, Louis-Édouard Duke of Aquitaine.

[4] Louis IX, known to history as 'St. Louis the Martyr' and the first French King to be declared a Saint by the Catholic Church, began his short reign after the death of his father, Louis VIII.

As the eldest son, he was the natural heir and had been preparing to be King all his life, desperate to make his own mark on the world he was quickly convinced by Pope Innocent VI to undertake a Crusade to save what remained of the Kingdom of Jerusalem from the Muslim invaders.

The rest of Louis IX's reign would be spent overseas, leaving the Kingdom in the hands of a regency council, Louis IX was able to convince the Holy Roman Emperor Jakob I and King Edwin I of England to join him, leaving with an army of over 20,000 just from France alone.

When the forces of the Seventh Crusade reached shores of the Kingdom of Jerusalem, the situation was revealed to be highly complicated. The Mamluks of Egypt were ruled by Baibars I, who's ruthless determination to end the last Christian Crusader state and growing power was a major threat. However further east the Mongols had shattered much of the old order, in it's place had risen the Khanates and the nearest one, the Ilkhanate under the Nestorian Christian ruler Abaqa Khan were also launching invasions, planning to smash the heart of Islam, and to force the Jerusalemite Kingdom to abandon the Catholic Church and embrace the Church of the East, which was seeing a rebirth under the Khan's patronage.

Louis IX and Edmund I contacted Hugh I of Jerusalem and pledged support, the Holy Roman Emperor and his forces meanwhile had decided to attack the Mamaluks in their own homeland, leading to the disastrous Battle of Alexandria (1279) that led to the loss of the entire force from the Holy Roman Empire and the death of the Emperor.

The forces of Louis IX and Edmund I had some initial success against the Mamluks in the form of a series of hit and run attacks on their forces. The Battle of Ascalon (1280) would see the Kingdom retake a significant chunk of land back from the Mamluks, however a Mongol-Mamluk battle saw Jerusalem fall to the Nestorian Mongols six months later. Edmund and Louis would then become divided over what to do next, Edmund wanted to focus on the Mamluks, Louis saw retaking the city of Jerusalem as paramount.

This division would see the French forces launch two major assaults on Jerusalem in 1281, seeing nothing but heavy casualties and nothing regained. Meanwhile Edmund I managed a successful holding action against the Mamluks, ensuring that Ascalon would remain out of Muslim hands.

Edmund and Louis managed to reconcile, and in the beginning of 1282 would see another major Mamluk invasion of the Christian lands, at the Battle of Hebron (1282) would see the Mamluks repelled once more, however Louis IX would be separated from his troops in the chaos of battle and killed by an unknown soldier, his remains were identified and recovered by Edmund I himself and returned to France. The Seventh Crusade would ultimately be successful in pushing back the Muslim invaders, however Edmund would return home in 1284, knowing that Jerusalem was still threatened by the Mongols, but needing more troops.

Within a few months after burial, a number of miracles would be reported from Louis IX's lavish tomb in Paris. By the end of the century Louis IX would be proclaimed a Saint by the Catholic Church.

Louis IX's successor would be his young son; Louis X.


[5] The Young Louis-Édouard was born months before the fateful crusade was declared, and having never met his father, was immensely influenced by his mother and uncles. For the fifteen years in which Louis-Édouard ruled, little took place. After fourteen months of regency, his mother had finally chosen a regal name for the young king, and the regal name Louis X was officially struck onto the royal seals, replacing the Louis-Édouard which adorned them for the earlier portion of the rule.

The young King grew into a unruly man, feasting, hunting, and sporting like any man twice his age, and it would be his undoing. After escaping the royal confines and going to an inn, the young King would challenge the innkeeper to a duel. Either reportedly a single Punch, the young King who had never ruled in his own right was felled. The throne would pass to his far cousin; Philippe-Cámille, Cardinal-Duke of Elbéuf.

[6] After the death of Louis X, the line descending from Louis VIII would die out, with many of his children having only a single child, or none at all, and almost all of his grandchildren had been destined for church careers, and as a result, the line thinned our over the years, so much that by 1298, only two descendants of Louis VIII remained; Louis X, the young King, and the Duke of Elbéuf; Cardinal Philippe-Cámille, The eldest son of Louis VIII’s second marriage (B.1240)

Assuming the throne of France after his nephews death, Philippe would move to build upon the good reputation built by Louis IX in Christianity. Building many a Cathedral through his years of rule, and was a greatly charitable man, giving almost half of his wealth to charitable causes, most significantly orphanages.

