Another Glorious Update
The dawn of the 11th century and the opening of a second millennium dispelled most lingering hopes of imminent salvation, and people settled into the reality that perhaps Christ would be a long time returning. Geopolitically, the this new century would see the final fall of the Eastern Empire and the dawn of a European renaissance.
In 1000 Crown- Prince Dyfed of Ceredigion led a colonial fleet across the sea to Hibernia. The island had been left alone, with little external contact. This colonising fleet was meant to found a colony on the coast, destroy pirate havens and secure trading links with local Irish Kings.
Dyfed was a strong man and a respected war leader. He landed and the new colony of Saint James’s was hastily thrown up. A ditch and moat were dug and wooden huts erected. The colony was little but a military camp, although some men had brought their families, hoping for a new life away from Wales.
The first few years were rough for the settlers, and the Irish constantly raided them. The tribesmen flung themselves against the walls and the moat, and although many were killed the Welsh found themselves hard- pressed. Finally reinforcements came in 1002 in the form of 30 ships and 1,000 men. With these men Dyfed took to the field and smashed the coalition army of local Irish chieftains.
Ireland was dominated by two major classes. The first were the Druids. The Druids were concerned with all matters divine; they conducted sacrifices and interpreted the will of the Immortal Gods. They were also the supreme deciders of all crimes. If murder had been done, or there was some boundary dispute, then the Druids decided the matter. If any man, whether common or noble, did not abide by the Druid’s decisions, they were banned from sacrifices. Among the Irish this was a serious punishment, and those who had been banned were held among the impious and the wicked. The Druids were led by one man, who was the most esteemed and wise of them all. On his death then a new First Druid was chosen if one stood out, and if there were many contenders then they would compete in a general vote among the Druids, sometimes with recourse to arms.
The second class were the Knights. The custom of having a class of landowners had bled over from Britain, and the Knights were mounted horsemen who fought from the saddle. They carried light javelins and long swords. They were heavily mailed, and an organised charge of Knights would break even a tough formation. These men devoted their entire lives to battle and to the service of their King. They were all warriors, and pledged themselves annually to their liege lord.
Ireland was fractured between many kingdoms and chieftains. The one unifying influence, however, was the Druids. These surpassed all feuds and border disputes, and would in times of emergency convene to decide the fates of all. For no one could summon loyalty and respect in the heart of an Irishman like a Druid, and their word was sacrosanct. Because of this, Ireland had remained largely untouched by Christianity, and so the Welsh colony was a serious threat.
A general meeting of the Druids was convened, and it was decided that all the kings and chieftains of Ireland should unite against these intruders. A vote was held, and a High King was elected to lead the assembled army.
Crown Prince Dyfed, meanwhile, had gathered reinforcements from Wales and several Gallic adventurers joined him. He also received a contingent of troops financed by the Bank of France, who hoped to increase their influence in the area. He also had several Irish chieftains and their men baptised, and these men fought for him.
In May 1004 the two armies met. They met in a wide glacial valley which was largely flat, and with a river running through it. The Welsh were several miles from their boats, yet their retreat was secure. The Irish, however, were so numerous and so heterogeneous that they were all awry with the High King commanding little but his own men.
The battle commenced with a volley of arrows from Welsh archers. The Irish responded with slings and arrows, yet the Welsh sustained few losses and inflicted many more. the Irish Knights, led by their various Kings, demanded that they be afforded a place in the front ranks of battle. The High King, against his better judgement, let them engage first, and so a charge of some 1,000 horsemen commenced the battle proper.
The Welsh were formed in three blocks. In the centre were the Welshmen themselves. They had formed a shield wall, and behind their interlocking shields were their host of archers. To their left were the Gauls and French, who too fought in a shield wall. To the right were the Irish, and behind them were placed some 200 cavalry, who were there to keep the Irish in battle and reinforce the line.
The first cavalry charge floundered under a hail of arrows. the knights regrouped and charged again. This time they rammed into the shield wall, and for a few minutes it seemed as if the Welsh would break. Then, Prince Dyfed led his own men into battle, his Huscarls who steeled his men’s will to fight. The Irish knights withdrew and did not charge again.
