Rex Britannia
A new AAR, has been some time since I started a new one. This one will be with Caer Gloui in 476.Goals are:
- Liberate Britain from the Saxons, Angles & Jutes and other invaders that may join the party
- Unite all british countries under Caer Gloui (that is crush anyone that hasn't already been crushed)
- Invade the continent if the oppurtunity arises
I am Artur, King of the Britons. Defeater of the Saxons. I am about to give you the story of how I smashed the Saxons and their Anglian allies, how I faced Hengest the king of Kent on the field of battle. However this story does not start when I came to rule, there is difficult to really find one beginning, but I will start in the year 476 since that is the year when king Ambrosius Aurelianus began the strengthening of this kingdom, and the first steps to the road of greatness was taken.
It was since 455 that the great Ambrosius Aurelianus had been the king in Caer Gloui, his just rule has seen to it that Britain has not completely fallen to the heathen barbarians that already hold the southern and eastern shores of Britain. However despite his leadership the Britons were divided. Due to the exposed borders of Caer Gloui, "protection" by Dyfnain, the only real ally of Caer Gloui, had to be accepted
Diplomatic Relations of Caer Gloui
In the north Britain was divided between two powerful alliances, that of Rheged, Ebrauc and Strathclyde and that of Gododdin and Bernaccia, while in the south Gwynedd and Pengwern formed one alliance and Dyfnain and Caer Gloui another. On the other hand the Saxons and Angles all where part of the mighty alliance led by the powerful king Hengest of Kent.
The British kingdoms, as well as the kingdoms of the Saxons, Angles and Jutes
In 476 king Ambrosius sorted out the mess the tax collecting was in so that there would at least be some order, though it took some resources and time to do it. Diplomatically a royal marriage was establised with Gwynedd early in the year, and later the dependency on Dyfnain was rectified, though to not needlessly antagonize our allies a royal marriage was established early in the next year. Peace reigned in Britain for the rest of Ambrosius reign, there was some unhappiness among the merchants, but apart from that and yet another royal marriage, this time with Rheged, the strongest of the northern british kingdoms, nothing happened.
King Artur, son of Uther Pendragon
So in the year 480 I became king, and I realizing the need for a strong army did much to strengthen it. It was after three years that we noted that there was some severe infighting amongst the Saxons.
Saxon infighting
This instability just south of the border caused a political crisis, but I could easily deal with that, the Saxons on the other hand saw their established warlords falling, to be replaced with mere bandits. However in february 484 the peace Britain had enjoyed ended when king Lewdwn of Gododdin, eager to expand his kingdom eyed the kingdom of Strathclyde with greed, declaring war. Gododdin was supported by Bernaccia as well as the Picts of the north and the Irish of Ulaid, while Strathclyde called on their allies Rheged and Ebruac. In august that year Hengest of Kent deciding to attempt to take advantage of this went to war with Rheged and its allies, however of Kents allies the northernmost Angles decided not to join the war. At this time I prepared for war, gathering brave warriors in preparation for the war that would certainly come. In 485 after Pengwern and Gwynedd had went to war against Mercia I took command of my army, it was time to go to war.
Artur prepares to go to war
War was declared on the Saxons, my trusted ally Gereint ab Erbin of Dyfnain joined on my side, while the Saxons were supported by East Anglia and most importantly Kent. In april the Saxon host was smashed to pieces, although remains of it plundered the area around Caer Gloui, they were not strong enough to mount a siege. In northern Britain the war raged, Ebrauc annexed Bernaccia, while the Picts crushed Strathclyde. In march of 486 after a year of fighting the Saxons had been completely defeated and fighting began in East Anglia. During the year my good government policies paid of and Mercia was annexed by Pengwern. Pengwerns increase in power opted the establishment of a royal marriage.
In early 487 the last Anglian kingdom had fallen, and it was time to face the greatest of our foes. King Hengest of Kent. On the 21st of march that year my host faced the Jutes in battle.
Artur faces Hengest
It was a great battle, the Jutish host stood in fine order on a hill. I had a slightly larger army and more horsemen, but they had a good defensive position and their commander Hengest was a cunning warlord. I knew this would be not be easy. The fighting raged on and in the end i defeated Hengest thanks to my bravery, though a large part of his host remained intact. A few months the war continued, though with no battles, and in the end Hengest agreed to pay a tribute, but keep his kingdom. He would later though lose his army in a failed campaign against Dyfnain. However as the year neared its end of the kingdoms of Angles, Jutes and Saxons only Kent remained.
Britain and environs near the end of 487