At the age of fifty eight when he assumed the throne, few expected a reign lasting more than a couple years, but he would persist for twenty years, ruling until 1319, at which the Cardinal-King would finally pass, and the line of Louis VIII would pass into history, with .......... taking the throne.

 

[wwbgdiaslt]

Eleanor of Aquitaine does not divorce Louis VII
1131(1138) - 1180: Louis VII (House of Capet)[1]
1180 - 1229: Robert III (House of Capet) [2]
1229 - 1277: Louis VIII (House of Capet) [3]
1277 - 1282: Louis IX (House of Capet) [4]
1282 - 1298: Louis X (House of Capet )[5]
1298 - 1319: Philippe-Cámille ( House of Capet)[6]
1319 - 1359: Antoine (House of Capet Toulouse) [7]

Spoiler: Louis VII to Philippe Camille

[1]Louis VII (1120 – 18 September 1180), called the Younger or the Young (French: le Jeune), was King of the Franks from 1137 to 1180. He was the son and successor of King Louis VI, hence his nickname, and married Duchess Eleanor of Aquitaine, one of the wealthiest and most powerful women in western Europe. The marriage temporarily extended the Capetian lands to the Pyrenees, he would have four sons who lived to adulthood, namely, Philip, the Young King(1151), Robert, Duke of Aquitaine (1157), Louis, duke of Brittany(via his wife Constance of Brittany)(1158) and Jean lackland(1166) and five daughters, Marie, Countess of Flanders(wife of Philip I of Flanders)(1145), Alice, Queen of England (Wife of Henry III of England)(1153), Eleanor, Queen of Castile(1156), Agnes, Holy Roman Empress(1162) and Jeanne, Queen of Sicily(1165) and later Byzantine Empress, in 1180 he would be succeeded by his second son; Robert III, King of France

[2] Robert III (1157-1229), Robert would spend much of his early life in the shadow of his elder brother; Phillip. While Phillip had been made Rex-Iunior to his father, Robert had been made Duke of Aquitaine, inheriting almost all of his mothers land and wealth. While his brother made one substantial marriage, to Beatrice of Swabia, the daughter of Frederick Barbarossa, Robert would make another, and marry the daughter of Alfonso VII of Castile; Sancha of Castile.

It would be in the summer of 1178, during a stag hunt, where Phillip would meet his end. Having governed the kingdom for four and a half years due to his fathers inability and illness, Phillip had acquired the nickname of The Young King despite having never been crowned. Upon hearing of his elder sons death, Louis VII was reported to have said: “nous avons eu un bon roi, peut-être que nous aurons ensuite un grand roi”.

With the death of Louis VII two years later, Robert III would finally assume the throne of the kingdom he had governed for the past two years, and he could be said to have been a peaceful king, albeit dominated by his strong-willed wife. Sancha would also give three children to the King; Robert (1181), Francois (1185), and Charles (1186).

With a forty nine year reign, Robert III expanded the wealth and majesty of the French Court to no end, having been said to have a court of “artists, merchants, monks, and Knights” around himself at all hours, and only two periods of war during his reign are known; the Catharist Crusade from 1210 to 1225, against the Cathar heretics in Languedoc, and the Breton war, in which he assisted his brother; Louis of Brittany, retain the Duchy after the death of his wife. The victories in both conflicts confirmed France as the preeminent power in the west, and Brittany was de jure vassalised by the King of France.

In 1229, the rule of Robert III would end abruptly, as the previously well Robert would collapse in the Parisian Street from his horse, and when his retainers would reach him, he was already dead.
He would be succeeded by, his grandson, Prince Louis, from his own son, Prince Robert.

[3] Prince Robert, the fair prince born in 1181, was married to his distant cousin, Joan I, Countess of Burgundy, daughter of Otto I, Count of Burgundy, and Margaret, Countess of Blois. Through her maternal grandmother, Alix of France, she was a great granddaughter of King Louis VII of France and Duchess Eleanor of Aquitaine.
In 1201, they had their only child, Prince Louis, who succeeded his mother on her death in 1205, as Count of Burgundy.

In 1225, the council of Bourges excommunicated the Count of Toulouse, Raymond VII, and declared a renewed crusade against the southern barons. Prince Robert happily raised an army in order to show off his military skills.

Roger Bernard the Great, Count of Foix, tried to keep the peace, but the Prince rejected his embassy and the counts of Foix and Toulouse took up arms against him.Prince Robert was largely successful, taking Avignon after a three-month siege. While returning to Paris, to inform his father of his success, Robert became ill with dysentery, , and died following agonising four days. 24 year old, Prince Louis was angered that his war hero father, died, courtiers through out the castle heard him screaming “A plague o' both your houses!”
This plague would be in the form of Louis’s army, who in 1229, upon his succession, were ordered to eliminate all the nobilities in the counties of Folix and Toulouse.

