Pax Britannica – A Great Britain AAR

[Koweth]

 

[Koweth]

Hi there! I've seen a few mega-campaign AARs be done in the past, and was inspired to make an account, and do my own. I started as the Count of Rouen in 867, as a custom Norse ruler under the vassalage of the Duke of Neustria. Eventually, I converted to Catholicism, and it all went from there. I'll try and make the AAR as interesting as possible to read (hopefully). As of this post, I'm a few hundred years from the start date, so we shall see how good my story-telling abilities are.

• I'll try my best to post weekly on the thread(s), so be prepared for an epic tale of chivalry, war and empire.

​

 

[Koweth]

Anglo-Saxon Settlement (410 – 865)

The British Isles following the collapse of the Roman Empire’s control within England in 410, became a highly volatile and unpredictable battleground; one which cultures and kingdoms vied for control over the island. Prior to the early fifth century, Celts were the predominant people throughout the entirety of Britain and Ireland – and formerly being the dominant culture throughout the majority of western Europe. However, this changed following Rome’s evacuation of Britain. A collection of Germanic tribes, commonly known as the Anglo-Saxons began to migrate from North-western Europe, significantly changing the demographics of England. Through conquest and displacement of the Romano-Briton culture of southwest England, Saxons soon became the principal culture within England – unable to displace the Celtic Britons from Cornwall, Wales and Scotland.

Through the domination of the Anglo-Saxons throughout Britain, the various tribes which covered the landscape of England eventually organised into seven separate kingdoms; forming a Heptarchy of Saxon monarchies which would control England for centuries. The governance of a realm throughout the heptarchy was rather unique for its time, being less feudal in nature. The monarch for most Saxon realms were chosen by the Witanagemot, with most Kings needing approval to rule from these feudal magnates.

Such monarchies, however, were Pagan. Upon the evacuation of Rome, England had returned to traditional polytheism with the migration of Saxons. This would, however, change in the late sixth century. A mission to the Kingdom of Kent by the monk Augustine quickly appealed to the Saxon peoples. Missionaries scattered throughout England had eventually proselytised the entire region – with Saxon polytheism being a minor English religion by the seventh century. This was largely thanks to the efforts of Augustine, who became the first Archbishop of Canterbury; and was revered as a saint upon his death in 604.

 

[HistoryDude]

It's good to catch up to the start date in the game.

I'm always down to follow megacampaigns.

 

[Koweth]

Great Heathen Army (865 – 913)

The Anglo-Saxons of England and their domination of Britain was not to last. A new threat in the dawn of 865 faced both the Celts and Saxons; with Norse Vikings pillaging and plundering their way through realms and tribes, conveying an unforeseen level of belligerence and ruthlessness toward their adversaries. A coalition of Norsemen led by Halfdan 'Whiteshirt' Ragnarsson sought to create their own domain within these virgin lands; waging a deadly conflict against the Heptarchy of England to forge their own destiny. Decisive victories against the armies of Northumbria and Mercia provided an opportunity for these conquerors to forge a uniquely Norse kingdom in the heart of Saxon England – the Kingdom of Jórvík. The Viking kingdom of Jórvík, centred around the trading city of York, facilitated the expansion and dominance of both paganism and Norse culture throughout the entirety of the British Isles.

Scotland, however, was the most affected by the advances of Ragnarsson’s Great Heathen Army. Upon the ascension of Ivar ‘the Boneless’ as Scottish monarch, the domination of Norse polytheism and culture created massive cultural and political consequences for the Brythonic monarchy – be it positive or negative. Nonetheless, the southern kingdoms of England suffered near constant Viking harassment and pillaging, stunting England’s development for decades until a unifying authority intervened. For most of the 9th and 10th centuries, Vikings reaped the fruits of Anglo-Saxon labour.

 

[Koweth]

Another exposition dump I wanted to get out of the way today, mainly to get to the juicy bits soon enough.

 

[Nikolai]

Looks very interesting!

 

[HistoryDude]

Will the Vikings reclaim England later, I wonder? Harald Hardrada could defeat Harold and William.

 

[Koweth]

Will the Vikings reclaim England later, I wonder? Harald Hardrada could defeat Harold and William.

We shall certainly see how the Vikings do in England! And, that is, if the Kingdom of Norway manages to form...

Looks very interesting!

