BRITONS TRIUMPHANT
An Alternate History Timeline of Dark Age Britain
PART EIGHT: 1100-1125 A.D.
1100--Pope Clement II dies. With the support of King Henry III of Italy, Teodorico, the Bishop of Albano, is elected as Pope Theodoric. Theodoric is a close friend and ally of the preceding Pope, Clement II, and continues his suppression of that faction of the church which supports the Gregorian Reforms. A son is born to King Coloman of Hungary and Queen Eudoxia. The boy is named Stephen, and will one day rule Hungary. He will be one of three sons the couple will produce (along with three daughters). King Eirik Haakonsson of Norway and Denmark marries Kristina Ingesdottir, eldest daughter of King Inge I Stenkilsson of Sweden.
1100 onward--The Norse settlements in Markland continue to expand, but at a slower rate than in the past century. Immigration of Norsemen from the homeland has considerably slowed, and most of the population increase which is now occurring in the settlements is as a result of natural breeding among the existing population. By now a significant group of mixed-bloods, the result of marriages between Norsemen and Skraelings, has arisen, some of which reside in the Norse settlements and some in the Skraeling villages. These people are serving as somewhat of a bridge between the two cultures, as well as providing, from the Skraeling standpoint, the useful service of beginning to impart some immunity to the diseases brought by the Norsemen. Skraeling tribes in the areas around the Norse settlements are beginning to recover somewhat from the epidemics of the previous century, but finding themselves politically and economically dependent on the Norse. What is emerging in the region is a mixed culture, with the Norse elements clearly dominant, but with many native elements thrown into the mix.
Elsewhere, the impact of the Norse on native societies has been much less profound. The relatively sparse pre-Norse-arrival population of the native tribes of the region around the Norse settlements has allowed the epidemics to burn themselves out without spreading deeply into the interior of the continent. Therefore, although the great Mississippian chiefdoms of the Mississippi Valley and the related cultures of the Southeast have been introduced to some cultural changes due to Norse trade items…particularly wheat, pigs, and horses…being introduced via native trade routes, they have not been decimated by disease as many of the tribes of the northeast have been. Contact with Norse traders over the upcoming century will cause local epidemics in some areas, but nothing that will seriously affect Mississippian society as a whole. There has also been some limited diffusion of iron items into the native cultures, but not of iron-working. These items therefore have become high-status items owned by the elite, without seriously impacting the native cultures as a whole.
Norse exploration of the coastlines of the new lands continues, with deeper penetrations being made into the interior. The Great Lakes were discovered in the latter decades of the 11th century, and the northern portion of the Mississippi River will be reached by the mid-12th Century. By the end of the 12th century, Norse ships will have reached the Caribbean, and will be exploring the Gulf Coast, with the mouth of the Mississippi River being discovered in 1191. Norse coastal settlements will be found as far south as what would become, in OTL, Delaware, and some settlement of the interior regions along the St. Lawrence River down to the northern shores of the Great Lakes will have occurred. As before, the settlements will make their living largely by shipping timber, furs, and tobacco and by pursuing the thriving trade in dried cod with Europe. Another lucrative trade item will also be discovered during the 12th century…pearls from the great oyster beds of the Chesapeake Bay region.
There will, of course, also be further conflicts between the Norse and the Skraelings as the Norse expand their colonies and area of influence. Indeed, there will be a major war in the middle of the century which will force the abandonment of some of the southernmost towns. But on the whole, the Norse in Markland will proper and grow during the 12th century.
1101--Following his victory over Raymond of Toulouse, Duke William IX of Aquitaine meets with the new Anti-Pope Paschal II at Riom. He argues that Paschal’s position and claim on the Papacy would be far stronger if he were supported by a King rather than a mere Duke. Paschal can see the point, but strongly criticizes William’s heretofore tolerant policies regarding the heretical Cathars, whose beliefs have been growing in popularity in the regions controlled by William. William is somewhat taken aback that Paschal would dare to condemn his own benefactor in this way, but recognizes this as the characteristic of a brave man and a strong leader…qualities he deeply respects…and he agrees to suppress the heretics. In return, Paschal agrees to crown William as King William I of Aquitaine.
