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1066 AD - Harold II is crowned King of England in this year, claiming that Edward the Confessor had left the kingdom to him on his deathbed. From the beginning Harold has a busy year. The northern Earls Morcar and Edwin only begrudgingly accept him as the rightful king, seeing him as little more than a strongman and a usurper. He must also deal with two other men who claim the English throne. Harald Hardrada, and William of Normandy.
Hardrada proved to be not so great a problem. He was utterly destroyed at Stamford bridge, and at least for the time being Harold had won over Morcar and Edwin. But he had to get to Pevensey, and fast. Because William was on the move.
The battle was joined at Hastings. It would be a clash of cultures, where the Norman knight shall meet the Saxon shield wall.
At one point in the battle, William’s Breton forces on the left flank retreated (historians debate to this day whether or not the retreat was feigned). The Saxon infantrymen were preparing to charge after them, but then Harold himself came in front of his men and asked them, “Would you just as soon pursue death?” This kept the right flank of Harold’s forces from breaking, and kept the overall army from breaking.
This had a cumulative effect. The Saxons were not near as depleted by dusk than they would have been had they pursued the feigned retreats. Night fell on the 14th of October, 1066, and William was forced to retire. Harold Godwinson would live to see the tenth month’s fifteenth day.
In the early hours of October 15th, William realized he had no choice but to retreat. He had lost over three thousand men in the Battle, and his scouts had come back reporting seeing English ships patrolling the shore.
By October 16th, there were no Normans left in England. Harold, in a span of just 19 days had beaten back a Viking invasion force of over 7,500, and a Norman invasion force of 8,000.
Rightly, he was hailed as a hero. Harold Godwinson, King of England, had kept his crown and kingdom.
The rest of the year was spent consolidating his Kingdom. He braced the southern shores of England for another attack by William, but the attack never came. William in November of this year returned the Papal banner to Rome, basically telling the Pope, “Thank but no thanks.” William had weakened his position immensely, and now he had rival duchies in France breathing down his neck.
1067 AD - Another busy year for Harold. Malcolm III continued his slave raids on Northumbria, and Morcar and Edwin were letting Harold know about it. All the while the Welsh were getting to be a serious problem.
England continued to burgeon off the wool trade, and as such money was not a particular problem for Harold. Thus began the reprisal raids against the Welsh.
The Welsh were not difficult to defeat in battle, but it was in the inner hills and mountains of Wales that the English found themselves at odds with their Celtic enemy. And so the English avoided conflict in those aforementioned mountains all together. The reprisal succeeded. Harold constructed a few permanent fortifications along the new border, and called it a victory. And he was right. Various agreements were reached with the Welsh princes that basically ended the worst of the raids for the rest of Harold’s reign.
Elsewhere in Europe at this time, Olav III and Magnus II divide up Harald Hardrada’s kingdom amongst themselves.
1068 - 1069 AD - Harold’s troubles were not over. He still had to deal with Malcolm III of Scotland. Malcolm was causing him a lot of grief, because the longer Malcolm was allowed to raid Northumbria, the more angry Morcar and Edwin became. Something had to be done, Harold didn’t defeat Harald and William for nothing.
He understood that at this time in Scotland there was a dispute as to who was the rightful heir to the throne. Lulach, the previous king of Scotland, had been killed by Malcolm III and took the throne by force. This left Lulach’s eldest son Máel Snechtai with nothing more than Moray, and he was not content with having his claim go unrecognized.
In February of 1068 Harold sent a proposition to Máel Snechtai, that basically said that Harold was willing to go to war with Malcolm III and place him on the throne of Scotland on the condition that the raids on Northumbria stopped.
Harold’s successors would later find out it was a deal with the devil. But enough of that for now.
Máel Snechtai accepted the offer, and the campaign began in earnest in May 1068. The invasion of Scotland by England triggered a domino effect, as the Highland Scots took on an “enemy of my enemy” approach (The English were the Enemy of the Lowland Scots), and Malcolm III found himself in a bit of a situation.
By August 1069, with winter fast approaching, Malcolm III had no choice but to flee. There were too many factions in his court conspiring against him, too many enemies invading on all sides. Malcolm fled to Ireland.
On September 14th, 1069, Máel Snechtai of Moray was crowned King of Scotland. Shortly thereafter, Máel Snechtai signed the Treaty of Scone, proclaiming an alliance between England and Scotland. Morcar and Edwin hailed Harold as a hero, the protector of Northumbria. This day would be marked as the beginning of Harold’s short yet placid reign.
1070 - 1077 AD - Harold spent the rest of his reign dealing with the occasional Welsh or Scottish band of brigands who would descend from their poverty-stricken and mountainous lands to raid a farmhouse or two.
