Prince Mayor Haraldr Haraldrson had always been diligent and shrewd, taking his time to think through the problems of governance. He informed the papal emissary that it would take him several days to reach a consensus with the small council. During these first few weeks the papal emissary received word that with his purpose in life (calling the Second Crusade) fulfilled Pope Benedictus V had passed onto Christ. He was replaced by Pope Urbanus II, a man devoted to the expansion of Christian territories. Haraldr’s Papal emissary warned him that the Pepoli was was a paranoid man who saw enemies everywhere in Vatican city, and thus would label enemies all of Christians who did not raise their banners and swear their pilgrimage vows.
Haraldr told the emissary he would eventually take the pilgrimage. The city of Preston was rightfully Commonwealth land and he would not allow the Scots to steal away Northern Ireland.
Lancaster fell in December of 1024. Combined Icelandic and French forces rushed through the gate and burned the castle town to the ground. Haraldr sent an emmisary to King Alewig requesting a Parlay for Christmas.
King Alewig II arrived at Lancaster in time for Christmas feasts. Alewig was a devout man, commonly known as “the Holy” for his dedication to the cross. Haraldr appealed to the King’s zealotry, suggesting the two men put aside their differences so that they could both join the crusade. Alewig agreed and a peace treaty. Known as the Treaty of Lancaster, the agreement was signed ceding the city of Preston to the Commonwealth. A Welsh representative was also present for the signing, representing his young King who had ventured out on crusade. King Sven of France was also present and took the vows with the King of Angland and the Prince Mayor.
In addition to claiming the City of Preston, the Treaty of Lancaster also acknowledged the Isle of Mann as a core part of the Icelandic Commonwealth. The island had been under Commonwealth control longer than any living soul could remember. The inclusion of Mann in the Treaty of Lancaster was in reality a power-play against King Shaw of Scotland who claimed Mann to be inherently Scottish land. Wales, Angland, France and the Commonwealth all had much to gain by diminishing Scottish power. King Alewig encouraged Haraldr to continue to fight the Scots before taking his pilgrimage south noting that he would send his thoughts and prayers but not troops.
With the treaty signed and the Anglish no longer a threat Haraldr and Sven marched hteir huge host of 12500 men north into Scotland. Shaw had taken his time raiding the trade posts along Scotland’s western shore, careful not to lose too many men. The two massive armies met in early February in the hills of the county of Argyll. Before the battle Shaw and his generals rode to the center to discuss terms before the battle. Shaw kept on his mask to hide his horrible disfigurement from the battle of Atholl. Surrounded by the highland clan leaders, Shaw demanded Haraldr return all Scottish land and forsake all claim to Mann and Northern Ireland. Haraldr’s son Hysing pointed out that the Commonwealth and French outnumbered the Scots, to which the Petty King of Cornwallum responded that they held the high ground. Clearly no agreement would be met here, the generals returned to their battle lines, the attack would come the next day at dawn.
The battle commenced the next day. Haraldr himself led the center against Shaw who marched downhill ahead of his armies. The Commonwealth armies were far better equipped than the highlanders. Trained Knights easily cut down the farmers and blacksmiths. Hysing broke the right flank and fell upon the Scots from the side. With the flanks retreating the French armored knights encircled the Scots and rode them down as they tried to escape back up into the hills. It was a crushing defeat for Shaw with over a quarter of his men laying dead in the rocky grass.
After the battle King Sven convinced Haraldr it would be better to break apart their forces to more effectively raze the southern Scots. Haraldr would stay in Argyll with the Scottish Band and Commonwealth troops while the French troops would ride south to Galloway.
Unfortunately the Icelandic plan backfired horrendously. When Shaw received word that Haraldr had broken up his force he regrouped his armies to ambush the besieging Icelanders. The Commonwealth men were unprepared, tired from building siege equipment and unready for battle. Haraldr suddenly found himself surrounded by highlanders on all sides and pushed against the stone walls of St. Moluag.