With this done, Louis was able to raise up loyalist to these positions, including Prince Charles’s sons to become new dukes of these lands.

These acts of extinguishing noble houses that defied him, created a the fearsome reputation that was feared abroad as well as internally. His friend nicknamed him the Just, while many historical text define him simple as Louis the Executor.

Although this demeanour was never felt at home with his family, he was seen as a loving husband and devoted father.

His first wife, Marie de Courtenay (b. 1204) died in 1228 from childbirth and his second wife, ten year old Yolande of Brittany, who lived until 1272.

King Louis VIII died in 1277, aged 76, having ruled for 48 year, leaving behind his third wife, 24 year old, Matilda of Habsburg, (eldest daughter of Rudolf I of Germany and Gertrude of Hohenberg), fourteen children and many more grandchildren. His large and prosperous land were gained by his grandson and successor, Louis-Édouard Duke of Aquitaine.

[4] Louis IX, known to history as 'St. Louis the Martyr' and the first French King to be declared a Saint by the Catholic Church, began his short reign after the death of his father, Louis VIII.

As the eldest son, he was the natural heir and had been preparing to be King all his life, desperate to make his own mark on the world he was quickly convinced by Pope Innocent VI to undertake a Crusade to save what remained of the Kingdom of Jerusalem from the Muslim invaders.

The rest of Louis IX's reign would be spent overseas, leaving the Kingdom in the hands of a regency council, Louis IX was able to convince the Holy Roman Emperor Jakob I and King Edwin I of England to join him, leaving with an army of over 20,000 just from France alone.

When the forces of the Seventh Crusade reached shores of the Kingdom of Jerusalem, the situation was revealed to be highly complicated. The Mamluks of Egypt were ruled by Baibars I, who's ruthless determination to end the last Christian Crusader state and growing power was a major threat. However further east the Mongols had shattered much of the old order, in it's place had risen the Khanates and the nearest one, the Ilkhanate under the Nestorian Christian ruler Abaqa Khan were also launching invasions, planning to smash the heart of Islam, and to force the Jerusalemite Kingdom to abandon the Catholic Church and embrace the Church of the East, which was seeing a rebirth under the Khan's patronage.

Louis IX and Edmund I contacted Hugh I of Jerusalem and pledged support, the Holy Roman Emperor and his forces meanwhile had decided to attack the Mamaluks in their own homeland, leading to the disastrous Battle of Alexandria (1279) that led to the loss of the entire force from the Holy Roman Empire and the death of the Emperor.

The forces of Louis IX and Edmund I had some initial success against the Mamluks in the form of a series of hit and run attacks on their forces. The Battle of Ascalon (1280) would see the Kingdom retake a significant chunk of land back from the Mamluks, however a Mongol-Mamluk battle saw Jerusalem fall to the Nestorian Mongols six months later. Edmund and Louis would then become divided over what to do next, Edmund wanted to focus on the Mamluks, Louis saw retaking the city of Jerusalem as paramount.

This division would see the French forces launch two major assaults on Jerusalem in 1281, seeing nothing but heavy casualties and nothing regained. Meanwhile Edmund I managed a successful holding action against the Mamluks, ensuring that Ascalon would remain out of Muslim hands.

Edmund and Louis managed to reconcile, and in the beginning of 1282 would see another major Mamluk invasion of the Christian lands, at the Battle of Hebron (1282) would see the Mamluks repelled once more, however Louis IX would be separated from his troops in the chaos of battle and killed by an unknown soldier, his remains were identified and recovered by Edmund I himself and returned to France. The Seventh Crusade would ultimately be successful in pushing back the Muslim invaders, however Edmund would return home in 1284, knowing that Jerusalem was still threatened by the Mongols, but needing more troops.

Within a few months after burial, a number of miracles would be reported from Louis IX's lavish tomb in Paris. By the end of the century Louis IX would be proclaimed a Saint by the Catholic Church.

Louis IX's successor would be his young son; Louis X.


[5] The Young Louis-Édouard was born months before the fateful crusade was declared, and having never met his father, was immensely influenced by his mother and uncles. For the fifteen years in which Louis-Édouard ruled, little took place. After fourteen months of regency, his mother had finally chosen a regal name for the young king, and the regal name Louis X was officially struck onto the royal seals, replacing the Louis-Édouard which adorned them for the earlier portion of the rule.