In international waters, the biggest battle Harold had to contend with was the Papacy, who still wouldn’t reconcile him. This battle of wills would continue to persist until 1073, when Pope Alexander II died.
But when Harold threw in his lot with Emperor Henry IV in the Investiture Controversy in 1075, Gregory decided that he best make friends where he could. In exchange for recognizing him as the legitimate Pope, Harold would be reconciled. Harold was given an offer he couldn’t refuse. Or, rather, he didn’t want to.
Harold would die in 1077 of natural causes. But Harold left a whole lot of questions of succession unanswered. He had three sons by Edith Swan-neck, Godwine, Edmund, and Magnus. He also had two sons by Aldith of Mercia, Harold and Ulf. Morcar was vying for position of king as well. In July of 1077 the Witanagemot convened in Winchester. Not to mention Harold had two brothers Gyrth and Leofwine
Harold and Ulf were ruled out right away, as at the time they were only 10 years old, and spent very little time concerned with matters of the state. Gyrth and Leofwine were very old and would not last all that much longer, and having to deal with another succession debacle was something the Witanagemot wished to avoid. This left four possible candidates, Morcar, Godwine, Edmund, and Magnus.
Morcar was the most distantly related to Harold, and his abject failure to defend his realms from Scots and Vikings only served to darken his appearance in the eyes of the Witan. This left three very able candidates, Godwine, Edmund, and Magnus. Godwine and Edmund were twins, and older than Magnus, so he was left out.
This left only Godwine and Edmund. The two had performed fantastically in battle against the Scots, and the witan argued over them into August of 1077. Finally, Edmund stepped down, proclaiming that he will not accept the position of king if given, and would not fight his brother for that title. Godwine was proclaimed the King of England.
Morcar wouldn’t take no for an answer.
Elswehere in the world, Marrakesh is founded in 1070, the Byzantine Empire loses the Battle of Manzikert in 1071, the Normans conquer Palermo in 1072, and Henry IV is reconciled at Canossa by Gregory VII.
1078 - 1079 AD - Morcar attempts a rebellion, and indeed does gain some support. However, the Godwins were seen as heroes to most of the people of Northumbria, and the Scottish king was more than eager to support Harold’s successor (and loot Northumbria, a favorite Scottish past time).
The result of this was that Morcar and his brother Edwin were both killed, Edwin in battle and Morcar by an assassin, presumably hired by Máel Snechtai. With Morcar’s death the brief civil war had ended. As an act of gratitude for his participation and support, King Godwine granted his brother Edmund the Earldoms of Mercia and Northumbria. The Godwin family now controlled almost all of England’s earldoms.
1080 - 1090 AD - Godwine spent this time continuing the policies of his father. He spent much money expanding the cities of York, London, and Winchester, as reminders of the glory of the Godwins’ reign. But things were about to change, when Máel Snechtai died in 1090. Máel Snechtai was a half-liked ruler, and he had no issue. Malcolm III was still living, and still had sons. He also had allies in Ireland willing to assist him in taking the throne.
Malcolm III’s brother Máel Muire, the Mormaer of Atholl, had thrown his lot in with the English when Harold Godwinson invaded, and he was the next logical choice for succession.
Also in 1085, Alfonso VI retook Toledo from the Moors. Pope Victor III is elected in 1086. Pope Urban II then ascends the Papacy in 1088.
1091 - 1094 AD - Civil war in Scotland. Malcolm III returned to Scotland, in an attempt to reclaim the throne. He gained support among the anti-English parts of the Scottish nobility, and had a strong position. But Máel Muire had the support of King Godwine of England, and the pro-English parts of the Scottish nobility.
But in late 1093 Malcolm died, and his sons were only willing to carry on the fight for a few more months. In 1094, Malcolm sons reached an agreement that they would renounce their claims if they were given the Mormaerdoms of Ross and Moray to the two eldest, and the rest were given various Thanedoms.
Scotland was secured once again. For now.
In Europe, in 1091 the Normans finally took the last Islamic strongholds in Sicily, and in that same year the Abbadids are overthrown by the Almoravids in Spain, and in 1094 Pope Urban II proclaims a Crusade.
1095 AD - King Godwine dies. The witan approves his son Osmund to ascend the throne.
Elsewhere in Europe, the Council of Clermont sparks off Crusading fervor all over the continent. Osmund expresses a desire to go on Crusade, but knows that he must stay to oversee the affairs of his country.
1096 AD - Earl Edmund of Northumbria dies less than a year after his brother.
1097 - 1114 AD - The reign of Osmund. A placid reign, it was marked by the construction of grand Cathedrals in Winchester, London, and York. In 1114 AD he died, in his late fifties. He had two sons, Edgar and Alfred. Edgar was granted the title King of England, while Alfred was granted the title Earl of Oxford.