Thank you!

 

[Koweth]

An Unexpected Occurrence (914 – 933)

The Great Heathen Army’s invasion of Anglo-Saxon England had dire consequences for West Germanic political dominance of Britain; with the peasantry’s grievances of increased taxation and tithes collected by church officials from the years of skirmishing presenting itself in 914. The Great Peasant Revolt of 914 destabilised the seven kingdoms of England – and hampered the effective sway of monarchs. This resulted in not only Norse Vikings exploiting such an event, but the Saxons’ neighbours south of the Channel. Norse-Frankish Normandy, under the vassalage of the Frankish king, saw ample opportunity to expand their effective domain. Under the leadership of their Duchess, Freyja, a full-scale invasion was conducted to subjugate West Saxon holdings around the Thames river, with their armies consisting of Frisian and Frankish mercenaries to bolster their numbers.

Freyja and her army of twelve-thousand landed in Surrey to face the West Saxon armies – led by the ageing King of Wessex Edward the Elder. The Normans faced an undersupplied, yet plucky foe, well versed in combat methods of Late Antiquity; however ill-equipped and demoralised from decades of fighting amongst themselves, and the Vikings. Despite the numerical advantage the Saxons had, they were unable to dislodge the Norman armies from the Thames – despite numerous attempts made by Edward the Elder.

As the Norman armies marched to the West Saxon capital of Winchester, the King of Wessex desperately scrambled to organise a defence of his southern holdings. Unfortunately for the Saxons, his desperate scramble for a proper defence against their southern foe proved to be in vain. The Battle of Basingstoke, which mortally wounded Edward, allowed the Duchess’ armies to threaten the capital of Wessex in Winchester. The death of Edward the Elder and the ascension of King Sigehelm concluded the conflict, with the young monarch suing for peace in late 925. The following treaty granted the Normans the majority of West Saxon holdings along the Thames, crippling Wessex’s influence on trade throughout the Channel.

Upon the Duchess of Normandy’s death in 933, the Normans, although a vassal of West Francia, was a new formidable force within England, being able to punch above its weight and defeat the Saxon juggernaut of Wessex in battle.

 

[HistoryDude]

The Normans are getting their land in England early! It's still subject to West Francia, though.

You're playing the Normans, right?

 

[Koweth]

The Normans are getting their land in England early! It's still subject to West Francia, though.

You're playing the Normans, right?

Yes! It was rather tricky trying to get a foothold in England, but the vikings managed to weaken them enough for a few invasions. I felt like it would be more effective if I clumped together 10 short, successful wars into one big war for the AAR.

 

[Koweth]

William 'the Foolish' (933 – 953)

The death of the Duchess of Normandy in 933 saw the ascension of an unprepared, ineffective monarch – one who was prone to violent outbursts and binge drinking. Being the fourth son of Duchess Freyja, Duke William was not the obvious choice for such an important Ducal title within the Frankish realm. The Duke led a lavish lifestyle, embezzling funds for the redevelopment of Saxon lands within England for elaborate and luxurious parties held within his court in Rouen. In addition to his ostentatious lifestyle, the various feudal obligations provided to William were used to fuel his alcoholism. His dependence on alcohol exacerbated the Duke’s irritable nature; often physically harming his retainers for minor infractions.

Duke William’s ineptitude did not end with embezzlement and physical abuse; but the disrespect of treaties signed by his late mother concluding the Norman invasion of the early 10th century. William waged an inconclusive and unconscionably expensive war against the Saxons to his west – under the impression that the Anglo-Saxons would once more buckle under the pressure of the Norman advance. Notwithstanding the assumptions of Duke William, Wessex had recovered from the Great Peasant Revolt, and had aligned themselves with Mercia; a strategic alliance to repel the foreign conquerors to their north and south.

William’s embezzlement of much-needed tax revenue consequently left the Norman armies of 940 embarrassingly undersupplied and underequipped, with the Saxons handing William’s armies crippling defeats at Gloucester and Berkhamsted. The arrogant nature of William prevented a petition to his liege for additional funding for his armies until 944, when the Normans had retreated to a small slither of holdings along the north of the Thames.

