Kingdom of Logres

Named after Locrinus, Brutus’ firstborn, many consider Logres to be the crown jewel of Britain

Logres is a mighty kingdom that occupies the southeastern portion of Britain, the largest island in the British Isles archipelago. Logres’ population constitutes half of Britain’s total. It includes the richest lands and three-fourths of the island’s wealth, making the King of Logres the most powerful man in Britain.

Titles grant rank and status. Thus a poor count is higher in status than a rich baron. The noble ranks are divided into higher and lower categories. Knights and squires are the “lesser nobility,” but they are still much higher than any commoner. Even the humble esquire is noble and thus has many more privileges than commoners. All other ranks are “greater nobility,” but even among these some that are greater than others.

The kingdom is old. Though the leadership of the ancient tribes lost their dominant political power to Rome, the people clung to their customary ways. The Romans left most tribal traditions and boundaries intact, as long as the peasants paid into the imperial system. When the imperial presence failed, Roman Britain continued briefly before collapsing as the people flocked to the warlords who actually protected them. Each ruler has changed things just a little, adapting ideals into reality to form the kingdom. Now the kingdom’s Ancient Laws and Customs still hold sway, overlaid with the old Roman tax system, and adapted to support a militarized society run by warlords.

## Region and Kingdom

Logres refers to both a geographic region of Britain and a kingdom. The two are not exactly congruent in 480, but overlap so significantly that the context should provide the correct meaning. Specifically, the kingdoms of Kent and Suth Seaxe are within the region of Logres, but are not a part of the kingdom. The kingdom of Bedegraine lies outside of the region, while that of Summerland lies within it. Ascalon and Tintagel counties are outside of the region, but inside the kingdom.

## Population

Logres has about 500,000 total people, which is roughly half of Britain’s total population.

### The Nobility

About 15,000 nobles (lords, knights, squires, ladies), or roughly three percent of the total population. About forty percent (6,000) are adult men, and 2,610 of those are knights.

### The Clergy

About the same as the nobles, 10,000, or roughly two percent of the population.

## Territorial Administration

The king has a vast organization to administer his kingdom. It is not a government, but an extension of the king’s household. Its purpose is to collect the king’s taxes.

### Regions

Logres has thirteen of the twenty-eight seats in the Supreme Collegium and is thus often thought of as broken into three separate areas where events may differ dramatically.

#### The Saxon Shore

This portion of Logres is contained in the area known to Romans as Maxima Caesariensis (also called the southeastern) province. Saxon Shore, containing five of the thirteen seats, is the area where the Saxons have influenced events the most.

#### Midlands

This portion of Logres is contained in the area the Romans called the Flavia Caesariensis (the midlands) province. It contains two of the thirteen Supreme Collegium seats

#### South Counties

This portion of Logres is contained in the Maxima Caesariensis (the southeastern) province. The South Counties, containing six of the thirteen Supreme Collegium seats, includes the kingdom of Summerland and the counties of Salisbury, Dorsette, Silchester, Berroc, and Hampshire, and the Isle of Wight.

### Dukedom

Several decades ago King Aurelius Ambrosius divided Logres into defense zones each with a dux militum (L. “leader of soldiers”) charged with fast local defense against raiders. Each duke can call local barons of the dukedom to form an army to repel invaders, but the barons are not his vassals. Thus, a dukedom is a military administrative unit, not a civil one. There are six dukedoms.

### County

The kingdom is divided into 24 administrative regions called counties. A county is a contiguous geographic area that is considerable, but variable, in size. A county is not a political unit. It is strictly an administrative territory, and encompasses everything within its borders. Rarely is anyone ever the lord of an entire county, holding just of parts of it, even if he has the title of count.

Within the boundaries of these counties are the many baronial fiefs, called estates, manors, and honours, each with its own lord and its seigniorial court. These feudal lands are irregular portions of the neat county divisions, sometimes in large blocks as estates, and often as small individual manors.

Counties usually have a natural integrity, such as lying around a drainage basin (like Salisbury), along major rivers (like Rydychan), or around population centers (all). The residents therefore have a common interest, and the county court is where they express it. County courts are where the major landowners ~ barons, abbots, and bishops ~ manage their local affairs. Every county holds its court twice a year, an event of such importance that all landholders must attend or else be fined. Fines vary according to the wealth of the offender, so that a peasant would be fined two pennies, a knight two libra, a baron five libra, and a great baron ten libra. Peasant representatives from every settlement in the county get together to stand witness in disputes, learn changes to the law, and enforce the results of criminal cases. Townsmen from across the county get together to trade their goods and the latest news.

The county court is where the king enforces Ancient Law and Custom for his people. Anyone with a complaint about a neighbor breaking the king’s law goes to court to find justice. The king will make sure justice prevails, because he is the fount of Justice. Ancient Law and Custom assures this, and everyone knows and accepts the king’s authority. It is simply what is done. These laws are all about one thing: the king’s property and his tenants. If one of the king’s laws is broken, the victim is usually a commoner, and he takes it to court to complain.

Every county has an appointed royal official called the county reeve, or sheriff, who speaks for the king there. He oversees all of the king’s business. He administers the county law court, collects all royal goods and moneys, pursues criminals, and musters and leads the county militia.

Each county has a royal castle that is held by the sheriff and used as a treasury, prison, supply storage, and mustering point for the local levy. Towns have grown up beside each castle to handle subsidiary business, and these sites are usually called County Towns. Many of these have the same name as their territory.

#### Counties of Logres

* Ascalon
* Berroc
* Caercolun
* Caerwent
* Clarence
* Dorsette
* Gentian
* Glevum
* Hantonne
* Hartland
* Huntland
* Jagent
* Lambor
* Linden
* Lonazep
* Rydychan
* Salisbury
* Silchester
* Thamesmouth
* Tintagel
* Tribruit
* Wuerensis

### Hundred

Counties are divided into areas called hundreds. Each county has 9-37 hundreds and each hundred incorporates 10-20 settlements. In ancient days, the hundred was an organization of one hundred hides, parcels of land capable of supporting one family. Thus each hundred provided a hundred spearmen when mustering for war. Centuries and changes in population and borders have altered that so that hundreds now vary incredibly in size and population. Hundreds are traditionally named after the place where the local court meets. It is often out of doors, although weather conditions sometimes require a moot hall (“meeting hall” today).