Elsewhere in the world, the First Crusade was a resounding success, with the capture of Jerusalem by the First Crusade in 1099. Later in the year Pope Paschal II was elected. In 1105 Henry IV Holy Roman Emperor is deposed by his son Henry V, and in 1106 Henry IV dies. In 1110 the Crusade continues, with the capture of Beirut and Sidon, and in 1111 Henry V is officially recognized by Pope Paschal II as the Holy Roman Emperor,
1114 - 1128 AD - Reign of King Edgar. Again a very placid reign, although he was the first Anglo-Saxon king since Harold Godwinson to marry into the Danish nobility. He continued his father’s policies of maintaining peace on his borders, however his reign saw an increase in Welsh raids. These led to the standard reprisal raids, and few made much of it.
Pope Gelasius II succeeds Pope Paschal II as Pope in 1118, who is in turn succeeded by Pope Callixtus II in 1119, and it was during his reign that the Investiture Controversy came to a close in 1122 with the Concordat of Worms. Pope Honorius II succeeds Callixtus II in 1124. In 1125 Lothair of Saxony becomes Lothair II, Holy Roman Emperor.
In 1128 Edgar dies without an heir. The throne goes to the cadet branch, of the Earls of Northumbria. Edward the Earl of Northumbria ascends the throne.
1130 AD - In 1130 Máel Muire, King of Scotland, finally dies, after living to be over ninety years old. He was succeeded by his son Matad. Matad is friendly to the English, knowing that he owes his kingship to the actions of Edward’s grandfather.
In this year, Pope Innocent II is elected to succeed Honorius II.
1143 AD - Portugal officially recognized as independent by the Kingdom of Leon. Also in this year, Pope Celestine II succeeds Pope Innocent II.
1144 AD - King Edward dies. He is succeeded by his son Edward (III).
Lucius II succeeds Celestine II.
Antioch falls to Zengi.
1145 AD - Pope Eugene III succeeds Lucius II. Pope Eugene III calls the Second Crusade.
1146 AD - Bernard of Clairvaux preaches the Second Crusade. King Edward III was a relatively young man (38), his older brothers having predeceased him before he ascended the throne. He felt young enough to go on Crusade, and made preparations to do so.
1147 AD - Edward III having his clergymen preach the Second Crusade is a resounding success. The Crusade departed from Cornwall in May, with not only English, but Scottish, Irish, Norse, Flemish, German, and Norman crusaders. He leaves his son Harold III in charge of the Kingdom whilst he was away.
1148 - 1152 AD - Welsh raids intensify under the leadership of Owain Gwynedd. The raids were quite successful, and Harold III has little choice but to strike a deal with him.
1148 - 1149 AD - The English Crusaders take various Moorish settlements on their way to the Holy Land.
1150 - 1153 AD - Edward III arrives in the Holy Land, after the Siege of Damascus. He partakes in the Crusade, but after three years he wasn’t the first to realize this Crusade really wasn’t going anywhere. He departs, having in his mind fulfilled his Christian duty, he sets sail for England in 1153.
1153 AD - Eleanor of Aquitane marries Henry II Duke of Normandy. This puts the Normans in a position just as strong as the King of France.
In this year, Matad King of Scotland is succeeded by Malcolm III.
1154 AD - Edward III returns to England. He finds that his son has done only a mediocre job of running the country, and that he is currently at odds with Owain Gywnedd, King of Wales.
1155 - 1158 AD - Edward III launches a counterattack on Owain Gwynedd. Owain Gwynedd loses just about everything, as Edward III is a brilliant tactician, a veteran of the Second Crusade. In 1158 Owain has little choice but to divide up his kingdom with various Welsh noblemen (friends-of-convenience to England), and to cede Gwent, Morcannwg, and Brycheiniog to the Kingdom of England, in Edward III’s attempt to establish permanent English presence in Wales proper.
1155 - 1158 AD - Edward IV launches a counterattack on Owain Gwynedd. Owain Gwynedd loses just about everything, as Edward IV is a brilliant tactician, a veteran of the Second Crusade. In 1158 Owain has little choice but to divide up his kingdom with various Welsh noblemen (friends-of-convenience to England), and to cede Gwent, Morcannwg, and Brycheiniog to the Kingdom of England, in Edward IV’s attempt to establish permanent English presence in Wales proper.
1163 AD - Conan IV Duke of Brittany marries Marie, daughter of Eleanor. Brittany, while not a possession of Henry I, falls into his sphere of influence. Conan IV is seven years older than she, however Conan is desperate, for if he dies without an heir (or heiress, for that matter) then his land will either be fought for by his bastard half-brother, or will be turned into a royal domain.
