Chapter 23: The Great Campaign Of Conquest
CHAPTER 23: THE GREAT CAMPAIGN OF CONQUEST
In March 1147 Leofwine, son of the steward Waltheof, returned from Poland, with a wife by his side. She was Berta Arpad, a kinswoman of the Queen of Poland, of the Arpad dynasty, which had once ruled the eastern european kingdom of Hungary before it had been overrun by the Cumans and their allies. Leofwine at once replaced his father as steward, although it appears the two held the office jointly for some time. Not long after, Burgred also dismissed his chancellor, who had become ill, and appointed the aged Grasus of Galindia as replacement, despite Grasus being a pagan princess.
That same month envoys arrived from the new pope, Richard, formerly bishop of Reggio, to court Burgred's favour. Richard was the son of Henri, son of Maredudd, and therefore of the Welsh branch of the Leofricson house, although his father and he himself had lived amongst the Normans.
On June 5th Burgred finally declared war on Ambrus, king of Gwynedd, his former ally. Ambrus, having hitherto thought Burgred a friendly neighbour, was taken by surprise, and as such Gwynedd was fully subdued by November 29th. Meanwhile, Ambrus' liegemen in Ireland had moved into Burgred's lands there, and conquered Tuadmumu (October 29th), but this was not enough to stop Burgred's imminent victory. Ambrus was forced to accept defeat, and he himself propose a parley in Powys, bringing about the Treaty of Powys (February 19th 1148) whereby he recognised Burged as king of Gwynedd and Leinster, and renounced all rights to the crown of Connacht.
Not wishing to rest on his laurels, Burgred at once rallied his men, and set sail for Ireland, to bring to heel his kinsman Moenach. Laigin was taken on May 2nd, followed by Dublin (July 5th) and Mide (August 12th). Even the obstinate Moenach was forced to see the hopelessness of his situation, and so he agreed to Burged's terms. Moenach was left with the county of Laigin, having first paid homage to Burgred for it, and was rewarded for his compliance with the crown of Leinster. At the same time, Burgred, who had no wish to rule Ireland directly himself, rewarded others of his followers: the crown of Connacht was given to Cuan Burke, and that of Gwynedd to Meurig Leofricson (son of Tewdr, son of Rhys, son of Idwal, son of Gruffyd, who long ago had ruled over Gwynedd). Eochu O'Flynn, husband of Meurig's sister Gwerfyl, was given the crown of Munster, and the valiant marshal Burgred was made bishop of Mide. Burgred also rewarded the loyal de Warenne family who had supplied him with troops for his campaign, and made the ten-year old Edward duke of Salisbury. Burged also legally incorporated the Irish kingdoms into the English peerage, and they were from then on known as duchies, as it was not fitting for a liege to be of the same status as his vassals.
Burgred stayed shortly in Dublin, henceforth his capital in Ireland. He may have returned briefly to England, where he no doubt would have learnt of the deaths of Felicia de Braose (wife of St Humbert de Rennes, and daughter of William, half-brother of the duke Athelweard) on May 26th, and of Christina Siward, shortly afer his departure on June 9th 1147. He would also have learnt of the completion of a domed church in Canterbury, which was dedicated to the Saints Owain and Bjorn.
Burged was still full of bloodlust, and, finding his men similarly inclined, sailed north to Scotland. There he fought Arne, lord of Caithness, and seized the land of Caithness for himself (March 14th 1149). More importantly, Arne was the son of Magnus, son of Svein, son of Paul Thorfinsson, King of Norway, and as part of the peace was forced to cede all his rights to the throne of Norway to Burgred. Burged then sailed north, and wrested Orkney from the aged earl Erlend, himself a son of Paul Thorfinsson. Burged was still not content, and became determined to secure all the islands for himself, even expressing a wish to conquer Iceland. Meanwhile, Burged attack the lands of Gotfred Staur, bishop of Shetland, and made peace with him three days after the Christ Mass, 1149. It was perhaps due to Gotfred's influence that Aelfled, mother of the steward Leofwine, who had apparently accompanied Burged on his military campaign, came back into the light, and renounced her heretical beliefs. Nevertheless, she remained mad as ever.
It was as Burged was loading his ships with bounty from Shetland, and preparing to attack Faereyar, that news arrived from the continent. The Emperor Petar II, bitter at Burged's refusal of an alliance, had invaded Mecklemburg, Lotharingia, and Swabia, as he claimed them as irrevocably parts of his empire. Unperrturbed, Burged continued to Faereyar, and there unseated the ruler Aldwin of Sudrey, a Saxon, and had himself crowned Duke of Orkney, and count of Caithness, Orkney, Shetland, and Faereyar on May 6th, the day Aldwin accepted defeat. Burged had no wish to rule Orkney himself, and days after appointed the irish woman Slaine as duchess, with the bishop of Shetland and earl of Caithness as vassals.
Burgred looked east, and felt the bloodlust rise up in him, as it no doubt had done in his Norse ancestors. The cowardly Emperor had dared defy him, only attacking him whilst he was preoccupied elsewhere, but he would have the last laugh...
