Alex Richards
Donor
Well, you've changed so much about early Durham that you've got a lot of leeway about the details of the streetplan.
Saints and Sunrises: An Anglo-Saxon Timeline
- Thread starter Bolt451
- Start date
I've not found much about Durham before the 9th or 10th century ish so I was mostly bound by geography than anything else and picked it for OTL connotations and the defendable location. As for any pre-existing settlement? Screw them, the king lives here now!
Durham's basically as it is now isn't it? The castle/abbey are basically where otls castle/cathderial are.
It can't be a very big city though given it doesn't seem to have spread across to the other side of the bank. That's not a large ammmount of space left.
It can't be a very big city though given it doesn't seem to have spread across to the other side of the bank. That's not a large ammmount of space left.
Pretty much, yeah. There are probably inns and houses on the other sides of the river but the city proper is where OTL castle+Cathedral are.
755: The Hammer of the Britons
The Museum of Anglish History, Laudenwic
Visitors guide
Part 3: the Early Kingdoms
Exhibit 10.11 is a portrait dating from the 18th century of Aedberht, who was king of Angland from 755 to 775. This portrait is considered potentially innacruate as he has been pirtrayed clean shaven and the style of clothes date from several centuries later. Aedberht was very much a warrior king and contemporary portrayals often show him in armour and on the battlefield. The second son of Aethelflaed the First (after the uncrowned Godric), prior to taking the throne he was a general under his father Oswiu of Eorforwic and upon his fathers death in 752 he took over as the Queen's first general, a role he did not give up upon assuming the throne.
Many sources throughout history portray Aedberht as a vicious and cruel king in the vein of his ancestor of some fifty years earlier, Osred, son of Aedwine. In fact some portrayals both modern and centuries old intentionally or unintentionally confuse the two. The 1955 film "The Red Right Hand" had Osred marching into Gwent and holding the king to ransom when it has been proven that this was carried out by Aedberht. Before this however Aedberht had already been successful in the north. Following raids by picts into Northern Angland from 558 to 560 Aedberht attacked Strathclota (1) and captured first Kyle and then the capital at Alclut (2) after defeating Dyfenwal, king of Strathclota. He would set a trend for dealing with the Picts by making Strathclota a tributary state with a puppet on the throne.
It was after this that Aedberht carried out the campaign he was most famous for, the Scouring of Britain. Having secured the northern border, in 762 crossed the border from Old Mercia into Gwent to do the same to the Britons that he had to the Picts of Strathclota. In spring 762 he was defeated at the battle of Caerwenta by King Owain of Gwent, known to medival historians as Owain the Silurian for his believed descent from the Celtic Silures. Following this setback Aedberht would go on t capture Caerwenta on the second try but both that battle as well as his previous campaigns in Strathclota had diminished his forces and when he came to negotiate a peace with the Gwentish royals he was unable to reach an agreement. It is believe (Though there is only conjecture to go on) that one of his demands was Owain's head. (Literary fans may known Owain and Aedberht from the Tomas Andresmann book "Look to the West" set around the battles of Caerwenta and the Scouring). Several contemporary accounts say that Aedberht had a strong temper and following this his army sacked Caerwenta and headed west across the southern British coast and razed towns, taking money not only from Gwent but also army sacked Glywysing and other kingdoms of the south west of Britain. Aedberht would earn many nicknames, including the Hammer of the British and the Butcher of Carleon.
It was only the continued attacks to the rear of his army as well as threats to Angland from the Kingdom of Gwynedd in northern Britain (which were perhaps in reaction to the scouring) that caused him to return to Angland in 766, wealthier but with Angland's reputation damaged amongst Britons and other Anglo Saxon countries. He would later do battle briefly with Gwynedd in 770, which would see the Anglish border set along the Mersey (itself from old Anglish for border river). He'd spend the last few years of his reign fortifying towns along the British border and a series of earthen fortifications to mark the border between Angland and the British nations, something finished under his eldest son, Eardwulf.