Though Hysing mounted a brave defense, nearly turning the tide of battle, the unorganized Icelanders were sent scurrying. Haraldr called for the armies to formally regroup in the county of Oriel. The battle was a disaster. Haraldr had lost over half of his fighting force and Shaw had gained the upper hand.
Echos of the defeat radiated throughout the British Isles. It was the only major defeat for Icelandic armies that anyone could remember in their lifetimes.
The proud Jarl of Lancaster took particular note. Still bitter about the recent sacking of his fortress and the seizure of Preston the diligent Jarl had a mind for strategy and knew an opportunity when it presented itself. Against the wishes of King Alewig, Eskid rallied his banners for war. He claimed he wrestle the city of Preston from Icelandic control. If the Scots could defeat the Commonwealth, so too could the Anglish.
Haraldr had regrouped his armies and crossed back across the Irish Sea when he heard news that Eskid had taken Preston. It was September and the French had pushed the Scots north out of Argyll. Haraldr needed to ride south to face this Anglish threat before he could commit back to fighting Shaw in the north, especially since the Eskid had taken his war-goal. When Haraldr arrived in Cumberland to regroup and resupply his armies he found the gates of Penrith closed and locked.
It seemed Mayor Suni fancied himself strong enough to stand without Commonwealth protection. The armies of Cumberland rushed outside the gates to face off against the main Icelandic host.
The battle was swift and hard. Suni’s armies were pulverized as they rushed out of the city gates. Unfortunately Haraldr was not able to push the assault past and walls. A siege of the city began in mid October, pushing south to fight the Anglish would have to wait. Haraldr was certain he would have to devise a special punishment for the uppity Mayor once the town fell.
Haraldr soon received word that Patrician Ale Ingladkid had died in the dungeons of Husavik. He was passed on by a young son who was far too inexperienced to head the Ingjaldkid family trade business. Haraldr reflected for a long time on the vow he had made to Ale. He had sworn that Ale’s sons would inherit Thirlestane should the patrician die in Haraldr’s dungeons. It was clear that Oysteinn Alesson Ingjaldkid was too young to govern a city. Haraldr decided it would be best for the city to come back into his direct control. Oysteinn would be fostered in the court at Husavik and he and his sisters would never want for anything. If the time or opportunity presented itself the Ingaldkid House would be properly compensated for the loss of Thirlestane. This was an unpopular political move, and many Magnusson kinsmen and soldiers publicly denounced Haraldr as an oathbreaker.
A young gifted administrator from Berwick bought the Ingjaldkid debt. Dag was a man who was ruthless in business. Some in Husavik attributed his mercantile acumen to his disdane of promiscuous women, though vicious rumors often circulated that Dag was so chaste because he was actually a bastard of Dag Onnokid, Patrician, Marshal, and close friend of Prince Mayor Haraldr.
With unrest growing from the Ingjaldkid situation in Husavik and battles raging across the British Isles, Haraldr found himself stressed and exhausted. He had trouble waking up the morning Penrith finally fell to Commonwealth armies and had to rest a full day before the armies could move further south.
Haraldr’s illnesss brought the war effort against the Lancaster armies to a standstill. A meeting of the small council was called by Haraldr’s son Wulf to see if there was anything that could be done.
Bishop Eskild, Court Chaplain of the Commonwealth and the personal physician to the Haraldrson family suggested he could try some radical new treatments he had read about in shipping materials seized during the sack of Penrith. A medical tome from some far off land had arrived with a shipment of rare herbs and spices and animals. The Bishop combined a few of these exotic ingredients and prepared a severed dried monkey hand following the recipe listed in the old book. Haraldr could not resist much, but with Wulf and Hysing’s help Eskild rubbed the paw upon the Prince Mayor’s chest and recited some prayers. Amazingly, when Haraldr awoke the next morning he was a renewed man, full of energy and ready to tackle the battles to come! He immediately ordered his armies south to take the fight to the Anglish. The French had ferried across the Irish sea to invade Lancaster through Wales.
