Kingdom of Northumbria (1983: Doomsday)

Doomsday
The English counties of Northumberland, Tyne and Wear and Durham are hit by three nuclear explosions


 * one 200 kiloton bomb on Newcastle
 * one 200 Kiloton bomb on Sunderland
 * one 100 Kiloton bomb on Durham

Other tactical nuclear weapons fell on military bases in and around the area:


 * RAF Boulmer
 * RAF Ouston- shared with Army
 * Otterburn training range

Aftermath
Although the outright death toll was well over 1 million, with the majority of the nuclear explosions taking place in the Tyne and Wear valleys the radioactive fallout from the blasts to the majority of the area is greatly reduced.

Contact with the rest of the UK was lost immediately, however within one month contact had been made with areas running from Berwick Upon Tweed in the north to the outskirts of the north Tyne Valley and up to the tops of the Pennines.

With the collapse of the UK government the 10th Duke of Northumberland, Hugh Algernon Percy, in his capacity as the Lord Lieutenant of Northumberland, began to organise a basic police force to regain order.

The Earl of Northumberland's main residence is at Alnwick Castle. However due to his exposure to the radioactive fallout he dies due to lung cancer 11th October 1984 and is succeded by his son Henry Alan Walter Richard Percy.

On the January 22nd 1990, King Henry announces the resumption of the Scoring of the Hales.

The Scoring the Hales is the name of a large scale shrovetide football match played yearly in Alnwick, Northumberland. Once a street contest, it has now moved to a field named The Pasture across the River Aln from Alnwick Castle. The match involves about 150 men on either side and is a contest between the parishes of St Michael and St Paul. The goals are decorated with greenery and stand about 400 yards apart.

The game starts with the ball being sent over the Barbican of the Castle to the crowd assembled below. It was then kicked through the streets of the town. The game goes towards Bondgate Tower and from there to the pastures.

Nowadays the ball is fetched from the castle in procession, preceded by the King of Northumbria's piper. The game is won by whichever team is first to score 2 "hales" or goals, after which the ball is carried to the river and thrown in. Whoever manages to get it out at the far side of the river is allowed to keep the ball, but they have to swim the River Aln to get it.

Kings of Northumbria
Henry Percy, 11th Duke of Northumberland renamed himself Henry I, King of Northumbria on 21st November 1993, upon this announcement he declared the former counties of Northumberland and also non-radiated parts of Tyne and Wear to become the Kingdom of Northumbria, regaining the name for the area that had been used from 654 - 954 AD.

He declared that a parliament would be formed based at Bamburgh Castle on the North Sea coast.

King Henry died suddenly in his sleep on 31st October 1995, without advance medical technology it is assumed that he had a stroke. He is succeded by his younger brother Ralph George Algernon Percy who becomes King George I of Northumbria.

In 1979, the then Lord Ralph Percy married Isobel Jane Richard, and with her has had four children:


 * Princess Catherine Sarah Percy (b. 23 June 1982 - d. 25th Jan 2006 - died in fall from horse)
 * Crown Prince George Dominic Percy (b. 4 May 1984)
 * Princess Melissa Jane Percy (b. 20 May 1987)
 * Prince Max Ralph Percy (b. 26 May 1990)

Parliament
The Northumbrian Parliament is based on the Anglo-saxon Witenagemot or Witain.

It is based on 20 members which are elected (as members of parliament) and take the title thaine,

These areas which are represented by Thaines are :


 * Berwick-upon-Tweed -
 * Allendale -
 * Acomb -
 * Amble -
 * Alnwick -
 * Belford -
 * Chevington -
 * Ellington -
 * Felton -
 * Rothbury -
 * Lesbury -
 * Longhoughton -
 * Longframlington -
 * Newton-on-the-Moor -
 * Morpeth -
 * Ord -
 * Ponteland -
 * Shilbottle -
 * Warkworth -
 * Widderington -

These Thaines along with the King (who has the deciding vote), and most senior male member of the royal family (currently the Crown Prince George)- these are the secular side of the Witain

There are also 10 members elected from the church, usually Bishops or Arch-bishops but occasionally local vicars.

Elections of thaines are held every 4 years on the 1st Sunday of June, every person in the kingdom can vote for his or her local thaine as long as:
 * They are over 18 years old.
 * They have full mental facilties.
 * They have served one year or more in local service (military, emergency services, unpaid public service work such as road building etc.)

NEWS
2010 News

January 2011

After talks between the Northumbria Witain and the Chamberhouse of Ur Alba, the border between the two countries has been set as the old English/Scottish Border. The Witain announces that thye expect that Ur Alba will occupy the land to the north in the next year.

