Timeline (Ethelred the Pious)

This page is a year-by-year chronicle of every single event in the Ethelred the Pious timeline. Its main use is as a reference for the century pages and the topical pages, which are in a more narrative format. I don't expect anyone to actually read it; think of it as the frame supporting the entire structure. Skol, Ben.

800

 * 871:
 * January: At the Battle of Ashdown, Halfdan Ragnarsson leads a great army of Danes into the territory of the Anglo-Saxon Kingdom of Wessex. King Ethelred of Wessex lingers at his morning devotions and his brother Alfred does not take command of the Saxon army, giving the Danes time to seize the high ground and the initiative.  The Saxons are routed.  Halfdan declares himself King of Lundun and Jorvik.
 * March: Ethelred leads a daring counterattack on the Viking army with his remaining troops. Knowing it to be a desperate gamble, he makes sure to avoid another rout and withdraws before things turn disastrous.  The attack is unsuccessful, but Ethelred survives.
 * June: Danes sack Wareham, the West Saxon capital. Many Saxon nobles flee to the Isle of Wight.
 * Winter: Viking army winters in Wareham. It is reinforced by new arrivals from France and Denmark.
 * 872:
 * March: In a bold tactic, Ethelred leads the Danes straight into the Somerset swamps, where he scores a surprising victory.
 * April: Danes retaliate; Saxon army suffers the first in a series of defeats as it retreats steadily eastward.
 * 873:
 * February: Ethelred makes an attack on Lundun, capturing some high-profile prisoners but failing to take the city. Saxons retreat into Kent, backing themselves into a corner.
 * May: The Battle of Headcorn is the last stand of the Wessex kingdom, and by extention of the Anglo-Saxon rulers of England. Ethelred is killed.  Alfred assumes the kingship and goes underground.
 * October: Alfred sneaks into Canterbury to be crowned by the Archbishop.


 * 874: Ivar attemmpts to take possession of Kent and Sussex. His brother cordially throws him out.

875

 * 876: Fist war between Østangeln and Jorvik. Halfdan defends his conquests.


 * 877: Halfdan removes the puppet king Ceolwulf II of Mercia from his throne, adding the remainder of English Mercia to his territory. Mercia is divided among Halfdan's loyal jarls, most of the Saxon earls having been executed.


 * 880: Halfdan puts down an attempted coup by Guthrum, the powerful Jarl of Lundun. Scores of executions follow.


 * 881: Alfred is captured and killed during a raid on a village in the Jarldom of Djúra-bý, ending major Saxon resistance to Viking rule in England.


 * 883: Second war between Østangeln and Jorvik. Ivar dies during the war, although not in combat.  Sigfrid Ivarsson becomes king.


 * 885: The Welsh kings of Dyfed, Brycheiniog, and Glywysing submit to Halfdan's overlordship in their fight against Gwynedd, which is supported by Ivar in Østangeln. However, the Welsh resist Halfdan's attempts to enforce his will in their country.  Sigfrid takes advantage of his uncle's weakness and occupies Lundun.


 * 893: Halfdan dies, mourned by few. His 22-year-old son Hviserk becomes King of Jorvik.  He is remembered as a much saner, less cruel king than his father.


 * 894: Hvitserk re-conquers Lundun for Jorvik. Østanglesk forces are defeated in Wales by rivals from Dublin.  Gwynedd's king Anarawd acknowledges King Olaf of Dublin as overlord.


 * 897: Hvitserk Halfdansson proclaims the Angelagen, or English Law, in the southern part of the Kingdom of Jorvik (Mercia, Wessex, and Kent). It preserves many of the Anglo-Saxon legal concepts, including the concept of ruling based on legal precedent.

900

 * 900: Domnall II of Alba is killed in a battle with the Jarl of Norðr-eyjar (Orkney). Constantine II, a first cousin still in his twenties, becomes king of the Picts and Scots.


 * 902: A local rebellion drives out the Viking rulers of Dublin. When Hvitserk does not grant them land or title in Jorvik, they take possession of Anglesey Isle, part of Gwynedd Kingdom, their former vassal.


