33
Sorry for not updating in so long, I used to pride myself on how much I could pump out this TL but I suppose it's not been as easy as it once was.
1135-1139
In Britain, Gruffydd had been increasing trade with far off foreign countries. He had detailed accounts of Russia, Scandinavia, Iberia, North Africa, the various German countries, and even Leifrvalde. It appears he put off any ambition of conquering Normandy and used most of the military to keep rebellions down, he had also increased the Genocidal programs against "Un-Celtic Germanics." He had also appointed his brother Rhys ap Hywel Lord of all Ireland and under Rhys' supervision many agricultural developments were worked on to make the land more easily cultivated.
In Iberia, Emperor Ragnar had been building forces to be sent to defend his North African territories. The Iberian Empire had been experiencing the weight of over extension, Emperor Ragnar had tried to move a mass amount of his Iberian citizens into his newly conquered territory but that had in some ways worsened the bureaucracy by having to enforce taxes and such over such a vast distance. Many would have simply adopted a more Feudal approach but unlike Charlemagne and many others that bared the title of Western Roman Emperor Ragnar did not take it as a mere title and tried his best to keep the state from relying to much on local authorities. In his words: "We Cannot let (ourselves/us) to become reliant on the Local lords, else we walk the Path of the Empire of Germans." However in 1038 Emperor Ragnar the First had died of a disease, his son Olaf Ragnarsson had inherited all of his father's empire but had decided to allow his half brother Robert to govern the Iberian Peninsula with Olaf ruling over the African frontier on the condition that Olaf could still recruit soldiers and settlers as well as the supplies necessary to feed both.
The Capital of Iberia woud be relocated to toledo and the Capital of the new 'Christian Kingdom of Africa' would be in the city of Bizerte, just a days ride north of Carthage. Olaf had wanted to fulfill his father's dream of making Carthage a proud Capital once more but it was just too close to the front lines while Bizerte was close enough to the frontlines to manage war affairs while at the same time far away enough that it would be safe from the battles on the front lines, the city also had a very defensible position with steep mountains and the freshwater lake Ichkeul and the Lagoon of Bizerte making any invading army could attack from only a few positions of which could be easily fortified. It was also Ideal for trade as it being the farthest north city on the African continent and close to the Byzantine controlled region of Italy.
In the Kevian Rus, Mstislav the First had married his daughter Eupraxia to the Scandinavian King to strengthen their alliance. The 'Baltic Empire' of Bjarny Thorfinnsson had been closely linked to Kiev and had relied on it for it's trade with the (Byzantine) Roman Empire to the south. The Close ties had been beneficial to all three countries. Trade along the Russian river routes had been greater than they ever had been before with the guarding and patrolling the rivers and portage routes for Bandits and Thieves making the once hazardous and unnavigable journey into a safe and well traveled route.
However the tribes of Cumans on the north shore of the Black Sea had begun to threaten this Eastern Triumvirate, with both the dominion of Bjarny Thorfinnsson and the Byzantines realizing that a stronger Kiev would mean safer trade and a means of protection from the Nomadic Barbarians which threaten to draw the Byzantines attention away from the Turkic barbarians to the east and the Bulgars to the west. With very little kingdoms willing to fight against him, Bjarny Thorfinnsson had raised a large sum of money taken from Pirates and the like and sent it as a gift to the King of Kiev who used it to unite the remaining principalities and forming the large and centralized Kingdom of Rus. Something that had happened shortly after this was Byzantine road builders were hired to build roads able to withstand the muddy soil of Russland as well as being able to allow armies to swiftly respond to invading attackers. The Rus had also allowed various German, Scandinavian,Baltic, Hungarian, and even Greek peoples settle in the vast unused land near the southern end of the Kingdoms territory and on some occasions did so if said immigrating group had some of their young men be inducted into the military. The war that would follow would determine the future of Eastern European politics forever.
In Leifrvalde, Ketil Bjornsson had died and for the first time since the historic killing of the first King of Leifrvalde someone else would have to take the title of Paramount Chieftain. A man by the name Thorkell Sigurdsson had been chosen by the Allthing to become the next Paramount Chieftain, he formerly had the title within the Allthing of Master of the Treasury and had served in Leifrvalde's standing army just south of Nawahlid. He was chosen due to his knowledge of the results of certain interactions between different lands, he was also knowledgeable in the fields of logistics and while serving in the army he was able to increase it's effectiveness against hostile Skraelings. He was however considered a coward to some degree in that he would be uneasy in a battle even when the odds are very much in his favor and only if every man in the army spat could drown the enemy would he be confident in victory.
