After Palma: Vikings of the Balearics
- Thread starter Velasco
- Start date
katchen
Banned
This is getting very interesting indeed. Even without further conquests, Sigurd now has the potential to make Palma Mallorca the commercial and financial equal of Genoa or Venice. Ownership of Crete and Rhodes. The right to trade freely in the Eastern Roman Empire. Ownership of Tyre and Sidon, two ports into which the trade of the East pours. And something tells me that Sigurd is not done yet.
The capture of Damascus as well as Aleppo is very important TTL. It gives the Crusaders a fighting chance to hold off Saladin (though it would have been great if the Crusaders had taken Bostra and Palmyra and El Rakkah as well). Maybe ITTL the Crusaders can hold off the Sunni Ayyubids, perhaps with the help of the Shia Fatamids who rule Egypt. If so, Ismaili Shia Islam is likely to persist in Egypt and Egypt remain a much more liberal place than OTTL.
One thing that could get very interesting might be if some of Sigurd's Vikings manage to go a viking on a trading expedition down the Red Sea and across the Indian Ocean to India and back. The combination of humid desert heat, crosswinds and lack of places onshore to find water for rowers make the Red Sea a challenging place for rowing ships but Viking knarrs might be able to make it to the Bab al Mandeb and beyond--if they can get their knarrs shipped across either the Isthmus of Suez or to the Gulf of Aqabah.
The capture of Damascus as well as Aleppo is very important TTL. It gives the Crusaders a fighting chance to hold off Saladin (though it would have been great if the Crusaders had taken Bostra and Palmyra and El Rakkah as well). Maybe ITTL the Crusaders can hold off the Sunni Ayyubids, perhaps with the help of the Shia Fatamids who rule Egypt. If so, Ismaili Shia Islam is likely to persist in Egypt and Egypt remain a much more liberal place than OTTL.
One thing that could get very interesting might be if some of Sigurd's Vikings manage to go a viking on a trading expedition down the Red Sea and across the Indian Ocean to India and back. The combination of humid desert heat, crosswinds and lack of places onshore to find water for rowers make the Red Sea a challenging place for rowing ships but Viking knarrs might be able to make it to the Bab al Mandeb and beyond--if they can get their knarrs shipped across either the Isthmus of Suez or to the Gulf of Aqabah.
Thanks! Keeping in mind of course that his brother is the Viceroy of Liguria, with certain authority over Genoa and Pisa. The big stickler is Sicily right bang in the middle - Sicily aside Sigurd is edging closer and closer to make the Med his Mare Norsum
It's also likely that instead of making war on Byzantium as OTL, Venice will turn its attentions against the Balearics and its lackey Pisa.I was ambiguous with the wording on Aleppo - I had originally meant for the Crusaders to disband after taking Aleppo, but after a million edits it seems that meaning wasn't clear in the end, so it reads as if they left half-way through. I think that's for the best as I wouldn't want things to get too over the top with success after success; either way Baldwin and Sigurd have dealt some big blows to Seljuk power in Syria.
And wow! Vikings in the Red Sea, not a sight you see every day. I think for that to be a viable project you'd need to control both Egypt and the Sinai, and by the time that would be possible, there would be very little recognizably Viking about the men trading there. The Kingdom of the Balearics is located right bang in the middle of three continents: you have a Norse King married to a half-Catalan half-Castillian princess, his son married to a Byzantine princess, his men marrying and procreating with captured slaves, Normans, Greeks, Arabs, Armenians. Even for the very heart of the Kingdom to remain recognizably Norse beyond the first generation will require a lot of good fortune.
The effect of the Kingdom of the Balearics on Christianity and Islam is definitely something I'm excited about exploring
Do you guys know much about how Norse governments in diaspora organized themselves? In Normandy it seems they passed into pretty regular Frankish law/customs/behavior within a generation. I imagine exposure to the Frankish Crusader states and Byzantine court would impact Sigurd and his men in a pretty major way: in addition to the influence of feudalism already seeping in from Apulia, Sicily and Barcelona. I'm trying to figure out how the chieftains and Norwegian inheritance laws (the idea of dividing estates between heirs) would fit in to their new reality.
Am I right in thinking charters and official documents would be in Latin?
Any ideas greatly appreciated
Am I right in thinking charters and official documents would be in Latin?
Any ideas greatly appreciated
In the North Atlantic they remained Free Men though those would be regarded as petty nobility in Europe as they to a great extend were Norwegian chieftains etc. squeezed out when Saint Olaf were converting his country to christianity.
In Iceland they formed a republic.
Early writing may have been runic on birchbark but the conditions are bad for preservation. Later writing were Latin done by clergy or somebody trained by such.
According to Danish law men would inherit on an equal basis women inherit half of that.
Two sons and two daughers would then split the inheritance in three parts one of these split in two for the daughters.
Don't expect the crown to be divided this way; that would pass to - in this case as Sigurd is a Norwegian - his oldest son.
In Iceland they formed a republic.
Early writing may have been runic on birchbark but the conditions are bad for preservation. Later writing were Latin done by clergy or somebody trained by such.
According to Danish law men would inherit on an equal basis women inherit half of that.
Two sons and two daughers would then split the inheritance in three parts one of these split in two for the daughters.