Faced with defeat, the High King committed his infantry. On the whole these were levies, however there were many warriors who fought with axe and shield. These men were the Welshmen’s equals, and the battle was a fierce one. The two sides fought for the better part of seven hours while their respective cavalry watched on. Finally, Dyfed ordered his cavalry and Irish to encircle the Irish infantry. The knights, when they saw this, attacked, yet the flanking force fended them off. At this point most of the Irish knights withdrew from the battle, forlorn. Having lost his support the High King saw that all was lost and plunged into the fray. One can only assume that he was slain, or no further record of him exists.
After nearly 10 hours of battle the Welsh were victorious. The High King was dead, and following the battle large numbers of Druids were captured. Many knights too had fallen, and so Ireland was decapitated. The Battle of Wexford, as it was later known, was one of the most decisive in history. Crown Prince Dyfed later received the subjugation of most of the Irish Kings and had them baptised. Four years after the battle and with fresh forces, he finally destroyed the Druids and began a long process of reconstruction.
In 1010 a major uprising was made in the north. This was brutally crushed over a period of nine years which led to the deaths of thousands of men. Dyfed then met the kings of Ireland and they proclaimed his father the King of Ceredigion High King of Ireland. Dyfed took the title of Arch- Duke, and he ruled from Limerick.
The conversion and rapid conquest of Ireland was a shock to the British King. His previously tiny, if wealthy, neighbour had more than quintupled in size. He now faced the very real possibility of competition in the quest for dominance over the islands.
The early 11th century in the Eastern Roman Empire saw the once homogenous unit crumble into four largely autonomous regions. These were donated in 1011 by Emperor Theodore III to his legates. He announced the creation of the quintarchy, in an attempt to revive the declining empire. Italy was given to one man, the Balkans to another, Syria and Asia Minor to another and Egypt and Palestine to another. North Africa was all given to the King of Numidia.
The quintarchy lasted some 40 years and certainly made the empire’s eventual fall far less bloody. However, 1011 in effect signalled the end of real Imperial authority. The four Despots ruled from their castrem and milked the land dry. They exploited al they could from the people. The Imperial Legions were handed over to these Despots who uniformly used them to extend their own rule. The legionary commanders came into their pay and their allegiance. However, Theodore had also given the Patriarchs temporal powers of taxation and levy over their areas. The Patriarch of Constantinople almost immediately founded his own military units whom he purchased from the slave markets. These men were fiercely trained and staunch supporters of the Patriarch. They would accompany him everywhere and would form a barrier between his holiness and the mob. These were regarded with contempt by the Varangians.
Constantinople itself was controlled by the Imperial Chamberlain. The Emperor did not even rule his own city. When Theodore died in 1015, however, his son Basil became Emperor. He was only 17 and was determined to regain his power. He began by befriending the Patriarch Leo. Leo loathed the Varangians and the Imperial bureaucracy; as did Basil. He had been surrounded by these perfidious men since childhood and now loathed them with all his soul. They thus hatched secret plots that would restore Imperial power.
In 1017 the Rashidun Caliphate attacked Asia Minor. A huge force of some 11,000 horsemen charged headlong towards Constantinople. They were victorious everywhere, and Caesarea fell in the Summer. By the Autumn they were within 300 miles of the coast.
To the south, meanwhile, the Fatimids too attacked Egypt. The Sultan of Meroe had long dreamed of ruling the entire Nile. Now he marched 50,000 men north along with a small river fleet that could be put on rollers for the treacherous cataracts. The Despot of Egypt marched to meet them yet was defeated at Aswan, and withdrew to the north. The Sultan’s armies swatted all opposition and by Autumn all of Upper Egypt was his.
With the Despots struck immobile by this new onslaught, Basil stepped up. He announced that the Varangian Prefect was a traitor and had him quietly executed. Then, with the newly purged Varangians, he demanded that the Balkan and Italian Despots pledge aid to him and lead their men to battle under his heading. The Balkan Despot accepted, and his army of 20,000 men took the Imperial standard. The Italian Despot, however, did not reply. Frustrated, Basil led the 25,000 men he had at his disposal east. He then sent instructions to the Despot of Syria to march to Tarsus and hold the Syrian Gates.
