Relative Liberty
13-08-2006, 21:30
Early history:
The nation of Blackwood was first founded in 1242 when the Earl of Blackwoodshire, a Lord James Robertson Aston, united the three major clans of modern Blackwood, the Astons, of Blackwood, Farmershire and Glenville; the Bruces, of Bruce and Langville; and the Huntingtons, of Paddockshire, under a common banner in the Peace of Blackwood, following the Battle of Sherwood. The Great Realm, as the new kingdom was called was to be ruled by James Aston and his descendants ''til Almighty God wills otherwise'', and following the death of High King James I of Aston in 1267 his son, William I of Aston was crowned High King of the Realm.
It was under William that the power of the High King was further enhanced, as the Second Treaty of Blackwood gave the High King supreme authority over the land not only through arms, but by divine right. This was made possible as William had had Bishop of Blackwood framed for the rape and subsequent murder of a young boy. William threatened to make the Archbishop Nicolaus II aware of this unless the bishop interpreted the older Law of Scott and the Bible so as to support William's claim of divine right to the throne. With not only the Treaty of Blackwood claiming God's favour, but the actual support of the clergy, albeit unwilling, William set forth cementing his power. Blackwood's first constitution, the Law of William I, was crafted during his reign and introduced Blackwood tradition as law throughout the country. Most notably amongst these traditions are the right to peace of home, meaning that a nobleman no longer could demand of a peasant to support a travelling noble, and demanded that a noble must pay the peasant for any damaged to the crops by his knights; and the peace of the Church, stating that no man but the king may carry weapon inside any church or holy ground, and that any man disturbing the peace whilst on holy ground shall have his hands cut off and be hanged.
In 1308, after the death of William I at the age of 54, his son Eric I The Childless was crowned High King. Under his reign, the powers of the Under Kings were further diminished, until they were little more than vassals. Eric was infertile however, and did not get a child to inherit his throne, and so he named Llywelyn of Caer Armen his successor. Llywelyn was related to James I, being his aunt's cousin and married to James' sister's daughter.
Upon the death of Eric I in 1337, the three Under Kings revolted, claiming that the Treaty of Blackwood named James and his descendants as High Kings and that while Llywelyn was a relative, he was not a descendant. The combined might of the earls of Bruce and Huntingdon easily defeated the loyalist armies, and Llywelyn was forced to flee the contry for the Highlands. The Earl of Bruce, Alexander Foxsworth Bruce, was not satisfied with this and, thinking Llywelyn would manage to unite the Highland clans, amassed an army and set forth to find and capture the fugitive king .The Huntingdons refused to participate and Bruce, not trusting the Huntingdons, was forced to leave a detachment of a hundred of his most trusted men to guard the throne, leaving only second rate troops and levied peasants for his campaign in the Highlands. This incursion into their lands was not looked kindly upon by the clans, and Bruce's army was ambushed and defeated at the Battle of Falkirk by the clans McAvoy and McKenzie, though Bruce himself escaped along with 150 of his knights. Llywelyn, seeing his chance, managed to gain the allegiance of the McAvoys and the McKenzies, promising gold and land in return for their help. The campaign was largely successful, and on the twelfth of August the Huntingdon army was retreating towards their home castle of Paddock. Bruce and his surviving knights had previously allied themselves with Llywelyn, having much to gain and little to loose, and seeing that Llywelyn was in need of cavalry, of which the Highlanders had little, agreed to serve him in exchange for full pardon. The Highlanders though were not pleased with having their former enemy pardoned by Llywelyn, and he was often forced to intervene whenever a fight broke out between the two.
Llywelyn's army caught up with the Huntingdons only a few leagues from Paddock Castle, on a farmer's field by the river of Eden. Llywelyn sent his cavalry to cut off the enemy's retreat over the Eden bridge, though he kept Bruce close to guarantee the knights' loyalty. Having their hopes of escape thus shattered, the Huntingdon army prepared to fight one last battle. The Earl of Huntingdon, Patrick I Montgomery of Huntingdon, deployed his so that the cavalry protected the left flank and his archers were positioned in the centre behind the main line of pikemen. He also detached a section of his personal guard to defend the rear against Bruce's cavalry. The right flank was covered by simple peasants who took up a defensive position behind a deep irrigation furrow. On Llywelyn's order, Bruce's knights dismounted, sent their horses away and then demolished the wood-and-earth dikes that protected the field from the Eden. The water surged forth through hte hole in the dam, wreaking havoc in Huntingdon's army. More importantly, it nullified Huntingdon's advantage in terms of cavalry as the dry field was turned to mud. The clansmen allied to Llywelyn then formed schiltrons, a shieldwall used in the Highlands, and advanced upon the disarrayed enemy. Bruce's cavalry also dismounted and Huntingdon's army, being surrounded and with nowehere to run, was quickly cut down.
Seeing his chance to dispose of two enemies at once ordered Bruce's immediate execution, and he was beheaded on the spot. Thus pleasing the McAvoys and McKenzies and having rid himself of his most dangerous foes, Llywelyn could safely have himself crowned High King Supreme, Lord Paramount and Sole Regent of the Realm of Blackwood in the year 1339. The crowning took place in Paddington Castle and Llywelyn would have none other than the Archbishop Julianus IV placing the crown upon his head. Being High King of Blackwood and a member of the house Caer Armen, this marked the beginning of the merging of Blackwood and the region of Cymru.
