Historia Magna

Chapter II: “The Age of England Conquest”

After the Viking invasion of Europe, many Pagan nations were formed, Njarovik, Bronlorden in Italy, Dulfskaldir in Iberia. All of the respective nations lost their leaders in the “London Wedding” which outraged the Vikings into starting a wave of coordinated attacks on all of Europe, together with their allies Brittany, Upper Burgundy, and Genoa. The Vikings won great victories against the rest of Europe, The “Battle of the Venice Gulf” saw 100 Viking ships destroy the Venetian merchant navy, the “Battle of Dresden” saw the fall of Saxony, in which 20.000 Vikings faced the overwhelming 35.000 strong Saxon army and crushed it through sheer combat prowess. At the head of the Conquest was none other than the brother of Ragnar Lothbrok, Rollo who proclaimed himself “King of Normandy”. His methods earned him the title “the Cruel” as he would punish the slightest offense greatly. King Edward wrote to King Constantin Vojislav of Rashka sharing his plans to repel the savages from Europe, King Constantin agreed, this was most likely because the Kingdom of Rashka was Christianized in the past 10 years, by the Byzantine Empire. On his list of allies, except King Constantin, were Doge Machiavelli of Venice, King Luis II of Lower Burgundy, Ferdinand of Holland, Madgus “King of all the Magyars” and Sultan Mehmet of Al-Andalus. On the 15th May 918, King Edward “the Elder” declared war on the Vikings and called his allies in the “War of the second European Coalition”. Without a proper navy, England could not cross the channel between France and itself, so King Edward sent out spies who would later inform Rollo of Edward’s supposed invasion of Dulfskaldir. The plan was a success and the Viking navy rushed to protect its Iberian Kingdom while King Edward moved his 50,000 men into Njarovik. The Anglo-Saxon army used techniques copied from Ragnar himself. So the 50.000 men were a modern equipped European army, but with the skill of a Viking warrior. Edward’s son Aethelwolf laid siege to Njarovik. Hearing of this the Navy commanded by one of Ragnar’s oldest friends Floki ‘the Shipbuilder” sailed back north. This was when tragedy struck the Vikings, angry weather crushed their navy, effectively crippling their strongest military advantage and their rule over the seas. Without the Viking navy to pose any serious threat Venice was able to regain its hold over the Adriatic Sea and fend off the Viking attack, even managing to win the “Battle of Verona” where 10.000 Viking warriors lost to 15.000 Venetian men. In the year 920, the Byzantine Empire joined the war and invaded the southernmost tip of Italy. Meanwhile, the Muslim campaign in Iberia saw much success for the Muslim forces. Lead by the sultan himself the 30.000 strong Andalus army managed to take back Leon from the Viking invaders in the “Battle for Leon” Which saw the death of 25.000 men both Muslim and Viking. The Northern front saw the Fall of Njarovik and the subsequent siege of Armor, which surrendered after only 20 days. The English army marched east until they met the Grand Viking Army which stood 60.000 strong. At its head was Rollo, while Aethelwolf commanded the 45.000 strong English army. Knowing they were outnumbered and outmatched, Aethelwolf proposed the two commanders meet, to which Rollo accepted. The two met and not much is known about what they discussed, except that Rollo left the camp early and swore vengeance for his brother. The next three days were quiet and tense, each side waited for the other to strike first. On the 23rd November 921 once the first snow fell. Rollo charged his 60.000 men into the 45.000 Englishmen. The center of the English army formed a shield wall and lowered its spears through the cracks covering itself and bracing for impact. 