1165 AD - Conan IV and Marie give birth to Alan V.
1166 AD - Death of Edward IV. Accession of Harold III as King of England.
1167 - 1178 AD - The short reign of King Harold III. King Harold III accomplished little in his reign, however he did manage to begin the restoration of the roads in England, as a means of facilitating growth and trade throughout England. Harold III died without any male heir, and this created a bit of a succession crisis.
Harold III’s eldest daughter had married Canute VI of Denmark. So Canute VI had a claim to the throne of England (a country that really had no laws of succession of which to speak). Many of the Godwins did not fancy this one bit, as they did not want to see their house replaced as the ruling house of England. Then there was the Northumbrian branch, headed by Albert, the Mercian branch, headed by Ethelred, and the Oxford branch, headed by a different Albert.
The Witanagemot was of course comprised of mostly the Godwins and their cadet branches. The succession crisis could have been avoided all together if they could agree on whom to name as king. But there was a definite North/South split in the Witanagemot. The Northern faction supported either Albert or Ethelred (they argued amongst themselves in between arguing with the Southern Faction), and the Southern faction supported Albert of Oxford almost fully. There were a few in the Witanagemot who even supported Canute VI taking the throne (these were the very few non-Godwins in the Witan).
So the problem could only be exacerbated in 1178 when Canute came personally to England to claim the throne. Canute had the support of many of the Northern reeves and thegns, who had grown tired of Godwin rule. Canute also had support of large swaths of the clergy, for Canute was from a young age noted for his piety.
The witan continued to argue over who should be made king when on August 9th, 1178 Canute walked in on the session of Witanagemot in Winchester, and argued his case.
He was promptly thrown out. He had no choice but to leave for Denmark, with full intent of having that crown. But his personal appearance did have an unintended effect: the Witanagemot were able to agree, in the face of Danish invasion, upon Albert, Earl of Oxford. He spent many of his years learning the arts of war, and a warrior king seemed quite appropriate.
1167 AD - Henry I was convinced by his wife Eleanor to invade the County of Toulouse, on account of the Ranulfids’ ancient claim to the County. But Raymond V knew that Eleanor wanted the County, and so appealed to his liege, Louis VII King of France, to garrison his cities with royal troops. That way, an attempt to seize Toulouse would mean war with the crown. Henry I wanted no such war, and as such backed off. Toulouse remained safe and out of Angevin hands.
1169 AD - Dermot MacMurrough King of Leinster is ousted and forced into exile. He appeals to King Harold III of England, however his pleas fall upon deaf ears. Harold III was not interested in getting involved in the politics of Ireland.
Dermot MacMurrough then sought the aid of Malcolm IV King of Scotland, and Malcolm IV was most interested in expanding his kingdom’s influence across the Irish sea. In return for Dermot MacMurrough marrying his daughter to Malcolm IV’s son, Malmure II, Malcolm IV promised Dermot MacMurrough that he would assist with his little situation.
1170 AD - In the same year that Malmure II had a son by the name of Duncan II, Malcolm IV gave Dermot MacMurrough an army by which he may retake his kingdom.
1171 AD - Dermot MacMurrough was successful in retaking the Kingdom of Leinster, but his dreams of becoming the High King of Ireland were out of reach. He was too old, and it had already been taken by Rory O’Connor. Rory O’Connor, not wishing to provoke a conflict with the King of Scotland, acknowledged Dermot MacMurrough as the King of Leinster, and in return Dermot MacMurrough must recognize him as the High King of Ireland. Pressured by Malcolm IV to end the conflict, Dermot MacMurrough accepted.
Dermot MacMurrough died later that year, and he left his son Domnall the King of Leinster.
1172 AD - Marie de Aquitaine marries Alfonso VIII of Castile. Eleanor arranges this marriage to secure the Pyrennean border.
1174 AD - Saladin captures Damascus.
1175 AD - Domnall Cáemánach dies without an heir. The throne of Leinster and Dublin passes to Malmure II/I. The Kings of Ireland are at first unsure of what to make of Malmure, a strange man from across the Irish Sea. But when Malmure gave large portions of Leinster to the King of Munster and the High King himself, the grumbling stopped.
During the next ten years, Malmure II would work with the Papacy to rein in the Celtic churches in Ireland. By 1185 at the Synod of Waterford, Celtic Christianity was brought to an end, and brought into the fold. Malmure’s reason for doing this were many. For one, Malmure was devoutly Catholic, but he also foresaw that he could not reign as King of Scotland, a monarch in communion with Rome, while rule over Leinster as a monarch not in communion with Rome.
1176 AD - Frederick Barbarossa defeated at the Battle of Legnano by the Lombard League. Signing of the pactum Anagninum.
1177 AD - Treaty of Venice. Pope Alexander III recognized by Frederick Barbarossa.
1179 AD - Toward the end of winter in 1179 AD, Canute VI Prince of Denmark brought to bear a large army of over 6,000, and sailed them up the River Thames under the cover of night. The original plan was to sail right into Lundenwic (OTL London), and from there secure the Thames for further waves of invaders. Canute had believed Albert would have expected him in the north, and this seemed to have been backed up by his scouts he had sent earlier. But Albert had anticipated that Lunden was of strategic importance to Canute, more so than Eoforwic (OTL York) or Witanceaster (OTL Winchester), and as such kept most of his fleet in those regions.