Thanks to the efforts of William’s council, Normandy’s men-at-arms were once more competent on the battlefield. A major victory at the Second Battle of Gloucester provided William a chance to repel the Saxon advance, with the Mercian monarch Ælfred ‘the Impaler’ being captured in the rout. The Duke’s Marshal, exploiting this advantage, ravaged the Saxon countryside, crippling the economies of Wessex and Mercia, causing a treaty which would grant Normandy Kent, and East Anglia. This war, although successful for William, was rather pyrrhic – with large amounts of blood spilled over supposed ‘minor’ concessions from the Saxon kingdoms.

In addition to his perceived incompetence on both the battlefield and administration, his uncouth and uncourtly attitude in the face of his liege Adelchis II ostracised him from Frankish politics; and granting the Duke an unsavory nickname of ‘the Foolish’. This, in addition to his public perception, further drove him into the bottle. His lavish parties and imprudent spending brought the ducal treasury to the brink of bankruptcy, only saved by the successful ransom of the Mercian king.

However, it would appear to many that his sins had eventually caught up with him. In 947, his second daughter, Cecilia was brutally murdered in a Viking raid in Colchester. Subsequently, the Duke would be diagnosed by his court physicians with tuberculosis in 950. This pushed the Duke into further isolation from his family and close confidants, blaming his deteriorating state on his wife. His duties were further delegated to his heir and an organised regency council. The Duke, three years later, died alone in his bed – granting an unfavourable reputation to his kinsmen of his dynasty for decades to come.

 

[HistoryDude]

This William had little success. Let's hope his successors are more competent.

 

[Koweth]

Founding of a Kingdom (953 – 974)

Charles I 'the Norman', 939 - 991
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Upon the death of Duke William I, his eldest son inherited the throne. Well liked by his nobility and peasantry for being the polar opposite of his father, the young Duke was admired for his prowess in combat and strategic mind in terms of mediaeval warfare, however his shortcomings came in terms of proper administration. Charles, understanding his shortcomings, delegated much administrative authority to his Counts which he relied to effectively collect tax and administrate the realm. Thankfully for the Duke, his popularity amongst the Norman lords effectively allowed trust to be correctly placed in his subordinates. His Steward, the Count of Anjou, emphasised a policy of trade and commerce; attempting to attract merchants from the Hansa and Mediterranean into Norman trade cities of London, Colchester and Rouen.

Charles’ aims were clear: restore the prestige of his House, and expand his authority and influence into Saxon England. Both goals were intersecting – with the prestige of his House linked directly to finding glory in combat. What Charles worked effectively with were military reforms – more notably increasing the standards which his men-at-arms and levies were to operate. His reforms to the Norman military structure whipped his armies into one of the most proficient throughout the Frankish realm; with his liege, Arnaud I praising the Duke’s defence of his northern territories in Flanders.

His ambition would not end there – seeking retribution for the humiliating defeats of the 6-year war fought prior to his reign. Once more, Norman armies crossed the Channel to face their Saxon adversaries. But, Charles would not face the divided foe his father had struggled with in the decade prior, for a succession war concerning the Kingdom of Mercia following Ælfred’s death in 965. The King of Wessex, Ælfweard marched into Mercian lands, tenuously claiming he was the rightful heir to the Mercian throne; contending with Mercian nobility for the crown.

Charles’ march to the new Saxon capital of Winchester saw a deadly strategy implemented that would deprive the enemies of precious tax and resources, while enriching his army in his devastating advance. Waging a destructive Chevauchée within southern Wessex, this crippled West Saxon revenue, starving the realm of much-needed funding.

However, Charles’ distractions within Wessex’s southern territories granted ample opportunity for the Saxons to make their way to the nucleus of Norman control throughout England: London. The city, conquered four decades prior to Charles’ war in 965, had eventually evolved to be the centre of commerce and trade throughout southern England – providing innumerable amounts of revenue for the crown. Ælfweard sought to exploit such a reliance on the city’s revenue, and subsequently sacked the settlement in 967. Charles, although too late to intercept Ælfweard’s armies, handed a crushing defeat to the Saxons months later at Brampton Wood. This prompted the King of Wessex to petition to his Lancastrian allies for aid – which the King, Cynehelm, obliged.

The battle of Nottingham in 967 was a decisive victory for Charles and his forces, capturing the Lancastrian King. Charles subsequently besieged Nottingham – and in doing so struck down the King of Wessex.