15.000 Vikings collided with 10.000 Englishmen, not being able to break through the shield wall. 20.000 Englishmen were ordered to flank the Center army from both left and right, encircling the 10.000 Vikings. Seeing his men being outmaneuvered Rollo sent out 25,000 to break the encirclement. Aethelwolf quickly responded with a rain of arrows and crossbow bolts onto the oncoming army. Most of the attack was ineffective due to the Viking’s defensive formation. Seeing as this had no effect Aethelwolf sent out what cavalry he had, 15.000, to flank the 25.000 Vikings from each side. This move proved effective as the Vikings weren’t covering their sides, rather they were charging ahead blindly to help their brethren. Rollo then marched what army he had left into battle while leading the charge. Prince Aethelwolf fought valiantly and slew about 10 pagans that day, in the middle of the battle, he met eyes with Rollo who had just slain 5 men before him. The two engaged in single combat, the fight dragging on for 10 minutes until an arrow struck Rollo in the back. Aethelwolf saw this as an opportunity to strike the Viking King. However, he was foolish to think that a mere arrow would be enough to down Rollo. The Prince swung his blade, missing the King, after which he struck his entire right arm off, and impaled him on his greatsword. As he lifted him up from the ground he shouted: “This is for Ragnar!”, before dealing the killing blow to the Prince. Seeing their Prince fall, shattered the men’s morale. The army would have crumbled if it hadn’t been for the 25.000 Magyar riders who came in the nick of time and attacked the Viking rear. Just like in the “Battle for Paris”, the Viking army was disoriented, surrounded and slowly executed. King Rollo is said to have slain about 50 men that day, before Adony “the Viking-slayer” rode him down on his horse. He was granted the title after slaying 20 Vikings himself including Rollo. After the battle 35.000 Englishmen, 55.000 Vikings, and 10.000 Magyars lay dead on what was named “The Field of Crows”. This battle proved pivotal for the Coalition. The Iberian front saw a complete victory over the Vikings by the end of the month. The Italian front saw a prolonged siege of Rome and resistance from the Vikings but fell by 922 and Njarovik together with Upper Burgundy and Genoa capitulated on the 1^st September 922, marking the end of the “War of the second European Coalition” which proved English dominance in all of Europe. The northernmost parts of Frankia fell into the hands of England and were later renamed into Normandy, this along with all of the islands surrounding Britannia, and Britany. Upper Burgundy was given to Luis, who formed Burgundy. The Muslims received Leon. The Magyars were given control over the entirety of Saxony. While Venice and Byzantium divided Italy amongst each other so that Venice got the North, including Genoa and the islands of Sicily and Corsica, all the way down until Rome. Byzantium took control of Rome and Italy’s south including Sicily. After the war, King Edward arranged a marriage between his Heir St. Alfred and a Scottish nobleman’s daughter, named Maria. Before his death in 924 he also instituted the “London Accords” claiming:

