Kings and Popes, Councils and Communes – Different High Middle Ages Year By Year, Starting in 1066

[Salvador79]

Kings and Popes, Councils and Communes – Different High Middle Ages Year By Year, Starting in 1066
I have decided to move beyond my comfort zone – not just writing about revolutions, real or otherwise, or about pre-historical cultures of which we know next to nothing – and try my hand at a High Middle Ages TL with a PoD that has been done very often – an Anglo-Saxon victory at Hastings 1066. But I’ll do it in a way that hasn’t been done often, I think. I’ll try to fathom how fundamental the underlying workings of what we perceive as “typically European medieval” can be affected by a significant divergence. There will be only so much talk of who marries whom, who begets whom etc. In the first decades, I’ll work with the personnel that we know, and from then on, I’ll assume people born after the PoD (in some remote regions, only years or decades after the PoD) will not be born ITTL so I’ll just make up names when names are necessary and not give their entire pedigrees each time. I’ll assume some things are harder to affect and would stay stable in almost all iterations of history, while others may look so, too, because they were dominant in our Medieval Europe, but might in fact be rather coincidental. I’ll try to work out which is which.

To follow through with this experiment, I need to make progress relatively fast, so that I can cover not just the rest of the 11th, but also at least much of the 12th, and maybe beyond. That means, most updates will be charts of what happens, year by year. Only a handful of updates – on major conflicts, major developments, some reflections on causes and effects – will concentrate on a single topic in greater detail. In contrast to most of my other TLs, this one won’t attempt to pretend to use “in-context sources”.

As always, you, my dear readers, (I hope there will be some out there) are cordially invited to comment on anything and everything, to speculate on future developments, criticize my decisions and suggest alternatives, suggest sources of relevant information, bring others to the party etc.!

Here goes nothing…



1066: Edward the Confessor, King of England, dies in January. The Witenagemot elects Harold Godwinson as his successor. At the end of the year, King Harold II. will emerge exhausted but triumphant from not just one, but two narrow and costly battles with foreign invaders who had come to steal his crown and subdue his lands: first the Norwegian King Harald Hardrada, whom he defeated at Stamford Bridge; then the Norman Duke William the Bastard, whose Norman, Boulonnais and Flemish knights were slain at Hastings [1]. [PoD]

King Harold the Great is duly celebrated in Winchester. He appoints his nephew Hakon Sweynson as Earl of Wessex and all the other holdings which Harold had previously been earl of himself.

Duke Conan II. of Brittany attacks the poorly guarded Normandy in an attempt to recapture lands of his duchy which had been lost to the Normans in previous conflicts. [2]

[as per OTL:]

Magnus Haraldsson becomes King in Norway; his brother Olav, who escaped alive from the lost battle at Stamford Bridge, stays in Orkney for the winter.

Stenkil, King of Sweden, dies. A struggle for his succession between Eric and Eric [yes, they were both called Eric, if we can trust Adam of Bremen’s chronicle] ensues.

Archbishop Adalbert of Hamburg-Bremen is deposed under accusations – brought forth primarily by Cologne’s Archbishop Anno and Rudolf of Rheinfelden – of alienating imperial possessions to cronies. Revolting pagan Obodrites overthrow their baptized ruler Gottschalk (son-in-law of King Sweyn II. of Denmark) and slay priests, monks and a bishop. Gottschalk’s son Heinrich flees to Denmark. The pagan Kruto now leads the Obodritic confederacy. Under his command, Haithabu / Hedeby is destroyed.

In the Massacre of Granada, the extremely unpopular Jewish Wesir Joseph and his son Shmuel as well as about 4,000 Jewish inhabitants of the city are murdered by their neighbours.

The Norman duke / prince Richard of Capua, who had helped Alexander II. gain his papacy, turns against him with a host of knights, captures Caprano, pillages the Lazio and encamps outside Rome, where he has allies among the Roman nobility, too, who feel shut out by the new rules for papal elections enshrined by the Reformers.

In the conflict about the archbishopric of Milan between Reformist Patarenes, supported by the pope, and Archbishop Guido, supported by the Milanese nobility, Pope Alexander II. excommunicates Guido. Guido and his faction whip up a Milanese gathering of townsfolk and succeed in having the Patarene leader Ariald chased out of the city. He is assassinated later this year.

Archbishop Eberhard of Trier dies. Anno, Archbishop of Cologne, appoints his nephew Cuno of Pfullingen with the office. Trier’s elites, who had not been consulted in this matter, abduct and kill Cuno. The cathedral chapter elects Udo of Nellenburg, from among their ranks, as the next Archbishop.

Huy in the Low Countries is granted city rights by Theodwin of Liège.

Šibenik is mentioned for the first time in a chapter by the Croatian King Petar Kresimir IV.

Tain becomes the first town in Scotland to be chartered as a royal burgh by King Malcolm III.



[1] It should probably be Haestingas, and the following names should probably also be more Anglo-Saxon, what with the English / Englisc language evolving differently without a Norman conquest. But since this is not an in-context source TL and I am no expert on Anglo-Saxon and find it cumbersome to search for symbols like Æ and ð, I’ll stick with OTL names.