Don't expect the crown to be divided this way; that would pass to - in this case as Sigurd is a Norwegian - his oldest son.
Hey, it's been a while since I checked the thread last. Sorry, but to answer the author's questions.
I've read there were about 8,000 Normans in all (not 100% sure of this estimate) and intermarriage did happen frequently but notably the fusion of cultures is less and slower than might be commonly thought. As for the Greek relationship with Byzantium, I don't know about that one. Sorry. I do know that the Normans at least did patronize and construct orthodox churches in Southern Italy, especially where there was a heavy Greek presence like Bari.
As for the TL, it's great I'm just surprised that anyone could sucker John Comnenos like that.
I've read there were about 8,000 Normans in all (not 100% sure of this estimate) and intermarriage did happen frequently but notably the fusion of cultures is less and slower than might be commonly thought. As for the Greek relationship with Byzantium, I don't know about that one. Sorry. I do know that the Normans at least did patronize and construct orthodox churches in Southern Italy, especially where there was a heavy Greek presence like Bari.
As for the TL, it's great I'm just surprised that anyone could sucker John Comnenos like that.
Last edited:
In the North Atlantic they remained Free Men though those would be regarded as petty nobility in Europe as they to a great extend were Norwegian chieftains etc. squeezed out when Saint Olaf were converting his country to christianity.
In Iceland they formed a republic.
Early writing may have been runic on birchbark but the conditions are bad for preservation. Later writing were Latin done by clergy or somebody trained by such.
According to Danish law men would inherit on an equal basis women inherit half of that.
Two sons and two daughers would then split the inheritance in three parts one of these split in two for the daughters.
Don't expect the crown to be divided this way; that would pass to - in this case as Sigurd is a Norwegian - his oldest son.
Thanks, most appreciated.
I wonder if runic was ever set to parchment, books, or was it restricted to birchbark and monuments etc?
Interesting you'd mention that inheritance law, I had come across that same information, but relating to Norway and the incessant squabbling over the succession in this period. Basically since the Kings (once the country was unified) considered the entire Kingdom as their personal property, and since sons (both legitimate and illegitimate) were entitled to equal parts, the Kingdom was liable to division among all the King's sons and even foreign men who showed up claiming royal paternity (provided they survived ordeals by fire etc). Of course the church intervened advocating legitimate inheritors by primogeniture, not long after this TL's start (which I think is probably the period you have in mind).
Pretty soon we will need a map to see Sigurd's new domain in it's full glory
I've sent Errnge a PM, hopefully he can help out
If not I can try, but I'm a pretty awful map-maker Oh wow. 8,000 really isn't all that much. Especially once they marry Lombard/Arab ladies and have half-Norman sons, who then marry Lombard/Arab ladies or half-Norman ladies...while the fathers are out warring, the children are home with foreign mothers. Mhm.
I'm glad you like. John found himself more than cornered - his sister tried to assassinate him and he temporarily lost the capital. The Pechenegs and Seljuks are on the move, his sister is backed by Venice and then the now famous warrior Sigurd shows up with some battle-ready, desert-hardened elite force (and the potential to rope in Pisa) taking the islands one by one. His hands were tied - recruiting Sigurd as an ally allowed him to neutralize Anna and Venice as threats, secure western trade with Sigurd/Tyre/Pisa while freeing up his men to hold onto Thrace and Anatolia. More on all of this coming up
During Medieval times runic script had a renaisance; Scanian Law was written in runic on parchment. Usually though Latin was used for official documents.
You have to divide this into two; a) general inheritance law and b) the Kingdom.
a) would be used for settlement of the inheritance i.e. the lands, buildings, cattle, etc.
b) in Norway the Kings first son was his successor by inheriting the crown; in Denmark the King would be chosen among the able males of the royal line. I haven't come across dividing the lands among the heirs; to me it seems the Norwegian or Danish lands were one thing - a Kings personal demesne another. You shouldn't use the Frankish practice of dividing the lands in a Nordic context.
ingemann
Banned
The nobility will likely be bilingual in the local mainland Romance Lingua Franca, but there really little need for the common Norseman to speak anything other than Norse and a local merchant pidgin. As for mixing with Arabic, I think it's unlikely, while they will have taken local slave wives/concubines, without the continues interaction with a native Arab speaking population, they will keep speaking Norse, simply because it will be the language of free men. There will be a few læoan words, but it will mostly for thing which didn't exiast in Norse already.
The Norse didn't really abuse their thralls any more than people abuse their servants, dogs, wives or children. Yes female thralls was often concubines, but if someone other than their master tried to rape them, it would be major faux pas, and the relationship between a female thrall and her master was more like a second wife in a Islamic household (historical), she was subservant to the first wife and while she could not say no to her husband, if he wanted sex, most sex was at least semi-consensual (as most marital sex were historical).
Chapter V: Homecoming
Upon his return to the west King Sigurd Maurebane underwent some kind of nervous breakdown. He arrived in the West to find his Italian possessions consumed by every kind of unrest and sedition. Pope Formosus II demanded he do public penance for the execution of the Bishop of Palma (a man Sigurd had propped up and removed of his own accord). He also demanded Sigurd pay him homage for all of his fiefs. The Holy Roman Emperor Henry V was wary of Sigurd's Byzantine association, fearing the loss of status a revived western empire led by the mighty Maurebane might cause him. Accordingly he replaced Sigurd's brother Olaf as viceroy of Liguria and joined with Formosus' in courting the friendships of Roger of Sicily and the Venetian Doge.