1101-1136--Reign of King William I of Aquitaine. Most of William’s reign will be spent at war with the Kings of France, Philip and Charles V. He will also be notable for his suppression of the Cathar heresy. William’s courts will condemn many hundreds of Cathars to death by burning at the stake, and by the end of his reign, the Cathars will have been decimated. However, they are not destroyed as a sect, but are driven underground instead, and will survive the persecutions. William will also find time to consolidate his power at home, removing rebellious feudal vassals and establishing the structure for a relatively strong and stable kingdom which he will leave to his successors.
1101-1129--War between France and Aquitaine. King Philip of France, upon hearing of his former vassal’s claim to the Kingship of Aquitaine, declares war. Although King Philip commands more military resources than does King William, he is not a great military commander. As a result, King William is able to repel Philip’s nearly yearly invasions of Aquitaine, but is not strong enough to take any of Philip‘s lands, either. William is also able to foment some rebellions among the remaining feudal vassals and governors in Philip’s own lands, and Philip supports the heirs of Raymond IV of Toulouse in failed attempts to retake that county from William. The net effect is that neither side is able to decisively defeat the other. The war continues even after Philip’s death in 1117, as the new King of France, Charles V, also refuses to recognize William’s claim to the kingship of Aquitaine. But finally, after suffering a major defeat at the hands of William outside Orleans, Charles agrees to a treaty recognizing the independence of Aquitaine, and formally ceding the lands south of the Loire to William.
1102--Charles, Duke of the Franks and Count of Paris, marries Richenza, daughter of King Siegfried I of Germany. Duke Władysław I Herman of Poland dies. His realm is ruled jointly by his sons, Zbigniew and Boleslaw Wrymouth. The Croats recognize King Coloman of Hungary as King of Croatia. The Croatian crown enters a personal union with the crown of Hungary, which will persist for centuries. Valencia, Dominion of the Cid (who died in 1099), falls to the Almoravids.
1103--A son is born to Prince Boniface of Italy and his wife, Anna Comnenus (actually the second child, the first being a daughter). The boy is named Alexius by his mother, in honor of her father.
1104--A son is born to Charles, Duke of the Franks and Count of Paris, and his wife Richenza of Germany. The boy is named Louis. A son is born to King Eirik Haakonsson of Norway and Denmark and his wife, Queen Kristina Ingesdottir. The boy is named Olaf Eiriksson, and will be the first of three sons the couple will produce (along with three daughters).
1105--Death of Henry of Nordheim, who reigned as King Henry III of Italy. He is succeeded by his eldest son, who reigns as King Otto IV of Italy.
1105 onward--The Almohades, founded by Ibn Tumart, begin as a religious movement to rid Islam of impurities. Most specifically, the Almohades are opposed to anthropomorphisms which had slipped into Iberian Islam. Ibn Tumart's successor, Abd al-Mu'min, will turn the movement against non-Muslims, specifically Jews and Christians. Eventually sweeping across North Africa and into Muslim Iberia, the zealous Almohades will initiate riots and persecutions of both Muslims and non-Muslims. In some towns Jews and Christians are given the choice of conversion, exile, or death.
1105-1110--In 1005, King Inge Stenkilsson of Sweden dies. He has no surviving sons, and is succeeded by his nephews, Philip Halstensson and Inge II Halstensson, who rule as joint kings. However, this is contested by King Eirik Haakonsson of Norway and Denmark, who claims the throne by virtue of being married to the daughter of King Inge I. Eirik sends an embassy to Pope Theodoric, pointing out the failure of the Swedish royal house to Christianize Sweden (unlike in Denmark and Norway by this time, a majority of the Swedes and the Geats still maintain their pagan beliefs), and asking for Papal support for his claim to the Swedish throne. Pope Theodoric agrees to support Eirik’s claim, and sends a blessed papal banner to Eirik. Over a five year period, the forces of King Eirik defeat the forces of Kings Philip and Inge, who flee into exile in Rus, and Eirik is crowned King of the Swedes and the Geats in 1110. For the first time, all of the Norse peoples are united under a single royal house. The new united kingdom will become known as the Kingdom of Scandia.