Each hundred has a lord, either the king or another, and an administrative apparatus to uphold and help execute the law. Hundreds held by the king are called royal hundreds, and are overseen by a royal bailiff. Private hundreds are those held by a lord other than the king. Private hundreds traditionally have a steward (instead of royal bailiff) to oversee them.

The hundred court is the most important meeting place of local government. It meets every three or four weeks and handles a wide range of local business and justice. Land disputes, inheritance issues, offenses by neighbors, and complaints about roving livestock are adjudicated at the hundred court. Many complaints are “sent upstairs” to the county court, whose range of legislative enforcement is wider and for more serious cases. Twice a year the sheriff holds a gathering to oversee the legal work, called the tourn.

The hundred court is where important people meet. It does not matter who one’s liege is, since all the important men of the hundred meet here. The hundred courts are dominated by the local men of power, who are knights, abbots, and bishops. Everyone in a hundred knows who the important men are, and all the other men of his trade. The men of the hundred also act as a unit in a levy, for instance, and fines are often laid on a hundred for an unsolved crime.

For instance, imagine a case concerning a traveling merchant who is found dead and robbed. The hundred bailiff asks who did this, because someone in the hundred probably knows. If the hundred men feign ignorance and do not turn over the culprit from their midst, the whole hundred is fined.

### Saxon Enclaves

Several areas were granted long ago to Saxons as a reward for service as mercenaries. Berroc and Sorestan have both remained loyal to the king, while Kent rebelled. Regnentium was not ever granted to Saxons, but was seized by foreign tribesmen.

### Value

Each holding has its value measured in libra (£). The value is the agreed-upon amount that can be collected by a landlord.

A land’s value has been agreed-upon by the king, the people, and whatever lord might intervene between them. In county and hundred courts, the commoners are witnesses and keepers of public memory, of tradition, and local history. Their word is reliable, which creates a social pressure that makes everyone honest in court. They consent to taxes because Ancient Custom dictates they should, even if it appears unfair that some lands are taxed more heavily than others. The initial justification is probably remembered by the current descendants, perhaps even with the appropriate quote from a document. For instance a peasant might say, “King Molmutius granted our village the right to free pasturage, ‘Villanis prata sine tributo in collibus septemtrionalibus’,” even though he doesn’t know meaning behind the Latin.

### Land

Land is wealth. All significant income comes from the people that live and work on the land. All land belongs to the king to do with as he wishes, within the constraint of Ancient Law and Custom. The king personally holds many lands, and many others have been enfeoffed to nobles for services rendered.

#### Royal Demesne

The king keeps and oversees some land not in the royal treasury system, but directly through his household. Those lands are the royal demesne. Royal bailiffs oversee the maintenance and harvests of these holdings and pay the revenues to their county sheriff. About five percent of all Logres is held directly by the king.

#### Rent Farms

A total of £3,676 of Logres is rented out to nobles in return for a flat annual fee, called a ferm, or modernly, farm. The holder of the ferm pays the fee to the sheriff, according to a contract that protects both parties. The rent farmer keeps all additional money that he can acquire from the holding, theoretically keeping within both the king’s law and Ancient Law and Custom. The holder assigns a steward, who makes sure the fee goes to the sheriff, in addition to his normal duties. The king usually includes the hundred courts in a ferm, and sometimes includes other liberties to the holder as well. About 73 hundreds, as well as other income sources, are leased out at any given time.

The king gets a steady income this way, so that his clerks can better plan their finances. Whether the lands do well or ill, the king collects the same amount from these ferms each year.

#### Enfeoffed Lands

About 80 percent of Logres has been granted to the king’s many barons. These were originally granted, or more often recognized to exist, by Aurelius Ambrosius. A generation ago the original holders were enfeoffed, “and to his heirs, in perpetuity.” Barons now pay homage and fealty to the king, provide a fixed number of knights and other soldiers, and fulfill other obligations of advice and support.

The king retains all rights he does not specifically grant away. Thus the commoners on every manor must attend their local hundred court each month, and their county court twice a year. There they can complain directly to the king’s representative if their own manorial lord has violated a law.

## Natural Resources

### Stone

Three great quarries of high quality stone are under crown control, and provide building materials throughout the kingdom. The king may have granted rights to lords nearby to oversee one of, or part of one of, them. The quarries are in Bitternbill in Dorsette, Beargrain in Lonazep, and Streamtown in Clarence; Boxtree in the nearby kingdom of Summerland also has a great quarry. Many smaller local quarries are known, and rights belong to the landholder where they are located.

### Salt

Humble salt is critically important to people. It is a table condiment, and is cleaned to be pure white salt for the nobles. Those who sit “below the salt,” by which they mean not at the lord’s end of the table, make do with a brownish salt. Most importantly, though, salt is the major preserver for fish and meat. Salted cod or herring is a common food for everyone. Bulk salt is shipped inland to every forester to use in preserving the king’s venison. Suitable coastal areas have salt pans in most shallow tidal zones. Areas are dammed off and allowed to fill with water, then closed. The water evaporates naturally, or is boiled until the salt alone remains. These counties have salt: Caerwent, Caercolun, Dorsette, Glevum city, Linden, and The Island that was Raised.

Several inland areas outside of Logres also have rich salt deposits. Anyplace that has the suffix of –wich is a recognized source of salt.

### Iron

#### Iron Mines

Britain has 33 iron mines, 22 of them in Saxon hands in the Perdue Forest, south of Londinium. Three are in the Forest of Greatvale outside Logres, and two are found in each of Glevum and Caerwent, and one in each of Lonazep and Wuerensis. The nearby Kingdom of Bedegraine also has two.