Salford fell on April 1st 1027 through the combined effort of French and Icelandic warriors. Jarl Eskid of Lancaster fled the city in the chaos of the battle. Peace was signed with representatives of the Jarl and King Alewig present. With the war in the south under control the Prince Mayor could finally take his armies back to the highlands.
The first step was pushing the Scots out of Strangfjordr. The Icelandic Commonwealth sailed across the Irish Sea to land in Oriel. From there they marched north to surprise the Scots from the south. In the initial plan the French armies were to march north overland to pincer the Scottish armies between them and negate difficultly of attacking Stangfjorder while crossing the straight from Galloway, but the French were delayed due to difficultly navigating the war-torn lowland terrain of Galloway and the Scots fled north into Argyll before the French could get there.
As the Prince Mayor ordered his men to ferry back across the Irish sea to join the French armies in sieging the Scottish lowlands, his son Wulf approached him about an opportunity. A military architect who had been helping the Commonwealth design their siege equipment suggested that the encampments they had built from their landing at Dundalk in Oriel several months prior be converted into a proper castle. Wulf insisted the project would use far less resources and help deter another attack. Haraldr agreed, his son needed to gain renown if he was to ever be elected by the Althing, and such a project showed excellent management ability if handled properly.
With Stranglfjordr liberated King Shaw retreated north to Moray and sent an emissary to request a truce. On April 16th of 1028 Prince Mayor Haraldr, King Shaw and King Sven met on the Isle of Mann to discuss terms. Shaw initially offered gold and an end to the hostilities. Harladr pointed out that the French and Icelanders could continue fighting. They had the superior numbers, better equipped men, and the Commonwealth trade supply lines were still largely in tact. It had been over a year since Shaw held any sort of upper hand in the conflict and he would surely face internal strife if he continued to send his clanmen’s sons and nephews to die against the heavily armored French Knights.
King Shaw agreed to the Treaty of Lancaster from 1024. He was forced to public acknowledge Mann as Icelandic land and forsake all Scottish claim to northern Ireland. Haraldr also forced Shaw to reinstate all previous trade agreements which had existed between Icelandic Patricians and Scottish townships prior to the war. Through sheer force and the help of a few allies the Prince Mayor had achieved peace in Britannia. Rebellions and userpers were squashed and Iceland’s borders were extended. Though he was honor-bound to take the cross and go on crusade, he first wished to consolidate power at home. He had been on the front lines of the war for over four years and Haraldrson influence in Husavik had waned in that time. If he wished for his sons to be elected at the Althing on his passing he would need to win over the hearts and minds of the people of Husavik.
Haraldr was expecting a hero’s welcome when he arrived at the port of Husavik. Festivities were planned in the city to celebrate the recent victories for the Commonwealth, but as the Prince Mayor stepped off the dock he was greeted by chaos. The welcoming crowd erupted in violence as a fight between several younger members of the Magnusson and Haraldrson family spilled into a small battle in the streets. Swords were drawn and when the crowd was finally dispersed 10 men lay dead. Six of the men were loyal to the Haraldrsons (often called greens due to their sporting of the Haraldrson House colors of Green and White) while 2 were members of House Magnusson, one man loyal to the house (usually called “Boars” due to the Magnusson sigil) and a longshorement dead who was in the employ of House Onnokid.
The Prince Mayor called upon Patrician Sigurdr to answer for the public disturbance. Sigurdr was the grandson of Prince Mayor Magnus and one of the few Patricians who Haraldr worried might be elected by the Althing. Sigurdr was an envious and ambitious old man, long jealous that the Crown of Iceland was held solely by the Haraldrsons. He felt the other Patricians should have a greater share of the power and always deserved a spot on the small council. While Haraldr had been gone The Patrician had been spreading vicious rumors and allegations that Haraldr had cheated the descendants of Ale Ingjaldkid out of their rightful inheritance.