“Every merchant from Damascus to London must speak common,”

Londonium Carta

a specific dialect of Latin, mixed with Germanic grammar. The already strange mix was later influenced by Norman French and even Byzantine Greek. King St. Alfred rose to the throne after his father’s death and will later earn the title “the Great”. For his reforms and generosity, the Pope of Rome pronounced him a Saint after his death. The Western church adopted most Eastern teachings which calmed the tension that was rising for the past 300 years, and so any idea of division between West and East was forgotten.

With the Church re-established in Europe, it came time to re-integrate it into the many peoples. King Alfred saw that as his opportunity for conquest. With the Casus Belli of spreading the Christian faith, he rallied his allies and marched into Frankia one last time in the “War of the third European Coalition” where he, alongside Rashka, Byzantium and Venice would force the Frankish-Germanic tribes into submission and effectively start the “Englification” of Europe. The war was a mirror of Charlemagne’s conquests and his own Carolingian Empire. The war was relatively short compared to its scale. By the end, 400.000 tribals lay dead with all of the rest submitting to the Christian kingdoms. The European map was redrawn yet again. England saw fit to annex all of Frankia, happily returning any land Burgundy saw as their own. Frankish tribals formed the Kingdom of Provence at the south of Frankia, neighboring Burgundy. The Slavic peoples accepted Christianity on their own and formed the Grand Duchy of Poland and the Kingdom of Kyiv. Rashka expanded northwards into Germania Minor and somewhat to the East, meeting the newly formed Hungarian Principality. Venice was granted the Savoyard and Milanese territories to the north, while Byzantium gained Greek territories and strengthened its hold over its half of Italy. King Alfred had but one condition in this peace deal, that all parties accepted the “London Accords”. The Allied states were happy to oblige while most of the newly formed Kingdoms declined. By 930 the World saw a unified Christian Europe excluding Norway, Sweden, and Denmark, which were united by Halfthor Lothbrok, claiming to be the last son of Ragnar Lothbrok. Scandinavia refused Christianity and adopted Ragnar’s iconic red eagle banner as the national flag. November 930 saw the attack of English merchants in Oslo, which prompted the “Viking Act” of 930. This meant that any Scandinavian merchant was to be declined trade in Europe, a continental embargo. This proved detrimental to the Viking economy which saw bankruptcy two years later. The Scandinavian nobility formed “Raiding Navies” which raided European coasts, sometimes even pillaged cities. The Kingdom of Kyiv and Poland united under marriage into The Eastern Commonwealth. With its new administration, the Commonwealth saw fit to break the “Viking Act” and abandon its obligations to the “London Accords”. Together with Scandinavia, Pomerania, Prussia, Hungary, and Bulgaria, they formed “The Opposition”. 931 saw complete disregard towards the “Viking Act” and “London Accords” by the Opposition. Furious King Alfred brought forth a plan to counter this federation. On the 2nd June 931 England together with Venice, Burgundy, Rashka, and Byzantium formed the M. I. A. R. S. or the Magni Imperii de Anglus Romanus Slavica, which translated into The Grand Empire of Anglo-Saxons, Romans, and Slavs. It surfaced as a new form of government where each Kingdom had its ruler, who was part of the Council, which would elect a new Emperor each time the current one died. Once established the Council refused to name an Emperor until the Opposition had been dealt with. There had been unstable peace for 5 years. During which King Alfred vassalized Ulster marking the beginning of the conquest of Ireland. In 933 King Dragan I of Rashka passed away leaving no heirs, this resulted in a brief civil war between the Houses of Brankovic and Nemanjic, with Milos Nemanjic being the victor. King Milos I was crowned in Belgrade on 28th April 934. On the 25th March 936, Europe saw the beginning of its bloodiest war yet. The “War of the fourth European Coalition” between the MIARS and the Opposition. By recent reports, it is said that the Bulgarian assassin Garvalo Pyatov was able to be snuck into a celebration between Rashka and Byzantium in Belgrade. This was a ploy by rival Danilo Brankovic to assassinate the Serbian King and Byzantine Emperor. While the festivities raged on, the assassin drew his crossbow and shot the King, with the second shot missing the Emperor. He was then forced to flee the White City and ride for Bulgaria, he managed to slip through the Rashkan hands and enter his home country. The following day, the MIARS offered an ultimatum to Bulgaria, hand over the assassin or war. The Bulgarian King Boris II “the Fool” chose war after being pressured into it by the remaining Kingdoms. General Dobroslav, who commanded the Bulgarian army of 30.000 men marched for Belgrade. While King Milos was in critical condition, his son Vuk of just 18 years took command and earned the title “the Young Wolf”. April 936 saw the first battle of the war, the “Battle of Silanevo” just 20 imperial miles from Belgrade. The 30.000 strong Bulgarian army met the 15.000 Serbs preparing to march for Belgrade. General Bozho, stood little chance of victory and he knew this. His sacrifice is remembered to this day, as a statue stands in his name, the Savior of Belgrade. Before the armies clashed, he gave a speech to his men, our account of this speech goes as follows:

“Who are, what are we? We are soldiers and we are Serbs! Our King is fighting for his life in the great city, we must fight for him. His son is taking command of our army, our Prince is coming! I will be blunt, we are going to lose today, or die. But if we fail to halt our enemies, then our King dies, if he dies, the city falls and if Belgrade falls, Rashka will fall with it. So come on now, raise the flags, sound the drums, draw your swords, and ready yourselves for war!!!“

