The battle of Caldbeck 1066

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Thanks, any suggestions, comments or requests will be considered (I've got an outline, but there's lots of wriggle room)
 

Deleted member 5719

From "El cantar de mio Cid", composed near Burgos, around 1150.

Myo Çid Ruy Diaz por Burgos entraua.
En su conpanna LX pendones leuaua: exien lo ver mugieres e uarones.
Burgeses e burgesas por las finiestras son puestos.
Plorando de los oios, tanto auyen el dolor.
De las sus bocas todos dizian una razon:
Dios, que buen vassalo si ouiesse buen sennor!
Conbidar le yen de grado, mas ninguno non osaua,
El rey don Alfonsso tanto auie la grand sanna.
Antes de la noche en Burgos del entro su carta,
Con grand recabdo e fuerte mientre sellada:
Que a Myo Çid Ruy Diaz que nadi nol diessen posada,
E aquel que gela diesse sopiesse una palabra,
Que perderie los aueres e mas los oios de la cara,
E aun demas los cuerpos e las almas.
Grande duelo auien las yentes christianas.
E su mugier Elvira, lorando fue al cerro,
Tan grande era su lanto, como fosse luto no desterro,
Con anziana encontrose, nel pozo de Santiago.
Dizo, Por que loras fija mia? Quedan nueve meses por el parto.
El uaron que llevas adentro sera rey de valencianos,
Tu ventre bendito es el castello delos cristianos.


My Cid Ruy Díaz entered Burgos,
in his company sixty pennons, women and men came out to see him,
burghers, men and women, are at their windows,
weeping from their eyes, they felt such sorrow,
from their mouths all said one thing,
-¡God, what a good vassal, if he had a good lord!-
They would welcome him gladly, but none dared,
King don Alfonso had such terrible anger,
before nightfall, his letter entered Burgos,
with much precaution and heavily sealed,
that no one give lodging to my Cid Ruy Díaz,
and that whosoever might give it to him know verily,
that he would lose his possessions and also the eyes from his face,
and even their bodies and their souls.
The Christian people have great sorrow,
they hide from my Cid, for they dare not say anything to him.
And his wife Elvira, ran crying to the hill,
Crying as if in morning not in exile,
She met an old woman at the well of Saint James,
Why are you crying my daughter?, she asked, it's still 9 months to the birth.
The man child you carry will be King of Valencians,
your blessed womb is the fortress of the Christians.



(butterflies are underlined)
 
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Deleted member 5719

Godwinson family at the start of the war of the Godwinsons (1081)

family tree copy.jpg

Various daughters of Harold II by Eadgyth Swan-Neck are not shown.

Wulfnoth Godwinson was murdered in Normandy, in 1066, where he had been held as a hostage since Harold's enforced stay as a "guest" of William the Bastard.

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Deleted member 5719

4th January 1987. 10:17 p.m.

"And now on S4K(1), episode twelve of The Godwinsons.

It's 1067, and, now securely in power, Harold has sent the young MacHarold brothers to the court of his friend, King Murtagh of Dublin. There, they have both become romantically entangled with Roisin, a young Irish serving-girl, who may be more than she seems.

Meanwhile, back in England, an old flame comes a-calling on King Harold, disturbing his domestic bliss. How will his new young wife Edith react to the arrival of sultry femme-fatale Eadgyth Swan-neck?

This programme is being shown slightly later than advertised, due to the extended news coverage of the Accitan Crisis."

Opening Credits.

(1) Sianel Pedwar Kumanlad.
 

Deleted member 5719

The war of the Godwinsons, from History for dummies. (Kumanlad Press, Cardydd, 1993)

The Death of Harold II

After 15 years of Harold II rule England was one of the most prosperous countries in Europe, a great trading nation whose ships ranged from Al Andalus to the Baltic, to Greenland. Her King seemed in rude health, despite his age, and it appeared that England's prosperity was assured.

In October 1081 Harold was hunting with Edmund of Mercia and his son Harold Godwine MacHarold near Knutsford, Cheshire when his horse stepped in a mole hill and threw him head first. He was taken to Knutsford where he died 2 days later, of head injuries. Harold was able to communicate for part of the first day, during which time he spoke alone for an hour with Harold Godwine MacHarold.