1105-1125--Reign of King Otto IV of Italy. Otto will prove a wily and successful ruler, and the power of the Italian monarchy will be greatly enhanced during his reign. Otto has been strongly influenced by his mother, Matilda of Tuscany, who is a supporter of the Gregorian Reforms and has opposed her husband’s polices vis-à-vis the Papacy (but has been, until now, powerless to do anything about it), but he also sees the advantages for his own throne which his father’s policy has gained and has no desire to give up the power and lands he has inherited as a result of these polices. Seeking a way to reconcile these two competing desires, he opens secret negotiations with the anti-Pope, Paschal II, which will be successful within two years. Otto also will further consolidate his own power in Italy itself, forge ties with the Byzantine Empire, and fight successful wars both against his cousin, King Siegfried II of Germany and against the Republic of Venice during his reign.
1106--In this year, Harald Ericsson (son of Eric Sweynsson, a brother of former Danish King Knut Sweynsson who was killed, along with said King, in the 1095 battle off Jutland which ended the war with Norway), returns to Denmark from exile in Rus, where he and his brothers, Eric Ericsson and Knut Ericsson, had fled after the victory of Eirik Haakonsson of Norway in 1095. Eric and Knut having died of plague while in Rus, Harald is the sole surviving direct heir of the line of Sweyn Forkbeard, and he intends to retake the throne of Denmark for his family. Unfortunately for him, King Eirik Haakonsson has been quite successful in pacifying the unruly Danish nobility and in unifying the two realms of Denmark and Norway. Harald is betrayed soon after landing in Denmark and turned over to King Eirik, who has him executed. So ends the Danish royal line.
1106-1108--Civil War in Britannia. Many of the people of Britannia, including some powerful subkings and Llywodraethwr, view High King Cynfelyn ap Arthur as a usurper and have never reconciled themselves to his rule. Although there have been several abortive revolts since Cynfelyn took power in 1093, these have been discovered by Cynfelyn’s spies and crushed before they fairly got started. However, in 1106, a major revolt breaks out which will take Cynfelyn two years to put down. In the aftermath, scores of the remaining members of the House of Emrys who have remained in Britannia are rounded up and put to death, seriously depleting the number of possible contenders…and threats… for the Cynfelyn’s throne. Resistance to Cynfelyn’s rule is not wiped out, but it is driven underground for the remainder of his reign.
1107--Death of King Siegfried I of Germany. He is succeeded by his only son (Siegfried had one son, and one daughter), who reigns as King Siegfried II. Duke Zbigniew of Poland is chased from the country by his half-brother Bolesław III Wrymouth, and he seeks help from the new German King, Siegfried II. Siegfried, eager for an opportunity to prove himself in battle, agrees to help.
1107-1125--Reign of King Siegfried II of Germany. Siegfried II is, unfortunately, not as capable a King as his father, and the stability of his realm will suffer as a result. He will also fight several unsuccessful wars with his neighbors. He will go down in history as “Siegfried the Feckless” as a result, and his dynasty will almost not survive his reign.
1108--An agreement is reached between King Otto IV of Italy and the anti-Pope, Paschal II. In exchange for the formal renunciation by Paschal of claims to temporal authority over the Kingdom of Italy…specifically by renouncing all claim to lands in Italy granted by the so-called Donation of Constantine, with the exception of Latium (which Otto agrees to recognize as the sole property of the Papacy)…Otto agrees to support the removal of Pope Theodoric and the installation of Paschal as Pope. Otto agrees also to support the rest of the Gregorian Reforms, especially the enforcement of clerical celibacy (which Popes Clement II and Theodoric have vigorously opposed…indeed, Pope Clement himself was married, and had children while serving as Pope). Shortly thereafter, Pope Theodoric and his supporters are forced to flee from Rome (they flee to France, where they find a welcoming ally in King Philip) by King Otto, and Paschal II is anointed as Pope in Rome in June, 1108.
Also in this year, the Battle of Ucles is fought between the forces of Kingdom of Castile and the Almoravids. The Castilian army is commanded by Crown Prince Sancho, who, being a little older and less impressionable than his OTL counterpart, does not listen to those advisors who urge him to make a headlong charge with his knights against the Almoravid line without infantry support. As a result, although the battle is still a defeat for the Castilians, it is a far less severe one, and Sancho survives the battle. Indeed, Sancho’s own reputation is greatly enhanced when he bravely leads the rear-guard which saves the bulk of his army from destruction by the pursuing Almoravid army.