The trap was executed perfectly. Canute sailed into a city garrisoned with over 8,000 troops, troops that were expecting him. Canute tried to take the city, but after only three hour’s fighting and not getting anywhere he knew he had been bested. In addition, he was losing his ships, and with them his only way out. Canute sailed away.
Albert I was hailed as a hero, akin to Harold II Godwinson. But Albert I saw this invasion as a warning, that unless standardized Laws of Succession were introduced, more trouble lay in store for England. In October of 1179 Albert I convened the Witanagemot, to discuss this issue.
Albert I effectively wanted to take the Witan out of the loop when it came to matters of succession, and install a clear law of succession, independent of the Witan’s decision.
The Witan was outraged. Who was this Oxfordian upstart? This continental-thinking ne’er-do-well? Although the desire for reducing the power of the Witanagemot was not without precedent. The blind wisdom of the Witan was first shown to be lacking when the Witan allowed Aethelred to return from exile, and over the past one hundred years or so the Witan’s decisions have led to a chaotic domestic situation. So in the eyes of many, Albert I was justified in asking for this slight increase in monarchial power.
It’s only too bad that the Witanagemot seemed to disagree with him.
The Witan realized they had created a monster, and promptly set about to replace him, that he was kin to (most of) them didn’t really seem to matter. They found that the Earl of Hereford, Ethelbert, another Godwin, would more or less fit the bill as a puppet ruler, a figurehead.
About half of the Witan balked at the idea of replacing the king, saying it would result in a loss of face, and walked out.
If only those men knew exactly what the end result of their actions would be, they might have thought twice.
Elsewhere in Europe, the Third Council of the Lateran declares Waldensians and Cathars to be heretics.
1180 AD - The Troubles of 1180. Essentially a civil war, one side supported Ethelbert and the Witanagemot, while the other side, referred to as the Cyunningesmenn (“King’s Men”), supported Albert and his own Witan. It was actually a rather short affair. Albert I was hailed as a hero, and as such the Witanagemot found themselves hard-pressed to raise a large amount of forces willing to fight against this national hero.
The Witan’s strategy was that they would be able to capture Albert I, or otherwise corner him and force him to either abdicate his throne, or to at the very least cease this reformation nonsense. To this end the Witanegamot was sure to secure Lundenwic and the Midlands, and to basically box-in the King in the southeast of England.
They hadn’t counted on the fact that Albert had so much popular support, and support of a large fraction of the nobility. The Witan was able to raise a force of just 7,000 men (they initially had a force of 10,000, however they suffered greatly from desertion and insurrection). They knew they had to defeat Albert decisively in a single battle if this gamble were to pay off.
The battle was joined in Sumortunsete (OTL Somerset). The King’s Men numbered about 7,000, as did the Witan’s forces. The Witan had wonderful leadership, and hoped that this would prove to be the deciding factor.
It was not.
The battle took place on August 1, 1180. The Witan’s forces were utterly routed. The Witan could not regroup, and over the next four months members of the Witan would once again pledge their allegiance to Albert I, and those who didn’t were tracked down and killed in small skirmishes, or by the assassin’s blade. In a great act of mercy, Ethelbert was pardoned of his offenses. Historians agree that this was a calculated move, to endear himself to his people as a firm yet merciful king.
Albert had survived the greatest threat to his crown. Now he could get to those reforms.
Elsewhere in Europe, Louis VII dies and is succeeded by his son, Phillip II.
1181 AD - Albert I was a proud Anglo-Saxon, and was fond of tradition. He wanted a Witanegamot, it was an integral part of England’s culture. And it did serve to help keep the king’s power in check. And so he went about making the Witanegamot in his own image.
He decided that the Witanegamot would have to be divided to represent the various levels of English society. The Witanegamot would be divided into four parts: The Préosthád would represent the church, the Æðelu would represent the various Earldoms throughout the Kingdom, The þegnr?den would represent the king’s thegns (as opposed to the median thegns, who held their lands through some intermediary lord and thus had to be content with being represented by the Æðelu or þegnr?den), and the Líesingas, the Freedmen.
This new Witan was to have jurisdiction over taxation (any tax the king wished to impose had to be approved by the Witan), over legislation (the Witan could create new laws, however they had to be approved by the king), and over managing the state in interregnum periods. It was largely like the old Witan, but a larger swathe of society was represented, and it had absolutely no jurisdiction over succession.