[2] Conan was poisoned and died IOTL after the PoD, in December 1066, allegedly at William’s orders. Because William is dead by now ITTL, I have Conan live. For this inspiration, I have the old TL Crown of the Confessor to thank.

[Except for the different outcome of Hastings and Conan’s attack on Normandy, everything is unchanged compared to OTL. Hey, it’s the Middle Ages, even butterflies can’t travel too fast here 😉 I’ve only added the rest to give some colour and background, to hint at the kind of world all of this is happening in.)

 

[Mildtryth]

[1] It should probably be Haestingas, and the following names should probably also be more Anglo-Saxon, what with the English / Englisc language evolving differently without a Norman conquest. But since this is not an in-context source TL and I am no expert on Anglo-Saxon and find it cumbersome to search for symbols like Æ and ð, I’ll stick with OTL names.

About these letters, if you are using Windows on a computer, you don't even need to search - they have keyboard shortcuts for those:

ð - Alt+0240
æ - Alt+0230
Æ - Alt+0198
Þ - Alt+0222
þ - Alt+0254

 

[Salvador79]

About these letters, if you are using Windows on a computer, you don't even need to search - they have keyboard shortcuts for those:

ð - Alt+0240
æ - Alt+0230
Æ - Alt+0198
Þ - Alt+0222
þ - Alt+0254

Thanks for the advice! I have a Windows computer, but I doesn't quite seem to work, somehow.
Either way, what is more important is that I can't possibly extrapolate in my world-building beyond the 13th century really, and while English will not go down the Norman road ITTL, what WILL influence it ITTL is something I can't sensibly predict. So, using archaisms doesn't look necessary to me. (But if someone is interested in conlang-ing, they can of course conspire with me on their favourite topic...)

In a minute, I'll come up with the update of 1067. The butterflies begin to flap their wings...

 

[Salvador79]

1067:

What is left of the Norman nobility (thousands had died at Hastings) is divided among themselves as to whom to follow in the desperate attempt to defend against Conan’s invasion and do something about rebellious nobility in Maine and general violence and chaos. William’s heir would be Robert Curthose, who is only 13 years old. Against him and his mother Mathilda, who claims the regency for her minor son, Robert de Montgommerie, whom William had left in charge of Normandy in his stead before he left for England, also claims the mantle of leadership. Both sides also aim to install different people as Bishops of Bayeux, too (Odo of Bayeux has fought and died in Hastings). The Hautevilles have more strength in the North, the Montgommeries / Belêmes in the South of the Duchy. Because they did not reach an agreement, they sent separate forces Westwards against Conan – both of which are defeated in separate battles by the Duke of Brittany.

The situation is hardly better further North in the Boulonnais. Here, too, Count Eustache and many with him have died in Hastings. His three sons Godfrey, Eustache and Balduin are all small children, and their mother Ida has assumed regency. Into this power void, English King Harold the Great meddles, too, beginning a retaliatory invasion, landing near the small fishing village of Petresse, where the Channel is narrowest (today Calais), and moving Southwards from there. They capture and plunder Boulogne and take Eustache and Balduin as hostages with them, riding Southwards as far as Rouen, plundering and burning this city, too, and freeing the King’s brother, Wulfnoth, from his decade-long captivity in the castle of Rouen, before they move back up North.

Unrelated to these attacks, Count Balduin V. of Flanders dies. His son and heir, Balduin VI., rides Westwards deep into the Boulonnais to help against the Anglo-Saxon raiders, but his depleted forces are defeated in battle, too, and Balduin VI. suffers a severe wound of which he dies several days afterwards.

While yet more Flemish knights, after Hastings, have died in the Boulonnais and the power void extends to their large and wealthy county, too, the young German King Henry IV. and Count Robert of Frisia seize the opportunity and ride into Flanders, where Richilde of Hainault has assumed the regency for her son, Balduin’s 12 year-old heir, Arnulf. Robert of Frisia also has a claim on the title as Count of Flanders, and Emperor Henry has joined him to regain what previous Balduins had captured: Aalst, Oudenaarde, Dendermonde, Hulst – in short, so-called “imperial Flanders”. They capture Gent and Brygge easily because its inhabitants support Robert over Richilde [1], oust the few supporters of Arnulf and force his family to hide in a castle in the South of the county. In the chaotic fights and fires, one Judith of Flanders, widow of Tostig Godwinsson, dies, too.

(You think it’s weird that a King of the Germans would go on the offense for a strip of land along the mouth of the Maas instead of doing something against the atrocities Obodritic pagans are committing in the Archbishopric of Bremen? Well, that was what the Saxon nobility thought, too. But the Salians were IOTL and are at this point ITTL very much focused on the wealthy regions and commercial waterways in the West, and so were those who would follow the king, and Flanders is a wealthy strip of land, while the Obodritic North is just bogs and heath and woods full of pagan barbarians that you need some larger force to subdue.)