1109--King Philip of France grants Pope Theodoric sanctuary in the town of Sens. With Philip’s support, Theodoric sets up a rival papal throne in France, claiming authority over the entire church. In separate Bulls, Popes Theodoric and Paschal excommunicate each other and their followers. King Alfonso VI of Castile, Leon, and Galicia dies, and is succeeded by his son, who reigns as King Sancho III. The Almoravids storm Talavera on the Tagus to the west of Toledo. The country to the north and south of Toledo is ravaged and the city unsuccessfully besieged for a month.
1109-1150--Reign of King Sancho III of Castile, Leon, and Galicia. Sancho will prove to be a strong King, and will war successfully with both his Muslim and Christian neighbors. The power of his dynasty will be greatly enhanced as a result.
1109 onward--The Great Schism of the Roman Catholic Church develops in the aftermath of the mutual excommunications of Popes Theodoric and Paschal II. Europe divides itself into camps allied to one or the other of the rival Popes. Pope Theodoric holds support among those rulers who oppose the stand of the Gregorian reformers on the issues of lay investiture and Papal authority over temporal rulers. Pope Paschal is still considered an Anti-Pope by much of Christendom, but is supported by the powerful trio of Kings William of Aquitaine, Otto of Italy and Siegfried of Germany. However, in all kingdoms, powerful nobles seeking to increase their own power at the expense of their monarchs will lead rebellions in favor of the Pope which is opposed by their own King, leading to much warfare and general chaos over the succeeding decades.
1110--Death of High King Donnchad mac Toirdhealbhach ua Briain of Ireland. He is succeeded by his son, who reigns as High King Brian II mac Donnchad ua Briain. Pope Theodoric dies at Sens. He is succeeded by Maginulfo, former Archbishop of San Angelo in Pescheira who had followed Theodoric into exile, who reigns as Pope Sylvester III.
Also in this year, the new King Sancho III of Castile and Leon leads a Castilian army into Almoravid territory in retaliation for the previous year’s raid into the region around Talavera. In battle near the town of Almodovar, Sancho inflicts a stinging defeat on the Almoravids, killing Emir Ali ibn Yusuf ibn Tashfin. This will have important impacts, as the Almoravids are not able to immediately decide on a successor, and a civil war breaks out in Morocco, the Almoravid power base. However, the Almoravids in Iberia itself remain strong, and the Castilians are not strong enough to occupy the country. They therefore content themselves with ravaging it before returning to Toledo. Also in this year, Al-Mustain of Saragossa leads an expedition against the Christians, but is killed at Valtierra. His son, Imad al-Din, fails to establish his rule and the Almoravids march in. End of the Emirate of Saragossa.
1110 onwards--King Eirik Haakonsson of Scandia forcibly Christianizes the Swedes and the Geats.
1110-1148--Reign of High King Brian II mac Donnchad ua Briain of Ireland. Brian will be a more successful ruler than his father, and Ireland will begin to recover from the destruction wrought by the disastrous rebellions of High King Donnchad’s reign. In particular, Brian will pursue a policy of using skillful diplomacy and opportunistic dynastic marriage to increasingly unify the Ua Briain with the Ui Neill, who are the chief opponents of the High King’s power in Ireland, greatly increasing the stability of the realm. Under his guidance, the High Council of Ireland will also pass several pieces of landmark legislation which will further enhance that stability, and the realm he passes to his successor will be both peaceful and prosperous.
1111--Pope Sylvester III dies at Sens, and is succeeded by Teobaldo Boccapecci, another Italian priest who had fled with Pope Theodoric to France. Teobaldo reigns as Pope Celestine II.
Also in this year, in Iberia, King Alphonso the Battler of Aragon and Navarre invades Castile and Leon. While King Sancho III is resisting this invasion by his fellow Christians on his eastern frontier, the Almoravids move north on his western frontier, taking some territory while Sancho is too busy to resist. Sancho defeats and kills Alphonso and occupies Navarre. He is unable, however, to expel the Almoravids from the lands they seized in the west, and is unable to take Aragon. A conclave of Aragonese nobles selects Alphonso’s brother, Ramiro (who is, at the time, a monk in a French monastery) to rule them as King Ramiro II.
1112--Former Polish Duke Zbigniew is lured back to Poland, where Bolesław III Wrymouth has him blinded. He dies soon afterward.