Unification of the Kingdoms of Northumbria and Cleveland
On the 22nd April 2007 it was announced that Crown Prince of Northumbria, George Dominic Percy is dating the Crown Princess Zara of Cleveland. On the 5th August 2008 it was announced that the Crown Prince of Northumbria, George Dominic Percy is engaged to the Crown Princess Zara of Cleveland. The wedding date was set for 4th November 2009. Prince Max Percy (Crown Prince George's younger brother) was best man.

This wedding and any children issuing from the marriage will unite the Kingdoms of Northumbria and Cleveland. it has been announced that the primogeniture rule (male children having right of rule over older female siblings) has been abolished and the eldest child (no matter the sex) will rule both the kingdom of Northumbria and Cleveland.

The wedding took place at Richmond Castle. Upon the accession of the then King George and Queen Zara to their respective thrones the kingdoms shall unite under the name of the United Kingdoms of Northumbria and Cleveland or UKNC

Upon the accession of the first child of Zara and George (Prince Michael James George Percy) to both thrones, the kingdoms will change their names to the Kingdom of Albion.

On New Years Day 2010 it was announced from the Royal Palace of Wynyard that the Crown Princess Zara and her husband Crown Prince George are expecting their first child, it is expected to be born mid August.

15th May 2010 it is annouced that Princess Regent Zara is pregnant with Identical twin boys.

9th August 2010, as 4.13am Princess Regent Zara, accompanied by Crown Prince George attended James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough. At 4.42pm Princess Regent Zara gave birth to a baby boy (wieghing 5 pounds 6 ounces) called Michael James George Percy and at 4.57pm she gave birth to another baby boy (5 pounds 2 ounces) called Edward Henry John Percy. Both boys are healthy.

On the 1st of Januray 2011 Princess Regent Zara comes to the throne of the Kingdom of Cleveland, she was crowned on the 15th January 2011. The entire Northumbria Royal family were in attendance.

Contact
By the late 1990's radio signals coming from Scotland are picked up in the north of the kingdom, these signals are from the Celtic Alliance (1983: Doomsday) and are general music stations as such no direct radio contact is made.

In 2004 a small group of fishing vessels make port in Alnwick, these fishing vessels are from a Kingdom to the south of the nuclear wasteland of the Tyne and Wear valleys known as the Kingdom of Cleveland (1983: Doomsday) ruled by Queen Anne II oldest child of the former Queen of the UK Elizabeth II (who was King Henry's godmother)

In late 2008 a joint mission from the Kingdoms of Cleveland and Northumbria contacted the Celtic Alliance (1983: Doomsday) for the development of trade between the two areas.

Military
Army

The Northumbrian Royal Army (NRA) is responsible for protecting settlements and raider prevention from the border regions of the former county of Cumbria.

The armed forces consist of:
 * one unit of Housecarls, the most elite unit consisting of 120 men armed with heavy two handed axes and 9mm handguns, tasked with protecting the King, royal family and Members of Parliament.
 * Four units of heavy cavalry on Clydesdale and Shire Horses, armed with 5 foot broadswords, each unit containing 50 men.
 * Three units of light cavalry, riding smaller former hunting horses armed with short swords, each unit containing 50 men.
 * Six units of archers, armed with crossbows and longbows, with 9mm sidearms and small knifes, each unit containing 150 men.
 * Five units of general infantry, armed with basic rifles, pikes, bilhooks and knives, each unit consists of 200 men.
 * One unit of artillery, armed with five 150mm howitzers salvaged from Otterburn military ranges.

Navy

The Northumbrian Royal Navy (NRN) is limited to small inshore boats and converted trawlers and there operational capability depends on the availability of diesel which is in short supply. Plans are underway to buy several small steam vessels from Cleveland

Airforce

The Northumbrian Royal Airforce (NRAF) is very small consisting of several small Cessna airplanes and one Sea King air rescue helicopter (formally based at RAF Boulmer however was on a sea rescue mission at the point of DD) flights are limited due to lack of fuel.

Militia

Every able bodied citizen of Northumbria aged 19 to 45 are part of the Northumbria Militia (like the ATL Swiss militia), at the age of 18 every citizen is given compulsary 3 months training in weapons and military tactics. All members of the Northumbria Militia provide their own weaponary, however most are small arms such as pistols, some people only have home made bils or pikes. It is estimated that there are 65,000 people in the Northumbria Militia.

Transport
In 2009 the government of the Kingdom of Northumbria places an order for five new coal powered locomotives from a loco works in Darlington in the Kingdom of Cleveland, they will be compleated between mid 2011 and late 2013.


 * engine number 60170 - Provisionally named Kingdom of Northumbria
 * engine number 60171 - Provisionally named King George
 * engine number 60172 - Provisionally named Lindisfarne
 * engine number 60173 - Provisionally named Bamburgh Castle
 * engine number 60174 - Provisionally named Alnwick Castle