He was also interested in expanding the Valde to the South down the coast and the West along the Lakes, so interested that he had convinced the Allthing to make the new post of Master of Colonies in which said Allthing member would supervise the construction, defense, logistics, and economy of the frontier colonies as well as try and convince people to pak up and settle said colonies. He had considered making them two separate offices which one would oversee the Lakes and the other the Coast.
In Helluland, the people there had made trade with the northern Skraelings giving iron and copper for pelts, ivory, meat, and most importantly pieces of Gold. While boat manufacturing techniques had made new ships of towering size that can take the open ocean, the old ships used to navigate the icy archipelago of Helluland had been the same for nearly a hundred years and rumors of Gold to the west along the Northern sea being just as old. Finally a group of men, half of which were of mixed Norse and Skraeling blood had manages to make their way so very far west. Winter had made it impossible to move but according to the sagas the group of men found a Skraeling village that spoke a language they knew of and were able to stay with them throughout the winter. They told them of how further west there had been a great river that came from the south and with it came dead tree trunks and the ever enticing gold.
When spring came there was still enough ice left that heading back home eastwards was impossible leaving them with the option of either staying with the villagers or heading further west, the chance of being the richest man alive outweighed the risk to the travelers. After weeks of rowing they had finally found the River of gold spoken so highly of (Mackenzie River), and it had brought driftwood which was an eternally pleasing sight to the weary travelers. The leader of the expedition had decided that they would head further west and then come back to the river and sail up it some then return home. When they had found the coast dipping ever so further south it had beggared at the imagination, scholars had assumed the shape the ocean was just a central pool in the Atlantic with another pool to the near Arabia; But this could prove that the world was much larger then they could ever imagine. When the group had asked a native of how far the southern sea could go, he replied by saying that it went as far as possible. Indeed the large amounts of migrating whales seen indicated that it could not have been a small sea. Perhaps Gold could be found along this newer new world.
The Men were able to return to their homes in Helluland with only three of them dying and bringing back enough gold for them to live comfortably the rest of their lives. They had not been satisfied however, with the amount of gold they had on them they had convinced several rich ship owners to acquire colonists from Norwegians coming from the north of Nidaros to settle the mouth of the river of Gold and form a significant Norse Presence in the Northern Seas. They had found good land up the river; Enough for good hunting, livestock and hardy crops. With Paramount Chieftain of Leifrvalde himself giving support of the exploration and exploitation of the Northern Seas and this new apparent western Ocean. The Historical significance of this discovery would lead to what would later be considered by historians a huge turning point in Leifrish history.
In Storfoss, the men had been enriched by the silver mined by the Skraelings to the east. Their progress was lagging behind usual and it was considered buying Kolhud from Iberia in order to keep up production. The Skraelings had endured years of Norse oppression, there was a planned revolt but then emerged a single skraeling man. Called a traitor by his own people for converting to the White Man's faith and embracing their ways he could not even stay in his own cousins house without being attacked; This man was known later as Saint John the Skraeling. He had gone before the Paramount Chieftain and pleaded for him to allow the Skraelings of his land to live freely, when the Paramount Chieftain refused he left and came back the next day and asked again and again for months until Thorkell Sigurdsson said (according to the sagas which are most likely construed): 'Enough! Who are thou to bugger me day in day out, when you apparently have nothing better to do other than beg me for you're people's freedom! Be gone else the guard will flay your skin from your flesh!'
However the last time was seen by none other than the Bishop of Nawahlid who had offered the Skraeling a position in the church as he was still young. When he became a monk he had gone with other missionaries to convert many Skraelings that had worked in the Silver mines. However in once incident a skraeling supposedly said: 'You speak so highly of this god of theirs, all while wearing those clothes and never lifting a heavy tool in your life. If you can mine so much as half of my quota then I will listen to you're god.' And then acording to the story John had mined more than eleven times the quota in just under a day. After Gaining a significant Christian minority among the Skraelings and with the support of the Church they were finally able to get the Allthing to give freedom to the Skraelings and pay them for whatever labor needed in coin. John was never canonized by the Papacy but many Leifrish today consider him a Saint.