Albert I installed Salic Law as the means by which England’s throne might be inherited.
For the remainder of 1181, England would be without a Witanegamot. However the next year, the new reforms would take effect.
Henry I of Champagne dies in 1181. He grants to County of Champagne to his eldest son, Henry II. Henry II also reigns as the Duke of Aquitaine with his mother.
1182 AD - The new Witan convened without problem, and the affairs of the state ran smoothly, perhaps even smoother than they had before. Things were on the up in England.
Now that he had a moment to rest, Albert sat on his throne, and came to the rumination that England was frequently invaded from the sea. His last bout with Canute VI had only underscored this in his mind.
So it was in the sultry days of 1182 that Albert I decided that he fancied sailing. He began throwing money into expanding the navy immediately, and for this he was applauded. By doing this, England was essentially drawing a line in the sand (or water, as it were), essentially saying “this is our island and if you want it you’ll have to face us on land AND sea”.
1182 - 1219 AD - The rest of Albert I’s reign was marked by peace. The Scots, although expanding their domain, were cordial to the English in their court, and the alliance set down by Harold Godwinson all those years ago continues to be upheld. The Welsh are all but puppets to the English, and the rest of the world looks on in envy at Fortress Bryten (English: Britain) for its peaceful prosperity.
It was in 1187 that the compass arrived in Europe, and soon English traders were using them as well, as trade across the North Sea continued to flourish. It was in that same year that Saladin captured Jerusalem from the Crusaders, and Pope Gregory VIII suggested the Third Crusade. Albert was largely done with war. He was quoted to have said “After fighting my own countrymen, I have no interest in fighting the Saracen.” However, this doesn’t mean that Albert didn’t advertise the Third Crusade in his own land. Prince Harold, Albert’s second son, was preparing England’s forces to go on Crusade.
A marriage of unprecedented proportions took place during the reign of Albert I. Albert I married his son Edwyn to Ada, the Countess of Holland in 1203. Ada’s inheritance of the County of Holland was being threatened by her uncle, and she needed a strong husband in a strong position to help enforce her claim to the throne. Holland was seen by Albert as a stepping stone to incorporating more valuable territories such as Hainaut or even Artois, later on.
He wouldn’t have to wait long. In 1214 Jeanne, the countess of Flanders and Hainaut Jeanne, a girl of but twelve, was only twelve years old. She was in the custody of Philip of Namur, and many in western Europe looked on Flanders/Hainaut with hungry eyes. And so in 1214 Jeanne offered herself to the youngest son of King Albert I of England, Albert.
Albert could not believe it. The richest counties in all of Europe had just fallen into his lap. Albert I of course agreed immediately.
The House of Godwin had now come to control the Counties of Hainaut, Flanders, and Holland under the reign of Albert I.
Although there were problems on the continent. As Count of Holland Edwyn was subservient to the Holy Roman Emperor. His brother was also subservient to the Holy Roman Emperor as Count of Hainaut. This drew England into continental politics.
Initially this was an acceptable, if not idyllic state of affairs. But Albert wanted to be out of politics within the Holy Roman Empire. Knowing that he could not afford to go to war with the burgeoning Holy Roman Empire, he made very little noise about it publicly.
But he saw a way out in 1214, when the war between Otto IV, Holy Roman Emperor, and Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor (rival claimant) reached its fever pitch. Frederick II sent envoys to Albert, asking for assistance. Albert realized that this was his chance.
In return for an alliance against Otto IV, Albert demanded that Holland and Hainaut be released from the Holy Roman Empire. Frederick’s back was up against the wall. The war wasn’t being lost by him per se, but there was no end to the conflict in sight.
He agreed. Hainaut and Holland would be released from the Holy Roman Empire.
From 1214 - 1216 the scales were tipped in favor of Frederick II. In 1216 Frederick II forced Otto IV to renounce the title of Emperor, and Otto IV would spend the rest of his days in his private lands around Brunswick, where he would die in 1218.
For his actions in strengthening England and expanding her domains, Albert I is fondly remembered as “Albert the Magnificent”.
With Albert’s death in 1219, the kingdom passed to Edwyn, Count of Holland.
1180 AD - Louis VII dies. His son Phillip II inherits the crown of France. In that same year Louis VII marries a woman of Burgundian nobility, in order to strengthen his rather weak position. (Most of his counties, while remaining below him, were allied to or possessions of Eleanor of Aquitaine and her son, Henry II.
1188 AD - Third Crusade begins in earnest, with Frederick Barbarossa setting out from Germany with an army of 100,000.
1189 AD - Harold sets out from England with a large Crusading army. After stopping in Sicily and Crete, they arrive in the Holy Land, just after Philip II’s forces.
1190 AD - Frederick Barbarossa is drowned after being thrown off his horse whilst crossing the Saleph River. Much of the gargantuan German army turns back then. The rest continue on to Antioch, however they continue to suffer from disease.
