WI: Northumbria Newfound

tuareg109

Banned
The POD is in 1016, when Earl Uhtred the Bold of Northumbria is more amenable to the invasion of Cnut, and so is not eventually killed by Thurbrand the Hold, with Cnut's connivance.

50 years later, little has changed except that Uhtred's descendants have managed to hold onto the Earldom of Northumberland. Earl Osulf, grandson of Uhtred, is King Harold Godwinson's most powerful vassal, and decides to side with Harald Hardrada during the invasion.

The Battle of Stirling Bridge's equivalent is lost by the English, and Harald goes on to conquer England. By the end the English, if not quite happy about Norwegian rule, view the Scandinavian Harald as better than the (essentially) French William the Bastard, because English language and culture are much closer to Scandinavian than French.

Osulf marries Harald's daughter and is confirmed as Earl of an expanded Northumbria, with Harald as his liege. Tostig Godwinson becomes King of a reduced England, with Harald as his de facto liege.

Osulf and sons (with Anglo-Norse names, no less) have fun raiding and warring against the Scots and expanding their holdings. Because Northumbria is a bit denuded of men (many Northumbrian Anglo-Saxons having gone south to fight with Harold Godwinson and been destroyed in battle), Osulf invites Scandinavian men of all sorts, and so the Anglo-Norse culture takes firm hold within fifty years.

Maybe, just maybe, Edgar Aetheling retakes England (with or without Norse sanction?).


I don't know what will happen after that, but it sure seems fun!
Am I killing the butterflies, or are my POD's lack of effects acceptable?
 
For having Uchtred more conciliant with Knut, like he did with Sven, a good way would be to prevent his alliance with Aethelred and Edmund, with his marriage with their daughter/sister.
Eventually it would mean make Aethelred or Edmund's reign less strong (maybe having Svein invasion eventually resulting in Aethelred and/or Edmund's death).

It would certainly butterfly many things about Anglo-Saxon England history, particularly the domination of Godwinsson in Wessex and East-Anglia.
Eventually, it could mean a lasting partage of England between Anglo-Saxons and Cnut, (respectivly Wessex, Sussex and Kent for the first, the rest for the others) that could stand more easily.

Of course, in this configuration, Uchtred and his descdendents could be in good position to became sub-kings of Danish England, eventually taking royal title for themselves and competitors of Anglo-Saxon England.

I know this is far from your original idea, and sorry if I took too much liberties : but I don't see much choices for a late Northumbria takeover. Anyway, even keeping the original idea, I don't think that Godwinsson takeover or William the Bastard invasion would take place automatically : I think it could be easily butterflied by a 1016 PoD.
 
The Battle of Stirling Bridge's equivalent is lost by the English, and Harald goes on to conquer England.
I'm assuming you mean Stamford Bridge? Beyond that, I have to agree with LSCatilina
Anyway, even keeping the original idea, I don't think that Godwinsson takeover or William the Bastard invasion would take place automatically : I think it could be easily butterflied by a 1016 PoD.
The likelihood of the next fifty years leading to the same combination of events that was so fateful in OTL for Anglo-Saxon England is pretty improbable. Having the native earls of Northumbria around and strong could well change the dynamics of power enough to stop the inexorable rise of the Godwins. Even if it doesn't, who's to say that the fallout after the death of Cnut goes the same way? After that, there's even less chance that the perfect storm of events leading up to 1066 happens. Edward the confessor's brother Alfred may still be around, Edward the Exile might survive. If the Godwins are exiled at all, do they pull off a return?

Finally, if all this falls into place exactly as OTL, 1066 itself is still very much up in the air...
 
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