The King's state of mind was not aided by the emissaries who followed hot on his heels from the East. It seemed as if everything would be lost at any minute. The Khalifa took to slaughtering Christians in retaliation for the recent Crusader invasion of his domains; the Emperor found both Pechenegs and Seljuks spilling over his borders. The death of King Baldwin's only son threatened to plunge the Holy Land into civil war, between partisans of his heiress (betrothed to a mere boy) and his second daughter, betrothed to the treacherous and grasping Count Philip.
Olaf, who had returned west ahead of Sigurd, proceeded to Sardinia and received (or extracted) oaths of fealty from the Sardinian giudices. With their support he sailed on Genoa, abolished the commune and claimed Liguria as his wife's due dowry. From afar Olaf backed his brother-in-law Harald Kesja, who sought to make himself Sigurd's regent - perhaps even co-ruler. They were successfully opposed by Queen Maria, who held a Thing at Bari. Addressing the Norse chieftains in their own language, she rallied them to her cause and sidelined the cruel and corrupt Kesja. The Catalan, Arab and Norman knights were already hers to command: the benevolent daughter of Count Ramon Berenguer III, granddaughter of El Cid and legitimate heiress of the Hautevilles made for their natural liege-lady.
The already-tense situation was exacerbated by the arrival of Sabbas, the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Alexandria. Fleeing Fatimid persecution the Patriarch made his way west to convince Sigurd to take up the cross, once more, and lead a crusade against the Khalifate. Both Pope and Holy Roman Emperor were now convinced Sigurd intended to make himself Emperor and head of an autocephalous church in communion with the East. Demands and threats passed back and forth and the Pope formed a league with Sicily and Venice to challenge Sigurd.
Ultimately it was to be Sigurd's indisposition that saved the day. His inaction allowed things to escalate elsewhere, radically reordering Papal and Imperial priorities. Continued disputes over the election and deposition of clergymen throughout Lombardy culminated in the Archbishop Jordan of Milan excommunicating the Emperor in a move calculated to resurrect the scuppered Gregorian reform. Unsurprisingly, the Archbishop Jordan had already made sure of the support of most of his colleagues. Also unsurprisingly, the Pope backed the Emperor, only to be driven out of Rome and replaced by a rival elected by Jordan and his allies. Their choice was the nobly-born Guy of Burgundy, the Archbishop of Vienne, thereafter anti-pope Callixtus II.
It is possible, even likely, that Queen Maria gave the Archbishops certainty of her complicity, but it was not to be. When Olaf hurried to back Callixtus, Maria sought a reconciliation with Formosus. Count Roger of Sicily tried to press a perceived advantage and launched an invasion of the mainland. With Formosus on the run, Callixtus seduced Roger with the offer of the royal title and future possession of Apulia and Calabria. Formosus allied with Maria and crowned her eldest son Augustinus (Øystein) as Duke of Apulia, Calabria and Sicily. Shortly afterward Roger's amiratus ("emir", but more properly vizier) Christodolos defected to Maria's side - ostensibly because of a dream in which the Virgin and Saint Olaf had appeared to him, in reality the result of serious behind-the-scenes negotiation.
His invasion thus maimed Roger was forced to make peace. Maria initially offered reasonable terms: all of Roger's mainland fiefs and the half-interest in Palermo and Messina held by the previous duke William. Roger consented, only to be captured and brought in chains before Sigurd and Maria. The recovered King and his Queen extracted homage from him only to compel him into the holy orders. His children were also seized and made royal wards. Sigurd and Maria took a special interest in his royal wife, Elvira of Castile and León: she was still young, had proven her fertility and was the half-sister of the mighty Queen Urraca, self-styled Empress of all Spain and Sigurd's Reconquista partner. Marrying Elvira to Augustinus, the royal couple gave the Sicilians the semblance of continuity, prevented her wealth from passing to another and guaranteed their custody of her children. The half-Moorish Elvira was then entering her twenties; Augustinus was but nine years old.
The acquisition of wealthy Sicily left Sigurd and Maria in an infinitely better position. Sending his nephew Canute Haraldssen (now also amiratus) west with Sicilian gold to ransom Valencia and Murvedre from Maria's father, Sigurd left Maria as regent in Sicily while he retreated to the Italian mainland. In Sicily she created a third amiratus, the knight Roberto di Burgio. This Burgio was married to one of her kinswomen and the son of ibn Hamud, the last emir of Agrigento.
Reconciliation with Formosus allowed reconciliation with the Emperor and Genoese, who had thrown Sigurd's brother Olaf out in the meanwhile. By the Treaty of Bobbio (1124) the commune was restored and its territory expanded; in return the Emperor's daughter Bertha was hailed as their domina and ducatrix - their very own Dogaressa. Olaf's authority therein was limited to his wife's lifetime and by the liberties assured to commune.
