Return From Avalon
The Final Fulfillment of the Arthurian Mission
By
Julius Caesar Augustus
The Final Fulfillment of the Arthurian Mission
By
Julius Caesar Augustus
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Gwillym Shakespeare...
So, we're going to see a Welsh kingdom of England. sounds good.
So, we're going to see a Welsh kingdom of England. sounds good.
@ Estonianzulu: You guessed it. The idea came to me after trying seven or so times to keep the HRE from exploding under Henry IV and various ill-fated successors. Why not go back to Britain where my current aar is base, albeit in times BC. Furthermore, since there have already been many great aars covering Norman England, Saxon revivals, Scotland, and Ireland, I decided to take the road less traveled, Wales. Plus, I love all things Arthurian, and since Wales is the origin of the legend, its perfect.
To the readers - I hope to finally really complete this aar unlike past ones, technological/rl problems holding off, God willing.
This aar will also see the return of one of my favorite characters (my dream self perhaps) Professor Julius Caesar Augustus as the author of this sure to be mammoth work. If you don't know the good Prof. look at this previous aar - http://forum.paradoxplaza.com/forum/showthread.php?t=297460
Im playing on DV (1066) with a few graphics mods and DVIP. I've already played through a couple of critical decades, so expect two or three updates soon, tonight if possible.
ET
To the readers - I hope to finally really complete this aar unlike past ones, technological/rl problems holding off, God willing.
This aar will also see the return of one of my favorite characters (my dream self perhaps) Professor Julius Caesar Augustus as the author of this sure to be mammoth work. If you don't know the good Prof. look at this previous aar - http://forum.paradoxplaza.com/forum/showthread.php?t=297460
Im playing on DV (1066) with a few graphics mods and DVIP. I've already played through a couple of critical decades, so expect two or three updates soon, tonight if possible.
ET
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ET, I loved your RP and I'm sure I'll worship your AARs in CK.
Oh? This seems like a cool idea. If not else it's great that someone gives William the Bastard a good battle.
*subscribed*
*subscribed*
AN INTRODUCTION
The revival of “Britain,” remnants of Roman-British culture which survived in western highlands of the isle in the wake of the Saxon advent, was as unexpected as any event in human history can be. Despite the resistance of the legendary Arthur and others, most of Britain had been successfully subjugated by the early 7th century. Both the Celtic and German inhabitants of the island then had to endure three centuries of piracy and invasion by first the Irish and then the Vikings. In this environment of constant external threat (along with domestic political violence), the two peoples, Briton and Anglo-Saxon, slowly put aside their old hatred for the defense of the land they both called home. This alliance became all the more necessary with the events of 1066. While in another world, perhaps, the victory of William of Normandy at Hastings would have meant the sure domination of the Isles to England, the reality is that the steadfast princes of the west, called by the Saxons “Wales” or “land of the foreigners” and by they themselves Britain (for it was the last part of old Britain) or Cymru, saw opportunity in Norman fortunes and, most importantly, made full use of it.
RESOURCES
Many historians have sought to dismiss Briton primary sources relating to this period because of their outlandish references to Arthurian legend and their golden view toward the House of Aberffraw, yet the author believes these, especially the Chronicle of Iorwerth the Turgid, complement archeology, Norman/Saxon documents, and later works (c. 14th to 17th century) in order to form a complete picture of the period. Not even primary sources can be taken at face value, so it is no reason to discard British works for adding political propaganda.
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CHAPTER I – THE RETURN OF ARTHUR
The Christmas feast of 1066 at the stronghold of Aberffraw on the isle of Ynys Môn was no different than any before, except for the political changes that had swept Lloegyr in this same year. The only thing of note beyond the usual carousing, vomiting, fist-fights, and gossiping was that the Prince, Bleddyn ap Cynfyn, had wandered out of the great hall toward the sea-shore alone. Even his guards supposed that he was just feeling his ale and needed the salty air to sober up before going to bed. Instead, an hour later, he ran into the hall laughing, waving a 3 ½ foot long sword above his head and telling every soul how he had seen King Arthur and was blessed to conquer all Britain. At first, his drunken companions laughed, but upon inspecting the sword more closely, they fell silent. It was not “modern” but of a clearly antique make, perhaps a Roman cavalry sword of the 5th century? It certainly did not match any type the battle-hardened warriors of Gwynedd had ever seen. Bleddyn exclaimed “Excalibur,” and that was it. The entire hall sobered and praised God for this blessing. The deliverance of Britain was at hand.
WEST BRITAIN IN THE 11th CENTURY
Western Britain was, much like neighboring Ireland, still divided between several petty princes at the time of the Norman Conquest. This was a recent situation, however, and the fault of (surprise) Saxon interference. Gruffydd ap Llywelyn (r. 1055-1064), “King of the Britons,” was able to make himself king of most of Wales by 1055 and also held parts of England near the border after several victories over English armies. However in 1063 he was defeated by Harold Godwinson and killed by his own men.
