The Bornholm Identity
Egil's Saga
Young Egil meeting the Slavs of Rügen
In the early summer of 1070, Ragnar "The Good" Bornholm passed away suddenly, at the age of 44, leaving his heir, Egil Ragnarsson, in charge of the domain of Bornholm and his tender aged daughter, Katarina, at the care of the local monastery.
Egil was now 15 and somewhat of different character as that of his father, more prone to bursts of violence and bad temper and not one hint as loyal to the Knytling king as his father had been.
One year after his father's death, Egil, now 16 years old, and facing pressure from his serfs, started looking for a suitable wife.
There was no place for love, that was reserved for cute wenches, he had to strike a good bargain, or that was what his councillor and steward said.
In 1072, Egil, now a 17 year old young man, after the call of the Pope to all Christendom and the King of Denmark having declared war upon the infidels, Egil himself, despite his flaws a pious man, felt the urge to travel to the Holy Land.
(You feel the call of God event)
As the danish King assembled his troops the north slavs of the Mecklenburg region raided Bornholm county but luckily the stormy seas and the staunch bravery of the islanders made the disgruntled invaders return to the mainland.
The Obodriten tribe occupied the west of the country, while the Wilzen occupied the east, and the Ranen controlled Rügen; they were slavs who had come after the age of the Romans and had settled but had yet to take the Cross as their religion and continuous pressure from the Polish Archbishop and the germanic nobles had forced them to wage war, even if against their peacefull northern neighbours.
Egil would have to keep his Holy Land designs as just that for now, seeing as the unfaithfull heretics and pagans were so close to home. The danish King himself seemed to think similarly and was amassing it's main army just north of Mecklemburg and crossing the Baltic towards Rostock with Duke Harald, the King's brother.
Egil saw his opportunity to attack the nearby island of Rügen and without waiting any longer ordered his warriors to board the longboats and cross the waves to the nearby island.
Luckily for him the local warriors had been called upon by their high chief to fight the main danish army and now Egil was left with the change to subdue the pagans and take control of the island.
The warriors of Rügen returned as quickly as they had left and Egil had his first taste of war. Even slightly outnumbered he managed to suceed and rout the enemy.
(Egil's army: 214, Rügen's army: 349)
He received some disturbing news though: the pagans were advancing northwards from Holstein where they had beaten the King's brother and were laying siege to the local garrison.
The King's brother, Harald, afraid for his life, settled peace with the barbarians, who retreated south to deal with the King's main army and Egil, whose forces were dwindling day by day.
The danish army faced the pagans in fierce combat and Egil, incapable of removing himself from Rügen, currently fighting the local chieftain, despaired as he saw both forces equaly matched and, as the danish won the day, the King sign a peace treaty with the barbarians. His desire to take Rügen had failed, his forces returned home disheartened and Egil, bitter with the King of Denmark, returned to his estate to tend his wounds and plan his next move.