Henry and Robert ride to Petresse, where they meet the English, who are on their way back to their island, packed full with precious loot. Harold and Henry exchange a few looted items as gifts and tokens of friendship and alliance. The 17 year-old Henry is quite impressed by the English monarch, a fatherly figure, not looking quite so sophisticated as the Swabian nobles of Henry’s family tend to do, but with a large group of fiercely loyal fighters behind him and quite generally making a solemn but cordial impression on the young emperor. Harold Godwinsson, on the other hand, views young Henry somewhat skeptically as an easily impressable teenager who had risen much too early to a much too elevated position, but keeps this opinion to himself as he considers the situation to be potentially very useful for him. From Petresse, all invading sides return to their homes, except for Robert of Flanders, who intends to meet up with Duke Conan and the (just 15 year-old) King of France in Rouen.

The young King Philipp I. of France, who had grown up learning that the Normans in the North were a threat to their kingship and a permanent nuisance, had hesitated long to intervene, and was not entirely unhappy with the fate that had befallen the unruly duchy. It had also taken him time to assemble a sizable force with which he could hope to make a difference in the chaotic Northern regions. He had met with Conan and three Roberts – Curthose, Montgommerie and the Frisian – in Rouen after a revolt had broken out in Alençon, too. A solution was hammered out. Brittany would regain all the lands lost to the Normans over the past decades. Montgommerie would act as regent for Curthose for three more years, in which time Normandy would be exempt from any obligations to the crown in order to allow for its rebuilding. The Duchy of Normandy would relinquish its claims of control over the County of Maine, and Alençon would regain its status as francville (free / royal city). Philipp also recognized Robert’s claim to Frisia and reaffirmed the communal privileges of Gent and Brygge.

The teenage King Henry IV. celebrates the first military success of his reign. He has recaptured lands now and can hand them to his retainers without having to sell off imperial monasteries like IOTL. Also, it was a nice change from the permanent quarrels with Bertha.

King Harold has loot to distribute and reaches new heights of popularity. He announces to increase his huscarls, including new heavy cavalry, too. To this end, he presses the Earl of Northumbria to make the North pay roughly the same rates of taxes like the rest of the kingdom. Morcar, who knows that Harold’s brother Tostig had been overthrown by his Northerners just two years ago when he had attempted something similar, is very much opposed, but finds himself relatively isolated in the Witan.

On top of all that, Harold also comes home to find that his new and legal wife Ealdgyth / Edith of Mercia has born him twin sons: Eadberth and Leofdaeg.

In Rome, the Reformers who had come under both ideological and military pressure in the last year – militarily by Richard of Capua, ideologically by the failure of William’s invasion of England in spite of the Papal banner he bore – are going into the offense again. Militarily, Godfrey the Bearded comes to their aid. Robert had to leave his son Jordan in command of the forces he left at the gates of Rome and returned to deal with a revolt led by Count Amico of Giovinazzo, who has received Byzantine aid to fight against the Hautevilles. Jordan’s army is plagued by diseases, and when Richard returns, he is forced to retreat and seek to make amends with the Pope.

But the ambitious church reformer Hildebrand of Soana has a different agenda in mind. He convinces his mentor Pope Alexander II. not to rely on the treacherous, infighting Normans again [2] and to hold the next Synod not in Amalfi, but in Cremona, closer to where the Reformers are building up a fanatic popular powerbase for their fight against simony, heresy, and un-Christian tyranny. Hildegard has organized strong support for the new Patarene leader Erlembald, and Alexander is now also sending his blessed Peter’s banner to the rebels who attempt to install the Reformist Benedictine monk Desiderius as Prince-Bishop in Trento, against German King Henry IV’s wishes to install his namesake candidate Heinrich. At the Synod of Cremona, Pope Alexander II. excommunicates Richard of Capua for his pillaging, and furthermore deposes the bishops Lando of Nucerino, Landorf of Tortiboli, and Benedict of Biccari on accusations of simony. [3]

Although the cause of Reform seems to have weathered another serious crisis, the Reformers have come to depend even more than IOTL on urban masses, on the Margraves of Tuscany, and on balancing the different Norman factions of Southern Italy in their favour.



[as per OTL:]

Olaf Kyrre returns to Norway. He and his brother Magnus split the Kingdom of Norway between them.

Sancho II. of Castile lays siege to the Muslim city of Zaragoza and leaves with tribute. Queen Sancha dies. Her sons begin to fight over the Kingdoms of Galicia, Leon and Castile.

In a bloody struggle among Sweden’s aristocracy, both Erics and many nobles perish. Stenkil’s son Halsten becomes the new King of Sweden.



[1] They did IOTL, too, see the course of the Battle of Cassel in 1071.

