[Britannia Expansion - Custom Submod] The Isles of Chaos (Roleplay Hotseat)

[Dismounted Feudal Knight]

The Welsh State, seeing a clear period of stability its patron cannot quite compare to, has lended its support in stabilizing the English lands. King Vortipor sees no reason to undermine those who ensured his rise, and of course the integrity of his people. Logistic issues from the plague have unfortunately delayed the relief efforts and required the Carnaveron governor's personal attention. All will be achieved in due time; Welsh plague handling has stood out as among the finest examples in the Isles despite its location so close to the nexus. Not untouched, yet not as dreary as many places. The relief effort, the recent loss and a necessary economic downturn to preserve quality of life has left state coffers stretched however; early enjoyed excesses, King Vortipor finds, are not to be taken for granted.

Onto the Scots,
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachmen...cotland_96.sav

[Der Böse Wolf]

The Highlanders are a mighty folk.

Used to harsh conditions, they have developed herd immunity and the plague has stopped its expansion.
Trade has resumed and normal life can follow...but at a great cost.

The dead piled up, the crops are wasted and the coffers are empty.

But the highlanders, with their strong will, started working the lands and sailing with goods.

The economy is moving again and for the first time in many long months, gold has been counted in and not only out.

However, the situation in the south remains bleak.
Death and misery still ravage the lands.

All the warring factions on the isles are waiting...the wait is long...

Yet, as hopes of the plague disappearing start to grow, rumours circulate that the Clans Council is preparing a meeting to put king Hew to the trial, for his assassination attempt on king Alexander the Great..

Hew, low on authority, is starting to look for supporters to stand with him.

The plague is still not gone yet Scotland is preparing for its worse political crisis of its history..
---

In Wales, angry and envious Scottish merchants hired men of the dark to disrupt Welsh trade, which was not affected by the crisis.
With Wales and Scotland still at war, Welsh merchants refused to trade with their Scottish counterparts, who badly needed the resources as their country was bleeding to death...

Hunger and hopelessness only lead to more blood...

------------------------

Barons next:https://www.mediafire.com/file/d8od4fz96b2afl3/TIOC_Barons_96.sav/file

[paladinbob123]

Plague, death , isolation and social distancing was still the rage in the duchy of York and Newcastle , the duchy had good relations with mainly all, but the reduction of trade was hard felt in this small part of the kingdom but even in the depth of the terrible illness and death there was merriment for some as Leonard Horton married his a nearby neighbours daugher, and in other parts of the duchy much correspondence was issued between Duke Geoffrey and the Lewes brothers as if somesort of agreement was being made to everybodies satisfaction.



Turn to England
https://www.dropbox.com/s/u7am6mj90o...nd_97.sav?dl=0

------------------
Launceston

Launceston (rarely spelled Lanson as a local abbreviation) is a town, ancient borough, and civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is 1 mile (1.6 km) west of the middle stage of the River Tamar, which constitutes almost the entire border between Cornwall and Devon. The landscape of the town is generally steep particularly at a sharp south-western knoll topped by Launceston Castle. These gradients fall down to the River Kensey and smaller tributaries.

{the town of Launceston looking up at the castle.note the climb and difference of height }


The Cornish name of "Launceston", Lannstevan, means the "church enclosure of St Stephen" and is derived from the former monastery at St Stephen's a few miles north-west (the castle and town were originally named Dunheved) and the Common Brittonic placename element lan-. Dunheved was the Southwestern Brittonic name for the town in the West Saxon period.

The earliest known Cornish mint was at Launceston, which operated on a minimal scale at the time of Æthelred the Unready before Cornwall received full diocesan jurisdiction in 994. Only one specimen is known to exist. In the reign of William the Conqueror, the mint was moved to Dunheved and remained in existence until the reign of Henry II, 1160. During the reign of Henry III of England, another mint was established in Launceston.

Launceston Castle, in good repair, is a Norman motte-and-bailey castle, and was built by Robert, Count of Mortain (half-brother of William the Conqueror) c. 1070 to dominate the surrounding area. Launceston was the caput of the feudal barony of Launceston and of the Earldom of Cornwall until replaced by Lostwithiel in the 13th century. Launceston was later the county town of Cornwall until 1835 when Bodmin replaced it. The lands of Robert, Count of Mortain, became the core holdings of the feudal barony of Launceston, and the Fleming family continued to hold most of their manors from that barony, as can be seen from entries in the Book of Fees.