Upon the King's death, riders were sent out to summon a Witanmoot at Northampton, to be held one month later. Many there would have valid claim to the throne, but a compromise would have to be reached which would be acceptable to everyone.
 
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The candidates- Witanmoot of 1081

The Godwin family were by this point the unchallenged masters of England. Though Northumberland and a reduced Mercia remained outside their direct control, the rich southern lowlands of England were under their full control, and the new standing army, nominally under the control of the Witan, was commanded by men who were loyal to the family. All the brothers, sons and nephews of Harold were members of the Witan, along with many Bishops and minor lords who were loyal to them. This meant that only a descendant of Godwin had any chance of becoming King. Unfortunately, there were several to choose from.

Harold Godwin MacHarold:

Harold Godwinson's eldest son by Eadgylth Swan-neck. The powerful King of the isle of Man, in 1081 he controlled the Walruss ivory trade from Greenland and the rich trading port of Douglas. Probably the richest man in the kingdom and therefore able to purchase the services of large numbers of Irish and Scandinavian mercenaries. Widely respected for his intelligence but with a reputation for cruelty. Not liked by his younger brothers, the Haroldsons. Two factors stand against him: He would almost certainly centralise power in his own hands, and is seen as too Irish, speaking that language as fluently as English and dressing in the Irish manner whilst in his own kingdom. His two sons even speak English with an accent.

Edmund (alternatively Eamon or Evan) MacHarold, earl of Cornwall:

Younger twin brother of Harold Godwin MacHarold. He had a reputation as an excellent administrator, having introduced wide-ranging economic and legal reforms in Cornwall, and was the most battle tested of Harold's sons. As the junior twin, he was somewhat in the shadow of his older brother, and few expected him to challenge in his own right. He also suffered from the same disadvantage as his twin, he ruled a peripheral Earldom and was married to a foreigner, a Breton noblewoman. Therefore he was viewed by some as not sufficiently Saxon to rule England.

Magnus MacHarold:

The youngest of Harold Godwinson's three sons by his first marriage. A well liked and comparatively pious man who had just turned 30, he was Ealdorman of Sussex. He was viewed as somewhat unwordly, but his good relationship with all branches of the Godwinson family meant that he had an outside chance as a compromise candidate, especially since he didnt suffer from the perceived foreigness associated with his older brothers. He may have been considered too weak to be king.

Harold Haroldson, Earl of the Welsh March:

At 15, Harold's oldest legitimate son (a few hours older than his identical twin Ulf), he was an accomplished horseman and displayed all the qualities necessary to become a great War-leader. Indeed, it appeared that his father had been grooming him for that exact purpose. The wishes of Harold were seen as crucial by many members of the Witan who were outside the Godwinson family, given the stability and prosperity the country had enjoyed during that time. There was also a movement towards primogeniture amongst the bishops and abbotts in the Witan, both for religious and practical reasons, a more orderly transfer of power was, they felt, good for the country. A young and impressionable King would also suit the Earls of Mercia and Northumberland who were suspicious of Harold Godwin MacHarold's power and cunning.

Leofwine Godwinson, Earl of Kent

Aged 46 and overweight, Leofwine no longer resembled the athletic figure who had fought against William the Bastard with his brother Harold. He was the titular head of the Godwinson family, being the oldest surviving male, and his seniority was respected within the family. However, he was not well, he was recorded in contemporary chronicles as being "past his days as a crow feeder". He also had 3 sons, meaning that if he died in a few years, there would probably be 3 MacHarolds, 4 Godwinsons and 3 Leofwinesons with credible claims, along with the King of Scotland (who now had a son descended from Harold, via Gytha of Wessex) and possibly his brother Gyrth, who, by contrast, was in fine health.