It was true that Haraldr had sworn an oath that young Oysteinn and his sisters would receive compensation for titles seized from their father. Several members of Haraldr’s council, including Dag Onnokid insisted that Oysteinn was owed nothing since he was a bastard and no ture successor of the Injaldkid family remained. Conveniently Wulf recently informed the Prince Mayor that the fortress at Dundalk had been completed. Haraldr legitimized young Oysteinn and gave him the title Baron of Dundalk. The young man renamed the fortress Kerlingfjordr and sailed south to Oriel to claim his new castle.
The young man had an innate ability to command and knew a great deal about taking a fortress. Before the new Baron left Haraldr insisted the Baron serve as one of his commanders after he was married and got his affairs in order in Oriel. Oysteinn accepted and became the primary siege architect for the Commonwealth.
with the Ingjalkid situation handled in Husavik Haraldr could finally uphold the vows made to the Papal Emmisary and King Alewig of England to join the crusade. The Second Crusade for Jerusalem was floundering. The major continental powers had all rejected Pope Urbanus’s call. The German’s and Dutch were wrapped up with their own internal struggles and French, having fulfilled their duty to defend the Commonwealth from attack were focused on regaining land in North Africa lost during the first crusade.
Because the primary combatants were mostly from the British Isles, the Second Crusade is sometimes also called the Britannic Crusade. Thus far the only King to join was young King Artfael II of Wales. King Alewig of Angland had not yet taken the vows himself, instead he had sent some of his lordlings to take the pilgrimage in his name, including the Duke of Wessex. Along with these more major houses several minor Irish earls and chieftains had also vowed to join the crusade, but their numbers were relatively small in comparison they lacked in sufficient naval technology to transport any significant force to the Levant.
Haraldr called an Althing meeting in the county of Strangfjordr. All of the Patricians, the council of Barons, and the minor merchant families met at a small Irish Chanpel along the coast of the Irish sea. They were told to bring their men, ready to take the crusader’s pledge and sail south. The Grandmaster of the Knights Templar was also invited, a French knight named Markus Akra. When the Althing commenced Markus gave testimony to the duty of all Christians to take the pilgrims oath and sail south. The Gafurids continued to expand and the Shia menace had to be wiped out.
There was rowdy debate among the Norse lords following Markus’ introduction. Haraldr called the meeting to order. The Prince Mayor appealed to the mens’ sense of duty and honor by recalling many stories of his elder brother Bjorn the Cleansing Flame and his quest to liberate the Levant from the Gafurids. Haraldr promised each man present opportunities for the glory and heroism Bjorn showed when he rode over the hills at Sutri flame ablaze. He promised revenge for the battle of Arsuf and justice for those subjugated by Gafurid allies in Africa. Haraldr then called the Althing to vote, he argued that the pilgrimage was a holy vow which was not to be made lightly and could not be sworn under duress. He swore that he would take such a vow himself, but would not command the Commonwealth to take it with him, he was not a a King and his power depended on the integrity of the Althing.
The Patricians of the Althing unanimously voted to join Urbanus II in the Britannic crusade. Each man present swore a vow before a priest and a red cross was sewn on their tunic above their heart. Even the captains of the Scottish band agreed and their men were integrated into the crusading force. Between Commonwealth regulars, Heavily armored Frankish Templars and the plucky fighters of the Scottish band the crusading the Icelandic crusading army was over 7500 men strong. Trade ships were re-outfitted to house men and animals. Supplies were collected and crosses were dyed or sewn onto sails. The armada disembarked in late August of 1029 for the long journey around Iberia and across the Mediterranean towards the Holy Land.