Mines are either open pit mines, or extremely dangerous shaft mines. The raw ore is removed from the mine, then is smashed to bits, then washed. The less dense rock washes away, leaving behind the iron. This cleaned ore is then sent to a bloomery.

#### Bog Iron

Bog iron is found in any fen where water seeps out of the limestone (which has a high iron content) and then into a bog or swamp. These leave small deposits of low-grade “bog iron.” Sources are often large enough to provide income at the manorial or county level. The Salisbury Plain has such deposits.

#### Bloomery, Smeltery

A “bloom” is a twisted spongy chunk of impure iron, and the bloomery is where it is made through the process of smelting; hence the synonymous terms of bloomery and smeltery. Pure ore and charcoal are heated with billows to just below the melting point of iron (1500° C). Most impurities melt out as slag; what is left is the bloom of impure iron. The quality of the iron varies greatly between blooms, and it all still has some slag in it. About two pounds of iron blooms are made per day, out of 25 pounds of ore. It also requires about 600 pounds of charcoal, which required 6000 pounds of wood. (This contributes to the loss of forests near to the bloomery.) Blooms are distributed or sold to the blacksmiths, armories, and other users of iron.

#### Smithy, Armory

A smithy turns iron blooms into wrought iron, and then into tools. The blooms must be wrought, or hammered. The smith must choose bits of high and low quality blooms, then heat them together and hammer them into one piece, also knocking out the impurities. The result is called “wrought iron.”

Wrought iron can be made into tools, but high quality tools require multiple rounds of heating and hammering. After fifteen rounds of hammering, the iron is quality steel, suitable for swords.

An armoury is similar but requires a specialist smith who is skilled in making armor and weapons.

### Lead

The Kingdom of Logres has no source of lead. Two places outside of the kingdom are rich in lead.

In Bedegraine, ten mines operate at Oakmeet. In Summerland, thirty lead mines are working at Charterhouse, in the Mendip hills ten miles southwest of Bath. These mines used to be the largest supplier of lead and silver in the Roman Empire. The great wealth of Bath comes from these mines. In ancient times the wise man Pliny the Elder said, “In Britannia [lead] is found on the surface in such large quantities that there is a law limiting its production.”

Raw ore is pounded to bits and heated. At one temperature lead separates from the ore. The lead is further heated, and the silver separates from it. This process is called cupellation.

### Silver

Logres has no source of silver. The largest mine in Britain is in Summerland, which extracts nearly pure silver. Others are in Totnes, Cornwall, and the Oakmeet mines in Bedegraine. Silver is mined from deep shafts under dangerous conditions. Slaves work the mine and are treated badly and replaced as needed. Ore is pounded, rinsed, then melted and cast into ingots.

### Tin

No place in Logres provides tin. The largest mines in Britain are outside Logres, in the lands of the King of Cornwall and Armorica. Dartmoor holds the largest source; and the second largest is south of that in Lookout Hill. They supply fifty tons of ingots per year. Ore is mined, crushed and then washed to produce “black tin.” Then, in a stannery, it is carefully heated amidst layers of peat. Pure tin melts out, and is cast into ingots. The three stannery towns at the mouth of the River Tamar process it.

### Gold

No sources of gold exist in Logres. The only two gold mines in Britain are in Cambria, Dolgellau in Gwynedd and Dolaucothi in Estregales. Gold is mined from deep shafts under dangerous conditions. Slaves work the mines, as the families of citizens always complain when it collapses on their men folk. Ore is pounded into pieces, rinsed to wash away everything lighter than gold, then melted out, and cast into ingots.

## History of the Region

### 11th century prior era vulgaris

**c. 1100 p.e.v.:** Aeneas’ great-grandson, Brutus, lands with his followers on an island called Albion. It is inhabited by the giants, whom the Trojans defeat in battle, claiming the island for themselves. Brutus names the island after himself as Britain and becomes its first king. His followers become known as Britons. Corineus, Brutus’ second-in-command, is rewarded with an area of land that becomes known as Cornwall after its ruler. Brutus’ three sons split the rest of the country at their father’s death, giving their names to the lands: Locrinus gets Logres, Albanus gets Alba and Camber gets Cambria.

### 1st century prior era vulgaris

**55–54:** Iulius Caesar invades Britain. The first and second invasions are failures. The third time, he invades with a larger army and local allies, and defeats King Cassivellaunus. He extracts promises of tribute as well as hostages, before returning to Gaul to suppress an uprising by Gauls.

### 1st century era vulgaris

**c. 40 AD:** Emperor Claudius invades Britain but is defeated by King Arviragus of the Britons. They make peace and King Arviragus marries Emperor Claudius’ daughter. Roman traders and businessmen are allowed to settle into Britain.

**c. 60:** The excesses of Roman debt collectors cause the Iceni Revolt led by Queen Boudica. Almost 100,000 Romans and Britons are slaughtered in the sacking of Camulodunum, Londinium and Veramium. With the help of the Romans led by the future Emperor Vespasian, King Arviragus defeats the rebellion, and grants Romans southeastern Logres as their own.

### 2nd century era vulgaris

**c. 120:** Under King Arviragus’ son, Marius, and especially under his grandson, Coill, who was raised in Rome, the Romanization of Britain continues. Roman-style villas and towns spread across Logres.

**c. 150:** King Lucius sponsors Christianity in Britain, asking the Pope in Rome to send missionaries.

**189:** King Lucius dies heirless, and the Britons fight amongst themselves. Romans under Senator Septimius Severus take over the island, apart from Caledonia, to restore order. A wall is built to keep the wild Caledonians away.

**193–197:** Roman pretenders take legions from Britain to fight for the Emperorship in the continent. The winner of the Roman civil war is Emperor Septimius Severus. Caledonians, Picts and Britons alike, raid into the Roman province of Britain.

**198:** Emperor Septimius Severus sends governors and legions to guard Britain against invaders, but the unrest continues.

### 3rd century era vulgaris

**208–211:** Emperor Septimius Severus comes to Britain. He brings the Constitutio Antoniniana that makes all free Roman subjects to be Roman citizens. He campaigns in the North, with Eburacum as his capitol, until his death in 211.

