Crown of the Confessor: the Chronicle of the Anglo-Saxon Kings

[perdu42]

In reply to your curiosity regarding Marlsweyn (or Merleswein or Mærlswein): Frank McLynn in 1066: The Year of Three Battles (p.206) says he was appointed acting sheriff. Richard Fletcher in Bloodfeud (p.168) is less cautious in his suggestion that he was appointed to the earldom of Deira. Ian Walker in Harold: The Last Anglo-Saxon King (p.161) says he was placed in some sort of official position, probably as royal staller. (A preview of this work is available on Google Books – click to go to result 2.) The original source appears to be the Anglo-Norman chronicler Geoffrey Gaimar.

The Anglo-Dansk are the ethnic group which constitutes the greater part of the people in the north of England, being something of a fusion between Anglo-Saxon culture and Danish, with a smattering of Scots. While, yes, the House of Godwine often represented the Anglo-Danish faction, Harold's focus on the south alienated the House of Leofric and many Angledansk thanes in the north, which eventually led to the civil war shown.

Hmmmm… I have many reservations but hey … I’m just gonna kick back and continue enjoying your work.


[FONT=&quot]My two cents: Even at this point in time London is the de facto capital. Winchester is the de jure capital and would remain important for a long time because it housed the treasury.

BTW, like the irony of Godwine and Hakon out in the west country – an area with little love for the House of Godwine. [/FONT]

 

[perdu42]

[FONT=&quot]From post #164, footnote 2:

Also, I could find no information on what the actual royal capital of Denmark was in the 11th century (seriously, I even asked on yahoo answers), so Odense will just have to do for the mo'.

Fairly certain it’s Roskilde.[/FONT]

 

[Jord839]

In reply to your curiosity regarding Marlsweyn (or Merleswein or Mærlswein): Frank McLynn in 1066: The Year of Three Battles (p.206) says he was appointed acting sheriff. Richard Fletcher in Bloodfeud (p.168) is less cautious in his suggestion that he was appointed to the earldom of Deira. Ian Walker in Harold: The Last Anglo-Saxon King (p.161) says he was placed in some sort of official position, probably as royal staller. (A preview of this work is available on Google Books – click to go to result 2.) The original source appears to be the Anglo-Norman chronicler Geoffrey Gaimar.

Hmmmm… I have many reservations but hey … I’m just gonna kick back and continue enjoying your work.

I think the important thing to remember in most history book TLs here is that they are written from an in-universe perspective and thus, historical bias. I don't get the feeling that the Angledansk consider themselves "separate" from the other Anglo-Saxons at this point in history. The conflict was much more about feudal rivalries and disagreements it seemed.

We've been making a lot of comparisons between Britain and Iberia ITTL, so the best comparison I could make is the Castilian-Catalan relationship. Reading many history perspectives now, the Catalan identity is treated as somewhat separated back to the days of the Reconquista, but for most of the history of the crowns of Aragon and Spain, they were just another slightly different rural dialect whose only distinguishing feature was a slightly different political relationship with the crown. I get the same feeling with the Angledansk here. Linguistic drift, intentionally fostered sometimes and not so at others, as well as a continued rocky relationship with the southern-dominated English government could very well forge an Angledansk identity and perspective that doesn't really exist in the Middle Ages.

 

[kasumigenx]

I think the important thing to remember in most history book TLs here is that they are written from an in-universe perspective and thus, historical bias. I don't get the feeling that the Angledansk consider themselves "separate" from the other Anglo-Saxons at this point in history. The conflict was much more about feudal rivalries and disagreements it seemed.

We've been making a lot of comparisons between Britain and Iberia ITTL, so the best comparison I could make is the Castilian-Catalan relationship. Reading many history perspectives now, the Catalan identity is treated as somewhat separated back to the days of the Reconquista, but for most of the history of the crowns of Aragon and Spain, they were just another slightly different rural dialect whose only distinguishing feature was a slightly different political relationship with the crown. I get the same feeling with the Angledansk here. Linguistic drift, intentionally fostered sometimes and not so at others, as well as a continued rocky relationship with the southern-dominated English government could very well forge an Angledansk identity and perspective that doesn't really exist in the Middle Ages.

Catalans are the descendants of Occitan settlers who settled in Tarragona.

 

[Jord839]

Catalans are the descendants of Occitan settlers who settled in Tarragona.

I think you're missing the point here. Catalans in the medieval age have as much claim to having foreign influence or blood as the Angledansk, but in the middle ages were not particularly concerned about it. What did it matter if those pricks fifty miles down river sounded different? Most of the people in a village would never meet those pricks down river anyway. I'm saying that future developments will assign retroactive value to the Northern Rebellion that wasn't there at the time, and is reflected in the history book format of the TL.

The Angledansk, like the Catalans, are not (at this point in the timeline) an immense and united community with an identity formed in opposition to a different community beyond them. They're one of many, many rural variants of culture and language that continue to exist in the time period. My guess is that the separate identity continues to build over time, and colors visions of the past to some extent. Especially considering the Danelaw apparently still exists to some extent and there are plenty more opportunities for the embittered survivors of the campaign to become more closely tied to that set of circumstances and the languages and people that come with it in the future based on TLP's discussion of the Anglo-Saxon England's geopolitical priorities.

 

[9 Fanged Hummingbird]

I feel like I discovered this TL a bit late, which makes me a bit sad since this is the best Saxon-victory TL I've read. Yay for giving the Britons (and Bretons) a chance! Although I suppose it's a bit late for poor Strathclyde left alone up there in the north?

 

[TheLordProtector]

As always, we've had a long period of rest, and soon, feverish work will ensue! Worry not, dear friends, an update is on its way!

 

[perdu42]

As always, we've had a long period of rest, and soon, feverish work will ensue! Worry not, dear friends, an update is on its way!

Excellent!


BTW, it seems quite possible that Edwin and Morcar's mother was related to a prominent family of the Seven Boroughs. Their leadership of the Anglo-Danes now seems more logical (to me at least). But you obviously knew that already.