Gyrth Godwinson, Earl of East Anglia

A battle-tested and gnarled old soldier, at the age of 45 he still looked every inch a fighting man. He was widely liked for his unconditional loyalty to Harold, and his respect for the family. Indeed so honest was he that his father, the devious Godwin, is said to have suspected the boy was not his. He was a plausible candidate for the Kingship, but he had spent so many years doing the bidding of his older brother that he perhaps couldnt see his own suitability. His own high regard for his family, and his trusting nature perhaps left him vulnerable to others within the clan whose motives were not so pure. More succinctly, Maelcun of Exeter describes him as "a good man," before snidely adding "and what danger is a good man, when he is also a damn fool with an army." (from "Memories of the wars of the Godwinsons")
 
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Deleted member 5719

EBC2 Continuity. 21:30, 01/05/1989

Happy Swartmass to one and all! If you want to keep the holiday spirit flowing, turn to EBC1 now, where we have live coverage of the festivities at the Temple of Satan in Winchester.
But here on EBC 2, it’s high drama, with a special Swartmass episode of the Godwinsons. In last week’s episode, Harold Godwin smothered his injured father in his bed, when the old King revealed that Edmund, not Harold Godwin, was his chosen heir. Thinking his crime has gone undetected Harold Godwin summons the Witan to name him King. However, unbeknownst to Harold, the murder was observed by the serving girl Godiva, who is Ulf Haroldson’s secret lover, and the scene is set for War….
If you wish to hear the program dubbed into Aenglish, press the red button on your remote now.
 

Deleted member 5719

Factions of the War of the Godwinsons (Feb 1082)

england1065edited copy.jpg

Key:

Red: Pro Harold Haroldson (Godwinson clan)
Green: Pro Harold Haroldson (Leofricson clan)
Blue: Pro Harold Godwin MacHarold (Godwinson clan)
Yellow: Pro Harold Godwin MacHarold (Minor Earldoms)

england1065edited copy.jpg
 

Deleted member 5719

Niall MacFergus: Alternative Britain (1993, Cannmore press, Dinedyn)

The dominant meme of 20th century historiography is the theory of structural determinism; that underlying economic, environmental and cultural factors imposed themselves on historical actors and led us, inevitably, to the current geo-political configuration. There can be few historical events for which this analysis is less convincing than the constitutional crisis of 1081, and the civil war which arose from it.
The death of Harold Godwinson (probably not at the hands of his son, as generations of schoolchildren have been erroneously taught), created a pivotal moment, in which the personal loyalties, judgments and ambitions of a few dozen men shaped the destinies of millions of their descendents. It is no exaggeration to state that seeds sown by these men blossomed into nations.
When the great Saxon council of nobles met in Northampton, the battle lines were clearly drawn, indeed the very choice of venue indicated this. Northampton was the territory of the Anglo-Danish Earl Waltheof, not a member of either the two main noble families of England, the Houses of Leofric and Godwin. Northampton bordered on the territory of the aging Eadwine of Mercia (head of the Leofric party), and that of Leofwine Godwinson, his counterpart amongst the Godwins. Immediately to the east lay the land of Gyrth Godwinson, a strong candidate for the crown in his own right, and to the south-west was the Shire of Oxford, loyal to Ulf Haroldson, and firmly in the camp of his twin, Harold Haroldson.
Contemporary accounts tell of weeks of frenzied negotiation, of plot and counter plot reminiscent of a pre-reformation Vatican conclave. The sons of Harold by his second wife Edith were at a distinct disadvantage, being only sixteen and lacking the consolidated patronage blocks of their uncles Gyrth and Leofwine. But this very weakness became their strength, as Eadwine of Mercia and Leofric Morecareson of Northumberland threw their weight behind Harold Haroldson, in the hope that a weak and inexperienced monarch would favour their interests. Leofwine had the backing of his brother Gyrth, but precious little support could be found for Leofwine amongst the bishops and neutral Earls.
And here was the moment that could have changed history, when decision was made after which nothing would ever be the same. If Gyrth Goodwinson had put himself forward as a compromise candidate, he would almost certainly have been elected king, but out of loyalty to Leofwine, he refused to do so. Had this war been avoided, it is extremely unlikely that partition could have happened, for despite what nationalist romanticists would have us believe concerning the Celtic essence of Bretland, much of its territory was at this point Anglo-Saxon speaking.
So, for want of another alternative, the Leofwinites transferred their allegiance to Harold Godwin MacHarold, the King of Man. He had two main attractions; firstly, while powerful in the Irish sea region, he lacked a power base the mainland, a weakness the Earls could exploit; and secondly, his succession would scotch the move towards primogeniture favoured by the bishops. This of course, would leave the door ajar for their own sons upon Harold Godwin MacHarold’s death.
For a few brief hours it looked as if the matter was sorted, with the votes of his full-brothers Edmund (Earl of Cornwall) and Magnus MacHarold (Earl of Greater Devon) in the bag, Harold Godwin MacHarold was assured of the crown. But when the conclave voted, and for reasons which remain unclear, both Magnus and Edmund voted for their young half-brother Harold Haroldson. Again, without their decision, it seems unlikely Bretland would ever have come into existence.
 