**c. 250–275:** Carausius revolts and establishes himself as King of Britain. Allectus, another Roman, suppresses the rebellion and makes himself king. The King of Cornwall, Asclepiodotus, defeats Allectus in turn, seizing power from the Romans.

**c. 275:** Emperor Diocletian starts persecuting Christians. King Asclepiodotus, seeking Emperor Diocletian’s favor, starts persecuting Christians, too. St. Albans is martyred in Verulamium, which thenceforth is called St. Albans in honor of the Martyr. Duke Coel of Camulodunum rebels against King Asclepiodotus, kills him and takes the crown for himself. King Coel takes power and halts the persecutions.

**c. 280:** Senator Constantius Chlorus sails to Britain with his legions to restore it to Roman power. King Coel offers his daughter and heiress, Helen, in marriage to this great Roman general. King Coel dies soon thereafter, and Constantius Chlorus becomes new King of the Britons. He orders fortifications built on the southeastern coast to protect the island from the rise of Saxon pirates.

### 4th century era vulgaris

**306:** Constantine the Great, the son of King Constantius Chlorus and Queen Helen, is acclaimed as the Emperor by the soldiers in Eburacum. He goes on to defeat rival claimants and becomes the sole Emperor of the Roman Empire.

**337:** After Constantine’s death, Octavius is elected as the King of the Britons by the Supreme Collegium.

**380:** King Octavius marries his daughter, Helen, to General Macsen Wledig (father of Constantin and grandfather to Aurelius Ambrosius and Uther), who succeeds Octavius as the King of the Britons.

**383–88:** King Macsen Wledig takes his legions and his Cymric followers into Gaul, slays Emperor Gratian, and rules the Empire.

**388:** The eastern Emperor Theodosius defeats Emperor Macsen Wledig and beheads him in July. Many of Macsen Wledig’s troops, as well as his sons, settle in Brittany. (This becomes known as the First Migration.) Gratian Municeps seizes power in Britain.

**395:** Britons rise up against the tyrant, Gratian, and kill him. They appeal to Rome for help against barbarian raids.

**398:** Count Stilicho comes to Britain and reorganizes British defenses decimated by the Macsen Wledig debacle. He settles a tribe of Saxons, called Berrocingas, in Britain as foederati, in return for the Berroc Saxons defending the island.

### 5th century era vulgaris

**405:** Britain is stripped of its garrison to protect Italy against barbarian invasions. Raids by Frisians, Picts and Irish start almost straight away.

**410:** The Supreme Collegium sends a letter to Rome begging for help as the invaders are back and the tribes are fighting among themselves. Rome replies, telling them to “look to your own defense.”

**411–415:** The Roman government in Britain is violently overthrown, with many officials killed. Britain is torn by riots: poor against rich, town against country, Roman against native, Roman Christians against British Christians, tribe against tribe. Barbarians raid the coastlines.

**413:** Belgae in Britain are exterminated as a tribe, its people assimilated, and its territory divided. Tribes keep fighting among themselves.

**415:** British leaders convene the Supreme Collegium to select a High King. Guided by the Primate, Archbishop Guithelinus, the Collegium offers the crown to King Aldronius of Brittany, the son of Macsen Wledig, who cedes it to Constantin, his younger brother. Constantin sails from Brittany with two thousand soldiers, marries a British princess, and becomes the High King. He gives his sister, Severa, in marriage to King Vortigern, a powerful Cambrian king, to whom he also gives the title of Dux of Glevum. He summons the best men from each tribe and ennobles them as knights, in return for military service. With his army of knights, High King Constantin brings peace to Britain, for a while.

**423:** Constantin sires his first son, Constans, whom he entrusts to a monastery in the White City.

**433:** Constantin’s next son is born and named Aurelius Ambrosius for his distant relative St. Ambrose.

**436:** Constantin sires his last son, Uther. Guithelinus, Archbishop of Londinium, fosters both Ambrosius and Uther.

**439:** An army of invading Irish seeking new lands has landed at the mouth of the River Severn. King Constantin brings his army of professionals, musters the local armed forces, and marches to fight the Irish, seeing them as a greater threat than mere pirates, who are left for local forces to handle. The Saxons of Berroc send many men to fight for the High King, honoring their oaths to him. Throughout the year, pirates harass shipping lanes, landing by night to raid coastal settlements. Finally, a large band lands at the mouth of the River Thames. King Constantin is busy elsewhere and cannot combat them as they pillage the area right up to the walls of Londinium. Portions of the countryside are properly defended.

**440:** King Constantin is murdered by one of his own guards, an Atrebates knight. The entire kingdom is thrown into disorder. The Irish take advantage of this confusion by extending their holdings. Along the coast, raiders continue harassing shipping in frequency. An Irish army attacks in Jagent and surrounding areas doing great damage. The Durotriges and Salisbury send troops to bolster local forces.

**441:** Dux Vortigern (King of the Silures and the Ordovices, two Cambrian tribes) travels to Londinium. Once there, he summons Prince Constans, Constantine’s eldest son, from the monastery. They discuss the situation and Constans reluctantly agrees to the demand that he take the crown and is elected as the King of Logres. The Berroc Saxons swear their oaths to the new king. The Supreme Collegium receives a summons to convene to select a new High King, but due to the intertribal raiding and feuding, they are not able to gather this year.

Pirates and raiders become bolder in their attacks on the east coast as the kingdom remains in chaos. The Trinovantes muster their forces and catch the raiders attacking them in a series of skirmishes as they force the raiders back to their ships.

**442:** The British Senate, also called Supreme Collegium, meets. At the urging of Dux Vortigern, the Supreme Collegium chooses Constans as the High King. Constans is a young, bookish man, however, so he relies on his uncle, Dux Vortigern, for advice. Pirates attack Coritani, devastating and depopulating the marshy coastal areas (Sorestan), and sending raiders deeper inland, too.