As the fleet grew closer to the Holy Land in January of 1030 Haraldr sent several couting ships ahead to look for a good place to land. The ships sailed up and down the Syrian coast posing as merchant ships, seeing which ports were friendly to westerners, and collecting information. Unfortunately it seemed the Gafurid armies were scouring the Levant. They knew Jerusalem was the Crusader target and were keen to defend it. Their main force of over 11000 fighting men defended the roads to the holy city while supplemental forces paroled the coasts to the north. During the first crusade Bjorn had attempted to out maneuver the Saracens through naval superiority. Haraldr felt a similar tactic would work well here. He could easily sail his forces into the Black Sea and allow the Caliph to waste men and supplies crossing mountains and rough terrain trying to reach him.
Haraldr chose to make landfall on the north Black Sea coast in a region now known as Gorele. There was a large fortress there called Koralla which was intimidating, but hte surrounding region was full of hazelnuts to forage and the rivers full of trout, making for an easy siege. The region was at a crossroads of empires. The land was contested by the Sultan of Georgia, the Sunni Caliph and the Byzantine emperor. Most of the population were still culturally green and Orthodox Christians who cooperated and were friendly with with the Western invaders.
Haraldr and his men got too comfortable in such favorable conditions and were completely caught off guard when the full Gafurid host attacked them in August of 1030. The Muslim armies seemed to stretch out forever into the distance and for every Commonwealth fighter there seemed to be at least two Muslims. Haraldr and his sons rallied their forces. Haraldr asured his men this would not be another Arsuf. Commonwealth men were slain left and right as volley after volley of arrows fell upon them from the Muslims.
In the end the arrows were no match for the heavily armored Frankish and Icelandic Knights. Just as things started to look bleak for the Commonwealth armies a push led by Grandmaster Markus and the Templars turned the tide of battle.
The heavily armored cavalry rode down the lightly armored front lines of the Gafurid army and their host crumbled like paper. The Muslims were cut down as they tried to flee into the hills. When the battle was over over a 1500 crusaders littered the battlefield, but the Gafurids suffered far more casualties with nearly 5000 men dead or captured.
The infamous battle of Koralla had long been a subject of immense debate for historians. Actual records of the battle as mixed and biased. Most military historians note that the Gafurid Sultanate likely lost the battle because multiple sources attest that none of their major military commanders were present. All of them were locked in their keeps avoiding diseases spread by the conflict.
As Haraldr and his generals debated their next course of action a Papal Legate arrived in Koralla. The emissary was welcomed into the main keep and regaled with tales of heroism from the preceding battle. The Leagate informed the crusaders that Pope Urbanus had passed and the college had selected Pope Sergius IV, known as “the holy” in Rome to sit the seat of Saint Peter. Even though the Pope was entangled in an inherited anti-papal war with the King of Bavaria he had taken the fleets of Rome and was sailing south to try and capture Jerusalem.
Haraldr wasted no time, if the final push for Jerusalem was happening he needed to be there. Harladr and his commanders devised a plan. Once the Caliph reorganized his armies he would likely march back on Koralla. Even though they now held the fortress it was clear that the previous battle had been a stroke of luck or divine intervention. The chances of them winning another battle against the full force of the Gafurids was unlikely.
Haraldr’s brother Kormac suggested leaving behind a small toke force to hold the castle. These men would martyr themselves in service of the crusade, distracting the Gafurids in the north while the main Icelandic host sailed south to join the other crusading armies. Kormac volunteered to lead this force. He was the fiercest fighter in the Icelandic army, who fought with the might of the old gods, but with the zealotry of an entire crusade. He was a master of mountain warfare, confident he could give the Muslims a good fight despite his age.
Haraldr and his men arrived in Asqalan in April of 1031. They were largely unopposed and were able to march northeast towards Jerusalem. The battle of Koralla had been a critical blow to the Muslims, but if the crusade wished to succeed they desperately needed to control the city of Jerusalem. The crusaders were stopped at the small hilltop village of Majdal Yaba. The crusaders set up camp to gather supplies for the siege of Jerusalem. The boat trip around Anatolia had left Haraldr feeling ill. Flair-ups of gout had made the land travel difficult once they disembarked. As such the Prince mayor handed primary command of the crusading armies over to his sons Hysing and Wulf. Oysteinn Ingjaldkid was made primary siege commander. All three men set to work preparing for the final push to Jerusalem.