Deleted member 5719

"The war of the Godwinsons, from History for dummies. (Kumanlad Press, Cardydd, 1993)

Early skirmishes


The Peterborough chronicles record that, in February of 1082, a Hiberno-Manx army loyal to Harold Godwin MacHarold landed near Chester and quickly captured the castle at Meols. This winter attack was unexpected, and it seems the forces loyal to King Harold III were sorely unprepared. The response from the legitimist forces was disastrous, the elderly Earl Eadwine of Mercia was killed at Wilmslow in an attempt to dislodge the interlopers, echoing his fool-hardy solo attempt to stop the invasion of Harald Hardraada in 1066.

To be fair to the aged Earl, he may well have been attempting to stop the Hiberno-Norse forces from uniting with those of Uhtred Oswulfson, Earl of Bamburgh, who was advancing southwards with a force bolstered by Thegn Malcolm of Dunbar, chief of the English of Lothian, and a subject of the King of Scots. This force was stopped at Winwood near Leeds, by the forces of Aelfgar Morecareson, Earl of Northumbria, and the garrison of the Witan Host from the castle at Leeds. The victory cannot have been overwhelming, Uhtred remained in command of Durham, far South of his Earldom, until the end of the war in 1086. The effect of these two pockets of opposition in the north was to tie up Aelfgar’s forces protecting the shire of York, and preventing Northumbrian soldiers from taking part in the battles further South.

The battle of the three brothers

On the 15th of May 1082, a force of Wessexmen, led by Edmund MacHarold, set out from Winchester under the command of Edmund MacHarold, his brother Magnus, and Aelfred, Ealdorman of Winchester. The army was marching on London, in an attempt to take that city in the name of Harold Haroldson.
The army was a mixture of Cornish, Devon and Wessexmen, and contemporary records state that Edmund MacHarold harangued the troops before their departure in both Aenglish and Cornish. A supposed portion of this address survives in Maelcun’s “The War of the Godwinson’s”:

Men of Wessex! Wolf feeders, and widow-makers all. Today we walk the bone road to London, to put a Wessexman on the throne. We march beneath the banners of Harold King, the red dragon and the fighting man, the red dragon Merddin saw, shall triumph once again.

After 4 days march, the Wessexmen were met by an army coming down The Great West Road from London, composed of East Anglian and Kentish troops, under Gyrth Godwinson, with a small contingent from Northampton commanded by the pretender Harold Godwin MacHarold.

What must these three brothers have been thinking when they faced each other at the stone circle of Stanwell? It can be assumed that Harold Godwin felt betrayed, but what about his brothers? Did they suspect Harold had a part in their father’s death? We will never know.

However, the location of the battle is revealing. It is almost certain that Gyrth and Harold Godwin MacHarold had had sufficient notice that Edmund’s force was planning to march on London to block the ford at Staines, and force them to march many miles to the north to cross the Thames. Yet they had allowed them to cross the river and set up camp at Stanwell on the afternoon of the 14th. The only possible reason for this would be that they intended to trap the legitimist forces East of the river, and annihilate them.

In a parley prior to the battle, Edmund and Magnus had offered Harold a peace, and a new Earldom in Chester, in exchange for recognizing Harold Haroldson as king. Harold had refused. Edmund’s army consisted of around 4500 men, of which 500 were heavy cavalry, and 700 were Cornish and Devonshire archers. Harold’s men were largely infantry, 6000 strong but with a larger number of fyrdmen, free farmers who owed military service to the king.