[2] The Norman aura of invincibility has suffered from William’s failed invasion and the ensuing chaos in Normandy. That aura is the only way I can explain to myself why Alexander, who had been so callously betrayed by Richard, turned around without so much as blinking and bestowed the guy who had plundered the Patrimonium Petri and laid siege to Rome, after the latter had seen his army disintegrate before the gates of Rome and then returned with his tail between his legs and asked for forgiveness, with ducal honours, and not just anything, but the adjacent and wealthy Duchy of Calabria and Apulia. Sure, the Pope needs some strong force to counterbalance German Kings/Emperors, but Richard just had not proven to be such one, and even more so, not a reliable one.

ITTL, the cracks in the Norman nimbus lead to Alexander following Hildebrand’s strategy more coherently, namely appealing to populist urban sentiments in overthrowing un-Reform-able bishops backed by local noble profiteers, and replacing them with Reformers.

[3] The latter three are all OTL. Richard was also excommunicated at some point, of course, but not at this one.

 

[Dragonboy]

Thanks for the advice! I have a Windows computer, but I doesn't quite seem to work, somehow.
Either way, what is more important is that I can't possibly extrapolate in my world-building beyond the 13th century really, and while English will not go down the Norman road ITTL, what WILL influence it ITTL is something I can't sensibly predict. So, using archaisms doesn't look necessary to me. (But if someone is interested in conlang-ing, they can of course conspire with me on their favourite topic...)

In a minute, I'll come up with the update of 1067. The butterflies begin to flap their wings...

Can't wait for more Anglo-saxon england! Hope they focus on uniting the british isles (Wales, Scotland, ireland in order) now that they will be free of continental affairs. ALL HAIL HAROLD THE GREAT

 

[Dragonboy]

Great new chapter too! Hope Harold the best of fortunes.

 

[Zenevidas]

Cool PoD

 

[piratedude]

I wonder where all these English developments leave Edgar Aetheling...

 

[Salvador79]

Can't wait for more Anglo-saxon england! Hope they focus on uniting the british isles (Wales, Scotland, ireland in order) now that they will be free of continental affairs. ALL HAIL HAROLD THE GREAT

Great new chapter too! Hope Harold the best of fortunes.

Thanks for the praise! As Harold's expedition across the Channel in the second chapter has shown, I'm skeptical about England being "free of continental affairs".
Previous discussions on the consequences of No Norman Conquest on this board seem to have brought forth mainly three theories: the Insular Theory, the North Sea Theory, and the Nothing Changes, or French Theory. They all have good arguments going for them. I won't spoil things and say what I have in mind.

Cool PoD

Thanks! It's been discussed extremely often, but only done in proper multi-page TLs a handful of times, and most of these TLs are quite a few years old already. Also, while some of the events so far are indeed openly borrowed by existing TLs, we will quite soon enter altogether uncharted alternate history waters, both in England and on the continent.

I wonder where all these English developments leave Edgar Aetheling...

You mean Edgar Edwardson? He's currently only 16, and while this might be good enough to be a King in France or Hungary or among the Germans, in an England ruled by the House of Godwin, that's a bit young for an ealdormancy... Living in Winchester might not suit the last scion of the House of Wessex, either, though... We will hear from him.

 

[Dragonboy]

Thanks for the praise! As Harold's expedition across the Channel in the second chapter has shown, I'm skeptical about England being "free of continental affairs".
Previous discussions on the consequences of No Norman Conquest on this board seem to have brought forth mainly three theories: the Insular Theory, the North Sea Theory, and the Nothing Changes, or French Theory. They all have good arguments going for them. I won't spoil things and say what I have in mind.

Can't wait for more

 

[Starkforlufe]

Great story,but did you know that anglo-saxons when William the Conquror invaded England were orthodox christians,so would they still be that religion? I can't wait to see if the wendish slava will survive alongside the baltic prussians. Keep up the good work.

 

[Mildtryth]

Great story,but did you know that anglo-saxons when William the Conquror invaded England were orthodox christians,so would they still be that religion? I can't wait to see if the wendish slava will survive alongside the baltic prussians. Keep up the good work.

I don't know where you got that from - as far as as i remember, while there was a dispute between Stigand and the Papacy (because the reformist Popes regarded Stigand's appointment as irregular, aside of the fact he held two sees at the same time), that didn't mean the English Church wasn't in communion with the Roman Church otherwise.

 

[Salvador79]

Great story,but did you know that anglo-saxons when William the Conquror invaded England were orthodox christians,so would they still be that religion? I can't wait to see if the wendish slava will survive alongside the baltic prussians. Keep up the good work.

I don't know where you got that from - as far as as i remember, while there was a dispute between Stigand and the Papacy (because the reformist Popes regarded Stigand's appointment as irregular, aside of the fact he held two sees at the same time), that didn't mean the English Church wasn't in communion with the Roman Church otherwise.

Thanks for the praise!
I am indeed pretty sure, as Mildtryth has pointed out, that Anglo-Saxon England was considering itself as part of the Catholic world, and was viewed by the rest of the Catholic world this way, too. There were regular contacts and exchanges between English and continental monks, and while, yes, this intensified a lot IOTL after the Norman Conquest, the pecularities of England and its comparatively centralised monarchy don't mean they can be categorised as Orthodox. Now by this point in time, the schism of 1054 is stil recent, the chasms are not so deep yet, but they had evolved through the preceding centuries already. English bishops are not looking to Constantinople, but to Rome, regardless of political conflicts.