Unknown

With this speech he prepared defenses and established a stable front in less than a day. Dobroslav ordered his archers to “rain hell” and so they did, for 1.5 hours straight. A third of his army comprised of cavalry, and he sent out one half of it alongside 10.000 infantry to breach their front. On their first charge, they lost 100 men, on their second 50, and on their third, they breached the line and broke through the center. Sending his cavalry as the main force in the breach proved a fatal mistake as almost all of the 5.000 riders met their end in close-quarter combat. He broke the left Serbian flank after sending his cavalry to flank them, they met little resistance from the 5.000 or so archers, killing most of them rather quickly. After this, he sent his remaining 5.000 infantry to flank from the right. With his men being slowly encircled, Bozho ordered his men to form a defensive circle with spears and shields in the front, supported by swordsmen. This was later named the “Bozhian Circle”. Dobroslav managed to encircle the Serbs by midday, it wasn’t until tomorrow morning that he defeated the army. Every time the Bulgarian cavalry charged, the Serbian spear-shield line would hold, and each time a Serbian soldier died another would take his place. The Bulgarians thought to kill them through archery, but it proved less effective than thought. It is said that the Bulgarians attacked over 50 times. The final charge shattered the circle and decimated the Serb forces. The battle saw the deaths of 12.000 Serbs and 9.000 Bulgarians. Exhausted, the Bulgarian army marched to Belgrade and reached it the next day. A classic siege was to take place around the city. The 20.000 strong Bulgarians would encircle and wait out until the Serbian granaries went thin. 40.000 Commonwealth men were to arrive within the fortnight and aid in the siege. Prince Vuk couldn’t risk his 20.000 men to face the equally strong Bulgarians, so he waited for Byzantine reinforcements. The Byzantine Emperor Constantine III “the Bold” rode with his 45.000 men to Belgrade. In the meantime, the Byzantine navy fought against the Commonwealth in the Black Sea, managing to capture as much as 150 ships, ensuring MIARS control over the seas. It was the final days of April when Dobroslav got reports of the Byzantine army which was only one day of riding away.

 He decided that he could not wait any further and ordered an assault on the city. Soon, the siege towers and trebuchets were prepared and the walls were attacked. The two armies were evenly matched. The Young Wolf ordered ½ of his men to guard the walls and he would take the remaining ½ and attempt to flank the enemy camp. By then the 10.000 Bulgarians who were originally based outside the walls, had to be reinforced so 2.000 infantry and 1.000 cavalry were sent off to the walls, leaving the General with only 7.000 men at his camp. Prince Vuk with 8.000 infantry and 2.000 cavalry was able to strike the camp from the north and catch Dobroslav completely off guard. He manned the front with 3.000 of his infantry, while his 4.000 cavalry would attack the Serbs from both sides. Vuk’s left flank was able to repel the attack while the right had more trouble, still succeeding in the end. Dobroslav’s cavalry routed and left him to fend of 10.000 Serbs by himself. The besieging force, seeing their general in danger, abandoned the siege and went to his aid. 5.000 infantry was able to arrive and hit the Serbian right, shattering it. As soon as Dobroslav gained the upper hand, Belgrade sent out 4.000 of its cavalry to aid the Prince. They managed to hit the Bulgarians from the back, killing about 1.000 men in the charge. The Bulgarians saw defeat and the remaining 5.000 laid down their arms and surrendered, including General Dobroslav. Through interrogation, it was revealed that the Commonwealth soldiers would make camp in Krichopolje North of Belgrade. This information was shared with the Emperor of Byzantium upon his arrival. Knowing the route of their enemies proved pivotal in the upcoming battle. The 45.000 Byzantines accompanied by 10.000 Serbian soldiers, prepared an ambush near the forest of Crni Zhup. The “Black and Red Battle” saw the ambush of the 40.000 Commonwealth soldiers by the weaker Serbian force led by Vuk. This was seen as mockery by the enemy so they sent out 20.000 men in pursuit of the Young Wolf. The remaining force thinking it was out of harm’s way, set up camp when it was attacked by the full force of the Byzantine army. The Byzantines 7.000 front cavalry charged forward against 5.000 Commonwealth horsemen. They were defeated without much of a fight. 7.000 Byzantine riders quickly encircled the camp and rode around it, giving no room for retreat. 20.000 Byzantine infantry marched forward slowly in a defensive testudo formation, blocking oncoming arrows and squishing the Commonwealth forces. Byzantium lost as little as 1.000 men in the fight. Meanwhile in the forests of Crni Zhup Vuk managed to outmaneuver the larger Commonwealth army by engaging and retreating in rapid succession. Slowly but surely devastating the twice as large army until they decided it was enough and retreated to their camp. To their surprise their camp was overrun by Byzantines, 9.000 of them surrendered while a thousand attempted to flee, they did not succeed. The Bulgarian capital fell within months of the battle with Vuk proclaiming himself as King of Bulgaria, after beheading Boris II himself. Most of Rashka’s forces were in the south and east. Hungary saw this as an opportunity to strike. The Hungarians were best known for their cavalry at the time, anyone would be a fool to engage them in an open field. They managed to take Zagreb by 937. A month later most of Croatia was overrun by the 50.000 strong Hungarian army. The next plan of action was to take Bech, the largest city of Germania Minor, and after that assault Venice.