The young King grew into a unruly man, feasting, hunting, and sporting like any man twice his age, and it would be his undoing. After escaping the royal confines and going to an inn, the young King would challenge the innkeeper to a duel. Either reportedly a single Punch, the young King who had never ruled in his own right was felled. The throne would pass to his far cousin; Philippe-Cámille, Cardinal-Duke of Elbéuf.

[6] After the death of Louis X, the line descending from Louis VIII would die out, with many of his children having only a single child, or none at all, and almost all of his grandchildren had been destined for church careers, and as a result, the line thinned our over the years, so much that by 1298, only two descendants of Louis VIII remained; Louis X, the young King, and the Duke of Elbéuf; Cardinal Philippe-Cámille, The eldest son of Louis VIII’s second marriage (B.1240)

Assuming the throne of France after his nephews death, Philippe would move to build upon the good reputation built by Louis IX in Christianity. Building many a Cathedral through his years of rule, and was a greatly charitable man, giving almost half of his wealth to charitable causes, most significantly orphanages.

At the age of fifty eight when he assumed the throne, few expected a reign lasting more than a couple years, but he would persist for twenty years, ruling until 1319, at which the Cardinal-King would finally pass, and the line of Louis VIII would pass into history, with .......... taking the throne.

7) Antoine was the great grandson of Robert III's youngest son, Charles, and the first King of France from the House of Capet-Toulouse (though this is mostly modern historians distinguishing between the lines of Robert of France and Charles of France). His grand father had been created Duke of Toulouse by Louis VIII almost a century earlier, and Antoine, whose mother Marie of Naples, gave him his rather un French name, became Duke of Toulouse before the line of Louis VIII became clear it would not provide a male line heir after Philippe Camille. Antoine was shuffled into the royal court, married to his distant cousin, Margaret of England, and encouraged to have lots of conjugal visits with his new bride. By the time Philippe Camille died, Antoine had been almost as prolific as his ancestor Louis VII, and had produced eight heirs - half boys, half girls. His forty years as King is remarkable for one thing only - that it was a time of relative internal peace, with no rebellions amongst either the Dukes or the Earls.

France had lost the Countship of Burgundy as it had been moved down a female line descending from Henry VIII's son Robert. Philippe Camille had tried to marry Antoine to Yolanda, Countess of Burgundy, but the proposed match had been soundly rejected by her father.

Antoine died at the age of 70, which was a good age, and probablly out of natural causes. He had survived half of his children, and had almost twenty grandchildren still alive by the time of his death.

Upon his passing, he was succeeded by ...

Louis VII, b. 1120, r. 1137 to 1180, m. Eleanor of Aquitane

1. Marie, Countess of Flanders, b. 1145, d. 1178, m. Philip of Flanders​

2. Philip, The Young King, b. 1151, m. Beatrice of Swabia​

3. Alice, Queen Consort of England, b. 1153, m. King Henry III of England​

a) at least one daughter, who married the Count of Burgundy​

1. Joan, Countess of Burgundy, m. Robert of France​

a) for line, see below​

b) a male line, resulting in the later Edwin/Edmund I of England, and subsequently Margaret of England​

4. Eleanor, Queen Consort of Castile, b. 1156​

5. Robert III of France, prev. Duke of Aquitane, b. 1157, r. 1180 to 1229, m. Sancha of Castile​

a) Robert, b. 1181, d. 1225, m. Joan, Countess of Burgundy​

1. Louis VIII of France, "The Executor", also Count of Burgundy, b. 1201, r. 1229 to 1277, m1. Marie de Courtenay, m2. Yolanda of Brittany, m3. Matilda of Habsburg​

a) Louis IX of France, "The Martyr", r. 1277 to 1282​

1. Louis X of France, aka Louis Edouard, b. 1277, r. 1282 to 1298​

b) Philippe Camille of France, prev. Cardinal Duke of Elbeuf, b. between 1228 and 1272, r. 1298 to 1319​

c) 12 other children, one of whom has female issue who inherits the Countship of Burgundy, results in Yolande of Burgundy​

b) Francois, b. 1185​

c) Charles, b. 1186​

1. eldest son​

a) eldest son, m. Marie of Naples​

1. Antoine I of France, Duc Toulouse, b. 1289, r. 1319 to 1359, m. Margaret of England​

--- a) 8 children, and 20 grandchildren​

2) another son whose line bears Duc De Foix​

6. Louis, Duke of Brittany jure uxoris, b. 1158, m. Constance of Brittany​

7. Agnes, Holy Roman Empress, b. 1162​

8. Jean, Queen Consort of Sicily and Byzantine Empress, b. 1165​

9. Jean Lackland, b. 1166​

 

[TheNerd_]

It's alive! IT'S ALIVE!

 

[wwbgdiaslt]

And thankfully so.