1191 AD - The three main crusading armies: French under Phillip II, English under Harold, and Germans under Leopold V, all convene on Acre. Acre is captured, and it is the first major victory for the Third Crusade.
Conrad of Montferrat is made King of Jerusalem.
Malcolm IV king of Scotland dies. He is succeeded by Malmure II, who was also King of Leinster.
1192 AD - Jaffa, which Saladin garrisoned very heavily and fortified very well, falls to the Crusaders after a hard fight. The Christians were bruised but continued on. But later in the year Saladin deals a severe blow to the Crusaders in the field, as they began their march east to Jerusalem.
Harold and Leopold realized that even if they could take Jerusalem, it would not be defensible, as Saladin would just summon another army from his vast domain. Philip was not so sure, but when Leopold left the Holy Land late in 1192, Harold and Philip began negotiations with Saladin.
Harold and Philip allowed Saladin to keep Jerusalem, however he must allow free passage for unarmed Christian pilgrims. Saladin was quick to accept, knowing that he had completed his goal of keeping Jerusalem from Crusader hands.
1193 AD - Harold and Philip return to their respective kingdoms.
1198 AD - Rory O’Connor, High King of Ireland, dies. Immediately Ireland is up in arms. The King of Connacht, Conchobar O’Connor has a claim to the title as High King from his father, Rory. But the O’Neals of Ulster were High Kings before Rory, and felt ousted. Malmure II knew that this would be his one opportunity to seize control for himself.
Malmure supported Conchobar in his claim to the throne, so long as he was granted the title King of Ulster. For Conchobar, this was nothing less than a godsend. The King of Scotland supports you in becoming the High King of Ireland!
1199 - 1200 AD - The Scottish conquest of Munster. Malmure II is now King of Scotland, Leinster, Dublin, and Ulster. Conchobar has secured the High Kingship for the O’Connors once and for all.
1200 AD - University of Paris chartered by Philip II.
1201 AD - Proclamation of the Fourth Crusade. Most of Europe remains idle this time around, and watched with bemusement as a gaggle of Italians marched around the Balkans, claiming that to take these cities aided Christendom. In that same year they take the city of Zara.
1202 AD - Zadar falls to the Fourth Crusade.
1204 AD - The Fourth Crusade sacks Constantinople. The Fourth Crusade was proclaimed to be at an end, and the Latin Empire of Constantinople is proclaimed. Alexius V flees to create the Empire of Nicaea, Alexios Komnenos creates the Empire of Trebizond, and Michael Komnenos Doukas creates the Despotate of Epirus.
Also in this year, Eleanor of Aquitaine finally dies. Her possessions are divided among her sons, however the Duchy of Aquitaine passes to Henry II, thus maintaining the “empire” that she and her husband had created.
1206 AD - Temujin proclaimed Genghis Khan of the Mongols.
1209 AD - Albigensian Crusade begins. Henry II jumps at the chance to press his ancient claim to the County (the same claim his mother had). Philip II would under other circumstances tried to stop this Champagnian grab for power, however he saw the Albigensian Crusade more of as a means to drain his own coffers than to expand his power. And so he let Henry II do all the footwork for him.
1209 - 1215 AD - Henry II of Champagne effectively conquers all of the County of Toulouse. He claims the County for himself, yet pays homage to the King of France. Fort he longest time the County of Toulouse was virtually an independent country, and Henry II of Champagne brought the County into the royal sphere.
Philip was wrong about the war. Far from draining his coffers, it was proving to expand his coffers. And as such it was in late 1215 that Philip sent his own army to help with occupation and rooting out Cathar sympathizers.
1212 AD - Malmure II/I dies. He passes the Kingdom of Scotland, Leinster, Dublin, and Munster to his son, Duncan II/I.
1216 - 1219 AD - The last years of the Albigensian Crusade (which was now essentially a struggle for Champagnian dominion over the County of Toulouse) was marked by a rather effective counter-attack by Raymond VI, deposed Count of Toulouse, and Raymond VII, his heir-apparent. But with a large royal French army backing up Henry II’s forces, the attack petered-out by mid-1219. Raymond VI would be killed in battle, and Raymond VII retreated to Spain. Exactly what happened to him next is up for debate, however most historians believe that he was assassinated by assassins paid for by William XI/I, Henry’s heir.
Henry II died in 1219 after securing the County of Toulouse for his heirs. To his eldest, William XI/I, he gave the Duchy of Aquitaine and the County of Champagne. To his son Henry he gave the County of Toulouse (William I, Count of Toulouse), and to his son Theobald he gave the County of Auvergne.
In 1217 the Fifth Crusade began, with little fanfare. However the Pope was just barely able to scrounge up enough support for it to create a coherent army.