As for the Elbe Slavs and Balts and paganism, I will indeed talk at length about that topic.

 

[Starkforlufe]

I don't know where you got that from - as far as as i remember, while there was a dispute between Stigand and the Papacy (because the reformist Popes regarded Stigand's appointment as irregular, aside of the fact he held two sees at the same time), that didn't mean the English Church wasn't in communion with the Roman Church otherwise.

Oh,my bad. I could've swore that I read this in a historic book.

 

[Salvador79]

1068:

King Harold “helps” a reluctant Earl Morcar to put down another revolt in Northumbria against the increased taxes. This time, the thegns who had led the attack on Bamburh are executed and all their lands redistributed and their slaves freed. [1]

Harold’s youngest brother Wulfnoth, who had long been held captive by the Normans, is entrusted with building up the new heavy cavalry segement of Harold’s huscarls.

Waltham Abbey, which already features the largest and most renowned medical school on the island, is generously endowed by Harold.

King Malcolm of Scotland marries the English princess Gytha. [2]

Robert de Montgommerie organizes for the two vacant bishoprics of Rouen and Bayeux to be filled again: in Rouen, the prominent Lanfranc is installed, while in Bayeux, Améry, the less-known abbot of Évreux, is preferred over the favourite of Curthose’s faction, Thomas. Overall, Montgommerie’s efforts at restoring order to the duchy are half-successful, partly also because a number of disaffected Norman nobles depart for Southern Italy, Anatolia or other places where they might gain more fame and glory.

The German King Henry IV. begins consolidating imperial possessions in the Harz and orders the construction of a number of castles there, like IOTL. Unlike IOTL, emboldened by his success in Flanders, he joins the expedition of Bishop Burchard of Halberstadt against Slavic pagans, in which Rethra, the main seat, sacred site and fort of the pagan Slavic Redarians, is completely destroyed. [3]

Desiderius is appointed to the Bishopric of Trent by Pope Alexander II., but Henry IV. refuses to accept him as the new prince-bishop and vassal.



[as per OTL:]

King Olaf Kyrre of Norway marries the Danish princess Ingerid.

William VII., Duke of Aquitaine and Gascogne, also called Guy-Geoffrey, marries for a third time, this time the 12 year-old Hildegard of Burgundy.

In Milan, Archbishop Guido resigns. He – and Henry IV., too – support Gotofredo of Castiglione as his successor, but the Milanese Patarenes and their Reformist supporters in Rome push for their candidate Atto. New violence erupts.

Pope Alexander II. deposes the Bishop of Florence for simony, too.

In the Battle of the Alta River, Cumans defeat forces of the Grand Price of Kiev Izaiaslav. The citizens of Kiev in their Veche (popular assembly) declare Izaiaslav as deposed and oust him from the city. Izaiaslav flees Westwards into Polish lands.

Normans under Robert Guiscard lay siege to Bari, the last Byzantine outpost in Apulia, while other Normans under Roger, during a raid near Palermo, come across a larger Zirid Muslim force and defeat it in the Battle of Misilmeri.

The Taifa of Badajoz is wrecked by succession strife between Mohammed Al-Muzaffar’s sons Yaya and Omar. King Alfonso VI. of Leon exploits this situation, attacks and extracts tribute from the taifa, which was supposed to be a vassal of his brother Garcia’s, King of Galicia. Their third brother, Sancho II. of Castile, meanwhile attacks Leon, but is driven out in the Battle of Llantada.



[1] Yes, Anglo-Saxons had slaves. This is particularly attested in the border regions (to Wales and Scotland, in earlier times also to Cornwall) where back-and-forth raiding of both sides meant that slaves were captured, too.

Harold’s expedition to Northumbria is by no means comparable to OTL William’s Harrowing of the North, which left deep marks on that region. What happened here, basically, is the reduction of certain Anglo-Danish nobles whose power has diminished greatly since their ties with Denmark (and the general cohesion of the wider previously “Viking” world) have loosened, but who would not let go of their privileges. The towns, who certainly didn’t like the taxation, either, are left unharmed after this show of royal determination, and the countryside is not scorched. It’s not a wholesale change of ruling elites and practices as IOTL, just one of the many conflicts between a throne and rebellious nobles like they occurred everywhere throughout the Middle Ages, this time won by a strong monarch.

[2] IOTL, Malcolm first married Ingibjorg Finnsdottir and, when she died in 1069 after only two or three years of marriage, he remarried another high English noblewoman, Margaret of Wessex. ITTL, he would have been ill-advised to marry Ingibjorg, and Harold’s eldest daughter Gytha is, in contrast to his OTL choice of Margaret, not a foreboding of conflict with England, but quite the opposite. Malcolm sees that attacking this England makes no sense (while IOTL William’s rule looked shaky at first, what with all the rebellions in the first years) and instead decides to cozy up to it.