The men of Kent and East Anglia took up positions on Dragon Hill, just north of Stanwell, and jeered down at the Wessexmen, they were sure the weaker legitimist force could be no match for them in battle. Edmund’s strategy was brilliant, he ordered his archers to advance fire volleys into the ranks of the fyrdmen who were lightly armoured and often lacked shields. The fyrd took quite heavy casualties, which lead Arnulf, Ealdorman of Sandwich to charge down the hill in an attempt to stop the lethal volleys, away from the shield wall Edmund’s cavalry charged and cut down several hundred of Harold’s better troops. Throughout the morning Edmund used feigned retreats and attacks by his cavalry to lure down Harold’s troops from the ridge, and cut them down when they were isolated on the lower ground, all the while maintaining a deadly barrage of arrows.

At three o’clock, Edmund ordered his infantry to charge the shield wall, while his cavalry crashed into the side of Harold’s lines, after two hours of fierce fighting Gyrth Godwinson was killed and MacHarold’s forces fled, leaving Gyrth Godwinson’s Housecarles to fight to the last man and cover the retreat. Barely two thousand made it to the safety of London, but Harold Godwin MacHarold was among them.

In the fighting, his younger brother Magnus MacHarold, Earl of Devon, lost his sword-hand, and would have lost his life, save for the intervention of a Jewish doctor who had recently arrived in England, fleeing the turmoil in Iberia.
 

Deleted member 5719

From "The Godwinsons", S4K, 13/05/09

(Edmund rides into the camp alone, bloodied and out of breath, Madoc takes his reigns and Edmund jumps from the saddle)

Madoc: My lord, is the usurper taken?
Edmund: He made it to London damn him. It will be a siege. Where is my brother?
Madoc: In your tent, my lord, he's with... with the Jew Samuel.
Edmund: You won't last long in my service if you keep calling me My Lord, before God I am Edmund, and before my squire the same.
Madoc: Sorry my... Sorry.

(Edmund enters the tent, Magnus is on the bed, unconscious, the stump of his right arm bandaged, Samuel is by the bed)

(Samuel stands and bows)

Samuel: My lord.
Edmund: How is he?
Samuel: I have cleaned the wound, and staunched and burned the stump. He is sleeping now.
Edmund: Will he live damn you?
Samuel: He has lost much blood, but not too much I think. If the stump is not infected, he will live.
Edmund: The green?
Samuel: He may die, but it will not be the green that kills him.
(Edmund throws a bag of coins to Samuel)
Edmund: There shall be 5 more of those if he lives.
Samuel: (bowing) Thank you my lord.

(Sounds of a horse galloping into the camp, Edmund runs out of the tent, the rider is slumped forward in the saddle of the panting horse, Madoc holds the reigns)

Edmund: Evan? Evan ap Merig, I left you with Maelcun, what...?
Evan: (out of breath) The Bretons, Earl Edmund, they've landed at Penzance.
Edmund: (through gritted teeth) Damn you Hoel Brezhoneg, damn you to hell.
 
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Deleted member 5719

This timeline appears to have fizzled out :(

Glad you care. :)

Actually my internet connection fizzled out, there'll be an update on Thursday, with added El Cid and Viking on Skraeling action.
 

Deleted member 5719

from "The Isles" by Leofwine Rabinowitz (5th Edition 2010)

The Breton invasion of Cornwall in 1082 was a typically astute strategic move by Hoel Brezhoneg. The regent of Brittany had been preparing since the outbreak of war in England that February, and had assembled an impressive force of 1000 knights, 2300 Breton foot soldiers, and an auxiliary contingent of around a thousand Irish warriors, along with several hundred French archers. It was a smaller force than that assembled by William the Bastard 15 years earlier, but then its aims were much more limited too.
The wily Breton had already extended his domain into Normandy, taking Mont St Michel and Avranches in exchange for his support of the Danes at the siege of Dieppe. He saw the troubles in England as a golden opportunity to extend his rule to the other side of the Channel, uniting the Britons of Brittany with their Cornish and Devonish brothers. This was by no means a fantastical plan.
The Breton and the Cornish languages were, as they still are, mutually intelligible, and Cornwall had had its own kings up to the start of the 11th century. Indeed, Breton chronicles of this period take great pains to emphasise the unity of the Britons of Greater and Lesser Britain, self-consciously harking back to the legendary British king Arthur, who, according to Breton legend, ruled all of Britain and Gaul from his palace on Mont St Michel.
It is quite probable, therefore, that Hoel Brezhoneg saw himself as a liberator when he stepped ashore at Penzance in May 1086. It was just a shame that nobody seemed very interested in being liberated. Edmund MacHarold, Earl of Cornwall had made himself immensely popular in Cornwall, he had reformed the legal system, promoted Britons wherever he could, and even paid Cornish bards handsome sums to compose epic poems in his honour. The Britons of Cornwall had never had it so good, and when the chips were down, their loyalty to their Earl trumped their blood-ties to Hoel’s strangely dressed and heavily armed foreigners.
Hoel’s landing was timed to perfection, Earl Edmund and his army were many days march to the east preparing for battle at Stanwell, a few miles from London. The only force of experienced soldiers in the whole Dumonian Peninsula was the 300 strong Witan Host garrison at Exeter Castle, and 50 or so men at arms under Maelcun of Exeter quartered at Falmouth. Had Edmund been defeated at Stanwell, or had he left a less resourceful deputy the Maelcun of Exeter to rule Cornwall in his stead, it seems likely that Hoel’s plan would have succeeded.
 