1135-1139
In Britain, Gruffydd had been increasing trade with far off foreign countries. He had detailed accounts of Russia, Scandinavia, Iberia, North Africa, the various German countries, and even Leifrvalde. It appears he put off any ambition of conquering Normandy and used most of the military to keep rebellions down, he had also increased the Genocidal programs against "Un-Celtic Germanics." He had also appointed his brother Rhys ap Hywel Lord of all Ireland and under Rhys' supervision many agricultural developments were worked on to make the land more easily cultivated.
In Iberia, Emperor Ragnar had been building forces to be sent to defend his North African territories. The Iberian Empire had been experiencing the weight of over extension, Emperor Ragnar had tried to move a mass amount of his Iberian citizens into his newly conquered territory but that had in some ways worsened the bureaucracy by having to enforce taxes and such over such a vast distance. Many would have simply adopted a more Feudal approach but unlike Charlemagne and many others that bared the title of Western Roman Emperor Ragnar did not take it as a mere title and tried his best to keep the state from relying to much on local authorities. In his words: "We Cannot let (ourselves/us) to become reliant on the Local lords, else we walk the Path of the Empire of Germans." However in 1038 Emperor Ragnar the First had died of a disease, his son Olaf Ragnarsson had inherited all of his father's empire but had decided to allow his half brother Robert to govern the Iberian Peninsula with Olaf ruling over the African frontier on the condition that Olaf could still recruit soldiers and settlers as well as the supplies necessary to feed both.
The Capital of Iberia woud be relocated to toledo and the Capital of the new 'Christian Kingdom of Africa' would be in the city of Bizerte, just a days ride north of Carthage. Olaf had wanted to fulfill his father's dream of making Carthage a proud Capital once more but it was just too close to the front lines while Bizerte was close enough to the frontlines to manage war affairs while at the same time far away enough that it would be safe from the battles on the front lines, the city also had a very defensible position with steep mountains and the freshwater lake Ichkeul and the Lagoon of Bizerte making any invading army could attack from only a few positions of which could be easily fortified. It was also Ideal for trade as it being the farthest north city on the African continent and close to the Byzantine controlled region of Italy.
In the Kevian Rus, Mstislav the First had married his daughter Eupraxia to the Scandinavian King to strengthen their alliance. The 'Baltic Empire' of Bjarny Thorfinnsson had been closely linked to Kiev and had relied on it for it's trade with the (Byzantine) Roman Empire to the south. The Close ties had been beneficial to all three countries. Trade along the Russian river routes had been greater than they ever had been before with the guarding and patrolling the rivers and portage routes for Bandits and Thieves making the once hazardous and unnavigable journey into a safe and well traveled route.
However the tribes of Cumans on the north shore of the Black Sea had begun to threaten this Eastern Triumvirate, with both the dominion of Bjarny Thorfinnsson and the Byzantines realizing that a stronger Kiev would mean safer trade and a means of protection from the Nomadic Barbarians which threaten to draw the Byzantines attention away from the Turkic barbarians to the east and the Bulgars to the west. With very little kingdoms willing to fight against him, Bjarny Thorfinnsson had raised a large sum of money taken from Pirates and the like and sent it as a gift to the King of Kiev who used it to unite the remaining principalities and forming the large and centralized Kingdom of Rus. Something that had happened shortly after this was Byzantine road builders were hired to build roads able to withstand the muddy soil of Russland as well as being able to allow armies to swiftly respond to invading attackers. The Rus had also allowed various German, Scandinavian,Baltic, Hungarian, and even Greek peoples settle in the vast unused land near the southern end of the Kingdoms territory and on some occasions did so if said immigrating group had some of their young men be inducted into the military. The war that would follow would determine the future of Eastern European politics forever.
In Leifrvalde, Ketil Bjornsson had died and for the first time since the historic killing of the first King of Leifrvalde someone else would have to take the title of Paramount Chieftain. A man by the name Thorkell Sigurdsson had been chosen by the Allthing to become the next Paramount Chieftain, he formerly had the title within the Allthing of Master of the Treasury and had served in Leifrvalde's standing army just south of Nawahlid. He was chosen due to his knowledge of the results of certain interactions between different lands, he was also knowledgeable in the fields of logistics and while serving in the army he was able to increase it's effectiveness against hostile Skraelings. He was however considered a coward to some degree in that he would be uneasy in a battle even when the odds are very much in his favor and only if every man in the army spat could drown the enemy would he be confident in victory.