[3] This happened IOTL, too, but without Henry’s involvement.

 

[Salvador79]

1069:

After King Harold of England has thoroughly dealt with Normandy, he and his new son-in-law Malcolm of Scotland decide to remove from the picture another invading force of 1066.
No, not Norway – Norway is far away and vast.
A combined English and Scottish fleet under the command of Harold’s eldest son Godwin and supplemented by marine mercenaries led by their seasoned leader Hereward descends on the Orkney Islands to depose Paul and Erlend Thorfinsson, the two brothers who had participated in Harald Hardrada’s invasion and who ruled as Norwegian Jarls over the Orkney islands. Kirkwall is taken by the Anglo-Scottish forces; the two brothers are captured and later brought to Winchester. Erlend’s very young son Erling is installed as nominal new Mormair (earl), now regarded as a vassal of the Scottish king, with English ministerials managing a regency for the foreseeable future, basing their power on Hereward's men and ships who sustain themselves, like all Orkney jarls had done, by “taxing” all passing ships. Hereward is officially awarded a fief among the islands, too.

After control over the Orkney archipelago has been secured, the bulk of the Anglo-Scottish fleet sails on under Godwin’s leadership, into the Irish Sea, where they capture Gofraid Croban, who was contending with England’s ally, the Irish High King Diarmait mac Maíl na mBó, for control over the Kingdom of the Isles. Godwin delivers Gofraid to Diarmait’s son Murchad, who controls Dublin. Upon Gofraid’s capture and Godwin’s arrival, an insurrection led by Conchobar mac Domnall, King of Mide, collapses on itself, and Diarmait’s and Murchad’s control over Dublin as well as the islands in the Irish Sea is restored. [1]

From his new strongholds in the Harz, German King Henry IV. embarks on another campaign against Slavic pagans to his North, this time leading forces of the Saxon duke Ordulf. They destroy the main settlement of the Wagrian tribe, slay their leader Kruto and manage to install Gottschalk’s son Budivoj as Knes of the Obodrites.

As a result of these two campaigns, Henry’s building activities are viewed differently in Saxony: less as imperial recuperation aimed at weakening Saxon nobility, and more as part of a renewed commitment to combatting the pagan Slavs. Whereas IOTL Henry would soon have to lead “Saxon wars”, ITTL he is on excellent terms with the (much older) Billung Duke Ordulf. Ordulf even accompanies Henry, after their victory, on a journey to Jutland, where they meet with the Danish King Sweyn Estridsson and celebrate the wedding of his second son Knut to Adela, the daughter of Henry’s ally Robert the Frisian. Members of English and Swedish nobility are present, too. Henry IV. sets eyes on the English princess Gunnhild, who travels in the company of her uncle Leofwine, Earl of Kent, Essex etc.

Upon his return, King Henry IV. convenes the leading nobility of the Empire in Worms, where he shares his views about the dangers the Christian world faces from both pagans and insubordinate zealots (the Reform faction…) who make its defense impossible. He also announces his intention to divorce Bertha of Savoy and marry Gunnhild of England. The Papal Legate Petrus Damiani threatens that, in that case, Pope Alexander II. would not crown him emperor. Henry, who IOTL backed down, tells Damiani to go to hell. He calls on the empire’s noble leaders to support his divorce and remarriage and a firmer stance against Reformist riots and meddlings in the organization of the empire’s defenses (i.e. installing “strong” prince-bishops), but the assembled nobility is split on the issue. For the moment, Henry must bide his time.

The besieged town of Bari is relieved by a Byzantine fleet joined by Norman mercenaries, many from the Conteville clan, led by Robert of Mortain, recently departed from Normandy and paid by Emperor Romanos. In the Battle of Gravina, Robert Guiscard is captured by Mortain’s men and packed onto a ship that sails back to Constantinople, where the emperor cannot wait to take revenge on Guiscard. [2]

King Sancho II. of Castile marries the English noblewoman Albertha. On this feast, Sancho and his brother Alfonso, who had quarrelled only a year before, conspire to attack and divide between themselves the Western Kingdom of their brother Garcia. Among the English nobility present at the celebrations is also Edgar Edwinson with a few Wessex companions. [3] Disgusted by the malice he observed, Edgar and his retainers travel on.





[as per OTL:]

King Magnus of Norway dies. His brother Olaf Kyrre inherits the entire kingdom and orders the construction of Bjørgvin (the city we know today as Bergen).

Izaiaslav returns with a Polish army commanded by Duke Boleslaw II. the Bold and retakes Kiev.

Almoravids commanded by Yusuf ibn Tashfin conquer Fes.

Siegburg is granted city rights by Henry IV.



