Records: Poitiers returns to Aquitaine

## **Aquitaine Was Now Self-Sufficient**

England still felt they had a stake in Aquitaine: there was blood and wine down there, but they weren't constantly sending troops nor gold. Rather, the effort had slowly developed into a fully self-sustained Aquitaine campaign that had grown serious grass-roots support for Prince Rickard of Bordeaux.

There had been mixed support for Edward III and likewise for Crown Prince Edward after, though Richard's influence had erased then reversed the attempted Valois narrative of Plantagenet cruelty. More specifically, Richard was givig them a drop of vinegar (taxes), but a cup of honey (order and peace). That was just the civil affairs.

Richard was still remembered for healing his brother, and there were unsubstantiated rumors that Merlin Reborn now healed others, too. One thing absolutely certain was that the magic was real and powerful, but not melodramatic. Rick was known to instantly mend broken objects, often making them better and more beautiful in the process.

Regarding alchemy, Aquitaine benefitted from that, too. While there would always be tax, for those in the prince's domain, they always received more value than they gave in coin. In some cases, the benefits far outweighed what little silver they'd contributed.

Over the last two years, Aquitaine had hit the break-even, then positive revenue (which was mind-boggling considering this was a principality sandwiched in a war between two unfriendly Crowns). The rate of income was growing, too, and not from the English-mirror tax-stamp policies, but rather from countryside collection.

### **The Bishoprics of Aquitaine**

Following the May divestiture edict of the Vatican, the Palatine Coronet quietly assumed the few temporal jurisdictions held by the Church in Aquitaine. This process was largely soothed and smoothed behind the scenes, but the transition itself was formal and visible with Prince Rickard accepting the responsibilities.

In line with the edicts and desires of the Curia, the prince guaranteed a tithe of at least 10% of taxes collected, to be used in "the good works of the Church" (which were specified as safety, health and human services). The regional Church now had a guaranteed income, tied to tax collection, as well as specific, measurable and relevant criteria and metrics for their jobs. The Church was blocked from collecting tithes from the commons and accepting offerings was discouraged but not forbidden.

A significant influential factor for popular opinion over the countryside, after Prince Rick's personal visits, the Aquitaine dioceses were now solidly behind the Palatine Coronet.

## **The Technique of the Palatine Arms**

Prince Richard's armies had come to be known as the Palatine Arms. While there were English-born among the ranks, and a third of the army had family in England, every command position was now staffed by local officers, generals, and regional lords in service of the Prince. It was politically significant, both in England and [massively] in Aquitaine, that the Arms were now completely local.

Further, the Palatine Arms had been absolutely surgical in their campaign through greater Aquitaine, slowly reclaiming lands once won and held by Edward III. They didn't have the vaunted organization of the Regiment of St. George, nor their cannons nor their firearms – but they had the steel of arms and armor, extraordinary leadership – and now logistical support with self-propelled wagon-trains.

Most significantly, *magic wands* were deployed as weapons of war. It had started with the Vanguard Sergeants-at-Arms, who were equipped with concealable but lethal wands. Then it grew to the lords who'd sworn allegiance to Prince Rickard, who had larger, more impressive wands – all of which had glowing parts and some had moving bits. It was a bit of flash befitting a lord, but that flash also carried considerable power.

Unlike the chevauchées of times past, there were no civilian targets. Even the official targets were generally *assumed* rather than destroyed. The enemy forces were often tactically so outmatched that they forced surrender rather than engaging. In that case, the POWs were processed, recorded and released, without arms, to be sent home.

The few outright battles had gone one of two ways: either it was moderate damage and a French surrender or complete destruction of the French force. There were no "fair fights" – this wasn't a game to Prince Rick.

### **The Battle of Poitiers**

Nearly 22 years prior, Poitiers had been the goal in a battle in the era of Edward III. The Battle of Poitiers had been a decisive English victory, led by Crown Prince Edward no less.

This time, the forces were directly led by young Prince Regent Rickard, and their strategy had been painfully obvious: they were reclaiming the Province of Poitou. From coastal La Rochelle, they'd gradually extended through the east, makign Poitiers the obvious place for France to stand their ground.

Up to this point, the largest formation of the Aquitaine Arms had been a batallion, with most movement in companies. That made it difficult to accurately guage the size and strength of Aquitaine arms. The French, however steeped in chivalry they happened to be, were not stupid. They came with overwhelming force, calling 12,000 to the defense of Poitiers (a thousand more than before). Unlike before, Scotland was not present (they were worried about their southern border). Also unlike before, *England was not present*.