In the Domesday Book (1086) it is recorded that Launceston was held by the Count of Mortain, and that he had his castle there. There was land for 10 ploughs, 1 villein and 13 smallholders with 4 ploughs, 2 mills which paid 40 shillings (£2 sterling) and 40 acres of pasture. The value of the manor was only £4 though it had formerly been worth £20.

{south gate}

The Roman Catholic martyr Cuthbert Mayne was executed at Launceston — a legacy of memorials and a church exists.


Launceston Castle

{Motte and internal gatehouse}


Launceston Castle was built after the Norman conquest of England, probably following the capture of Exeter in 1068. It was built at a strategic location, then called Dunheved, controlling the area between Bodmin Moor and Dartmoor, and the access over the Polson ford into Cornwall. It was probably constructed by Robert, the Count of Mortain, who was granted the earldom of Cornwall by William the Conqueror.

The early castle had earth and timber ramparts surrounding a bailey, with a defensive motte in its north-east corner. The bailey was designed around a grid-plan, aligned along its north-south axis, and had a substantial timber hall in the south-west corner.A large number of people lived and worked in wooden buildings that probably filled the site; the historian Oliver Creighton suggests that it would have resembled a "town within a town".

The castle became the administrative centre for the earldom and was used by Robert's court.There was already an existing market held at nearby St Stephen's church by the local canons, but Robert appropriated it and moved the market to outside his new castle, intending to profit from the trade. A watermill was built to the south-west of the castle.

{Plan of the castle: A - north gatehouse; B - motte, keep and high tower; C - gatehouse and well; D - bailey; E - great hall; F - kitchen and hall; south gatehouse and bridge, G - Outer Gatehouse}

The first documentary record of the castle dates from 1086 and further evidence is limited until the 13th century. Robert's son, William, rebelled against Henry I of England in 1106, who confiscated the castle.Reginald de Dunstanville held it between 1141 and 1175, and it passed to the then Prince John when he acquired the title of the Count of Mortain in 1189, and then passed back into the hands of the Crown after John's rebellion against his brother, Richard I, in 1191.[9] King John gave the castle to Hubert de Burgh, sheriff of Cornwall.

A circular keep was constructed, probably in the late-12th century, on the castle's motte, along with two stone gatehouses and towers along the walls. The wooden buildings in the bailey were rebuilt in stone and the construction work spread up onto the inside edges of the ramparts. Some of these houses may have belonged to the members of the castle-guard, feudal knights who were granted local estates in return for helping to defend the castle.

13th century
Henry III's younger brother, Richard of Cornwall, was granted the earldom in 1227. Backed by the revenues from the lucrative Cornish tin mining industry, he reconstructed the defences at the castle. Richard only visited Cornwall occasionally during his life, probably using Berkhampsted and Wallingford castles as his primary residences in England, and the work may have been designed to impress the Cornish nobility, with whom Richard had a difficult relationship.

A small deer park was established to the south-west of the castle during this period, incorporating the castle mill within its boundaries, and it was occasionally supplied with deer from Kerrybullock, another park belonging to the earldom. A later survey showed the park being a league–3 miles (4.8 km)–in circumference, and able to hold up to 40 deer.


{Red Area - Castle , Orange - The Town , Green - The Deer Park}


Richard rebuilt the walls and the gatehouses at Launceston, building a high tower to increase the height of the keep, probably to allow guests to enjoy the view of his deer park.The bailey was cleared of its older buildings and a new great hall was constructed in the south-west corner.The castle's inhabitants ate well, enjoying a wide range of food including prime cuts of venison brought into the castle, probably mostly from the larger deer parks belonging to the earldom across the region.

A town borough was formally created in 1201, and by the 1220s there was a settlement established outside the castle gates; some of those residents who had been moved out of the bailey may have resettled there.Richard built a stone wall around the new town, linking it to the castle defences, intending it both as a defensive measure and to impress visitors.




Richard's son Edmund inherited the earldom in 1272 and moved the administrative hub of the earldom to Lostwithiel, closer to the tin mining industries.Launceston Castle remained significant as a site of local government, but it soon fell into neglect.When Edmund died in 1300, he left no heirs and the property reverted to the Crown.