Following Gruffydd's death, Harold married his widow Ealdgyth, though she was to be widowed again three years later. Gruffydd's realm was divided again into the traditional kingdoms. Bleddyn ap Cynfyn and his brother Rhiwallon came to an agreement with Harold and were given the rule of Gwynedd and Powys. Thus when Harold was defeated and killed at the Battle of Hastings in 1066, the Normans reaching the borders of West Britain were confronted by the traditional kingdoms rather than a single king. Bleddyn now created the casus belli with which to reverse this, reuniting the British realm and concentrate on foiling the Norman threat.
BLEDDYN
Fig. 1 - Bleddyn ap Cynfyn, King of Gwynedd
So who was this man that made himself the heir of Arthur on that cold night in 1066? He was the son of Princess Angharad ferch Maredudd (of the Dinefwr dynasty of Deheubarth) with her second husband Cynfyn ap Gwerstan, a noble from the Kingdom of Powys, about whom little is now known. Many have theorized that he may have been son of an English Saxon; the name has been postulated as being derived from Werestan. His mother Angharad was previously widow of Llywelyn ap Seisyll and mother of Gruffudd ap Llywelyn.
When Gruffydd ap Llywelyn was killed, his realm was divided among several British Princes. Bleddyn and his brother Rhiwallon ap Cynfyn, as half brothers to Gruffudd succeeded to his lands; first as vassals and allies of the Saxon King of England, Edward the Confessor, and then submitted to Harold and from him received Gwynedd and Powys respectively.
Fig. 2 - Bleddyn's vassals: Rhiwallon ap Cynfyn, Prince of Powys and the King's brother, and Edwyn, Prince of Perfeddwlad
In his personal character, there was nothing extraordinary, good or evil, or any great genius. He was a typical representation of a warrior-aristocracy in the 11th century British Isles. He can be said to have had an uncanny ability to strike at the right time almost every time, both in external adventures and internal politics. The Brut y Tywysogion also paints him to have been a benevolent ruler:
GWYNEDD’S POSITION
Fig. 3 - Britain in 1066 [Gwynedd = white, Saxon allies = blue, independent British rulers = black, Deheubarth (claimed by Bleddyn) = grey]
The Kingdom of Gwynedd was afforded a wonderful position to spoil the progress of William the Conqueror’s subjugation of England. William had only been able to secure and place Norman rulers in the south, while north of the Humber remained on the firm control of the Saxon House of Leofricsson. These nobles had already pledged featly to William at his coronation that Christmas, but were soon planning a massive uprising to, at least, secure their independence. Bleddyn had nothing to gain from that, but uniting with the Saxons to break Norman power was to his advantage, so he maintained his alliance with the Earls of Northumberland and Lancaster and ever sought to strengthen them with several marriages between the two houses (with vary success in getting them).
Scotland, looming over the north, was a powerful kingdom, but Malcolm I refused to be drawn into the British-Saxon intrigues against his new southern neighbor. The envoys of Bleddyn were constantly refused in attempts of gain a bride of the royal line or to gain an alliance against the Norman. Scotland still lay under the shadow of the Norse threat along with the rebelliousness of her own Highland nobility.
West Britain itself was divided, but this turned out not to be as great a problem as one would think. Only the Kingdom of Deheubarth, ruled by Bleddyn’s maternal cousin Maredudd, actually stood as an open rival. As time would prove, the Princes of Gwent and Morgannwg, already on good terms with Bleddyn, would willing come under his rule in order to avoid being gobbled up by the expansionist Normans.
WHY ARTHUR?
In the midst of this, why did Bleddyn feel the need to resurrect Arthur? If he needed backing to his claim to be ruler of a united West Britain, he had enough via his mother’s blood. Most of the men in the last fifty years who had united the country were related to him by her in one way or another. If he needed to find support for his plans to join the Saxons in a general war against the Normans, it should not have been necessary, as the aggressive nature of England’s new masters was naked, a plain threat to every native ruler on the island. So why the visions of Arthur by the sea, Excalibur, and pretensions to Camelot, what was the point of it?
It was more than grand propaganda and just a small piece in a greater picture of what should be called the “First Great Arthurian Mania.” The shock of Hastings was its trigger, as story-tellers (both British and Saxon) saw the parallel between this new invasion and that of the Saxons which engulfed old Britain five hundred years before. In the courts of the British princes the bards sung the old tales; Arthur’s hunting of the great boar, Twrch Trwyth, his conversation with the shape-shifting gatekeeper, his journey to the Underworld, the tales of the fights of he and his 200 “knights,” his great feasts at Caerleon, and the twelve battles in which he defeated and drove the Saxons from Britain (Saxon bards, naturally, twisted these, resulting in the later tales of Arthur fighting rival kings instead of German invaders). The later additions made by Geoffrey of Monmouth, like Arthur’s war against Rome, were not around yet, but the iconic hero was already there. Britain needed a hero, especially one to complete with cunning of William of Normandy. While Arthur himself would not arise and return from Avalon to save his beleaguered countrymen, Bleddyn clearly and openly put that mantle upon himself and his successors.