The Despot of Syria, however, marched through into Lydia, and in the narrow valleys and ravines his army of 10,000 was slaughtered. The Rashidun armies then wheeled north again and marched on Nicaea. Basil met them on the flat country between the Anatolian hills and the sea. The battle was a fierce one and was indecisive. On the second day Basil finally smashed through the Muslim ranks and scored a great victory. The Rashidun army was forced to retreat through the Syrian Gates. Had the Despot obeyed orders they would have been caught, however they preyed upon the cities of Syria, killing many and causing much damage.
In Egypt, however, things were still not good. In early 1018 the Fatimid armies reached Alexandria. After a two month siege it fell. All of Egypt was Muslim and Islam had reached the Mediterranean. This sent shockwaves through Europe. Calls were heard for another Crusade- this time against the Muslims. These were generally ignored, however, and Basil wheeled south. The Despot of Egypt was dead, killed in the siege, and his forces were scattered. Basil mustered his men at Tyre and there amassed 30,000 men. here also he received peace envoys from the Rashidun Caliphate. When they saw his dire situation they demanded all of Mesopotamia and eastern Armenia. Basil begrudgingly accepted, and with peace on his flank, he advanced on Egypt.
Egypt did not lie down to Muslim dominance. Islamic forces were routinely attacked, and the Coptic Pope became a focal point of resistance. Matters finally boiled over when on 28th May 1018 the Pope was dragged from the pulpit by Fatimid soldiers and beheaded. The soldiers sent to kill him were set upon by the incensed congregation and torn apart. For two weeks Alexandria burnt before the Fatimid forces withdrew. Basil entered the city in Triumph before turning south. He met the Fatimids outside Giza and there soundly defeated them. For nearly a year thereafter he chased them south. He took his army south until they were within striking distance of Meroe. Finally the Sultan sued for peace. He conceded a large portion of his northern domains and gave Basil much gold and other precious stones.
Basil’s campaigns of 1018-1020 were some of the greatest in history. However, the young emperor was exhausted. He deposed the Balkan Despot and made himself supreme commander or all Themes. With powers centralised on such a young brow he began to buckle. In 1022 he suffered some sort of stroke, and in 1023 he went partially blind. However, he kept fighting. He was determined to subdue the rebellious Despot of Italy.
To do this he appeased the King of Numidia. King George of Numidia was granted his own title and made a king in his own right, paying tribute and giving soldiers to the Empire as well as a pledge of allegiance, although he was only required to prostrate himself once every ten years. George led an army of 20,000 from Carthage to Sicily and fought a fierce war there. Basil, meanwhile, crossed Otranto with 30,000 men and made north for Rome. The Pope had given his tacit support to the Despot, and now he changed sides. Basil never forgave him, however, and had him imprisoned. After four months he finally defeated the rebellion and entered Rome in triumph. He then acceded to George’s demands and gave him Sardinia and Sicily.
After the brutal years of warfare Basil set about purging his empire. He neither forgot nor did he forgive. In 1025 he had 3,000 men executed for treason. In 1026 he decided to put the Roman Pope on trial for heresy. A General Synod was called and the other Patriarchs found him guilty. Pope Calixtus V was quietly executed.
The fall of the Roman Papacy was unprecedented. Italy erupted in civil war as cities burnt themselves to the ground. Garrisons were slaughtered and Basil found out the hard way that he had gone too far. Italy was a towering inferno, and finally the King of Burgundy intervened. He marched south to his fiefdom of Milan and declared himself King of Italy. With the tacit support of the Western Emperor he marched south and took Tuscany and Venetia.
In Constantinople, Basil found himself more and more isolated. When he summoned his generals on 4th October 1028 they all duly arrived and stabbed him to death. Basil, possibly the best and worse Emperor of Rome, died without successor. The new Pope of Rome crowned King Geoffrey of Burgundy King of Italy on Christmas Day 1028 and George of Numidia had himself crowned King of Africa.
With the west lost to the empire, the east too crumbled away