Deleted member 5719

From "The War of the Godwinsons" by Maelcun of Exeter. Cerca 1100

When Duke Hoel came to Cornwall in May 1082, there was great fear in the country. Earl Edmund had left a few soldiers to guard against the pirates of the Irish, but against such a host as Hoel’s the land was undefended. My first thought was to withdraw to Exeter and raise my Devon kin against the invaders, but I was loath to do this, for I feared that once Cornwall had fallen, it would never be recovered. So I summoned to me a certain Geront an Gof, a man of Lanwithel. He tarried two days in arriving, two days I sweated and feared that the Cornishmen had passed to the enemy. On the evening of the second day he arrived, at the head of 300 men and boys armed with spears, swords, axes, scythes and bows. They were a ragged host, but grim. “Greetings Thegn Maelcun,” He told me. “The men of the West are with their Earl”.

This Geront had been a wolfshead, unjustly outlawed in the early years of the reign of the old king. He had fought against the Saxons from the wild places and killed many men. An Gof, in our language, means “the smith” and amongst our people smiths are like little kings, they have powers over the elements and are the doctors to their clan. In the legends of our people, Nudd, king of the fairies, is a smith who lost his right hand in battle and made a replacement for himself out of silver (for the fair folk can stand no iron). When Earl Edmund came to Cornwall he hunted Geront down and took him prisoner near Bodmin. Edmund knew that Geront had been outlawed unjustly and went to speak to the outlaw. “Geront, go unto your smithy in Lanwithel, and sin no more.” Said my Earl. “But mark, if you, or one of your men break my laws again, you will all be hanged and buried in Devon”. Thus the justice of Earl Edmund was coined in loyalty.

It is meet that the old smith rallied to our banners, for there were not men enough of King Harold’s party in England to fight all his foes. In Mercia the men of Gwynedd continually raided and pillaged, with young King Harold and his brother Ulf chasing one band over the border, only to hear of another 50 miles away. The bulk of our army was with Earl Edmund near London, but he could not come to Cornwall without making the land fast against his brother, the usurper Harold MacHarold.

So, the men of Cornwall went into the wilds and harried the Bretons, divided in small bands under the orders of myself and Geront. The Bretons could not leave Penzance in groups of less than 200, or the Cornish would fall upon them, like cats upon mice. After 3 months of this struggle, I ordered the men of Exeter to cross the Tamar and march on Bodmin, this drew the Breton eastwards and allowed my wolfsheads to pick off stragglers and supply wagons. As the Bretons marched I received the news for which I had been waiting, Earl Edmund had arrived at Exeter. I ordered my men to take to the hills near Bodmin, drawing them into terrain more difficult for their horses.

Edmund forded the Tamar with three thousand men, and marched onto the moors at Bodmin, where he was joined by another thousand Cornishmen. I rejoiced to see my Earl, and he embraced both me and Geront an Gof. A great battle was joined on the 14th day of September, at Croeselfis on Bodmin moor. The battle was long and bloody, and raged from the morning till an hour before dusk, when Hoel asked parley. Duke Hoel was a cousin of Earl Edmund’s wife, and Edmund had served him in battles of France, so Edmund was well disposed to offer him terms despite his treachery. The men talked for a short while, and an agreement was made. Six hundred knights of Brittany would remain in Britain in the service of Earl Edmund, in exchange for safe passage to the boats.
 