He was also interested in expanding the Valde to the South down the coast and the West along the Lakes, so interested that he had convinced the Allthing to make the new post of Master of Colonies in which said Allthing member would supervise the construction, defense, logistics, and economy of the frontier colonies as well as try and convince people to pak up and settle said colonies. He had considered making them two separate offices which one would oversee the Lakes and the other the Coast.
In Helluland, the people there had made trade with the northern Skraelings giving iron and copper for pelts, ivory, meat, and most importantly pieces of Gold. While boat manufacturing techniques had made new ships of towering size that can take the open ocean, the old ships used to navigate the icy archipelago of Helluland had been the same for nearly a hundred years and rumors of Gold to the west along the Northern sea being just as old. Finally a group of men, half of which were of mixed Norse and Skraeling blood had manages to make their way so very far west. Winter had made it impossible to move but according to the sagas the group of men found a Skraeling village that spoke a language they knew of and were able to stay with them throughout the winter. They told them of how further west there had been a great river that came from the south and with it came dead tree trunks and the ever enticing gold.
When spring came there was still enough ice left that heading back home eastwards was impossible leaving them with the option of either staying with the villagers or heading further west, the chance of being the richest man alive outweighed the risk to the travelers. After weeks of rowing they had finally found the River of gold spoken so highly of (Mackenzie River), and it had brought driftwood which was an eternally pleasing sight to the weary travelers. The leader of the expedition had decided that they would head further west and then come back to the river and sail up it some then return home. When they had found the coast dipping ever so further south it had beggared at the imagination, scholars had assumed the shape the ocean was just a central pool in the Atlantic with another pool to the near Arabia; But this could prove that the world was much larger then they could ever imagine. When the group had asked a native of how far the southern sea could go, he replied by saying that it went as far as possible. Indeed the large amounts of migrating whales seen indicated that it could not have been a small sea. Perhaps Gold could be found along this newer new world.
The Men were able to return to their homes in Helluland with only three of them dying and bringing back enough gold for them to live comfortably the rest of their lives. They had not been satisfied however, with the amount of gold they had on them they had convinced several rich ship owners to acquire colonists from Norwegians coming from the north of Nidaros to settle the mouth of the river of Gold and form a significant Norse Presence in the Northern Seas. They had found good land up the river; Enough for good hunting, livestock and hardy crops. With Paramount Chieftain of Leifrvalde himself giving support of the exploration and exploitation of the Northern Seas and this new apparent western Ocean. The Historical significance of this discovery would lead to what would later be considered by historians a huge turning point in Leifrish history.
In Storfoss, the men had been enriched by the silver mined by the Skraelings to the east. Their progress was lagging behind usual and it was considered buying Kolhud from Iberia in order to keep up production. The Skraelings had endured years of Norse oppression, there was a planned revolt but then emerged a single skraeling man. Called a traitor by his own people for converting to the White Man's faith and embracing their ways he could not even stay in his own cousins house without being attacked; This man was known later as Saint John the Skraeling. He had gone before the Paramount Chieftain and pleaded for him to allow the Skraelings of his land to live freely, when the Paramount Chieftain refused he left and came back the next day and asked again and again for months until Thorkell Sigurdsson said (according to the sagas which are most likely construed): 'Enough! Who are thou to bugger me day in day out, when you apparently have nothing better to do other than beg me for you're people's freedom! Be gone else the guard will flay your skin from your flesh!'
However the last time was seen by none other than the Bishop of Nawahlid who had offered the Skraeling a position in the church as he was still young. When he became a monk he had gone with other missionaries to convert many Skraelings that had worked in the Silver mines. However in once incident a skraeling supposedly said: 'You speak so highly of this god of theirs, all while wearing those clothes and never lifting a heavy tool in your life. If you can mine so much as half of my quota then I will listen to you're god.' And then acording to the story John had mined more than eleven times the quota in just under a day. After Gaining a significant Christian minority among the Skraelings and with the support of the Church they were finally able to get the Allthing to give freedom to the Skraelings and pay them for whatever labor needed in coin. John was never canonized by the Papacy but many Leifrish today consider him a Saint.