(1) OTL Strathclyde
(2) OTL Dunbarton, from Alt Clut, an old Brythonic term for Dunbarton, but confusingly, also the wider Strathclyde
Visitors guide
Part 3: the Early Kingdoms
Exhibit 10.11 is a portrait dating from the 18th century of Aedberht, who was king of Angland from 755 to 775. This portrait is considered potentially innacruate as he has been pirtrayed clean shaven and the style of clothes date from several centuries later. Aedberht was very much a warrior king and contemporary portrayals often show him in armour and on the battlefield. The second son of Aethelflaed the First (after the uncrowned Godric), prior to taking the throne he was a general under his father Oswiu of Eorforwic and upon his fathers death in 752 he took over as the Queen's first general, a role he did not give up upon assuming the throne.
Many sources throughout history portray Aedberht as a vicious and cruel king in the vein of his ancestor of some fifty years earlier, Osred, son of Aedwine. In fact some portrayals both modern and centuries old intentionally or unintentionally confuse the two. The 1955 film "The Red Right Hand" had Osred marching into Gwent and holding the king to ransom when it has been proven that this was carried out by Aedberht. Before this however Aedberht had already been successful in the north. Following raids by picts into Northern Angland from 558 to 560 Aedberht attacked Strathclota (1) and captured first Kyle and then the capital at Alclut (2) after defeating Dyfenwal, king of Strathclota. He would set a trend for dealing with the Picts by making Strathclota a tributary state with a puppet on the throne.
It was after this that Aedberht carried out the campaign he was most famous for, the Scouring of Britain. Having secured the northern border, in 762 crossed the border from Old Mercia into Gwent to do the same to the Britons that he had to the Picts of Strathclota. In spring 762 he was defeated at the battle of Caerwenta by King Owain of Gwent, known to medival historians as Owain the Silurian for his believed descent from the Celtic Silures. Following this setback Aedberht would go on t capture Caerwenta on the second try but both that battle as well as his previous campaigns in Strathclota had diminished his forces and when he came to negotiate a peace with the Gwentish royals he was unable to reach an agreement. It is believe (Though there is only conjecture to go on) that one of his demands was Owain's head. (Literary fans may known Owain and Aedberht from the Tomas Andresmann book "Look to the West" set around the battles of Caerwenta and the Scouring). Several contemporary accounts say that Aedberht had a strong temper and following this his army sacked Caerwenta and headed west across the southern British coast and razed towns, taking money not only from Gwent but also army sacked Glywysing and other kingdoms of the south west of Britain. Aedberht would earn many nicknames, including the Hammer of the British and the Butcher of Carleon.
It was only the continued attacks to the rear of his army as well as threats to Angland from the Kingdom of Gwynedd in northern Britain (which were perhaps in reaction to the scouring) that caused him to return to Angland in 766, wealthier but with Angland's reputation damaged amongst Britons and other Anglo Saxon countries. He would later do battle briefly with Gwynedd in 770, which would see the Anglish border set along the Mersey (itself from old Anglish for border river). He'd spend the last few years of his reign fortifying towns along the British border and a series of earthen fortifications to mark the border between Angland and the British nations, something finished under his eldest son, Eardwulf.
(1) OTL Strathclyde
(2) OTL Dunbarton, from Alt Clut, an old Brythonic term for Dunbarton, but confusingly, also the wider Strathclyde
Alex Richards
Donor
aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
And 'British' rather than 'Welsh' is a rather interesting one.
I hope that's not too unfeasible. I figured OTL Wales was a suitable place to be considered the continuation of/successor to Roman Britain (As opposed to the Picts of the north)
and yes, I will continue to shamelessly shove in titles from OTL.
Also also, "Tomas Andresmann" is somehow still also a chemist
I should mention how much I like Northumbria becoming Angland. Arguably something that makes more sense than OTL rather than less.
All it took was a luckier (and continuously unified) Northumbria arguably. I've wanked it a bit here though RE: Mercia.