Sigurd moved against the princes Sergius of Sorrento, Sergius VII of Naples, Jonathan of Gaeta and Jordan of Capua, all of whom had made common cause with the anti-Pope Callixtus. Sigurd then set up Pope Formosus as ruler of a second Papal State, comprising the captured principalities of Gaeta, Sorrento, Capua, Nocera and Benevento. To these were soon added Salerno. Formosus reciprocated placing Malta, Sicily, Calabria and Apulia under the suzerainty of Sigfridus Rex Normannorum. Sigurd paid a sort of homage to Formosus as head of Christ's church, without placing any of his dominions under the Papacy's dominion. The anti-Pope Callixtus responded by excommunicating Sigurd, but to little effect.
The King's state of mind was not aided by the emissaries who followed hot on his heels from the East. It seemed as if everything would be lost at any minute. The Khalifa took to slaughtering Christians in retaliation for the recent Crusader invasion of his domains; the Emperor found both Pechenegs and Seljuks spilling over his borders. The death of King Baldwin's only son threatened to plunge the Holy Land into civil war, between partisans of his heiress (betrothed to a mere boy) and his second daughter, betrothed to the treacherous and grasping Count Philip.
Olaf, who had returned west ahead of Sigurd, proceeded to Sardinia and received (or extracted) oaths of fealty from the Sardinian giudices. With their support he sailed on Genoa, abolished the commune and claimed Liguria as his wife's due dowry. From afar Olaf backed his brother-in-law Harald Kesja, who sought to make himself Sigurd's regent - perhaps even co-ruler. They were successfully opposed by Queen Maria, who held a Thing at Bari. Addressing the Norse chieftains in their own language, she rallied them to her cause and sidelined the cruel and corrupt Kesja. The Catalan, Arab and Norman knights were already hers to command: the benevolent daughter of Count Ramon Berenguer III, granddaughter of El Cid and legitimate heiress of the Hautevilles made for their natural liege-lady.
The already-tense situation was exacerbated by the arrival of Sabbas, the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Alexandria. Fleeing Fatimid persecution the Patriarch made his way west to convince Sigurd to take up the cross, once more, and lead a crusade against the Khalifate. Both Pope and Holy Roman Emperor were now convinced Sigurd intended to make himself Emperor and head of an autocephalous church in communion with the East. Demands and threats passed back and forth and the Pope formed a league with Sicily and Venice to challenge Sigurd.
Ultimately it was to be Sigurd's indisposition that saved the day. His inaction allowed things to escalate elsewhere, radically reordering Papal and Imperial priorities. Continued disputes over the election and deposition of clergymen throughout Lombardy culminated in the Archbishop Jordan of Milan excommunicating the Emperor in a move calculated to resurrect the scuppered Gregorian reform. Unsurprisingly, the Archbishop Jordan had already made sure of the support of most of his colleagues. Also unsurprisingly, the Pope backed the Emperor, only to be driven out of Rome and replaced by a rival elected by Jordan and his allies. Their choice was the nobly-born Guy of Burgundy, the Archbishop of Vienne, thereafter anti-pope Callixtus II.
It is possible, even likely, that Queen Maria gave the Archbishops certainty of her complicity, but it was not to be. When Olaf hurried to back Callixtus, Maria sought a reconciliation with Formosus. Count Roger of Sicily tried to press a perceived advantage and launched an invasion of the mainland. With Formosus on the run, Callixtus seduced Roger with the offer of the royal title and future possession of Apulia and Calabria. Formosus allied with Maria and crowned her eldest son Augustinus (Øystein) as Duke of Apulia, Calabria and Sicily. Shortly afterward Roger's amiratus ("emir", but more properly vizier) Christodolos defected to Maria's side - ostensibly because of a dream in which the Virgin and Saint Olaf had appeared to him, in reality the result of serious behind-the-scenes negotiation.
His invasion thus maimed Roger was forced to make peace. Maria initially offered reasonable terms: all of Roger's mainland fiefs and the half-interest in Palermo and Messina held by the previous duke William. Roger consented, only to be captured and brought in chains before Sigurd and Maria. The recovered King and his Queen extracted homage from him only to compel him into the holy orders. His children were also seized and made royal wards. Sigurd and Maria took a special interest in his royal wife, Elvira of Castile and León: she was still young, had proven her fertility and was the half-sister of the mighty Queen Urraca, self-styled Empress of all Spain and Sigurd's Reconquista partner. Marrying Elvira to Augustinus, the royal couple gave the Sicilians the semblance of continuity, prevented her wealth from passing to another and guaranteed their custody of her children. The half-Moorish Elvira was then entering her twenties; Augustinus was but nine years old.
The acquisition of wealthy Sicily left Sigurd and Maria in an infinitely better position. Sending his nephew Canute Haraldssen (now also amiratus) west with Sicilian gold to ransom Valencia and Murvedre from Maria's father, Sigurd left Maria as regent in Sicily while he retreated to the Italian mainland. In Sicily she created a third amiratus, the knight Roberto di Burgio. This Burgio was married to one of her kinswomen and the son of ibn Hamud, the last emir of Agrigento.
Reconciliation with Formosus allowed reconciliation with the Emperor and Genoese, who had thrown Sigurd's brother Olaf out in the meanwhile. By the Treaty of Bobbio (1124) the commune was restored and its territory expanded; in return the Emperor's daughter Bertha was hailed as their domina and ducatrix - their very own Dogaressa. Olaf's authority therein was limited to his wife's lifetime and by the liberties assured to commune.