 * 903: The sons of Ivar, rulers of Østangeln, are driven from the kingdom. Hvitserk of Jorvik gives them refuge in his capital.  The jarls of Østangeln choose a chieftain named Halfdan to be the new King.


 * 905: Hvitserk provides Ivar's sons Sigfrid and Sigtrygg with an army to invade Østangeln. Sigfrid is killed in battle, while Sigtrygg is captured.  Hvitserk refuses to pay any ransom for his client and former enemy.


 * 906:
 * Winter: Sigtrygg Ivarsson is executed.
 * Summer: Eadulf, king of the remainder of Northumbria and the last Saxon ruler in Britain, submits to Constantine of Alba as overlord.


 * 910: An attempt at a marriage alliance between Jorvik and Østangeln: Hvitserk's daughter Raghild marries Halfdan's son Eirik.


 * 911: The Viking conqueror Rollo becomes a vassal of the King of France, establishing the Duchy of Normandy.


 * 914: Hvitserk invades Northumbria and is met by Albian troops. The battle is indecisive.  Hvitserk makes a treaty of friendship and peace with Constantine of Alba.  Constantine begins building castles in Northumbria, increasing his control over the small Saxon kingdom.


 * 918: Halfdan of Østangeln is killed and replaced by a nephew, Knut.


 * 920:
 * Febbruary: Sigtrygg the Squinty, a son of the executed Sigtrygg Ivarsson, departs England with a raiding fleet and lands at the mouth of the Garonne in southwest France.
 * April: Vikings from Jórvík reconquer Dublin, making it a Jórvíkish fief.


 * 921:
 * Spring:Haakon, the infant son of King Harald I of Norway and his maid, comes to Jorvik to be raised by King Hvitserk. He is brought up in the pagan ways.
 * Summer: Sigtrygg the Squinty captures the city of Bordeaux and begins to terrorize the towns and monasteries upriver.


 * 922: Another assassination brings Eirik and his wife Raghild to power in Østangeln.


 * 923: Cordoban forces sack Pamplona.


 * 924:
 * Spring: A Norse army under Geirmund Roundhead capture Pamplona, founding the first Norse state in Spain.
 * Autumn: Hvitserk dies. The jarls and things elect Bjørn I King of Jorvik.

925

 * 925: Sigtrygg is baptized and takes a feudal oath of loyalty to King Raoul of France. The County of Bordeaux is abolished and its lands incorporated in the new Duchy of Anguèlènie.


 * 927: Sigtrygg dies and is succeeded by his cousin Góröðr (in French, Godefroy). Godefroy marries Ermengard, daughter of the Duke of Burgundy.


 * 929: Abd ar-Rahman of Cordoba proclaims himself Caliph and inaugurates a golden age of Al-Andalus.


 * 930: The is established as the ruling institution of the Isles of Scilly.


 * 932: King Dyfnwal of Strathclyde dies. Constantine's nephew Máel Coluim (Malcolm), his tanist or heir, becomes king.


 * 935: After years of military experience in Ireland and Spain, Haakon leaves England to unseat his brother Erik "Bloodaxe" as King of Norway. Erik amasses followers in Orkney and Eastanglia and conquers Dublin.


 * 938: Erik Bloodaxe is proclaimed High King of Ireland at Tara.


 * 939: Abd ar-Rahman attacks the Christian kingdom of Leon. Leonese forces are divided between the border and the coasts, so the Caliph easily defeats a Christian army at the Battle of Simancas.


 * 940: Abd ar-Rahman begins a long seige of Leon.


 * 942:
 * Muslim armies attack Toulouse in southern France, but fail to gain any lasting conquest.
 * Leon falls to the Caliph.


 * 943: Constantine abdicates, succeeded by his nephew Malcolm, now King of Strathclyde, Northumbria, the Picts, and the Scots.


 * 946: Erik the Mariner, son of Erik Bloodaxe, sails on a mission of conquest from Dublin to Østangeln, conquering the Isles of Man and Anglesey along the way.