**443:** Young King Constans is murdered by his Pictish bodyguards. Vortigern executes the murderers immediately. The Supreme Collegium cannot be mustered this year, but the nobles of Logres hastily assemble at Silchester. After much debate, they select Dux Vortigern to be the next King of Logres. He splits his own Cambrian kingdom between his two eldest sons: Kingdom of the Silures to Vortimer and Kingdom of the Ordovices to Katigern. He also appoints Eldol to be the new Dux of Glevum. The Berroc Saxons swear their oaths to King Vortigern.

No one knows where the other two sons of Constantin are; they both have disappeared from view after being brought to Londinium. Presumably, they have been killed, but no one is sure by whom. However, it is later rumored that Princes Aurelius and Uther were taken away to Brittany in secret, to the court of their cousin, King Budec.

**444:** The Picts and Brigantes stage a massive invasion, with their armies occupying Linden and much of Coritani lands; a huge band of raiders penetrates all the way into Glevum, and smaller ones penetrate all the way to Londinium. The Iceni send troops north while the rest of the tribes dig in and fortify. Numerous skirmishes result between the invading raiders and the defenders, as the tribes defend their homes. The tribes north of the Thames are hard pressed to defend themselves. The Berroc Saxons send warriors to help the Atrebates.

Word arrives from Londinium that the sons of Constantin are alive and well in Brittany.

**445:** The Pictish raids deeper into Logres increase in intensity, and the Coritani continue to suffer under the Brigantes' yoke. King Vortigern orders his armies to muster, but most do not answer the call, staying at home to defend their families against the raiders, or at least that is their excuse. A notable exception is the Berroc Saxons, who send a sizeable contingent to the king in Glevum. King Vortigern scolds the nobles of Logres to no avail. He also summons the Supreme Council, which sends replies that they are unavailable as the country is so dangerous. Needing more troops to fight the Picts, King Vortigern sends emissaries to the continent to try to hire mercenaries.

**446:** King Vortigern scolds many of the lords of Logres for not mustering. He also summons the Supreme Collegium, which replies that they are unavailable as the country is so dangerous. Vortigern sends Vortimer and Katigern with their Cambrian tribesmen to attack the Pict raiders in western Logres. Vortigern sends messengers to the eastern tribes to muster as an army in Londinium, promising to meet them there. His flank secured by his sons, he marches the Glevum army east along the Thames, sending messengers to all local leaders to hasten to join his army with the available men as he goes. The Iceni take the lead in reinforcing the king, gathering the other tribes as they march to Londinium. They are met by the Cantii and Saxon mercenaries led by chieftains Hengest and Horsa, who landed in Cantium a few weeks before. Vortigern arrives a few days later, with his army of Glevum reinforced by the southern tribes.

Thus reinforced, the British and Saxon army marches north against the Picts and Brigantes. Battle is met near the city of Linden Pool, and it is a great victory for Vortigern as his forces drive the enemy across the Humber.

**447:** As a result of the impressive victory in the preceding year, the Supreme Collegium meets and elects Vortigern as High King. Vortigern gives the Saxons the Isle of Thanet as their own property, as foederati.

Rumors arrive saying the Cymri in Thanet were not consulted, but simply driven from their lands.

Also this year, a prelate from the pope, the saintly Germanus, returns to Britain to condemn and combat British Christianity, but travels mostly in the western part of Britain. Words come north that he healed the crippled leg of the son of Elaphias, praetor of the White City.

**448:** During this time, King Vortigern spares his own army, using the Saxons to defeat the Brigantes in their own land, and drive the Picts back to the north. The King of the Brigantes rides south and surrenders to Vortigern, swearing loyalty.

Vortigern tells Hengest to summon more Saxons from the continent, and many more arrive, including families and Hengest’s daughter, Rowena. Beautiful and charming, she swiftly becomes a favorite at Vortigern’s court, staying long after others leave.

Vortigern settles a group of Saxons, led by Beorhtric, Hengest’s cousin, on the marshlands of Sorestan, which had been depopulated by pirate raids and the recent invasion. Cymric nobles notice this; some feel Vortigern is favoring his new subjects over his loyal ones.

**449:** The Saxons do indeed keep the lands safe around Cantii and Coritani. However, news from the continent is persistent in saying that a new foe, the Huns, is defeating the German tribes right and left. These savages are thought to be half demon, half horse. Many are afraid of this new threat. Vortigern belays their fears saying horses cannot swim to Britain. He claims the real existential threat are those who can raid Britain every year, and that the Saxons will be a good defense against the more persistent raiders of the Irish, continental pirates and Picts. Vortigern insists that it is a small price to pay. Hengest gets more Saxons to join his force and becomes more and more a trusted advisor, to the detriment of loyal Cymric advisors. And where Hengest is, his daughter is not far behind. In all councils, she attends personally to Vortigern. The concerns that Vortigern is unduly influenced by the Saxons’ advice starts to gather more listeners.

**450:** Vortigern, impressed by the battle prowess of the Saxons and even more with the private talents of Rowena, the daughter of the Saxon chief Hengest, marries her in a lavish celebration. Hengest receives half of the entire lands of Cantii as her bride price. Its name is corrupted to Kent in Saxon language, and its main fortress of Canterbury is the new center of Hengest’s power. The people of those lands are told to obey the Saxon king. As soon as the leader of the Cantii protests that half of his tribe’s land has been given away to foreigners, High King Vortigern has him arrested and swiftly executed for high treason while the wedding feast is still going on. This tyrannical action causes grave concerns among the other noble British: could they be the next? What is this? The bride pregnant already? The leader whose land was just given away, killed for treason? Has everyone lost their senses? The numbers of the dissidents grow dramatically, and practically the whole Cantii tribe joins them.

**451:** The Huns led by their king, Attila, invade Gaul for pillage and plunder, scouring the land of its wealth, slaughtering as they go. The commander in Gaul, Aetius, sends for help from all who will send it. High King Vortigern, seeing a way to settle some scores, sends a contingent consisting of those who have been complaining about his policies. Alongside many armies from across Europe, the allied army meets the Huns at Catalaunian Fields. The Huns are defeated for the first time in their existence, and they retreat from Gaul. Alas, the Prince (and only heir) of the Parisi dies in battle.