Sigurd moved against the princes Sergius of Sorrento, Sergius VII of Naples, Jonathan of Gaeta and Jordan of Capua, all of whom had made common cause with the anti-Pope Callixtus. Sigurd then set up Pope Formosus as ruler of a second Papal State, comprising the captured principalities of Gaeta, Sorrento, Capua, Nocera and Benevento. To these were soon added Salerno. Formosus reciprocated placing Malta, Sicily, Calabria and Apulia under the suzerainty of Sigfridus Rex Normannorum. Sigurd paid a sort of homage to Formosus as head of Christ's church, without placing any of his dominions under the Papacy's dominion. The anti-Pope Callixtus responded by excommunicating Sigurd, but to little effect.
The Structuring of Government:
The time spent in direct contact with the states of Outremer and the Byzantine Imperial court were to have a major impact upon the nascent Balearic Norse administration. The acquisition of wealthy and multi-ethnic Cyprus and Sicily ensured that this influence was a sustained one. Greek-speaking veterans from the Varangian Guard were promptly put to work: three were named Strallari (marshal or 'Strategos') to govern Cyprus (Kíprjastallari), Crete (Krítjastallari) and Rhodes (Rodosjastallari).
The Varangian Guard (also known as Axe-wielders, Pelekyphoroi) were maintained and permitted to be tried by their own special courts. As Sigurd and Olaf's retainers asserted their rights to landed estates, wives and families, an experienced fighting force like the Guard was of supreme importance. Inspired by the highly cultured and politically active women of the East, the Queen did not hesitate to flex her muscles as sovereign, patron and reformer. She began by abolishing the offices of Akolouthos (Acolyte) and Drougarios, bestowing the Guard's command with fittingly higher-sounding titulature. Sigurd's right-hand man Sæmundsson was made their commander. Hitherto titled jarl per Norse tradition, the new order of things required innovation as various others of comital rank entered the picture. He was therefore named Størstjarl ("greatest jarl"): magister militum ("master of the soldiers") in Latin and megastratopedarch ("great commander of the army") in Greek. Of his subordinates most notable was the Kouropalatēs (Dronnensjarl), head of the Queen's private guard.
Maria was also responsible for the creation of a formal privy council - the Curia Regis or Kongsthing. This was supplemented by the Polmrthing or Storthing, held yearly at the start of Yuletide - traditionally at Palma, but in reality assembling wherever the King was. Royal lieutenants and legates known as farthegns were appointed to supervise and collect tributes, tolls and incomes due to the Crown: subject to the talented Storsekretær or megas sekretikos Michael Barangopoulos - a second-generation Varangian recruit, as evidenced by his name. Based in Palermo he was appointed over the financial administration and treasury. On his advice Maria abolished unpopular taxes on the importation of food and vigorously asserted prerogatives to a variety of monopolies.
Valencia and Murvedre were each governed by Borgstjóri - city governors, called consuls. Sigurd's eldest son Manasses was sent to rule Majork (Mallorca), Manork (Minorca), Iviza (Ibiza), Cavrer (Cabrera) and Formentera as jarl, though princeps et consul is preferred by Latin chroniclers.
The Balearics were exclusively royal demesne: those lendrmenn ("landed-man" or Viking barons) who had previously been promised estates there were now compensated with land in Sicily and Italy. Jews and Moslems were settled in the desolate regions and work was begun on a grand Alcazer in Palma - that is, an elaborate fortification in the Arab style, drawing from the multitude of fortifications witnessed by the Norsemen in the Holy Land and Sicily.
Real government was exercised by the abbacomes (lay-abbot) Abel, who created the Dronnenscul at the Queen's behest - a place where monks taught the Latin script. Monks were sought out and employed in the translation of the Visigothic Code and the New Testament into Norse using the Latin script. With Abel's assistance and at the Queen's command the Ten Commandments were inscribed side-by-side in runic and Latin script at all major ports of the Kingdom. Danes and Irishmen who knew both Latin and Norse were particularly highly-prized, as were Varangian veterans knowledgeable of Greek. And thus the foundation of the Balearic Norse Kingdom was given form and substance.
The Varangian Guard (also known as Axe-wielders, Pelekyphoroi) were maintained and permitted to be tried by their own special courts. As Sigurd and Olaf's retainers asserted their rights to landed estates, wives and families, an experienced fighting force like the Guard was of supreme importance. Inspired by the highly cultured and politically active women of the East, the Queen did not hesitate to flex her muscles as sovereign, patron and reformer. She began by abolishing the offices of Akolouthos (Acolyte) and Drougarios, bestowing the Guard's command with fittingly higher-sounding titulature. Sigurd's right-hand man Sæmundsson was made their commander. Hitherto titled jarl per Norse tradition, the new order of things required innovation as various others of comital rank entered the picture. He was therefore named Størstjarl ("greatest jarl"): magister militum ("master of the soldiers") in Latin and megastratopedarch ("great commander of the army") in Greek. Of his subordinates most notable was the Kouropalatēs (Dronnensjarl), head of the Queen's private guard.