The nation of Blackwood was first founded in 1242 when the Earl of Blackwoodshire, a Lord James Robertson Aston, united the three major clans of modern Blackwood, the Astons, of Blackwood, Farmershire and Glenville; the Bruces, of Bruce and Langville; and the Huntingtons, of Paddockshire, under a common banner in the Peace of Blackwood, following the Battle of Sherwood. The Great Realm, as the new kingdom was called was to be ruled by James Aston and his descendants ''til Almighty God wills otherwise'', and following the death of High King James I of Aston in 1267 his son, William I of Aston was crowned High King of the Realm.
It was under William that the power of the High King was further enhanced, as the Second Treaty of Blackwood gave the High King supreme authority over the land not only through arms, but by divine right. This was made possible as William had had Bishop of Blackwood framed for the rape and subsequent murder of a young boy. William threatened to make the Archbishop Nicolaus II aware of this unless the bishop interpreted the older Law of Scott and the Bible so as to support William's claim of divine right to the throne. With not only the Treaty of Blackwood claiming God's favour, but the actual support of the clergy, albeit unwilling, William set forth cementing his power. Blackwood's first constitution, the Law of William I, was crafted during his reign and introduced Blackwood tradition as law throughout the country. Most notably amongst these traditions are the right to peace of home, meaning that a nobleman no longer could demand of a peasant to support a travelling noble, and demanded that a noble must pay the peasant for any damaged to the crops by his knights; and the peace of the Church, stating that no man but the king may carry weapon inside any church or holy ground, and that any man disturbing the peace whilst on holy ground shall have his hands cut off and be hanged.
In 1308, after the death of William I at the age of 54, his son Eric I The Childless was crowned High King. Under his reign, the powers of the Under Kings were further diminished, until they were little more than vassals. Eric was infertile however, and did not get a child to inherit his throne, and so he named Llywelyn of Caer Armen his successor. Llywelyn was related to James I, being his aunt's cousin and married to James' sister's daughter.
Upon the death of Eric I in 1337, the three Under Kings revolted, claiming that the Treaty of Blackwood named James and his descendants as High Kings and that while Llywelyn was a relative, he was not a descendant. The combined might of the earls of Bruce and Huntingdon easily defeated the loyalist armies, and Llywelyn was forced to flee the contry for the Highlands. The Earl of Bruce, Alexander Foxsworth Bruce, was not satisfied with this and, thinking Llywelyn would manage to unite the Highland clans, amassed an army and set forth to find and capture the fugitive king .The Huntingdons refused to participate and Bruce, not trusting the Huntingdons, was forced to leave a detachment of a hundred of his most trusted men to guard the throne, leaving only second rate troops and levied peasants for his campaign in the Highlands. This incursion into their lands was not looked kindly upon by the clans, and Bruce's army was ambushed and defeated at the Battle of Falkirk by the clans McAvoy and McKenzie, though Bruce himself escaped along with 150 of his knights. Llywelyn, seeing his chance, managed to gain the allegiance of the McAvoys and the McKenzies, promising gold and land in return for their help. The campaign was largely successful, and on the twelfth of August the Huntingdon army was retreating towards their home castle of Paddock. Bruce and his surviving knights had previously allied themselves with Llywelyn, having much to gain and little to loose, and seeing that Llywelyn was in need of cavalry, of which the Highlanders had little, agreed to serve him in exchange for full pardon. The Highlanders though were not pleased with having their former enemy pardoned by Llywelyn, and he was often forced to intervene whenever a fight broke out between the two.
Llywelyn's army caught up with the Huntingdons only a few leagues from Paddock Castle, on a farmer's field by the river of Eden. Llywelyn sent his cavalry to cut off the enemy's retreat over the Eden bridge, though he kept Bruce close to guarantee the knights' loyalty. Having their hopes of escape thus shattered, the Huntingdon army prepared to fight one last battle. The Earl of Huntingdon, Patrick I Montgomery of Huntingdon, deployed his so that the cavalry protected the left flank and his archers were positioned in the centre behind the main line of pikemen. He also detached a section of his personal guard to defend the rear against Bruce's cavalry. The right flank was covered by simple peasants who took up a defensive position behind a deep irrigation furrow. On Llywelyn's order, Bruce's knights dismounted, sent their horses away and then demolished the wood-and-earth dikes that protected the field from the Eden. The water surged forth through hte hole in the dam, wreaking havoc in Huntingdon's army. More importantly, it nullified Huntingdon's advantage in terms of cavalry as the dry field was turned to mud. The clansmen allied to Llywelyn then formed schiltrons, a shieldwall used in the Highlands, and advanced upon the disarrayed enemy. Bruce's cavalry also dismounted and Huntingdon's army, being surrounded and with nowehere to run, was quickly cut down.
Seeing his chance to dispose of two enemies at once ordered Bruce's immediate execution, and he was beheaded on the spot. Thus pleasing the McAvoys and McKenzies and having rid himself of his most dangerous foes, Llywelyn could safely have himself crowned High King Supreme, Lord Paramount and Sole Regent of the Realm of Blackwood in the year 1339. The crowning took place in Paddington Castle and Llywelyn would have none other than the Archbishop Julianus IV placing the crown upon his head. Being High King of Blackwood and a member of the house Caer Armen, this marked the beginning of the merging of Blackwood and the region of Cymru.