As always, it seems to me that the fate of Norman England depends on how soon William dies. Robert Curthose tends to be astonishingly incompetent if he ascends the throne.
CHAPTER II – FORGING THE KINGDOM
Bleddyn soon found himself not only having to worry about uniting West Britain and fighting one of the most powerful princes in Christendom, but also keeping his court and family from killing each other (or things of the opposite nature). His family was cause him many headaches in his reigns, especially the last years of the 60’s, but they (particularly his daughters) became very useful in forging alliances that would be so necessary to his plan to free Britain.
LUST
The first strange instance of depravity recorded with this generation of the House was the attempt of Rhiwallon of Powys to take his niece, Hunydd, as his new wife. Bleddyn immediately rejected the weird offer, not only because of the incestuous nature of the relationship, but also because he already had a proper suitor in mind from amongst the remnant of the English nobility. Rhiwallon hid his anger and still attempted to court the young maiden before she was sent off to England. While the official chronicles and songs mention nothing of the incestuous affair, folk songs such as the Tale of Rhiwallon preserved at the least the garbled commoner version of what happen between the two in 1067.
Hunydd's eventual husband
The second case was even more of a shock and was also kept out of most official histories, except that of Geoffrey of Monmouth. Iorwerth (later called the Turgid), youngest son of Bleddyn, returned to court after having been cared for the monks of St. Davids; soon after he met his fifteen year-old sister Efa. The boy proclaimed his love for her on the spot, and made many attempts to express this to the fullest extent, to the embarrassment of the royal house and the disgust of Efa. Unable to find his poor second daughter a suitor in the Isles (or Scandinavia), Bleddyn rescued her by sending her off to Spain to marry the Marshall of the King of Castille, Rodrigo “El Cid” de Vivar.
The third and most famous case is that of Bleddyn’s heir and Chancellor, Maredudd, who was an open bigamist. In March of 1067, unwilling to choose between marrying Marsley of Perfeddwlad and Ælfthryth, daughter of Eadwin Duke of Lancaster, he married them both in a ceremony presided over by his chaplain. The King was speechless and retreated to his chambers for a week, while Maredudd continued with business as usual, engaging in debates with clergymen from time to time at court, justifying his acts with biblical proof.
ENVY
Madog, second son of Bleddyn, was a famed warrior already when he came of age. Now in his nineteenth year, though, he began to desire more than being at his father’s side in battle. Likely sparked by his brother’s elevation to chancellor along with the realization that he might never receive a title and lands in the kingdom, Madog began a restless campaign to gain a position in the court. He openly pushed for the position of Steward, though he had no knowledge of finance and could not even write. Still, he held that as Bleddyn’s son, it was his by right of blood. The King told him the opposite to his face several times. Madog was silenced for a while, but he and his adherents would continue to cause trouble at court for years to come.
THE MARRIAGE DANCE
Eadgyth of York plays her harp at court (from a now lost 16th century chronicle)
Throughout the late 60’s, Bleddyn sent out dozens of embassies across the British Isles, Scandinavia, the Low Countries, Spain, and parts of France all for the sake of arranging the marriages of all of his grown children before war came. Despite the international scope of the marriage searches, the majority the unions ended up being with Saxon nobility in North and Central England, thus cementing the already existing alliances. Not all attempts were successful though, as the misfortunes of Efa shows.
The embassy to York, January 1067
El Cid
In January 1067, while her young brother was chasing her at court, an embassy sent by Bleddyn arrived in York to offer the hand of the maiden to the widower Earl Morcar. After few weeks’ deliberation, he rejected the offer and returned to his own plotting against William of Normandy. Svend Estridson, King of Denmark responded similarly that June. Thus, it was a surprise when the envoy to Castile reported in September that El Cid would take the hand of Efa.
Eadgyth of York, raised in a nunnery for most of her life, quickly put that aside for her duties as wife of a prince and soon stewdarship of the royal house
With the daughters out of the way, the sons were now “the market.” With Maredudd already doubly taken care of, Madog was next in line, receiving Eadgyth of York as his Christmas present in 1067. Rhiryd soon after was marriage to Ingrid of Denmark and Llywarch the Cruel wed Edhilda, daughter of Waltheof, the famed Earl Siward of Oxford (who was married to Hunydd mentioned above). Maelog, the youngest that was of age, received a much less prestigious bride, Enghenedd of Powys.
Barely two weeks after the consummation of that marriage, Bleddyn was leading his army and those of his vassals south against Deheubarth. At first glance, the time he spent searching for spouses for his children seems wasted, time that could have been spent uniting the country and attacking the Normans before they could consolidate their hold on England. Yet, when one thinks about it, Bleddyn was wiser than most warlords and conquerors have been. Although he and his brother had many children, he wished to completely insure the survival and growth of the House of Aberffraw, along the firm blood bonds now made with the various Saxon houses across the border.
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