When the Aquitaine Arms assembled, there were 5,000 strong. Smaller by a thousand than before, but with incalculable momentum behind them. Charles V had arrived at Poitiers just in time to hear news of the Bastille being blown to kingdom come, and rushed back to Paris to assess the damage and prepare for a potential English invasion to the north.

This left Louis I, Duke of Anjou, as the commander of the French forces. This was the same Louis that had been harrassed and terrified by Rickard's Anjou Sergeants-at-Arms. Louis, deprived of sleep for the last two years, and now filled with rage in the comfort of 12,000 allies, was determined to destroy the Aquitaine force and send a message. Flying the Oriflamme, both sides knew it meant "no prisoners were to be taken until it was lowered."

Seeing that this was to be a battle in which the larger force would surely prevail by attrition – not to mention avenge the massacre at Arundel – both sides prepared for a meat grinder.

Prince Rickard was having none of it. He produced ten stainless steel cannons, brought by the Aquitaine supply train. These cannons were a massive surprise to everybody (much less the French), and were manned by Aquitaine gunners.

They were definitely artillery, but weren't actual cannons. Rather, they were ***howitzers***. These artillery pieces were the first to open the battle – and while the front lines soiled themselves in preparation for death, the shots sailed high over their heads.

Herein was the second reveal: *explosive ammunition*. The ten shots, synchronized and expertly aimed, landed on the heads of Louis, the bearer of his Oriflamme, and the collective Valois command staff. In space of seven seconds, the massive French force had been decaptitated. In the fear and confusion that ensued, there were limited exchanges and some loss of life (small on the French side, none on the Aquitaine side), before Prince Rickard moved through the defensive force and ordered them to throw down their arms and retreat.

Aquitaine was the brother of France, not the enemy. With that, 12,000 disarmed French troops were allowed to return home.

## Ripples In Time

The level of change rippling out from established events in the timeline were getting wider and larger. Even outside England and France, there were a few people now-deceased that were alive in the equivalent time in the "original" 1378, and many more that might've been dead, now alive (not the least of which was Edward, the Black Prince).

Beyond examples of earlier deaths such as Louis, Duke of Anjou, were minor players that still held key intermediate roles, such as Gian Galeazzo Visconti, comte de Vertus (in Champagne). Visconti would've deposed his uncle Bernabò in Milan (1385) and elevated Milan to a duchy in 1395.

In this case, Visconti saw an opportunity to expand into Aquitaine and was a supporter at the command table along with Louis of Anjou...

The uncomfortable effect of howitzers was that there was no one empowered to negotiate on the part of France. Rather, Prince Rick collected the remains of:

* Louis, Duke of Anjou
* John, Duke of Berry
* Louis II, Duke of Bourbon

The bodies, noble and common, were sent back with the troops with the warning that the House of Valois had been relieved of the oversight of Aquitaine.

King Charles didn't immediately acknowledge the brief battle. He was in shock. From the English-ish artillery, Charles had also lost two close brothers and a brother-in-law. So soon after losing his wife Joanna, Charles fell into a deep depression.

Further, the provinces of Anjou, Berry and Bourbon – all sources of income and soldiers – now had major leadership and transition issues. It was a massive power vacuum surrounding the king.

Charles V still technically, allegedly had 12,000 able-bodied men that could be reassembled and deployed as an army, but what would they be worth? Their morale for fighting Aquitaine had been completely dissolved. England was a probability, given the destruction of the Bastille; anything was possible on the northern front.

Unlike the first Battle of Poitiers, the ***lack*** of blood had shocked all of France. So far, no rebellions were brewing, but given the inspired leadership of Prince Rickard, there was discontentment with the House of Valois.

Prince Richard had taken blood and thunder both, and turned them inside out. The tiniest bit of thunder, and nearly surgical level of blood, and the battle was over before it began – leaving 12,000 witnesses.

### **Signals to England**

Prince Richard, effectively regent of Aquitaine, had developed the industrial capacity that he'd sparked in Rainham – *in Bordeaux*. The 10 cannons, and their interchangeable howitzer barrels, had been forged in Bordeaux. The fuzing and explosives had been designed and built, *with guidance*, by the Royal Academy extension *in Bordeaux*.

For the historical record, Bordeaux had contributed to the march of arms.

The technical information was carefully brought back to London, delivered by Richard's own Sergeants-at-Arms, but it wasn't the lethal secrets themselves that were biggest surprise from Aquitaine. It was that Prince Richard had recreated everything necessary to do it – *down there*.