However, they encountered a joint Venetian, Rashkan, Burgundian force of 60.000. The “Battle of Bech” saw an Opposition victory. The field in question was open with little obstructions for the Magyar “Skull Riders” and the 15.000 of its remaining cavalry. The Skull riders were a fierce part of the Hungarian cavalry, very proficient in cavalry vs. infantry combat and horse archery. The Battle saw the loss of 5.500 Burgundian, 7.000 Rashkan, and 7.000 Venetian soldiers who were forced to retreat into the city’s walls. The Hungarians besieged the city for 300 days before the English force of 75.000 men came to lift the siege. General William of York led the army with Generals Francis and Alexander. The Hungarian force was mostly comprised of cavalry so it was able to retreat before the English were able to catch them. June 938 saw the “Attack on London” lead by Halfthor Lothbrok. He lead the Viking navy into London harbor, all 500 ships. A force of 25.000 Northmen invaded London and breached its walls entering and pillaging the city. With only 15.000 men at his disposal, King Alfred managed to execute a successful counter-attack, driving the Vikings into their ships. For his greatness, he was named “the Great”. While in their ships the Vikings prepared to attack once more but were suddenly attacked by the newly formed Royal Navy, which vastly outnumbered and outmatched the Viking Navy, subsequently half of their ships were sunk, while the rest retreated. England officially ruled the waves. On the Austrian front things weren’t going according to plan. The Hungarians proved too elusive for any army to catch because following them meant constant ambushes and retreats. The MIARS armies suffered high attrition due to this. They were able to be pushed back into, out of Croatia. The Netherland Council allowed Prussian and Pomeranian troops to pass through their lands in order to attack Normandy. The 70.000 mixed troops were able to wreak havoc across Normandy and Northern Frankia. Hungary was forced into capitulation after the combined forces of 100.000 MIARS men raided the countryside and razed key cities. The conjoined army then split in half, with one ½ to attack Berlin and the other would assist in the sieges of Warsaw and Kyiv. Venice and Burgundy were to halt the invasion of Northern Frankia, while the Englishmen would invade Germania Proper. The invasion was anything but easy, the “Battle of Leipzig” saw a near defeat for the Allies 50.000 English soldiers met the 30.000 strong Prussian Army under the command of Wilhelm Straubsig. He split his troops into two halves and attacked in a pincer formation, in a way slamming the German war horns into the Allied close left and right flanks. The horns dug deep into the flanks, surrounding the center and slaughtering them. General William was barely able to pull off a counter-attack and drive off the Germanic force. After a few days of rest, the Englishmen forced their way to Berlin and besieged it. The invasion of Northern France went unchallenged for a good year and a half until the Venetian and Burgundian forces arrived at the ruins of Paris where they regrouped with 10.000 Englishmen. The 60.000 met the enemy’s 65.000 across a hillside. The Germanic troops marched forward, even though they were at a disadvantage, hoping that they would be able to strike the armies’ commanders and shatter them. The Venetians let loose their arrow volley and wreaked the German center. After which a slow descent down the hill was all it took to break their line. The remaining 35.000 mixed troops laid down their arms and submitted to the Venetians. They responded with a mass killing of their prisoners, in response to the “Battle of Bech”. In the event deemed “The Germanic Slaughter” over 30.000 unarmed soldiers were executed. The Venetian Doge Marcus said to this:

“War is hell, but it is human and we are human. In war there are no rules, there is only chaos.“

Serene Doge of Venice, Prince Marcus

On August 939 Warsaw was besieged by a joint army of about 115.000 Allied troops. The last battle of the war was the largest and most devastating. It would happen on 26^th August 939 10 imperial miles from Warsaw. The 115.000 strong Allied army would face the Opposition’s 100.000 lead by Pyotr Vilichev, Wilhelm Straubsig, and Halfthor Lothbrok. The battle was dubbed the “Battle of Hell’s gate”. General Wilfred of Scotland led the Allied army and formed a frontline with 50.000 infantry and 30.000 cavalry on the flanks. He then stretched his right flank further to the right, the enemy followed and engaged the right wing. The English sent out a detachment and attacked the Opposition’s left shattering most of their left wing. The Opposition’s center moved forward and engaged the English center. This was what William was waiting for, in a move mirroring Alexander the Great, he pulled back his right flank and struck the Opposition’s core and leadership. With William personally killing Prince Pyotr, the army’s morale fell and most of them routed. The 50.000 which remained were subsequently killed and or imprisoned. Halfthor managed to escape and Wilhelm was imprisoned, where he died 10 years later. Warsaw surrendered after the battle and the Commonwealth armies retreated to Kyiv. Kyiv’s position made it hard to siege after one month of siege, one soldier, Nikolai Gretchen, let opened the gates of Kyiv to the enemy in exchange for 200 pounds of gold. As soon as the gates were opened the English stormed the city killing Nikolai and putting the city to the torch. Approximately 200.000 civilians and soldiers lost their lives in the “Kievan Massacre”. Berlin fell in 940 and the war in continental Europe was put on hold. King Alfred ordered the invasion of Scandinavia in May of the same year. It fell one year later with no notable events. The great powers split the world as follows: England forced its rule onto Norway and Denmark after vassalizing the Netherlands, which accepted in order to avoid war. Rashka received southern Hungary, including Budapest and most of Bulgaria, excluding its opening to the Black Sea, which fell to Byzantium. The Germanic Kingdoms and the Commonwealth were forced to pay war reparations and accept the deals they had previously accepted. The war saw the deaths of 525.000 men, women, and children.

The following 35 years saw no major war. Notable events include:

• The Election of King Alfred “the Great” as Emperor of the MIARS. -941
• Halfthor Lotbrok was blood eagled in 941, a special method of punishment in the Norse culture.
• Milos, I yielded his crown to his son in 941.
• Scandinavia broke apart in 942.
• The Commonwealth failed to defend itself in 943 against the Horselords of the East.
• Ireland was incorporated into England by 945.
• Emperor Alfred pronounced himself Emperor of the British Isles in 945 and reformed his kingdom into the British Empire, granting control of Frankia, the Low Countries, Denmark, and Norway to various governors.
• Byzantium managed to retake the holy land from the Muslims and Emperor Constantine III was named “the Holy” in the holy city of Jerusalem in 950.
• King Vuk I “the Young Wolf” named himself Tsar and reformed Rashka into the Serbian Empire in 952.
• Notable rebellions of the time included “The Croatian Rebelion of 952” “The Bulgarian Revolt of 953” “The 1^st and 2^nd Italian Revolts of 956 and 957” and “The Muslim Revolts of 951”.
• Virgin trade routes were established between Europe and Cathay.
• What remained of Scandinavia accepted Christianity in 955.
• Europe’s golden age starts in 957 with King Alfred’s Imperial Decree of the Arts, which defended every artists’ right to creativity from the Church.
• The construction of Alparis began in 960, as a city to mirror late Paris.
• A late Roman town was renamed to Rosewood in 952 and given to the House of Martin.
• The “Pax Europa” act was passed in 989, forbidding wars between Christian nations.
• Alexandria and Cairo fell to Rome in the year 994, marking the end of Mamluk dominance in the region.
• No one could have anticipated the effects of the “London Accords”, which by the year 1000 already “Englified” most of Europe, with cities, nations, and even rulers being granted Common names. The golden age lasted until 1051 when “The Death” comes to Europe through their trade links to India and Cathay.