A son, named Cerdic, is born to Vortigern and Rowena.

The survivors, all of whom were knights dissatisfied with Vortigern’s policies, return to Britain with great glory; Vortigern welcomes them with honeyed words, but fools only a few.

**452:** Word comes from the north that the Coritani and the Sorestan Saxons continue getting along well; there is even intermarrying going on between the two tribes. The Midlands are peaceful. Now, if only Vortigern could convince Hengest to do the same. Logres is finally at peace; even the pirates have eased off, although some say it is because the pirates are now settled in Britain. There is fighting outside Logres, but why would anyone care?

**453:** The Irish are expanding their holdings in Cambria. Vortigern sends some warriors to help the Ordovices against the Irish in Gomeret.

**454:** Vortigern continues sending warriors, usually those who have spoken against his policies regarding the Saxons, against the Irish in Cambria. Despite this, the Irish expansion continues. More needs to be done; the situation is becoming dire. Nobles in the southeast start conspiring against Vortigern after seeing the Cantii being sent across the sea to fight because they protested his policies; they approach his sons, Vortimer and Katigern. Further north, the leader of the Parisi dies without an heir. High King Vortigern reclaims the land for himself.

**455:** High King Vortigern moves some tribes around far to the west, giving them lands as he did with the Saxons, if they will expel the Irish. However, he pays no heed to the complaints of the dissident Britons about the increasing numbers of Saxons in Kent, nor offers compensation to the displaced Cantii despite their requests. News is that warriors from the north, the Votadini, have been moved to Cambria, where they were resisted by the Irish. What’s worse, King Vortigern establishes even more Saxons in their and the Parisi's land there to replace them: Nohaut, under Hengest’s son Octa. Another tribe, the Parisi, are made subjects of Saxons on their own land, as Deira is established under Horsa’s son Eosa. Shiploads of continental Saxons continue to flock to the new lands, displacing the native British. Rumors say that half of the North has been given to the Saxons, thousands pouring in from the continent. This causes uneasiness among many who fear Vortigern will move some tribes here again, giving them to his favorites.

Vortigern moves the Cornovii from Cambria (as well as other dissident Britons) to Dumnonii in Cornwall to oust the Irish invaders there. He also invades Ireland, defeats them and has his daughter marry the son of the High King of the Irish to stop them from being an enemy. Ordovices are moved to inland and become the Kingdom of Powys, while the Kingdom of the Silures is renamed as Escavalon.

Furthermore, Vortigern invades Ireland with the Saxons. He completes his victory with a marriage of his daughter to the Irish High King’s son.

**456:** The eastern Britons finally rebel, protesting the policies of High King Vortigern, anxious that their lands may also be given to Saxons. If he can move two tribes in the west, who says he won’t do it in the east? Vortigern's two eldest sons, Vortimer (King of Escavalon) and Katigern (King of Powys), are concerned that their father is failing in his duty to his loyal subjects, the Cymri. They lead the rebellion and battle with the Saxons at Aylesford in Kent. The two battles are victories for the rebels. However, in the second battle, Katigern and Horsa slay each other in a duel.

**457:** High King Vortigern summons his army, drawing from western tribes, with the Saxons, and marches against the rebels. Some dissidents flock to reinforce Vortimer, in turn. A great battle ensues at Crecganford in Kent, in which the rebels are crushed. Vortigern forgives his son, Vortimer, but assumes the regency of Powys since Katigern’s son, Cadell, is too young to rule. Vortigern gives the rest of the Cantii tribe’s lands to his loyal Saxons. As a tribe, the Cantii are finished.

Further south, the Dumnonii revolt, are defeated in battle and are exiled to Brittany.

**458:** Vortigern starts reorganizing lands. Instead of tribes which can be spread far and wide, he splits the tribes up into smaller parcels, called counties. He starts in the east with the rebel tribes. Many dissident and rebel Britons depart the island, moving with their families and possessions to Brittany.

Secretly, Vortimer starts building ships and a larger rebel coalition, seeing the need for a massive uprising to oust all the Saxons. Thus, Vortimer also contacts the northern tribes, especially the Parisi exiles now living with other tribes.

**459:** Vortigern continues reorganizing tribal lands in southern Logres. The exodus to Brittany continues. Recognizing the need for a fleet, Vortimer contacts some select rebels living in the southern coast of Logres, and has them commission ships from the local shipbuilders.

**460:** Vortigern finishes reorganizing the tribes into counties, the Midlands being the last to be done. Vortimer starts sending out messages for his co-conspirators to prepare themselves for the uprising next year.

**461:** Vortigern hears word of an uprising, and he sends his loyal army and Saxons to occupy county seats to prevent widespread uprising. Local informants point out known rebels and dissidents ~ as well as some personal enemies ~ who are rounded up for ‘questioning’. Vortimer re-energizes the British against the Saxons and in a series of brilliant maneuvers, forces the Saxons back. Saxons are brought to battle at Stonar where they flee in their ships, but Vortimer is ready with ships of his own. The Saxons retreat to Thanet. Further north, the Brigantes, the Parisi and the northern Britons join Vortimer in his rebellion, and attack Nohaut and Deira. Vortimer is crowned King of Logres by the Rebels, replacing Vortigern, and makes his seat in Grantabridge.

**462:** Vortigern calls up his armies to fight against the rebels. The Coritani and the Sorestan Saxons march to help Deira and Nohaut against the Brigantes, with some Dobunni and Catuvellauni reinforcements. The dissidents and rebels flock to Vortimer to fight for their lives and freedom. Vortimer attacks to force the remaining southern Saxons off Thanet resulting in a siege/battle known as Ebbsfleet. He is victorious, but is mortally wounded in the fighting. Before the battle, Rowena, his stepmother, visits and beseeches him to decease the attacks against her father. No-one is privy to the meeting, but Vortimer appears pale and pained afterward. The rumor afterwards is that Vortimer’s death was due to poisoned wine brought by Rowena. In the north, the rebels clash with the loyalists and Saxons. A big battle is fought, which the loyalists win.