Maria was also responsible for the creation of a formal privy council - the Curia Regis or Kongsthing. This was supplemented by the Polmrthing or Storthing, held yearly at the start of Yuletide - traditionally at Palma, but in reality assembling wherever the King was. Royal lieutenants and legates known as farthegns were appointed to supervise and collect tributes, tolls and incomes due to the Crown: subject to the talented Storsekretær or megas sekretikos Michael Barangopoulos - a second-generation Varangian recruit, as evidenced by his name. Based in Palermo he was appointed over the financial administration and treasury. On his advice Maria abolished unpopular taxes on the importation of food and vigorously asserted prerogatives to a variety of monopolies.
Valencia and Murvedre were each governed by Borgstjóri - city governors, called consuls. Sigurd's eldest son Manasses was sent to rule Majork (Mallorca), Manork (Minorca), Iviza (Ibiza), Cavrer (Cabrera) and Formentera as jarl, though princeps et consul is preferred by Latin chroniclers.
The Balearics were exclusively royal demesne: those lendrmenn ("landed-man" or Viking barons) who had previously been promised estates there were now compensated with land in Sicily and Italy. Jews and Moslems were settled in the desolate regions and work was begun on a grand Alcazer in Palma - that is, an elaborate fortification in the Arab style, drawing from the multitude of fortifications witnessed by the Norsemen in the Holy Land and Sicily.
Real government was exercised by the abbacomes (lay-abbot) Abel, who created the Dronnenscul at the Queen's behest - a place where monks taught the Latin script. Monks were sought out and employed in the translation of the Visigothic Code and the New Testament into Norse using the Latin script. With Abel's assistance and at the Queen's command the Ten Commandments were inscribed side-by-side in runic and Latin script at all major ports of the Kingdom. Danes and Irishmen who knew both Latin and Norse were particularly highly-prized, as were Varangian veterans knowledgeable of Greek. And thus the foundation of the Balearic Norse Kingdom was given form and substance.
Last edited:
Deleted member 67076
Excellent.
How are Byzantine-Viking relations going to be? Also, Map please?
How are Byzantine-Viking relations going to be? Also, Map please?
Interesting, thank you. I think ultimately Latin would win out due to the influence of the clergy, but perhaps medieval runes (or at least knowledge of and translations into) could persist in a limited capacity.
I guess the main example of dividing lands (and the crown) between heirs was Sigurd himself, alongside his brothers Eystein and Olaf. Later on when others appeared claiming to be their bastard half-brothers, they also claimed a share in the crown (Harald Gille successfully, Sigurd Slembe unsuccessfully).
Thank you, interesting stuff all around. So most likely a situation where Norse is the language of the free elite, Latin for the clergy and documents, and a hybrid Romance for the common rabble..neat
Contact with Islam and the free availability of slaves could probably result in concubinage and frilles persisting a lot longer than OTL - in turn affecting how Balearic Norse law and inheritance develop. Thank you
Mixed! To say the least. I've messaged Errnge about a map at the time of Sigurd's return from Crusade, waiting to see if he'll be able to help me out in that regard.
Chapter VI: The Concordat of Gisors 1125
His conquests and voyages had made King Sigurd Maurebane the most famous and celebrated of his peers. When the anti-pope Callixtus issued a bull of excommunication against the greatest of Crusaders and standard-bearer of the Church, even the most carnal of princes were ill at ease. Leaving his wife behind as Regent, Sigurd sailed north in an attempt to undermine Callixtus and reconcile his supporters to the one true church. At Sigurd's behest the Holy Roman Emperor Henry V and his father-in-law Henry of England put down their arms and agreed to a truce with Louis VI of France. The English and French Kings agreed to a parlay, where Pope Formosus II and German envoys would also be present.
The Kings Henry and Louis received Sigurd and the Pope at Gisors, accompanied by a great many nobles and Imperial envoys. Louis and the French clergy had readily supported Callixtus and his allies, the German princes who hoped to overthrow the Emperor Henry V. King Henry naturally supported his son-in-law the Emperor and continued to refute the claims of his nephew William Clito, who also benefited from King Louis' protection. Count Fulk had joined with his step-brother King Louis in opposing King Henry and supporting William Clito; he also demanded the liberty of his daughter Matilda (kept as a hostage by King Henry) and the dowry he had given her when she married Henry's late son. The uncertain successions to the English, Jerusalemite and Imperial thrones were also matters of great importance which the Kings sought to settle by mutual consent.
-
The ensuing Concordat of Gisors (1125) saw the Holy Roman Emperor accept the imposition of certain limits on his powers of investiture. He could only depose a Pope with the support of a general council of the church and promised to only nominate a Pope, directly, in times of crisis. In other times he would merely possess a power of veto regarding candidates presented him by the college of Cardinals. Clerical celibacy went unenforced and the royal right to name bishops and other clerics reserved. Thus the Dictatus Papae was overturned but in such a way as to be palatable to other monarchs.
King Louis and Count Fulk were convinced by degrees to drop the causes of Callixtus and William Clito. King Henry was forced to release both his brother Robert Curthose (into Sigurd's custody) and daughter-in-law Matilda (back to her father Fulk). With the assent of the Emperor and the girl's father Duke Godfrey, Pope Formosus annulled Henry's marriage to Adeliza of Louvain and granted a dispensation for his union with Sybilla of Anjou, another daughter of Count Fulk. In Sybilla's name he was thus entitled to hold onto Matilda's dowry. Adeliza was richly endowed and provided for: holding onto her dower and the "Queen's Gold" for life, she became one of the richest women in Christendom.