14th–16th centuries
Edward II gave the earldom, including Launceston Castle, to his royal favourite Piers de Gaveston but, following Gaveston's execution in 1312, the castle passed to Walter de Bottreaux.In 1337, Edward III's son, Edward the Black Prince, was made the first Duke of Cornwall and acquired Launceston Castle.A survey reported a range of problems with the poorly-maintained fortification, noting that the walls–which were supposed to have been repaired by the knights of the castle-guard–were "ruinous", and that various buildings inside the bailey, including two prison buildings, were "decayed" and in need of new roofs.By this time the constable of the castle was living in the north gatehouse.Repairs to Launceston were undertaken in the 1340s and Edward held a council meeting at the castle in 1353, which was increasingly being used mainly for the holding of judicial assizes and as a gaol.


{main gatehouse}

In the 15th century, the castle's bailey was subdivided by a long wall, and the high tower on top of the keep was turned into an additional prison building.Launceston played little part in the dynastic Wars of the Roses that broke out after 1455; the castle was given to the Yorkist favourite Halnatheus Malyverer in 1484, but Henry VII's victory the following year saw him replaced by Sir Richard Edgcumbe.After Edgcumbes death in 1489 his son Piers Edgecumbe took over as constable for life. When the antiquarian John Leland visited in 1539, he noted that the castle was "the strongest, though not the biggest", he had ever seen, but the only buildings he noted were the chapel and the great hall, which was then being used for assize and court sessions.



Launceston Castle played a role in Cornish politics during the middle of the 16th century. In 1548, Sir William Body, a royal commissioner sent by Edward IV to destroy the Catholic shrines at Helston, was killed by two local Cornish men.In retaliation, 28 local men were arrested and executed at the castle.[34] Anger grew, and in 1549 a wider uprising called the Prayer Book Rebellion took place.It was headed by Sir Humphrey Arundell, who marched up through the county and took Launceston Castle that summer, probably without a struggle.[36] The castle was then used to imprison the royalist leader, Sir Richard Grenville, who died during his detention there.John Russell, the Earl of Bedford, subsequently defeated the rebels and retook Launceston, capturing Arundel who was seized in the street fighting.



During the 16th century, the castle began to be used as a rubbish tip by the adjacent town, and under Henry VIII the deer park, which was no longer needed to generate venison for the duchy, fell into disuse. By 1584, the antiquarian John Norden described the castle as "now abandoned", observing that although the hall was very spacious, the chapel was in a state of some decay.



Richard of Cornwall

{Reconstructive drawing of seal of Richard, Earl of Cornwall, King of the Romans (1209-1272)}

Richard (5 January 1209 – 2 April 1272), second son of John, King of England, was the nominal Count of Poitou (1225–1243),Earl of Cornwall (from 1225) and King of Germany (from 1257). He was one of the wealthiest men in Europe and joined the Barons' Crusade, where he achieved success as a negotiator for the release of prisoners and assisted with the building of the citadel in Ascalon.

Early life
He was born 5 January 1209 at Winchester Castle, the second son of John, King of England, and Isabella, Countess of Angoulême. He was made High Sheriff of Berkshire at age eight, was styled Count of Poitou from 1225 and in the same year, at the age of sixteen, his brother King Henry III gave him Cornwall as a birthday present, making him High Sheriff of Cornwall. Richard's revenues from Cornwall helped make him one of the wealthiest men in Europe. Though he campaigned on King Henry's behalf in Poitou and Brittany, and served as regent three times, relations were often strained between the brothers in the early years of Henry's reign. Richard rebelled against him three times, and had to be bought off with lavish gifts.

In 1225 Richard traded with Gervase de Tintagel, swapping the land of Merthen (originally part of the manor of Winnianton) for Tintagel Castle. It has been suggested that a castle was built on the site by Richard in 1233 to establish a connection with the Arthurian legends that were associated by Geoffrey of Monmouth with the area. The castle was built in a more old-fashioned style for the time to make it appear more ancient. Richard hoped that, in this way, he could gain the Cornish people's trust, since they were suspicious of outsiders. The castle itself held no real strategic value.[citation needed]

The dating to the period of Richard has superseded Ralegh Radford's interpretation which attributed the earliest elements of the castle to Earl Reginald de Dunstanville and later elements to Earl Richard. Sidney Toy, however, has suggested an earlier period of construction for the castle.