1219 - 1242 AD - Reign of Edwyn I King of England and Count of Holland. Edwyn presided over a peaceful kingdom during this time. Early on in his reign Edwyn I had to find a way to deal with two predominant questions: How to rule over the newly-freed Counties of Holland and Hainaut (the latter being owned by his brother), and how to somehow pull the County of Flanders out of the Peerage of France.
As to the first problem he at first considered remaking the Counties of Holland and Hainaut into Earldoms. But the courts at these two places were accustomed to doing things a certain way, and as such expressed hostility to such reforms. In the end, Edwyn created “Niðerlandisc laga” (Dutch Law), as a way of keeping the two means of governance separate, yet equal. Under Dutch Law, basically the means of governing the Counties remained the same. Dutch Law also clarified that the Count was at the same level as an Earl, and so on and so forth.
But under Dutch Law a new office was created. The Count of Holland, the Count of Hainaut, and the Count of Flanders would meet to elect the “Niðerlandisc ?rendraca” (Dutch Representative), essentially an extra member of the Witan, who would act as representative for the Counties in the Witanagemot.
As to the second question, there was really no answer. The Count of Flanders would remain under the peerage of France. However, as the King of England wasn’t the Count of Flanders, this caused very little problem in Edwyn’s eyes.
In 1242, Edwyn I dies. He is succeeded by Edwyn II.
1222 AD - Philip II King of France dies, and is succeeded by his son, Philip III.
1228 AD - Beginning of Sixth Crusade, launched by Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor.
1229 AD - With no military engagements the Sixth Crusade retakes Jerusalem via a treaty with al-Kamil.
1230 AD - Union of Castile and Leon.
1231 AD - Duncan II dies. He passes his Kingdoms to his son Duncan III.
1240 AD - Sacking of Kiev by the Mongols.
1241 AD - Battle of Liegnitz. In that same year, however, Ogedei Khan dies, and this ends the Mongol advance into Europe.
1244 AD - Jerusalem is taken once more. This prompts Phillip III to begin to create a Crusading army, and thus the Seventh Crusade begins.
1249 AD - Phillip III leaves. Although an old man, he still wishes to leave. He allows his son to act as regent while he is away.
1247 AD - The last remaining Cathars are slaughtered. This marks the official end of the Albigensian Crusade.
1252 AD - Phillip III dies in the Holy Land. The Crusade had been a disaster, and the death of Philip gave Edwyn II an excuse to go home. Besides, he is needed there. The Welsh were acting up again, and Edwyn II was of the mind to permanently put down this thorn in his side.
Philip III is succeeded by his son, Louis VIII.
1253 AD - Edwyn II returns home, and wastes no time in preparing for the invasion that he hopes will end the Welsh troubles once and for all.
1254 - 1259 AD - Edwyn II’s Welsh Campaign. It takes many years for the Welsh to fall, but the English brought a weapon familiar to the Welsh to the battlefield: the longbow. The English had been raising their own longbow forces for years now (after the conquest of southeastern Wales), and knew that once they brought these troops to the battlefield, the Welsh would lose a major advantage.
Turns out they were right. The campaign was difficult and sporadic, to say the least. However by 1259 Wales was taken, bar the shouting. Wales was conquered, and divided into earldoms. Edwyn II knew that his predecessors’ method of dealing with the Welsh would have only proved effective for a while. By conquering Wales, Edwyn II hoped to end the troubles on the Welsh border once and for all.
1258 AD - Baghdad is overrun by Hulagu Khan’s forces. The Abbasid Caliphate is officially at an end.
1261 AD - Constantinople is recaptured by the Empire of Nicaea, thus re-establishing the Byzantine Empire.
1266 AD - In France, the gold écu and silver grosh coins are minted for the first time.
1267 AD - Death of Edwyn II. Edwyn II did have two sons. One died of smallpox at an early age. His son, Edwyn was at the time of his father’s death in Holland, and had to sail back to claim his throne. However, when Edwyn II died in a freak storm, there was no one descended from Edwyn II left. His only daughter had become an Abbess in Lundenwic.
And so the throne passed to Edwyn II’s cousin, Albert II. Albert II was a very old man at the time of his inheritance, and knew it wouldn’t be long before the throne passed to his son, Albert III.
1267 - 1280 AD - The short reign of King Albert II. There wasn’t much to say about old King Albert. He did a fine job of ruling as Count of Flanders and Hainaut, and did a fine job ruling as King of England, Count of Holland, Zeeland, Flanders, and Hainaut as well.
The one consequence of the passing of the throne passing to Albert II was that now the Kings of England were, simultaneously, in the peerage of France (via the County of Flanders). This had little impact initially, however in the coming years this would begin to matter more.
Albert II died in 1280, and was succeeded by Albert III.
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