778: Walemaer Part 3
Excerpts from “Sanguine,” the final book of the Waelmaer series by Beranstrang Kernow
Global Books, 207
The Year of Seven Seventy Eight
I made my way to the front gate of the monastary as the king arrived. It was a tradition of some three decades that the King or Queen would travel to Lindisfarne for the feast of St Oswine the Humble. The name had always amused me, it was called a feast by it being the traditional term for a meal accompanying a saint’s day but it was also by tradition a simple meal of bread, a simple vegetable stew and water, as Saint Oswine was said to have eaten for when his people went lacking so would he, so they might eat better. Thing king was of calm composure and level voice, at odds with his late father, but he is possessing of the same adventurous spirit and great cheer. The queen was not with us as she was once again with child and loathe to travel, even from Dunholm to the monastery. I told the king i was most understanding and wished the queen a calm and healthy birth and he replied that all was going well and that he hoped for another son. The king has brought his only (to this date) son, Eadric with him to the feast. A young boy of four years, he had the same oak brown hair and hazel eyes as his father and he was quiet and slow to speak but his father told me already showing signs of interest in the church and matters of scripture. With the kings approval I had two of the monks give the young Prince a tour of the abbey and it brought a smile to both myself and the king to see the boy start asking questions almost immediately. The king then retired to his quarters before he joined us for evensong and a simple supper, we were not to fill up on meats and wine before going without tomorrow.
The next day the feast of Saint Oswine was upon us. A messenger arrived at Lindisfarne today not for me but for the king. We wondered if perhaps the queen had given birth prematurely but we were astounded to find the seal of Charles, King of the Franks upon it. The message had arrived at Dunholm but found the king departed for Lindisfarne and pursued him north. I shall not transcribe the message into this journal but it was a final rebuttal to Eardwulf’s proposal that Eadric be betrothed to Charles’ youngest daughter, Berta when both came of age. The letter detailed the Frankish king’s refusal to allow Berta to convert to the Anglish church and the insistence Eadric to accept the guidance of Rome and not Lindisfarne as his mother church and that Frankia would not trade with Angland while it did not accept the Catholic church as its faith.
The usually calm king flew into a rage, still a man of strong faith he was not wanting to show his anger within the walls of the monastery, the king took his horse and road across the causeway onto the mainland and did not return for several house, seeming now calmed and more controlled. He came to seek my forgiveness but beyond his anger, there was nothing to forgive. I agreed at Angland needed a king of the Anglish church. After which we attended St Oswine’s day prayers together.
The next year, some time after pentecost we found Another message arrived from the king informing us that King Charles of the Franks has betrothed his daughter Berta to Siegmar, the infant king of Wessex. There is no news of the young king converting to the Roman church nor of any trading embargoes otherwise. I perhaps wonder if the events that transpired between Charles and King Eardwulf were some form of power play.
Global Books, 207
The Year of Seven Seventy Eight
I made my way to the front gate of the monastary as the king arrived. It was a tradition of some three decades that the King or Queen would travel to Lindisfarne for the feast of St Oswine the Humble. The name had always amused me, it was called a feast by it being the traditional term for a meal accompanying a saint’s day but it was also by tradition a simple meal of bread, a simple vegetable stew and water, as Saint Oswine was said to have eaten for when his people went lacking so would he, so they might eat better. Thing king was of calm composure and level voice, at odds with his late father, but he is possessing of the same adventurous spirit and great cheer. The queen was not with us as she was once again with child and loathe to travel, even from Dunholm to the monastery. I told the king i was most understanding and wished the queen a calm and healthy birth and he replied that all was going well and that he hoped for another son. The king has brought his only (to this date) son, Eadric with him to the feast. A young boy of four years, he had the same oak brown hair and hazel eyes as his father and he was quiet and slow to speak but his father told me already showing signs of interest in the church and matters of scripture. With the kings approval I had two of the monks give the young Prince a tour of the abbey and it brought a smile to both myself and the king to see the boy start asking questions almost immediately. The king then retired to his quarters before he joined us for evensong and a simple supper, we were not to fill up on meats and wine before going without tomorrow.