**463:** With the death of King Vortimer, the rebels are without a clear leader. Vortigern sends lavish presents to the rebel tribes and invites them to a meeting at the Giant's Dance on Mount Ambrius in Salisbury to negotiate peace, promising to address their justified complaints. Seeking reconciliation, almost all British lords attend. After eating, when the ale flows freely, the Kent Saxons prove their worth. They draw hidden weapons and kill the majority of the nobles of Britain; some three hundred are slain. Horrified at this betrayal, the unarmed leaders of the Berroc Saxons attack the murderers, but are slain alongside the British. Dux Eldol of Glevum fights his way out with a table leg and hastens to Glevum to raise troops.

Sorestan Saxons abhor the treachery and help their Coritani kinsmen to hide in the marshes when Hengest’s Saxons raid Linden. However, many tar them with the same brush; after all, isn’t their leader Hengest’s own cousin? Hengest takes Vortigern prisoner and makes demands for more land, which he gives them. When released, Vortigern flees to his homeland in Gomeret. Rowena and Cerdic stay with Hengest. Saxon forces occupy the main cities of Britain, including Londinium, Camulodunum, Durnovaria, Silchester, and Venta. However, Glevum bars its doors to the Saxons, thanks to Eldol who brings a warning and raises them in rebellion against Vortigern. He sends word to Aurelius in Brittany, asking for help. The Dobunni tribe splits into two between the rebels (Glevum) and the loyalists (Corinium)

**464:** Vortigern, after retreating to Gomeret, starts building the impregnable tower of Ganarew. The Saxons pillage the countryside especially those who do not pay tribute. With the tribal leadership killed last year and tribal capitols occupied, many turn to the county administration for help and leadership.

**465:** The youthful Merlin makes his appearance and begins his career. The Saxons continue to march back and forth across Britain, extracting tribute and plunder, ravaging the neighboring countryside.

**466:** Aurelius Ambrosius, son of the former King Constantin and brother of Constans, lands in Totnes with an army from Brittany. He carries the great Pendragon banner, with a red dragon on it. Aurelius outmaneuvers and attacks a Saxon army at Exe River. As word spreads of his victory, discontented nobles all across the land muster their armies and join him. In Corinium, the Saxon garrison withdraws, leaving the city in the hands of Vortigern loyalists who prepare to fight against the usurper, Aurelius.

**467:** Aurelius Ambrosius continues his war against Vortigern, who calls on the remaining l.oyalists to fight for him. Berroc Saxons send what available fighting men they have. This year Aurelius besieges Vortigern at Carlion, but Vortigern manages to escape. Aurelius then marches through central Logres and Cambria, accepting the submission of those previously loyal to Vortigern. Many small battles are fought, but no major ones. He also starts rebuilding those churches that were burned to the ground by the Saxons. Sorestan Saxons, bound by their oath to the High King (Vortigern), march to his aid with most of the Coritani loyalists, but are defeated in battle. This causes some to claim that the Sorestan Saxons are happy to kill Britons, but not their fellow Saxons.

Closer to home, the Saxons of Kent cause some trouble but mostly stay home and lick their wounds.

**468:** Aurelius Ambrosius and his army pursue Vortigern and besiege him in his new castle on Mount Snowdon. Others call this the Battle of Ganarew. Regardless of what it is called, a battle ensues, and the besiegers tried fire and this, once it took hold, went on blazing until it burned up the tower and Vortigern with it. Other stories say that a priest called down fire from the heavens. Vortigern's army scatters. Aurelius Ambrosius summons the Supreme Collegium, and they elect him High King. He takes the title of Pendragon (“high dragon” or “head dragon”), derived from his great battle banner.

Many of the remaining Loyalists accept defeat and submit themselves to Aurelius, including the Sorestan Saxons. However, those Cymri loyal to Vortigern’s line follow Paschent, Vortigern’s third son, into exile among the continental Saxons. They intermarry with the Saxons and become the Gewisse tribe.

Aurelius introduces a new concept, “vassalage” as his favorites, chief among them Eldol and Gorlois, are given great lands for their loyalty and ability and granted the title of Duke. The Berroc Saxons swear their oaths to High King Aurelius.

**469:** Hengest gathers his Saxons including all forces in Londinium, Camulodunum, and Venta and marches from Kent towards Cumbria to join with Octa and Eosa in Eburacum. The Berroc Saxons warn Aurelius of Hengest’s movement; he chooses not to call upon the Sorestan Saxons to fight against other Saxons, not trusting their loyalty. However, the rank and file is not told of this: all they know is that the Sorestan Saxons are staying home. Many Coritani feel this to be a betrayal by their former comrades-in-arms. Aurelius marches with his army and catches up with Hengest. Two major battles occur and in the second, Hengest is captured and killed. Octa and Eosa, who did not march south and join Hengest, swear fealty to Aurelius Ambrosius, and get to keep Nohaut and Deira as vassal kings. Æsc, the new King of Kent, continues to resist, but sends Rowena and Cerdic to their relatives in Saxony for safety.

Peace comes about among the British. Thanks to the rebellions, civil wars, exiles and the decapitation of the tribal leadership in 463, the old tribal loyalties are strained in Logres. Aurelius, recognizing the advantages that the county system has over the tribal one, when you are the king, as well as needing to reward the multitude of nobles who came to his side, confirms the county administration as the basis of governance of Logres.

**470:** Prince Uther, Aurelius’ younger brother, and Merlin invade Ireland. The Britons are met by an Irish army led by King Gillomanius, but the Irish break and flee quickly as the knights charge them. After the Cymric army fails to dismantle the ring of stones, Merlin does it himself. The huge stones are stored on board the ships and brought to Britain. The stones are re-erected at the Giant's Dance on Mount Ambrius as a memorial for those killed in the “Long Knives” treachery.