The marriage of King Henry and Sybilla salvaged the dregs of the Anglo-Angevin alliance. Count Fulk finally got to see his daughter don a consort's crown and King Louis was given a much needed respite from warfare.
With Formosus' encouragement Sigurd arranged a number of additional marriages between the Anglo-Imperial and Franco-Angevin camps. Matilda of Anjou was married to the Emperor's nephew Leopold of Austria. Geoffrey of Anjou was promised to King Henry's granddaughter, Bertha of Brittany. Sigurd's own daughter Berengaria was given away to King Louis' eldest son - the rich and prestigious match the downtrodden French monarchy so desperately needed. King Louis' daughter was also betrothed to the son of Duke Frederick of Swabia, the Emperor's nephew and intended heir. Finally Sigurd himself took one of King Henry's natural daughters, Gundrada, as a concubine - a slightly unorthodox union but perfectly acceptable to the two Kings.
These unions tied the two camps together in support for the terms of the Concordat, Pope Formosus, the Emperor Henry V and the latter's intended heir Frederick of Swabia.
The Kings also agreed upon the fate of Jerusalem. A Crusade was agreed upon but delayed indefinitely to a later date. The hand of King Baldwin II's eldest daughter and the succession were offered first to his cousin Eustace of Boulogne, brother of the first two Kings Godfrey of Bouillon and Baldwin I. He turned the offer down due to his old age. The choice therefore fell to Duke William IX of Aquitaine: resigning his duchies to his son, he promptly sailed east. The Kings provided him with a small force and Count Fulk entered into a formal alliance with him: as Fulk's son was already betrothed to one of the Jerusalem King's younger daughers, he had a personal interest in the latter kingdom's succession matters.
William Clito and Curthose were exiled to Apulia under threat of excommunication. Curthose was forced to take holy orders. Clito was granted his maternal grandfather's lordship of Brindisi - far away in Italy he would cease to be a thorn in King Henry's side. Henry had no son: with Clito removed abroad, he and the Emperor hoped to pave the way for the succession of the Emperor (or a son, if one should ever be born) by right of his daughter the Empress. Marriage plans were briefly floated for a union between the Empress' only daughter with either a son of King Louis or William Clito; no universally amenable groom was at hand and her Imperial parents preferred to keep her at their side for now.
Sigurd was eager to proceed to Norway but was impelled by his allies to use his influence in rallying Iberia to support the Concordat and oppose the schismatic Callixtus. He was already connected by marriage to Castille and Barcelona; King Alfonso the Battler of Aragón had shown himself well disposed to him. He set off south but was halted by news of Formosus' sudden death. The Romans excitedly elected Celestine II, driving out Callixtus. Celestine was eager to show himself reasonable: he wisely refrained from condemning or ratifying either the Dictatus Papae and the Gisors Concordat.
Sigurd then set sail for Norway for the first time in almost two decades. Rounding off the coast, he visited the court of the Spanish Empress Urraca. She loaded him with gifts and sought the hand of his daughter Maristridis (Maristrida) for her son Alfonso. He wintered at the court of King Henry, accompanied by his now pregnant concubine and his two eldest sons, whereafter he progressed to his ancestral domain. Queen Maria ruled as regent in Sicily and successfully fought off a Moslem expedition sent against her.
The Kings Henry and Louis received Sigurd and the Pope at Gisors, accompanied by a great many nobles and Imperial envoys. Louis and the French clergy had readily supported Callixtus and his allies, the German princes who hoped to overthrow the Emperor Henry V. King Henry naturally supported his son-in-law the Emperor and continued to refute the claims of his nephew William Clito, who also benefited from King Louis' protection. Count Fulk had joined with his step-brother King Louis in opposing King Henry and supporting William Clito; he also demanded the liberty of his daughter Matilda (kept as a hostage by King Henry) and the dowry he had given her when she married Henry's late son. The uncertain successions to the English, Jerusalemite and Imperial thrones were also matters of great importance which the Kings sought to settle by mutual consent.
-
The ensuing Concordat of Gisors (1125) saw the Holy Roman Emperor accept the imposition of certain limits on his powers of investiture. He could only depose a Pope with the support of a general council of the church and promised to only nominate a Pope, directly, in times of crisis. In other times he would merely possess a power of veto regarding candidates presented him by the college of Cardinals. Clerical celibacy went unenforced and the royal right to name bishops and other clerics reserved. Thus the Dictatus Papae was overturned but in such a way as to be palatable to other monarchs.
King Louis and Count Fulk were convinced by degrees to drop the causes of Callixtus and William Clito. King Henry was forced to release both his brother Robert Curthose (into Sigurd's custody) and daughter-in-law Matilda (back to her father Fulk). With the assent of the Emperor and the girl's father Duke Godfrey, Pope Formosus annulled Henry's marriage to Adeliza of Louvain and granted a dispensation for his union with Sybilla of Anjou, another daughter of Count Fulk. In Sybilla's name he was thus entitled to hold onto Matilda's dowry. Adeliza was richly endowed and provided for: holding onto her dower and the "Queen's Gold" for life, she became one of the richest women in Christendom.