1112-1113--In 1112, King Otto IV of Italy proposes to Emperor Alexius I Comnenus of the Byzantine Empire that the two divide up the remaining independent states in south-central Italy (except Latium, which Otto has guaranteed as an independent realm for the Pope) between them. Alexius agrees, and a joint invasion by Italian and Byzantine forces makes short work of the meager forces of the Lombard princelings of the region, with the last Lombard fortresses being taken by siege in the spring of 1113. Later that year, a treaty is signed establishing the border between the Kingdom of Italy and the Byzantine Empire. During this episode, King Otto makes what will be a lifelong friendship with John Comnenus, Emperor Alexius’s son and heir.
1114--High King Brian mac Donnchad ua Briain of Ireland marries Moira ni Conchobhair, a princess from one of the more powerful of the surviving Ui Neill houses. In so doing, he cements a family connection with the Ui Neill which will be of great value for his dynasty. Also in this year, King Ramiro II, who had no desire to leave his church career to serve as monarch of Aragon, marries Constance, daughter of King William I of Aquitaine. His aim is to produce an heir, then abdicate his throne as soon as possible.
1114-1115--The Almoravides invade the County of Barcelona, also known as the Spanish March, a feudal vassal of the King of France. Count Ramon III calls on his overlord for aid, but King Philip, fully engaged in war with Aquitaine, refuses. Rebuffed, Ramon pleads with King William of Aquitaine for aid, and he gives it. The Almoravides are forced to retreat. The Count of Barcelona formally switches his allegiance to the King of Aquitaine.
1115--Death of High King Cynfelyn ap Arthur. He is succeeded by his son, Einion ap Cynfelyn. Einion is a boy of only 15 years old upon his accession to the throne. King Owain of Strathclyde, who had been one of the former High King Cynfelyn’s greatest supporters, is appointed Rhaglaw (regent) during the young High King’s minority.
1116--Death of King Coloman of Hungary. He is succeeded by his son, Stephen, who despite his young age, is able to garner the support of most of the Hungarian nobility and secure election to the throne. Also in this year, a son is born to High King Brian II mac Donnchad ua Briain of Ireland and his wife, Moira ni Conchobhair. The boy is named Niall mac Brian. Niall will be the first of three sons the couple will produce, but the only one to survive until adulthood. King Ramiro II of Aragon and his wife, Constance of Aquitaine, have a healthy son, who they name Alphonso.
1116-1158--Reign of King Stephen II of Hungary. Stephen II will be a very shrewd and militarily gifted King, and Hungary will prosper mightily during his long reign, growing in power and influence at the expense of his neighbors to the north, south, and west.
1116-1117--War between Hungary and the Holy Roman Empire. The new king of Hungary, Stephen II, invades Bohemia in 1116. The ATL version of King Stephen is a better commander than his OTL counterpart, and Emperor Siegfried is not an able opponent. As a result, Stephen takes Prague in 1117, and in a treaty signed later that year, Bohemia is ceded to Hungary.
1116-1121--Civil War in Britannia. In late 1116, hoping to take advantage of the minority of the new High King Einion ap Cynfelyn, a group of British nobles…emissaries for several sub-kings and Llywodraethwr who consider Cynfelyn a usurper and his line as illegitimate…travel to Alba, seeking out Prince Arthur ap Morgan, grandson of the former High King Gwalchmai ap Cadwaladyr. They are dismayed to find that the young prince has given up hope of ever reclaiming the throne for his family, and is in training for a monastic life. Furthermore, young Arthur makes it plain that he is reluctant to abandon his chosen path for the far more uncertain future that leading a rebellion against the new High King would entail. But after much cajoling…and long hours recounting the unhappiness of the people under the brutal rule of Cynfelyn and the equally ruthless Rhaglaw (regent) Owain of Strathclyde…they are able to persuade Prince Arthur to raise the standard of revolt. Sensing that the new High King is in a much weaker position than his father had been, King Oengus mac inghine Lulaich of Alba pledges his support…and his army…to the enterprise. The British nobles return across the border to the sub-kings and governors who sent them, and these shortly thereafter rise in rebellion. The rebel army gathers near Caer Bremet, in Rheged, where it is joined by the Alban army under King Oengus. The remaining sub-kings and Llywodraethwr choose sides, and thus begins a civil war which will rage for almost six years. Finally, in early 1121, the rebels and their Alban allies win a decisive victory at Caer Celemion (OTL Silchester). Rhaglaw Owain, King of Strathclyde, is killed in the battle, and High King Einion ap Cynfelyn is captured. Soon thereafter, High King Einion is declared to be deposed, and Arthur ap Morgan is crowned as High King in his place. This is recognized by the Cyngor Mawr at a meeting held later that year.
