Monday 14 September 2015

Chapter 1: Llewelyn's Revolt (11 AD - 12 AD)

It is Friday, the second of January, 11 years after the birth of somebody who nobody yet knows about. The sun rises on the land of the Ordivices, spreading across England from Liverpool to Lincoln.


We are a despotic monarchy, lead by a single Ordovicarian king who rules above all others: King Maredudd III of house Rohan. He is an adequate king, more an administrator than a diplomat or a general, and on this day he has announced that a navy be created for the kingdom, to defend against threats from overseas.

Many doubt the ability of any navy the Ordovices could field to protect against the other nations on the isles, given the Ordivice's lack of experience in naval engineering, and not a single person thinks there is any chance of defending against the great Roman empire in Europe, but Maredudd remains strong in his convictions for the nation.



However, he made a grave misstep against the lords of his country when he decided to centralise his kingdom further to increase its strength. Of the chiefs of his nation who were disappointed by the restriction of their otherwise unfettered powers, none were more enraged than Llewelyn Pees, lord of Coventry.

Upon receiving his letter, outlining the new laws of the land, he raised an army of a thousand of his most loyal peasants, and declared himself the rightful king over all of the Ordovices. He first began by seeking those loyal to king Maredudd, and driving them away from his lands or even executing them. 

An insult as grave as this did not go unnoticed by King Maredudd. Not a general himself, he instead picked the most distinguished soldier of his army to lead them. This was general Dilwyn Thomas, an Ordovicarian nobleman moderately good at leading his soldiers to victory. He was tasked with taking Llewelyn's lands from him, and granted an army of a thousand archers directly from the king's military to achieve this.

As they marched down to Coventry, lighter news approached Liverpool. Caledonii had offered a royal marriage. A son of Maredudd Harcourt, king of the Caledonii, married a daughter of Maredudd III Rohan, bringing the Caledonians and the Ordovicarians closer together. This was followed by offers of marriage from the king of Domonia and the king of Belgae, both of which were accepted.
  

The battle in Coventry raged on for a long time, but eventually Dilwyn Thomas was able to take down the armies of Llewelyn, despite with heavy casulaties. Llewelyn managed to escape the armies sieging his fortress, and escaped with eighty men, but knew that he would be sent to the dungeons and stripped of his titles if he ever returned. Fleeing south, he asked for mercy from the king of the Trinovantes, and became a minor courtier in Oxford.

Even before his secession and ultimately doomed rebellion, Llewelyn was a thorn in the side of king Maredudd. With him gone from his seat in Coventry, the realm was able to be managed more efficiently, boosting its stability and reducing the risk of any more rebellions. Furthermore, other nobles saw the defeat of Llewelyn, and were confident that Maredudd III had the ability to fight against any threats to their land, internal and external.

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