The next day the feast of Saint Oswine was upon us. A messenger arrived at Lindisfarne today not for me but for the king. We wondered if perhaps the queen had given birth prematurely but we were astounded to find the seal of Charles, King of the Franks upon it. The message had arrived at Dunholm but found the king departed for Lindisfarne and pursued him north. I shall not transcribe the message into this journal but it was a final rebuttal to Eardwulf’s proposal that Eadric be betrothed to Charles’ youngest daughter, Berta when both came of age. The letter detailed the Frankish king’s refusal to allow Berta to convert to the Anglish church and the insistence Eadric to accept the guidance of Rome and not Lindisfarne as his mother church and that Frankia would not trade with Angland while it did not accept the Catholic church as its faith.
The usually calm king flew into a rage, still a man of strong faith he was not wanting to show his anger within the walls of the monastery, the king took his horse and road across the causeway onto the mainland and did not return for several house, seeming now calmed and more controlled. He came to seek my forgiveness but beyond his anger, there was nothing to forgive. I agreed at Angland needed a king of the Anglish church. After which we attended St Oswine’s day prayers together.
The next year, some time after pentecost we found Another message arrived from the king informing us that King Charles of the Franks has betrothed his daughter Berta to Siegmar, the infant king of Wessex. There is no news of the young king converting to the Roman church nor of any trading embargoes otherwise. I perhaps wonder if the events that transpired between Charles and King Eardwulf were some form of power play.
Alex Richards
Donor
I suspect that's a 'no you're too powerful, I think we'll prop up the weaker guy' sort of move.
783: Leocastra Abbey and the raid of Lindisfarne
Excerpt from A Tourist's Guide to Angland
Global Print Books, 2014
by Amit Dileep
Chapter 4: Burmecia and the crownlands
Leocastra Abbey
Though often ignored by many travellers the town of Leocastra has a rich history. It has its routes in the earliest days of Angland and was for some time the center of the Anglish church. The name of the town comes from Leofric, the Archbishop of Canterbury from 769 to 783 , and castra, meaning Roman fort. Leofric was a prolific journalist and earliest records of zeocastra is from from those journals. He writes of that day’s entry
“I am writing this from a small market town built within the ruins of a roman castra about a days travel from the Capital.”
He rested in the town while fleeing from a viking raid on Lindisfarne a few days earlier, one of the earliest recorded raids by vikings in Angland. While many monks and pilgrims were captured or killed, Leofric and several other monks fled from the vikings onto the mainland and made their way from Lindisfarne to Dunholm. During the attack Leofric was wounded and while travelling the wound became infected and he soon weakened. He further wrote in his last journal entry.
“I am told There is a simple altar, made from the stones of the old roman fort, open to the elements, where locals leave offerings of flowers and simple items. It is a local tradition for those with the skill to leave prayers on pieces of wood or paper. Others will transcribe prayers for those without skill in letters. I met such a scribe today and gave him my blessing. I find myself unable to carry my own weight, so too of my closest companions have offered to carry me there to pray. May any who read this find the love of christ and follow his teachings and remain humble, kind and faithful.
At the alter Leofric was set to have a vision of Jacob’s ladder extending down to the altar, older accounts say a ladder actually descended from heaven and he found a new strength ascended the ladder, others say he died with a content smile on his face while praying. The next morning King Eardwulf arrived at the settlement and finding Leofric had passed on ordered an abbey built, with his tomb at its center. This Abbey would remain the center of the Anglish church and the seat of the Archbishop of Lindisfarne for several centuries although the title remained with the Holy Island.
The chapel is still there and has a shrine to the later beatified Saint Leofric, as well as Saint Peter and Saint Paul, upon whom’s feast day Leofric died, all of which have been rebuilt and restored over the years, most notably following the burning of Leocastra in 1544. There are also displays of the original altar Leofric died at as well as finds from archeological digs on the site. Although the site is no longer home to a full monastery comparable to Lindisfarne or even Hexham there are monks who live on the site and tend to the Abbey. Anyone interested in early British history or the Anglish church owes it to themselves to visit Leocastra Abbey. It’s located in the center of Leocastra town center with easy transport access.