 * 949: A great army from England lands in Galicia under Olaf the Hairy, son of the deposed King Eirik of Eastanglia and part of the . Olaf conquers the kingdom and establishes his capital at Santiago de Compostela.  He acknowledges the King of Jórvík as overlord.  Galisja attracts many immigrants from England and Ireland.

950

 * 950: An army of Asturians and Castilians fend off an attack by Abd Ar-Rahman. Count Fernán González secures his position as King of Asturias and, effective ruler of the strongest remaining Christian forces in Spain.


 * 952: Godefroy inherits the Duchy of Burgundy through his wife.


 * 953: Erik of Østangeln marries his daughter Halla to Thorkell, a nephew of Thorvald, King of Jorvik.


 * 954: Thorvald of Jorvik dies unexpectedly. Erik the Mariner intervenes to secure the election of his son-in-law Thorkell.  Olaf the Hairy returns from Spain to fight for the crown.  He is unsuccessful and goes back to his kingdom in Galisja.


 * 955: Olaf, Jarl of Kent, allows Canterbury Cathedral to be rebuilt.


 * 956: The chiefs of Iceland organize the Icelandic Commonwealth, with the Althing as its ruling body.


 * 960: Harald Bluetooth of Denmark is the first Scandinavian king to convert to Christianity.


 * 961: Death of Abd Ar-Rahman. Al-Hakam succeeds his father as Caliph.


 * 963: Thorkell of Jorvik leads a raid on Galisja, hoping to regain his kingdom's suzerainty over the Spanish state. Santiago de Compostela is attacked and many treasures taken.


 * 964:
 * Death of Erik Bloodaxe, a surprisingly long life for so warlike a king. The conflict between his sons, Harald Greycloak and Erik the Mariner, ignites the.
 * Hrut counterattacks the English in Galisja. Thorkell is forced to return to England.


 * 966: Galisja throws back a Cordoban attack.


 * 967: King Thorkell of Jórvik joins his father-in-law Erik in the.


 * 969: King Dub of Alba joins the Bloodaxe War on Harald's side.


 * 970: Dub is arrested and executed by his cousin, King Cuilen. He has Alba switch sides and join Erik and Thorkell.


 * 971: Harald Greycloak receives aid from Harald Bluetooth, King of Denmark.


 * 972: Harald Bluetooth arrives in England and conquers Lundun.


 * 974:
 * The Bloodaxe War ends with Denmark the real victor, gaining both Orkney and Østangeln as vassals.
 * King Garcia of Castile expands the knighthood of his kingdom, increasing his strength against the Umayyads.

975

 * 976: Al-Hakam dies. Power passes nominally to Caliph Hisham, but Al-Andalus is effectively ruled by his vizier Al-Mansur.  Al-Mansur attacks and sacks Barcelona.


 * 977: Al-Mansur leads a campaign into the Pyrennes. He forces the submission of the Aragonese kingdom, as well as several of the counts of the Spanish Marches.  A mosque and gubernatorial palace are built at Andorra.


 * 978: King Hrut of Galisja converts to Christianity, apparently after a vision.


 * 980:
 * Hrut restores the bishopric of Compostela and renounces his allegiance to the King of Jórvík. His kingdom begins to be referred to as Sant Jakob.  He improves the port at Ferrol to encourage pilgrims from across Christian Europe.
 * The Isle of Man revolts against Scottish rule, led by King Godfred. Godfred and his men ravage the coast of Strathclyde.  The Scottish King, Kenneth, ruthlessly puts down the revolt.  He places a relative on the Manx throne and tightens his control over the island.  The war is something of a final step in the consolidation of the Kingdom of Alba.


 * 984: Olaf Trygvasson, son of a minor Norwegian king, flees to England after losing a battle. He does not convert to Christianity in this pagan country.


 * 985: The Caliph's army again burns Barcelona.


 * 986: Erik the Red leads settlers from Iceland to Greenland.


 * 987: Hugh Capet unseats the last Carolingian king of France, with the support of both Normandy and Anguelenie.


 * 990: Sancho, son of King Garcia of Castile, rebels against his father with the aid and blessing of Al-Mansur. He seizes control of much of the kkingdom and confines his father to Asturias.


 * 994: of Denmark arrives in Østangeln.  He leads an army into the Kingdom of Jorvik.