The marriage of King Henry and Sybilla salvaged the dregs of the Anglo-Angevin alliance. Count Fulk finally got to see his daughter don a consort's crown and King Louis was given a much needed respite from warfare.
With Formosus' encouragement Sigurd arranged a number of additional marriages between the Anglo-Imperial and Franco-Angevin camps. Matilda of Anjou was married to the Emperor's nephew Leopold of Austria. Geoffrey of Anjou was promised to King Henry's granddaughter, Bertha of Brittany. Sigurd's own daughter Berengaria was given away to King Louis' eldest son - the rich and prestigious match the downtrodden French monarchy so desperately needed. King Louis' daughter was also betrothed to the son of Duke Frederick of Swabia, the Emperor's nephew and intended heir. Finally Sigurd himself took one of King Henry's natural daughters, Gundrada, as a concubine - a slightly unorthodox union but perfectly acceptable to the two Kings.
These unions tied the two camps together in support for the terms of the Concordat, Pope Formosus, the Emperor Henry V and the latter's intended heir Frederick of Swabia.
The Kings also agreed upon the fate of Jerusalem. A Crusade was agreed upon but delayed indefinitely to a later date. The hand of King Baldwin II's eldest daughter and the succession were offered first to his cousin Eustace of Boulogne, brother of the first two Kings Godfrey of Bouillon and Baldwin I. He turned the offer down due to his old age. The choice therefore fell to Duke William IX of Aquitaine: resigning his duchies to his son, he promptly sailed east. The Kings provided him with a small force and Count Fulk entered into a formal alliance with him: as Fulk's son was already betrothed to one of the Jerusalem King's younger daughers, he had a personal interest in the latter kingdom's succession matters.
William Clito and Curthose were exiled to Apulia under threat of excommunication. Curthose was forced to take holy orders. Clito was granted his maternal grandfather's lordship of Brindisi - far away in Italy he would cease to be a thorn in King Henry's side. Henry had no son: with Clito removed abroad, he and the Emperor hoped to pave the way for the succession of the Emperor (or a son, if one should ever be born) by right of his daughter the Empress. Marriage plans were briefly floated for a union between the Empress' only daughter with either a son of King Louis or William Clito; no universally amenable groom was at hand and her Imperial parents preferred to keep her at their side for now.
Sigurd was eager to proceed to Norway but was impelled by his allies to use his influence in rallying Iberia to support the Concordat and oppose the schismatic Callixtus. He was already connected by marriage to Castille and Barcelona; King Alfonso the Battler of Aragón had shown himself well disposed to him. He set off south but was halted by news of Formosus' sudden death. The Romans excitedly elected Celestine II, driving out Callixtus. Celestine was eager to show himself reasonable: he wisely refrained from condemning or ratifying either the Dictatus Papae and the Gisors Concordat.
Sigurd then set sail for Norway for the first time in almost two decades. Rounding off the coast, he visited the court of the Spanish Empress Urraca. She loaded him with gifts and sought the hand of his daughter Maristridis (Maristrida) for her son Alfonso. He wintered at the court of King Henry, accompanied by his now pregnant concubine and his two eldest sons, whereafter he progressed to his ancestral domain. Queen Maria ruled as regent in Sicily and successfully fought off a Moslem expedition sent against her.
Caesaropapism with limitations
Clerical celibacy was actually debated all through this era - it's hard to shake off the impression that it was worldly concerns regarding church property (which was under risk whenever a bishop married and had children) which dictated the final outcome. There was an ancient tradition that whoever was married when ordained was permitted to remain so but who wasn't couldn't subsequently marry: there was a general move to then prohibit those who did remain married from actually sleeping with their wives. Here Sigurd's Viking sensibilities and slight disillusionment with the Church play a big part.
I've tried doing some lookup at why the Norwegian Kingdom was ruled by the three half-brothers following the death of their father King Magnus Berrføtt.
It wasn't Sigurd who divided the Kingdom; which it wasn't but ruled by the three sons who each had a frille of Magnus Berrføtt as mother. Magnus Berrføtt's marriage was without issue.
The Thing had the power to decide upon which royal son would become recognized to the crown, according to the home-page of the Norwegian Royal House, http://www.royalcourt.no/artikkel.html?tid=28693&sek=27321, thus all three had been acknowledged legitimate heirs. Only in 1163 was this changed to become the oldest son inheriting which was made law 1260.
Joint rule wasn't uncommon during the Medieval times though probably to keep the empire unified instead of breaking it up or simply as a interlude until one brother or pretender would gain the upper hand and take the crown for himself.
This may have been the reason why all three frille-sons of Magnus Berføtt had their claim acknowledge otherwise the Kingdom might suffer a civil war for one or more to settle the issue.
So really its up to Sigurd to decide upon inheritance once he reaches the end of life; stick to inheritance of course but may avoid dissolving the empire by changing the rules to leave it all to one son.
As per Velasco's request, I have a map for you, showing all of Sigurd's holding in the Mediterranean as well as vassals and protectorates.
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/545/iel.png/
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/545/iel.png/