1117--Death of King Philip of France. He is succeeded by his eldest son, Charles, Duke of the Franks and Count of Paris, who reigns as King Charles V. Crown Prince Fergus mac Oengus of Alba marries Generys, daughter of King Dyfnwal ap Brochfael of Bryneich.
1117-1132--King Charles V of France continues his father’s policy of supporting the rival Papal See at Sens. He is a much more shrewd and charismatic man than his father, and more skilled on the battlefield. But despite repeated efforts, he is unable to reconquer Aquitaine, and will formally recognize it’s independence by treaty in 1129.
1118--Death of Byzantine Emperor Alexius I Comnenus. He is succeeded by his son, who reigns as Emperor John II Comnenus. Death of Pope Paschal II. He is succeeded by Cardinal Lambert of Ostia, who reigns as Pope Honorius II. King Ramiro II of Aragon abdicates his throne in favor of his son, Alphonso. His wife, Queen Constance, is named regent during the new King’s minority. King William I of Aquitaine will use this fact to increase his influence over Aragon, with the aim of taking it for himself.
1118-1159--Reign of Byzantine Emperor John II Comnenus, known to history as “John the Great.” Emperor John will continue his father’s wise policies which rebuild the economic and military strength of the Empire. He will war successfully in the Levant and Anatolia, pushing the Turks completely out of the region and back into Iran. With his friend, King Otto IV of Italy, he will forge an alliance between Byzantium and the Kingdom of Italy which will greatly benefit both powers. He will support, although not directly participate in, Otto’s war against his cousin, Emperor Siegfried II of the Holy Roman Empire, and, in cooperation with Otto‘s successors, will eject the Muslims from Sicily, retaking it for the Byzantine Empire, and crush the growing power of Venice.
1119--A son is born to Crown Prince Fergus mac Oengus of Alba and his wife, Princess Generys. The boy is named Macbethad mac Fergus.
1119-1123--High Duke Boleslaw III Wrymouth defeats the Pomeranians, taking control of the province. Emperor Siegfried II does not intervene, a decision which will prove costly.
1120--Crown Prince William of Aquitaine marries Matilda, daughter of Prince Boniface of Italy. Also in this year, King Sancho III of Castile invades Aragon, claiming the throne for himself. The Aragonese regent, Constance of Aquitaine, calls on her father, King William I of Aquitaine, for support. Aquitainian troops prove decisive, and the Castilians are driven out. However, the Aquitainians don’t leave, either. King William forces his daughter to resign as regent, naming William as regent in her place. There is much grumbling about this by the Aragonese nobility, but they do not actively resist. For all intents and purposes, Aragon becomes a feudal dependency of Aquitaine.
1121--A second son is born to Crown Prince Fergus mac Oengus and Princess Generys of Alba. The boy is named Conall mac Fergus. Conall will grow to be a great rival to his brother, Macbethad, and will contest Macbethad’s right to rule upon his father’s death in 1160.
1121-1122--Having made peace with his Christian neighbors to the east, King Sancho III of Castile and Leon decides to take on the Muslim enemy to the south. Sancho fights the Almoravides primarily on the western frontiers of his kingdom, taking territory right down to, and a little below, Lisbon. He is aided by the fact that the Almoravides are beset by rebellion in their own territories. In 1121 the Cordobans rebel against the Almoravides, and drive the governor and his troops from the city. The Almoravides are able to suppress the rebellion in early 1122, but the need to do so diverts their attention and resources from Sancho’s invasion.