[1] IOTL, this scheme succeeded; Murchad was wounded in 1069 and died in 1070; Diarmait was slain in 1072. Gofraid Croban went on to control the Kingdom of the Isles; the Dublin Norse managed to maintain their autonomy for a couple more decades. All of this can be interpreted as indirect consequences of the Norman conquest – Diarmait and Murchad had been closely allied with the Anglo-Saxon Kings of England and with the Kings of Ulaid, and after 1066, these ties were no longer very useful. ITTL, Anglo-Saxon political continuity also means their allies in Ireland fare better. As for why some Scottish are engaging in this adventure, too – well, I admit that this does not follow strictly logically. But it would be a continuation of a longer-term trend of cooperation between England and Alba in an attempt to reduce or possibly remove the threats from the insular Vikings, a policy that had, just a few decades ago, brought down the Kingdom of Strathclyde, which had allied with the Norse-Gael islanders.

[2] It may seem counter-intuitive that MORE Normans in Southern Italy lead to LESS Norman successes. IOTL, though, Norman forces were never very numerous; it was not their numbers which ensured their successes, but a combination of their military outlook, and the determination and ruthlessness of their leaders, combined with the Popes’ need for them. I’ve commented a little as to why Alexander and especially Hildebrand of Soana don’t rely that much on the Normans this time; Norman military is unchanged, of course, but more Norman leaders, especially when they bring their domestic rivalries with them to Italy, might well mean more strife and more divisions.

[3] I couldn’t find anything on where in England Albertha may have been from, so I treated her as a wildcard which might or might not have had any sort of acquaintance with the House of Wessex. Let’s assume that she did. You asked about Edgar the AEtheling – for the moment, I’ve made him a traveller.

 

[Dragonboy]

Great That harold continues to thrive on his throne

 

[Nuraghe]

1069:

After King Harold of England has thoroughly dealt with both Normandy and trouble in Wales, he and his new son-in-law Malcolm of Scotland decide to remove from the picture another invading force of 1066.
No, not Norway – Norway is far away and vast.
A combined English and Scottish fleet under the command of Harold’s eldest son Godwin and supplemented by marine mercenaries led by their seasoned leader Hereward descends on the Orkney Islands to depose Paul and Erlend Thorfinsson, the two brothers who had participated in Harald Hardrada’s invasion and who ruled as Norwegian Jarls over the Orkney islands. Kirkwall is taken by the Anglo-Scottish forces; the two brothers are captured and later brought to Winchester. Erlend’s very young son Erling is installed as nominal new Mormair (earl), now regarded as a vassal of the Scottish king, with English ministerials managing a regency for the foreseeable future, basing their power on Hereward's men and ships who sustain themselves, like all Orkney jarls had done, by “taxing” all passing ships. Hereward is officially awarded a fief among the islands, too.

After control over the Orkney archipelago has been secured, the bulk of the Anglo-Scottish fleet sails on under Godwin’s leadership, into the Irish Sea, where they capture Gofraid Croban, who was contending with England’s ally, the Irish High King Diarmait mac Maíl na mBó, for control over the Kingdom of the Isles. Godwin delivers Gofraid to Diarmait’s son Murchad, who controls Dublin. Upon Gofraid’s capture and Godwin’s arrival, an insurrection led by Conchobar mac Domnall, King of Mide, collapses on itself, and Diarmait’s and Murchad’s control over Dublin as well as the islands in the Irish Sea is restored. [1]

From his new strongholds in the Harz, German King Henry IV. embarks on another campaign against Slavic pagans to his North, this time leading forces of the Saxon duke Ordulf. They destroy the main settlement of the Wagrian tribe, slay their leader Kruto and manage to install Gottschalk’s son Budivoj as Knes of the Obodrites.

As a result of these two campaigns, Henry’s building activities are viewed differently in Saxony: less as imperial recuperation aimed at weakening Saxon nobility, and more as part of a renewed commitment to combatting the pagan Slavs. Whereas IOTL Henry would soon have to lead “Saxon wars”, ITTL he is on excellent terms with the (much older) Billung Duke Ordulf. Ordulf even accompanies Henry, after their victory, on a journey to Jutland, where they meet with the Danish King Sweyn Estridsson and celebrate the wedding of his son second Knut to Adela, the daughter of Henry’s ally Robert the Frisian. Members of English and Swedish nobility are present, too. Henry IV. sets eyes on the English princess Gunnhild, who travels in the company of her uncle Leofwine, Earl of Kent, Essex etc.

Upon his return, King Henry IV. convenes the leading nobility of the Empire in Worms, where he shares his views about the dangers the Christian world faces from both pagans and insubordinate zealots (the Reform faction…) who make its defense impossible. He also announces his intention to divorce Bertha of Savoy and marry Gunnhild of England. The Papal Legate Petrus Damiani threatens that, in that case, Pope Alexander II. would not crown him emperor. Henry, who IOTL backed down, tells Damiani to go to hell. He calls on the empire’s noble leaders to support his divorce and remarriage and a firmer stance against Reformist riots and meddlings in the organization of the empire’s defenses (i.e. installing “strong” prince-bishops), but the assembled nobility is split on the issue. For the moment, Henry must bide his time.

