The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle

Hello friends,

I present to you my new time-line, an Anglo-Saxon England, free of the perfidious French! ;) well, technically Normans but meh...

I really don't have a clue where this will lead, just a few general ideas on what happens at first and the type of culture we will see.

The first POD you will read is around 1040, but as you can see there is little change from this at first. I should point out, however, that the Synod of Whitby that was held in 664, is the actual first POD. This I have omitted as the changes are very slight (a microscopically more Celtic Anglo-Saxon church) and this changes nothing else really... no really, really... what butterflies where!?!? ;)

I hope you will enjoy this TL as it is an idea I have had going around my head for years.

Sir Clive
 
One - In which a kingdom is split...

1035 – King Canute dies and his son Harthacanute or Canute the Hardy becomes king of Denmark and England with Svein ruling Norway, nominally as regent for the young Magnus who is in Kievan Rius'. With the death of the Great King, however, two nobles of Norway, Einar Tharnbarskelfir and Kalf Amesson lead a rebellion against Svein's rule and brought the boy back from the east, proclaiming him king in the same year. Thus Harthacanute is forced to stay in Denamrk joined by his recently fled brother Svein, while is half-brother Harold Harefoot reigns as regent in England.

1036-39 – King Magnus of Norway has ambitions on the Danish crown and slowly builds his forces over the coming years, but is continually plagued by the insurgency of Svend Estridsen, the great nephew of Canute, who also claimed the crowns of the Nordic lands.

1040 – With Maguns tired of Estriden's raids and Harthacanute impatient to get back to England where he suspects, quite rightly, that Harefoot is trying to usurp him, the two monarchs meet and agree to a peace. The terms of which will see each other confirmed as monarchs until one of them dies, with the vacant throne then passing to the other.

1041 – Harthacanute journeys to London, with an unusually large retainer of Danes, where he is greeted by his half-brother who smiles and announces, through gritted teeth, the end of his regency [1]. What plans Harefoot had, were lost to the world as shortly later he was laid to rest next to his farther Canute.

1042 – Harthacanute now realises that with only his weak brother Svein left as heir he needs to look further afield, and finds his many over the English channel in Nromandy. So he invited his mother and half-brother Edward, son of Ethelred the Unready, back from their exile. In a double blow to the kingdom tragedy followed the two travellers and a sudden storm tossed their transport into the murky depths of the English Channel [2], thus robbing Harthacanute of his elected heir. It was merely a day after hearing the news of his mothers death that the king himself died in his sleep leaving the British Isles once again without a clear heir, his last good deed was that of outliving the brutally murdered Norwegian King Magnus.

1043 – It was then, with this grave matter in mind that the ancient Anglo-Saxon Witan sat in presumption of an answer. After weeks of intense debate and discussion still only one man was coming to the fore, but while he had absolute support of many he also had the hatred of a great host of the wise council sitting, they looked with jealousy upon the already considerable power of Godwin of Wessex. The decision was almost at once made, however, when they received word that the, thought lost, Edward the Exile was still alive in Hungary. It took little time for a decision to be reached and so King Edward Aetheling, son of King Edmund Ironside was proclaimed in early 1043, with Godwin his regent until his return from Hungary [3]

1044 – With Estriden sitting, as regent for Edward, on the Norwegian throne, Harald Hardrde decided to act and returned, as had Magnus, from Kievan Rus' and quickly dispatched the man. Harald would look for opportunity to strike west against the impudent English, who dared to claim his crown [4]. As Godwin settled in as regent he heard the pubic ally disturbing, but privately gratifying, news that King Edward had been taken hostage with his son by Henry III the Holy Roman Emperor.

1055 – Tostig, the second eldest son of Godwin, was raised to the Earldom of Northumbria upon the death, without issue, of Earl Siward.

1057 – Edward was finally released, much to Godwin's chagrin, and re-started his trip back to England. His last act was to die aboard a transport to the shores of Dover, his body and his six year old son were taken ashore and met by Harold Godwinson. The Witan, with its august wisdom, has appointed Gowin's son, Harold, as guardian of by boy. Harold and Godwin recognised that they would never be able to reign on the throne of England while a member of the House of Wessex was still alive, but also knew that if anything happened to the boy he would fall to gossip of murder and intrigue [5].

1060 – Harold came to love his charge, almost as his own son, and much to the annoyance of his farther decided to adopt the boy, tutoring the young King Edgar Aetheling in everything that he would need in his later years and even had him married to his daughter, Gytha. [6]

1064 – Tostig was never popular with the Northumbrian ruling class, a mix of Danish invaders and Anglo Saxon survivors of the last Norse invasion. So while looking to cement his rule of the north he had Gamal, son of Orm and Ulf, son of Dolfin, assassinated when they visited him under safe conduct. All this happened while his farther Godwin, lay dying in the south.

1065 – The thanes of Yorkshire had finally had enough of the overbearing southerner and they descended upon the ruling city of York, killing Tostig's officials and supporters and declaring him outlaw. The Earl then turned to his brother, now the most powerful man in England, Harold who he expected support from. The King's right hand man, travelled north to negotiate with the rebels and realised that Tostig would not be able to retain Northumbria. He duly turned on his brother sending him into exile [7].


The British Isles in 1066, the Golden province is the personal demise of the King

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[1] He is not crowned King of England ITTL, but the changes are small as he died as Harthacanute was preparing an army
[2] Yes OTL Edward the Confessor is dead
[3] Another small change as it was not known that he was still alive until later IOTL
[4] This leaves Svein as England's regent in Denmark
[5] This is the only way I can stop the power hungry Godwin
[6] None of this happened IOTL, but I can't see why it couldn't
[7] All of this Tostig business is straight from OTL, it was too good to miss
 
Still have Picts in the north?
I suppose all will be revealed as the timeline unfolds.
 
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