1121-1145--Reign of High King Arthur V ap Morgan. Arthur V, while in exile, had been headed for a monastic life when the cadre of British nobles who persuaded him to lead the rebellion against Einion had approached him. And although he agreed to lead the rebellion and to rule as High King, he refuses to give us his religious priniciples in so doing. He had taken a vow of celibacy, a vow which he chooses to keep until his death. He will never marry, and never produce any children. Arthur’s religious inclinations…he takes to heart the Biblical injunction to “Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you”…lead him to take a conciliatory approach to rebuilding his kingdom after the bitterness of the Wars of Religion. He extends amnesty to the sub-kings and governors who supported Einion and Cynfelyn, and, as a gesture of peaceful reconciliation toward the defeated side, he spares the life of the former High King. Einion is strongly encouraged to pursue a career in the church, and goes to live at a monastery in Dyfed. Arthur also issues an Edict of Toleration which proclaims that, although Britannia is now officially a Roman Catholic state, those congregations which choose to follow the old British liturgy will not be persecuted. As another gesture toward unity, Arthur also rebuilds, endows or establishes many churches and monasteries…both Catholic and Celtic…during his reign. By these wise and tolerant policies, Arthur heals the wounds in his kingdom, and will come to be known among British historians as Arthur Mawrfrydig (“Arthur the Magnanimous”).
Arthur V also will also attempt to heal the Schism within the body of the Roman Catholic Church itself by offering his services as a mediator between the rival papal thrones…an offer which will, however, be rejected by both sides. His extreme piety deeply impresses both his own subjects and important churchmen both at home and abroad, however, and he will be, within a few decades after his death, canonized by both wings of the Catholic Church.
1122--Battle of Beroia. The Pechenegs are annihilated as an independent people by Byzantine forces. The Cumans occupy their former lands.
1123-1124--Holy Roman Emperor Siegfried II’s failure to respond to the naked aggression of Polish Duke Boleslaw III Wrymouth in Pomerania, along with his other failures, has caused his reputation to completely collapse both at home and abroad. Rebellion breaks out among many of the powerful feudal lords of Germany itself, and King Otto IV of Italy decides the time is right to make a grab for the Marquisate of Verona. Meanwhile, King Stephen II of Hungary will ally himself with Otto, and march into Carinthia. About the only allies Siegfried has is the Republic of Venice, which views King Otto’s control of Verona as a direct threat to it’s safety and independence. Desperate to secure his own throne, Siegfried is forced to make peace with Otto and Stephen in 1124. Otto gets the Marquisate of Verona, and Stephen gets Carinthia. Venice is forced to surrender the Dalmatian coast to King Stephen. Fighting continues in Germany as Siegfried turns his energies totally to putting down his opposition at home.
1124--A son is born to Crown Prince William of Aquitaine and his wife, Matilda of Italy. The boy is named, of course, William, and is the third child born to the couple (the first two being a daughter and a still-born son).
1125--Death of King Otto IV of Italy. Otto dies childless, and is succeeded by his brother, who reigns as King Boniface I. Also in this year, Grand Prince Vladimir II Momomakh of Kiev dies, and is succeeded by his eldest son, Yuri Vladimirovich, Prince of Suzdal. However, Yuri’s rule is not uncontested…least of all by his brother, Vsevelod Vladimirovich, Prince of Novgorod, who aligns himself with the enemy dynasty at Chernigov against Yuri, and Rus soon falls into civil war. Yuri will himself be driven out of Kiev by the Princes of Chernigov, who will seize the Kievan throne for themselves, but being seen as usurpers, never will command the authority over the whole of Rus that the former dynasty did. Yuri will retreat to Suzdal, and establish a dynasty which will rule there and in Moscow for centuries. The end result is that the formerly united and powerful state of Rus is divided into a collection of competing, independent Princedoms. Also in this year, Holy Roman Emperor Siegfried II of Germany dies while besieging Worms.
1125-1132--Civil War in Germany. Following the death of Holy Roman Emperor Siegfried II of Germany, his son and heir, Otto, fails to gain election as King of Germany. Neither does anyone else. The rebellions which have been ongoing since 1123 now broaden into a countrywide civil war, as numerous contenders for the throne try to assert their claims. In the end, Crown Prince Otto…who is a more militarily a politically gifted man than his father…manages to put down his rivals, and by 1132 has emerged as the defacto ruler of Germany. He will be formally elected as King of Germany by the end of that year.
1125-1138--Reign of King Boniface I of Italy. Boniface continues and deepens the alliance between his Kingdom and the Byzantine Empire. During his relatively short reign, he will assist Emperor John II Comnenus in ejecting the Muslims from Sicily and in warring against the Venetians. Venice itself will be forced to acknowledge his overlordship before the end of his reign. Boniface will also work to improve relations between Italy and Germany, striking up a friendship with German King Otto IV.
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Copyright 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 by Robert P. Perkins, All rights reserved. Last updated on 11 August 2007.
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