The besieged town of Bari is relieved by a Byzantine fleet joined by Norman mercenaries, many from the Conteville clan, led by Robert of Mortain, recently departed from Normandy and paid by Emperor Romanos. In the Battle of Gravina, Robert Guiscard is captured by Mortain’s men and packed onto a ship that sails back to Constantinople, where the emperor cannot wait to take revenge on Guiscard. [2]

King Sancho II. of Castile marries the English noblewoman Albertha. On this feast, Sancho and his brother Alfonso, who had quarrelled only a year before, conspire to attack and divide between themselves the Western Kingdom of their brother Garcia. Among the English nobility present at the celebrations is also Edgar Edwinson with a few Wessex companions. [3] Disgusted by the malice he observed, Edgar and his retainers travel on.





[as per OTL:]

King Magnus of Norway dies. His brother Olaf Kyrre inherits the entire kingdom and orders the construction of Bjørgvin (the city we know today as Bergen).

Izaiaslav returns with a Polish army commanded by Duke Boleslaw II. the Bold and retakes Kiev.

Almoravids commanded by Yusuf ibn Tashfin conquer Fes.

Siegburg is granted city rights by Henry IV.



[1] IOTL, this scheme succeeded; Murchad was wounded in 1069 and died in 1070; Diarmait was slain in 1072. Gofraid Croban went on to control the Kingdom of the Isles; the Dublin Norse managed to maintain their autonomy for a couple more decades. All of this can be interpreted as indirect consequences of the Norman conquest – Diarmait and Murchad had been closely allied with the Anglo-Saxon Kings of England and with the Kings of Ulaid, and after 1066, these ties were no longer very useful. ITTL, Anglo-Saxon political continuity also means their allies in Ireland fare better. As for why some Scottish are engaging in this adventure, too – well, I admit that this does not follow strictly logically. But it would be a continuation of a longer-term trend of cooperation between England and Alba in an attempt to reduce or possibly remove the threats from the insular Vikings, a policy that had, just a few decades ago, brought down the Kingdom of Strathclyde, which had allied with the Norse-Gael islanders.

[2] It may seem counter-intuitive that MORE Normans in Southern Italy lead to LESS Norman successes. IOTL, though, Norman forces were never very numerous; it was not their numbers which ensured their successes, but a combination of their military outlook, and the determination and ruthlessness of their leaders, combined with the Popes’ need for them. I’ve commented a little as to why Alexander and especially Hildebrand of Soana don’t rely that much on the Normans this time; Norman military is unchanged, of course, but more Norman leaders, especially when they bring their domestic rivalries with them to Italy, might well mean more strife and more divisions.

[3] I couldn’t find anything on where in England Albertha may have been from, so I treated her as a wildcard which might or might not have had any sort of acquaintance with the House of Wessex. Let’s assume that she did. You asked about Edgar the AEtheling – for the moment, I’ve made him a traveller.

really interesting and well written story, now of course I will talk about what I know best ( HRE and Italy ) with Henry IV not coming into conflict with the Saxon nobility, it means that the split which in OTL then led to the formation of the Guelph and Ghibelline parties , here instead it is slightly healed, but now a much more serious dispute opens up with the Papacy ( and therefore with its main protector, Matilde of Canossa, which becomes even more relevant now that the Normans are viewed in Rome with suspicion ) technically the In 1069 the Great Countess Otl married Goffredo the Hunchback ( with whom she had a daughter, Beatrice ) and in this tl how will you manage her ?, given her political importance for the time

 

[Salvador79]

Great That harold continues to thrive on his throne

Well, I did make a promise by calling him "the Great" ;-)
Do not fear, though: This is not an out-of-control England wank.

really interesting and well written story

Thank you!

, now of course I will talk about what I know best ( HRE and Italy )

Awesome. This is where the next "story arc", covering the 1070s, will mainly focus on. I'm glad to have knowledgeable readers on board!

with Henry IV not coming into conflict with the Saxon nobility, it means that the split which in OTL then led to the formation of the Guelph and Ghibelline parties , here instead it is slightly healed, but now a much more serious dispute opens up with the Papacy ( and therefore with its main protector, Matilde of Canossa, which becomes even more relevant now that the Normans are viewed in Rome with suspicion ) technically the In 1069 the Great Countess Otl married Goffredo the Hunchback ( with whom she had a daughter, Beatrice ) and in this tl how will you manage her ?, given her political importance for the time

These are very apt predictions on different levels: Yes, the fault lines of the coming conflict are not identical with OTL's (but still roughly recognisable from OTL's Investiture Controversy). Yes, the Reform Popes depend very much on Mathilda of Canossa, even more so because the Norman card doesn't look so strong ITTL. Yes, Mathilda will inevitably play an important role. Whether she marries Gottfried Hunchback or not, he didn't help her IOTL anyway...
I was not aware, though, that she had a daughter. I thought Beatrice was the name of Mathilda's mother, and that Mathilda died without issue...?

 

[Dragonboy]

Well, I did make a promise by calling him "the Great" ;-)
Do not fear, though: This is not an out-of-control England wank.

You're doing well! Hope they set their eyes to wales soon, those archers are amazing