Aurelius reorganizes the tribal nobility into landholding barons with widely scattered landholdings, and appoints six dukes to oversee the regional defense of parts of the realm (called dukedoms). He introduces vassalage, where a vassal swears homage to a liege in order for the barons to have the loyalty of knights who belong to a different tribe. Thus, the knight’s loyalty is to his liege, not to his old tribe, and the old tribal affiliations and loyalties largely fade away as the result. One of the first vassals to so swear is Roderick of Salisbury, whom Aurelius knights and, due his extensive holdings and followers and familial history of claiming a similar title, elevates to count.

King Riothamus of Cornwall answers a call for help from the continent. He asks for veterans to join him. Many graybeards, and veterans answer the call as Aurelius has brought peace to the land for the moment.

**471:** Continental Saxons and Frisians continue to come over as reinforcements. Incessant raids continue on both sides allowing some to achieve great glory, but no major conflicts occur. Many of these battles occur along the eastern shore. Many are starting to call this area the Saxon Shore, as it had been in Roman times. Prince Uther makes a name for himself as a great warrior in countering these raids and leading picked warriors on raids/battles into enemy territory. The Berroc Saxons are active in taking the fight to the ‘Oath-Breakers’. Count Roderick of Salisbury, now an adult, leads his men enthusiastically against the hated foe.

**472:** The raids and counter-raids with the Saxons continue. Prince Uther seems to always be where the fighting is thickest, with Baron Ulfius at his side. The Berroc Saxons continue proving their worth against the Kent Saxons.

Count Roderick of Salisbury is proven to have an uncommon aptitude against the Saxons, starting to build his reputation as a warrior and a leader.

**473:** Æsc of Kent, reinforced by continental Saxons and confident of victory, marches his army into the Thames Valley. High King Aurelius Ambrosius raises an army to resist, but loses the battle in a major Saxon victory. Prince Uther vents his frustration over the loss by blaming the meager reinforcements from ‘faithless vassals’, singling out Duke Gorlois of Cornwall in particular as the chief culprit. Some others might point the finger towards Uther’s impetuous charge. Many feel the battle was lost because Duke Gorlois was not there, but also wondering if Prince Uther had some blame due to Duke Gorlois’ and Prince Uther’s rivalry, each trying to outdo the other. Was that why Gorlois never showed up? Gorlois counters he did send troops, the Jagent Picts, and that he would be ill serving the High King by leaving an enemy open to invade if he sent most of his forces. Regardless, the Duke of the Vale is killed in the battle.

**474:** The Saxons of Kent roam and pillage the land. Only fortified places are safe, and the peasants suffer greatly. Cambrian tribesmen use the chaos to their advantage and start raiding Logres. Prince Uther, Baron Ulfius and Count Roderick work tirelessly to lead the defenders, trying to blunt the Saxon raids. Duke Edmyg of the Marche coordinates defense against the Cambrians, while Corneus Duke of Linden and Eldol Duke of Glevum concentrate on countering Saxon raids. At home, Duke Ventrius helps against any marauding bands of Saxons that venture too close.

Prince Uther receives the title of “Duke of the Vale”. King Aurelius hopes to instill a sense of cooperation and making Uther a duke forces him into equality with the other dukes.

A large-scale seaborne Saxon raid ravages Linden and Lonazep . . . but seems to avoid Sorestan! This further inflames Duke Corneus’ and other (Lonazep and Linden) Coritani's mistrust of Sorestan Saxons. The former relationship of trust becomes one of mistrust. The Sorestan Saxons, naturally, return the suspicion.

**475:** In addition to the smaller Saxon and Cambrian raids, the Saxons send large seaborne raiding parties to Camulodunum and Dorsette, and the Cambrians send a large raiding party to Wuerensis. Duke Ventrius harries the Saxons with his forces, and Duke Edmyg the Cambrians preventing them from looting and pillaging at will. Count Roderick of Salisbury force-marches his army to help, arriving in the nick of time, helping to drive the Saxons back to their boats

**476:** The Saxon depredations continue. Another large-scale raiding party comes from Kent and goes raiding all the way to Londinium, where Duke Ventrius finally defeats them with mainly local forces. Prince Uther and Baron Ulfius manage to surprise a Saxon raiding force, laden with loot, in the Thames Valley, and cause heavy casualties. Meanwhile, another large-scale seaborne raid ravages Lonazep and Linden, but seems to avoid Sorestan! This further inflames the Cymri.

**477:** Another Saxon king, Ælle, lands in southern Britain with a large army and takes over the area. Many of the peasants flee, but others are captured and enslaved. After a time, the land of King Ælle comes to be called Suth Seaxe. Aurelius Ambrosius marches with his army to oppose the foe, who is reinforced at the last moment by the Saxons from Kent. Ambrosius is lucky to escape with his army. The Saxons remain.

The Cambrians continue their raids on western Logres.

**478:** For years, Aurelius Ambrosius has been building a fleet of ships in the ports of his western lands. In this year, he musters his army and sets sail, sweeping around the southern coast, where he destroys the fleets of the Saxons in Britain. The Saxons in Britain begin vicious raiding in retaliation. Prince Uther leads the defenders (including the Berroc Saxons) against the Saxons in numerous small engagements. He takes every opportunity to browbeat and rail against the Cumbrians about the meager amount of troops they send.

The Cambrian tribesmen continue to trouble the Midlands, with Duke Edmyg keeping his armies back to defend the western border

**479:** After reprovisioning the fleet over the winter, Aurelius Ambrosius sails to the Continent, destroying all the hostile shipping as he goes. The British army lands in Frisia, doing great damage to the Saxons there, and winning a battle against the barbarians.

Prince Uther continues to defend Logres in the High King’s absence, the borderlands between the Cymric and Saxon lands witnessing numerous small skirmishes as patrols and raiding parties collide.

Further north, at Carrick (Bedegraine), a large invasion of Saxons led by Paschent, Vortigern’s son, is defeated by Britons. Duke Edmyg of the March is killed, although rumors don’t agree if it was in this battle or some other one, perhaps even a skirmish against the Cambrian raiders.