Just as Haraldr’s commanders started to feel prepared to strike a rider was spotted approaching the city. Wulf and Hysing rode out with a small retinue to meet the lone warrior. As they got close it was clear the rider was their uncle Kormac, slouched over his horse. The warrior was brought to a healer and given food and drink. After a few hours Kormac awoke in a panic. Kormac said the Gafurids had gather their strength and taken back Koralla with ease. Only he and two of his men had survived the encounter. Those two men had perished as they rode south over the treacherous enemy territory to warn the crusaders than an attack was coming. The Muslims were marching on Jerusalem far earlier than anticipated.
The follow morning the Gafurid armies attacked in force. Their arrows roared through the sky as they circled the crusader armies with their horse archers. reinforcements from the Papal armies or the Welsh were nowhere to be seen. This was another battle the Icelandic Commonwealth would have to win alone.
Thing looked bleak as the battle wore on. Oysteinn and the center line broke into chaos as the commander fell back to defend the siege equipment he and his men had been constructing. They were disorganized in the process and hunted down by the Muslims.
Fortunately Hysing and Kormac battled with ferocity on the flanks out maneuvering the Muslims and gaining the advantage despite inferior numbers. The Templar’s Frankish heavy Calvary again proved to be indispensable at helping to break the enemy lines.
After a hard day of fighting the shattered Muslim armies retreated north. Nearly 6000 men and animals littered the hills surrounding Majdal Yaba. Though technically a victory for the crusaders they had lost over a third of their full fighting force. If the Caliph was able to recover his army numbers or hire more men the dream of capturing the holy city would end in disaster. After Koralla and Majdal Yaba the Commonwealth could not support another Pyrrhic victory.
Fortunately the path to Jerusalem was clear. The enemy was disorganized and would need time to regroup. The time to strike was now. Haraldr called for the meeting with his generals. His illness continued to plague him and had kept the Prince Mayor out of the battle the day before. Together they set a plan to take Jerusalem as swiftly as possible. They would march on the Holy City at dawn.
When Hysing and Wulf went to rouse their father in the morning they found that he had passed in his sleep. The great administrator had died not far from his father and namesake Haraldr the Wise had passed in 988. The sight filled the brothers with grief and dread. Their mentor had passed, and all of the responsibility of the crusade would now fall onto uncertain shoulders. An Althing needed to be called, and whoever won might not be so enthusiastic about their mission.
They discreetly called a meeting of the commanders of the Commonwealth, the Grandmaster of the Knight’s Templar, Marshal of the Scottish Band, the Commonwealth’s Papal Legate, and the few members of the Small council who had taken the cross. This group had a difficult task ahead of them, deciding the future of the Commonwealth and the Second Crusade in one meeting.
<<1009-1024<<
Saga Index
Notes:
Another post up! I apologize for the delay and thank you to those of you who check back regularly! I see people who arrive every now and again from Reddit: Welcome! I haven’t been posting each update to Reddit because I do not have a regular update schedule and unfortunately work keeps me too busy to stick to one. I just wanted to check in and say that this project isn’t dead!
I’ve been playing ahead a bit. I’ve been pretty lucky so far that none of the updates and interfered with the save file, but I have a strong feeling the upcoming Jade Dragon update will cause wonkiness so I’ll probably have to roll back my version of the game when that happens. I have been playing ahead (taking good notes as always) to get ahead of this hopefully.
I also picked up Hearts of Iron IV in the latest steam sale. I didn’t pick up any of the dlc (this is my usual paradox policy until I decide if I like the basic gameplay), but I might grab them in the future if I enjoy the game enough. Depending on how comfortable with HoI by the time we get there I may continue through this game through 1948. I have enjoyed the gameplay so far so we’ll see!
See you all again soon!
Alternate Histories 
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