Deleted member 5719

From "The Vinland Kings' Saga", composed in Iceland around 1250

…..And so after killing Kjetil Gunnarson, Bjarni Thorkilsson was outlawed and had to flee from Nidaros with two ships of his followers and kin. They stopped first in Iceland, where his brother Thorkil flat-nose had a farm. Iceland was all-filled with Norwegians in those days, for wars and blood feuds had driven many from their homes in Norway and Orkney. They wintered in Thorkil’s hall, but his lands could not sustain the Bjarnings, so they sailed on to Greenland, with another ship of Icelanders under their captain, Njall the stutterer.

When they arrived in Greenland, they met with the Jarl, Hakon Eriksson. Quickly they could see that Greenland was rich with farms, for a great trade had grown up with the island of the Britons, and many men had come to farm and trade ivory and the skins of the ice bear. Bjarni and Njall asked the Jarl for a settlement for their people, but Hakon told them there was none, as even then many newcomers were forced to eat seal and catch fish for their sustenance, which was then against the customs of the Greenlanders (1).

The good Jarl spoke true, for Greenland is a barren land, a land that bears scarce green, but Bjarni became enraged by his answer. Is there no place on Earth for the Bjarnings? He cried. Jarl Hakon calmed him, and told him of the forests of Markland (2), a place often visited by the Greenlanders, and that there was a settlement called Thorfinnshalle(3), which was waste but still sturdy.

So Njall and Bjarni sailed to Markland with their 3 ships, and another filled with the seal-eaters of Greenland, and arrived at that place called Thorfinnshalle, which is on the northernmost tip of the island of Markland. Seeing the land was good, Bjarni decided to build a village, surrounded by a stockade to guard against the Skraelings who haunted the woods. This was done and the settlement was named Bjarningthorp.
.
In the first week of the settlement, a Skraeling was seen by Alfdis Konallsdottir, and it was though that the Skraeling had come to carry her off, so this Skraeling was gelded and left to die in the forest. From this time the Skraelings would harass the Marklanders most cruelly, shooting bone arrows from the safety of the trees in a most cowardly way. So it was decided to take the nearest camp of the Skraelings and put them to the sword. Bjarni and Njall burned the red-men’s camp (4), but spared the women and children, for the men who came from Iceland and Greenland had brought few women, and the children could be sold as slaves in Iceland and Greenland.

So the Marklanders grew in numbers over the years, trading slaves, wood and even complete ships for those things not available in Markland. And many of those men in Iceland and Greenland who are called Skraeling are descended from slaves captured by Bjarni Thorkilsson and Njall flat-nose, for the Skraelings of Markland did not die so easily of disease as those of Vinland.
And all this began in the year of our lord 1082, 16 years after Harald Hardrada was killed by the Aenglish.

Notes
(1)See Jared Diamond’s “Collapse” for the possibility of there being a taboo against eating fish amongst the Greenlanders (based on complete absence of fish bones in Norse sites on Greenland)
(2)I’m taking Newfoundland to be Markland
(3)Thorfinn Karlsefni was a Norwegian/Icelandic explorer who reached Vinland (according to the Greenland saga)
(4)The natives of Newfoundland often painted their bodies with red ochre.
 
(4)The natives of Newfoundland often painted their bodies with red ochre.
Ummm... Actually, it seems almost certain that the 'Skraelings' at L'Anse aux Meadows (where an OTL settlement, probably the one in the Sagas) at that time were Dorset paleo-Eskimos, and would likely not have been 'red men' whether they covered themselves in ochre or not.

If they weren't Dorset they would have been Beothuk and AFAIK they didn't use ochre either, but I'm not so sure about that.


OTOH, if your Marklanders take over the entire island, they may forget (or not really recognize) that the Skraelings on the north coast are different from the ones in the interior. And so little is known of the Beothuk (aside from their primitiveness) that you can probably invent quite a bit.

Of course, I'm quite sure that 'Markland' was the Labrador coast - but again, none of this is verifiable exactly, and in any case, those locations weren't cast in stone - if later settlers renamed places, well.....
 
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