 * 995: Garcia, still rightful king of Castile, dies, and his son Sancho takes over the entire kingdom. Sancho repudiates his patron, Al-Mansur.


 * 996: Most of the jarls of southern England switch allegience to Sweyn.


 * 997: Al-Mansur lays seige to Burgos. King Sancho is forced again to accept Umayyad overlordship of Castile.


 * 998: Sweyn captures the city of Jorvik, defeating the united kings of Jorvik and Dublin. He makes the city his capital of a new Kingdom of England.


 * 999: Sweyn crowned King of Dublin/Dyflin.

1000

 * 1000: Leif Eriksson leads the first expedition to Vinland. He is impressed by its trees and its currants.
 * 1001: Pact of friendship between England/Denmark and Alba.
 * 1002:
 * Duke Richard II of Normandy will have nothing to do with those pagans across the channel, and his sister Emma marries a nice German prince instead. Thus, the dynasties of Normandy and England are not linked.  However, Normandy maintains strong dynastic ties with its neighbor Brittany.
 * Sweyn Forkbeard returns to Denmark and reconquers it from the Swedes.
 * Al-Mansur dies, and without his singular presence, the Umayyads are unable to control their Christian vassals.
 * 1009: Norwegian Prince Olaf Haraldsson arrives in England and quickly goes to Ireland, where he joins in some of the warefare between Dyflin and the surrounding statelets.
 * 1010: The first Norse settlement is established on Vinland by Thorfinn Korisefni.
 * 1011: Olaf leads a raiding party to Spain.
 * 1013:
 * Winter:Thorfinn's settlement is abandoned after a defeat by "Skraelings" (Beothuk). Greenlanders continue to make regular trips to Vinland for slaves, wood, fruit, and trade.
 * Autumn: Olaf is baptized at Santiago de Compostela.
 * 1015: Olaf II becomes king of Norway, the country's first Christian king.
 * 1018:
 * Pope Benedict VIII confirms the Syllanines as an independent order.
 * Cnut becomes King of England. He initiates several reforms designed to harmonize
 * 1019: Upon the death of his brother, Cnut also becomes King of Denmark and Jarl of the Isles.
 * 1024:
 * Olaf decrees that the pagan temples of Norway be suppressed. Offended, the large part of the Norwegian nobility invites Cnut of Denmark to come and be their king.  Cnut easily defeats Olaf, who flees to the court of the Kievan king.  Cnut, a Christian himself, does not attempt to Christianize Norway.  The Danish empire now includes Ireland, Ongellsey, England, Orkney, Shetland, and Norway.
 * While Cnut is in Norway, his regent in Denmark, Ulf Jarl, joins with the King of Sweden in defying Cnut's rule. Cnut leaves Norway in the hands of loyal commanders and departs for England to raise another army.

1025

 * 1025: Cnut invades Sweden with a great army of English, Norwegians, and loyal Danes.
 * 1027: Conrad II is crowned Holy Roman Emperor. Due to the long war in Sweden, Cnut is unable to attend the ceremony and misses a fine opportunity to present himself as an enlightened Christian ruler.
 * 1028: Ulf Jarl is killed.
 * 1030:
 * Cnut's war against Sweden ends in a stalemate.
 * An expedition of English, Faroese, and Icelandic settlers establishes a palisaded settlement in northern Vinland.
 * 1031: The Cordoban Caliphate of Al-Andalus splinters into independent taifas. Among the more powerful taifas are Leon in the northwest and  in the Pyrenees, two strong regional centers that maintain Muslim control over much of the North.
 * 1032: The Norse win a victory over some Beothuk. The northernmost part of the island is now dominated by Norse.
 * 1032: Cnut makes a pilgrimage to Rome.
 * 1035: Cnut the Great dies.
 * 1042: A new settlement on the peninsula of Avalun (?). Its leader, of noble extraction, takes the title of "Jarl of Avalun".