Global Print Books, 2014
by Amit Dileep
Chapter 4: Burmecia and the crownlands
Leocastra Abbey
Though often ignored by many travellers the town of Leocastra has a rich history. It has its routes in the earliest days of Angland and was for some time the center of the Anglish church. The name of the town comes from Leofric, the Archbishop of Canterbury from 769 to 783 , and castra, meaning Roman fort. Leofric was a prolific journalist and earliest records of zeocastra is from from those journals. He writes of that day’s entry
“I am writing this from a small market town built within the ruins of a roman castra about a days travel from the Capital.”
He rested in the town while fleeing from a viking raid on Lindisfarne a few days earlier, one of the earliest recorded raids by vikings in Angland. While many monks and pilgrims were captured or killed, Leofric and several other monks fled from the vikings onto the mainland and made their way from Lindisfarne to Dunholm. During the attack Leofric was wounded and while travelling the wound became infected and he soon weakened. He further wrote in his last journal entry.
“I am told There is a simple altar, made from the stones of the old roman fort, open to the elements, where locals leave offerings of flowers and simple items. It is a local tradition for those with the skill to leave prayers on pieces of wood or paper. Others will transcribe prayers for those without skill in letters. I met such a scribe today and gave him my blessing. I find myself unable to carry my own weight, so too of my closest companions have offered to carry me there to pray. May any who read this find the love of christ and follow his teachings and remain humble, kind and faithful.
At the alter Leofric was set to have a vision of Jacob’s ladder extending down to the altar, older accounts say a ladder actually descended from heaven and he found a new strength ascended the ladder, others say he died with a content smile on his face while praying. The next morning King Eardwulf arrived at the settlement and finding Leofric had passed on ordered an abbey built, with his tomb at its center. This Abbey would remain the center of the Anglish church and the seat of the Archbishop of Lindisfarne for several centuries although the title remained with the Holy Island.
The chapel is still there and has a shrine to the later beatified Saint Leofric, as well as Saint Peter and Saint Paul, upon whom’s feast day Leofric died, all of which have been rebuilt and restored over the years, most notably following the burning of Leocastra in 1544. There are also displays of the original altar Leofric died at as well as finds from archeological digs on the site. Although the site is no longer home to a full monastery comparable to Lindisfarne or even Hexham there are monks who live on the site and tend to the Abbey. Anyone interested in early British history or the Anglish church owes it to themselves to visit Leocastra Abbey. It’s located in the center of Leocastra town center with easy transport access.
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I have put together a list of Kings and Queen(s) so far
Kings of Northumbria
634- 655 Oswald
655- 675 Oswine “The Humble”
675- 683 Ecgfrith “The quiet”
681- 709 Aethelfrith
Kings of Mercia
626-655 Penda
655-656 Paeda
656-677 Wulfhere
677-694 Wulfgar
694-709 Aethelfrith (Also King of Northumbria)
Kings and Queens of Angland
709- 733 Eanfrith
733- 755 Aethelflaed (with Oswiu of Eorforwic)
755-775: Aedberht “The Hammer”
775- : Eardwulf
Kings of Northumbria
634- 655 Oswald
655- 675 Oswine “The Humble”
675- 683 Ecgfrith “The quiet”
681- 709 Aethelfrith
Kings of Mercia
626-655 Penda
655-656 Paeda
656-677 Wulfhere
677-694 Wulfgar
694-709 Aethelfrith (Also King of Northumbria)
Kings and Queens of Angland
709- 733 Eanfrith
733- 755 Aethelflaed (with Oswiu of Eorforwic)
755-775: Aedberht “The Hammer”
775- : Eardwulf
Chester Le Street. technically not a days travel from the capital (Dunholm/Durham) but he's an old monk who can't walk fast
.Chester Le Street. technically not a days travel from the capital (Dunholm/Durham) but he's an old monk who can't walk fast
Day's travel's fine. It's 4-5 hours walking in my experience.
I thought so, good to hear
For my own use as much as everyone elses. I'm making a glossary of monarchs and the names of towns if people want to look into it. I've got the next century planned but may not update for a while.