The late King Ælfweard’s son, Æthelwulf, along with a contingent of Lancastrian knights, fled to the capital of Wessex’s ally in Lancaster. A desperate defence of the Lancastrian capital led by the Earl of Somerset at Salford halted Norman forces for a short period, but was ultimately for naught. With Norman forces encroaching on the holding of Lancaster, King Æthelwulf sued for peace. In an oddly similar fashion to the treaty of 922, King Æthelwulf was forced to sign a humiliating treaty which handed lands south of the Greater Ouse and Thames river to Duke Charles in exchange for another truce of 10 years between Wessex and Normandy.

On the 31st of January, 974, Duke Charles crowned himself King of the English. In a lavish ceremony, Charles was crowned by the Archbishop of Canterbury in Westminster Abbey. This resounding victory had restored the House of Normandy's prestige prior to Duke William’s reign – and made Charles’ realm separate from West Francia – although paradoxically would still be a vassal of France due to Charles maintaining lands in Normandy and Anjou.

 

[HistoryDude]

England exists, but it remains a divided land. I expect that the title of "King of the English" might end up disputed...

 

[Koweth]

England exists, but it remains a divided land. I expect that the title of "King of the English" might end up disputed...

Indeed it does. Hopefully, either the new King of Wessex, Æthelwulf, or the newly-crowned King Charles will unite England. Albeit, 50 years later than our own timeline...

 

[Koweth]

Northern Conquests (974 – 978)

36-year-old Charles, despite titling himself ‘King of the English’, in effect, only had sway over the south of England – with his authority ending north of the Rivers Avon and Nene. The north of England had descended into anarchy as early as 937, with the Viking Kingdom of Jórvík collapsing upon the death of Úlfkell I. The once-mighty Norse kings of Jórvík had been reduced to coastal holdings along the North Sea by 974. Conversely, the realm of Scotland had expanded beyond its traditional borders. King of the Scots Hróðgeirr clashed with the Norse kings of Jórvík over Northumbria – with Hróðgeirr eventually defeating his rivals at the Battle of Darlington in early 961, securing the region for Scotland. Upon such a crushing defeat, the Anglo-Saxon inhabitants in the east of Jórvík’s realm declared the Kingdom of Lancaster following a popular revolt in 963.

Ever since the Great Heathen Army conquered large swathes of the north, they had reintroduced Paganism, more specifically the Norse religion of Ásatrú. Charles saw this as an opportunity to not only expand his realm – but to declare a war which was divine and just. To convert the infidels of the northern Kingdom, and reintroduce Christianity. 975 saw a declaration of war handed to the King of Jórvík, Hýsingr. The sad state of affairs befalling the Norse monarchy after the wars over Northumbria provided no hope of defiance against the English war machine. A desperate defence at Scarborough with King Hýsingr’s 1,230 men against the numerically superior English army failed to stop Charles’ advance into Jórvík’s lands. By the 26th of September 976, Hýsingr and the nobility of the Kingdom were forced to flee further northward to Durham – eventually conceding his kingly title to Charles by March 976.

For Charles, the Kingdom of Lancaster was the next in his sights. The bustling port of Lancaster, the Kingdom’s capital holding, was a strategically important coastal city, and was too vital to remain in the hands of a foreign ruler. In November of the same year, Charles’ forces waged a war of subjugation against King Cynehelm of Lancaster. Without their Wessexian, now Mercian allies, the Lancastrians were unable to defend their holdings. King Cynehelm’s army was repeatedly crushed by his adversary’s forces, with the Lancastrian army being routed at the battle of Lancaster, leaving the city vulnerable to a siege.

Multiple efforts to relieve Lancaster proved to be ineffective at dislodging Charles and his besieging army, causing the city to fall on the 20th of April 977. Skirmishes in the hinterland of Lancaster continued until 978, when King Cynehelm renounced his claim to the Lancastrian throne, and swore allegiance to Charles as the Earl of Lancaster. King Charles’ swift and brutal conquest of the northern realms had unintentionally surrounded the Mercian kingdom, and had almost prevented their merchants from reaching the sea.

 

[Cromwell]

Very good work so far, Cornwall is looking very isolated right now... Ripe for the taking pherhaps.

 

[HistoryDude]

The collapse of Jorvik was very convenient... but I worry that Wessex is still unchallenged.

England doesn't rule the entirety of its de jury territory yet.