1050

 * 1054:
 * The Almoravids begin their conquest of Morocco. They espouse an austere, puritanical version of Muslim civilization, especially when contrasted with the more lavish Umayyads.
 * The Great Schism: The Western and Eastern churches make the final break.
 * c. 1060? The Emirate of captures the city of Toulouse, also called Al-Tulus.
 * 1063: Duke Guillaume of Normandy, later known as, conquers the neighboring County of Maine, beginning his rise to power in France.
 * 1066: Duke Conan II of Brittany is assassinated, quite possibly by his arch-rival, Guillaumme. Guillaume claims that he is Conan's legitimate heir and invades Brittany.  By the end of the year he is Brittany's ruler by right of conquest, confirmed by France's king and clergy.
 * 1067: Norse establish a settlement on Notre Dame Bay, location of the largest Beothuk villages.
 * 1070: Yusuf ibn Tashufin establishes the Almoravid capital at Marrakush (Marrakech) and assumes the title "Amir Al-Muslimin", Commander of the Muslims.

1075

 * 1075: The Notre Dame settlement is destroyed.
 * 1087: Guillaume of Normandy and Brittany dies, his lands pressed but not crushed by enemies on every side, including King Philippe of France. His eldest son Robert inherits the entire united Duchy of Normandy and Brittany.
 * 1089: First Norse settlement on Nutisku Island. The little village, mostly Manxmen, subsists mainly on fish and the wood trade.
 * 1095: Pope Urban II launches the First Crusade.
 * 1099: The Kingdom of Jerusalem is founded.

Europe

 * Bjørn III of England restricts Christian missionaries to the Angelagen and Østanglian lands, then expels the Archbishop of Jorvik and seizes northern monasteries.
 * Henri I and Pope Paschal II reach an agreement under which Henri relinquishes the right of investiture, in return for which Paschal gives him blessing to invade England: the British Crusade. Henri conquers much of the South of England.
 * Foundation of the Cantuaric Order and the Order of Glastenborg, two crusading orders of knights in England.
 * Alfredssaga composed in South England.
 * Al-Darra conquers Provence and launches invasions of the Alps
 * to free southern France from Muslim control; establishment of the Crusader Kingdom of

North America

 * Waves of Anglo-Norse refugees head to Iceland, Greenland, and Vinland, fleeing the crusade.
 * An expedition of Anglo-Nordic colonists reach mainland North America.
 * Introduction of sheep, cattle, and horses to North America. They reach the Hashitamahan state late in the century.
 * Hashitamaha is devastated by European disease. The king is deposed by a priestly oligarchy.

Europe

 * Maize, beans, and squash reach Europe and the Mediterranean.
 * Evolution of the Kentish language in Norman-controlled England.
 * German traders found the Osthansa in the Baltic.
 * Beginning of the decades of talks aimed at healing the Great Schism, later called the - the coming together of Eastern and Western Christendom.

North America

 * Consolidation of the Kingdom of.
 * Norse traders reach Great Lakes, establishing the Principality on Lake Erie.
 * The use of livestock spreads outward from Hashitamaha, reaching Mesoamerica within a few decades.

1300

 * The Black Death infects China (1330s), Central Asia, the Middle East, and Europe (1340s), East Africa and North America (1350s), and Mesoamerica (1360s).
 * The Hansa expands: mainly German trading guilds create the Mittelhansa in the North Sea and the Westhansa in North America.

Europe

 * The Caunterbory Tales composed in London.
 * England gradually re-gains suzerainty over the Norman south. The Cantuaric Order remains in actual control, however.

North America

 * Hashitamahan territorial expansion
 * Expansion of Måmi principality
 * Greenland becomes a vassal state of Vinland.
 * Inuit (Thule) people capture the Western Settlements of Greenland, restricting Norse control of the island to the southern tip, around Julianehaab. This small colony remains a crucial trade link between Vinland and Europe, however.

1400

 * in an effort to counter Hanseatic domination, the Six Kingdoms of Sweden, Denmark, Norway, England, Iceland, and Vinland create some sort of unity.
 * England takes all Norman lands north of the Channel except Wight and Kent.
 * Scotland becomes a Hanseatic satellite.
 * Growth of Masjamutic Empire
 * Breakup of Hashitamahan Empire into successor states
 * Måmian colony established at Chicago