Marriage to Isabel, 1231–40
In March 1231 he married Isabel Marshal, the wealthy widow of the Earl of Gloucester, much to the displeasure of his brother King Henry, who feared the Marshal family because they were rich, influential, and often opposed to him. Richard became stepfather to Isabel's six children from her first husband. In that same year he acquired his main residence, Wallingford Castle in Berkshire (now Oxfordshire), and spent much money on developing it. He had other favoured properties at Marlow and Cippenham in Buckinghamshire. Isabel and Richard had four children, of whom only their son, Henry of Almain, survived to adulthood. Richard opposed Simon de Montfort, and rose in rebellion in 1238 to protest against the marriage of his sister, Eleanor, to Simon. Once again he was placated with rich gifts. When Isabel was on her deathbed in 1240, she asked to be buried next to her first husband at Tewkesbury, but Richard had her interred at Beaulieu Abbey instead. As a pious gesture, however, he sent her heart to Tewkesbury.

On Crusade and marriage to Sanchia, 1240–43
Later that year Richard departed for the Holy Land, leading the second host of crusaders to arrive during the Barons' Crusade. He did not fight any battles but managed to negotiate for the release of prisoners (most notably Amaury de Montfort) and the burials of crusaders killed at a battle in Gaza in November 1239. He also refortified Ascalon, which had been demolished by Saladin. On his return from the Holy Land, Richard visited his sister Isabella, the empress of Frederick II.

After the birth of Prince Edward in 1239, provisions were made in case of the king's death, which favoured the Queen and her Savoyard relatives and excluded Richard. To keep him from becoming discontented King Henry and Queen Eleanor brought up the idea of a marriage with Eleanor's sister Sanchia shortly after his return on 28 January 1242.On his journey to the Holy Land, Richard had met her in Provence, where he was warmly welcomed by her father Raymond Berenger IV and had met Sanchia.Richard and Sanchia were married at Westminster in November 1243. Marriage to Sanchia had the advantage of tying Richard closely to the royal couple and their interests.

Eleanor and Sanchia's youngest sister Beatrice would marry Charles I of Naples, while their oldest sister Margaret had married Louis IX of France. The marriages of the kings of France and England, and their two brothers to the four sisters from Provence improved the relationship between the two countries, which led up to the Treaty of Paris.

Poitou and Sicily
Richard was appointed count of Poitou some time before August 1225. However, Richard's claims to Gascony and Poitou were never more than nominal, and in 1241 King Louis IX of France invested his own brother Alphonse with Poitou. Moreover, Richard and Henry's mother, Isabella of Angoulême, claimed to have been insulted by the French queen. They were encouraged to recover Poitou by their stepfather, Hugh X of Lusignan, but the expedition turned into a military fiasco after Lusignan betrayed them.Richard conceded Poitou around December 1243.

The pope offered Richard the crown of Sicily, but according to Matthew Paris he responded to the extortionate price by saying, "You might as well say, 'I make you a present of the moon – step up to the sky and take it down.'" Instead, his brother King Henry purchased the kingdom for his own son Edmund.

Elected King of Germany, 1256

{Peter II, Count of Savoy is invested with the vicariate general by Richard (right, wearing peach)}

Richard was elected in 1256 as King of Germany by four of the seven German Electoral Princes (Konrad von Hochstaden, the Archbishop of Cologne; Gerhard I von Daun-Kirberg, Archbishop of Mainz; Louis II, the Count Palatine; and Ottakar II, King of Bohemia). His candidacy was opposed by Alfonso X of Castile, who was elected by Albert I, Duke of Saxony; John I, Margrave of Brandenburg; and Arnold II von Eisenberg, Archbishop of Trier. The pope and King Louis IX of France favored Alfonso, but both were ultimately convinced by the powerful relatives of Richard's sister-in-law, Eleanor of Provence, to support Richard. Ottokar II of Bohemia, who at first voted for Richard but later elected Alfonso, eventually agreed to support the earl of Cornwall, thus establishing the required simple majority. So Richard had to bribe only four of them, but this came at a huge cost of 28,000 marks. On 27 May 1257 Konrad von Hochstaden, archbishop of Cologne himself crowned Richard "King of the Romans" in Aachen; however, like his lordships in Gascony and Poitou, his title never held much significance, and he made only four brief visits to Germany between 1257 and 1269.


Later life, death and successors
He founded Burnham Abbey in Buckinghamshire in 1263, and the Grashaus [de], Aachen in 1266.
He joined King Henry in fighting against Simon de Montfort's rebels in the Second Barons' War (1264–67). After the shattering royalist defeat at the Battle of Lewes, Richard took refuge in a windmill, was discovered, and was imprisoned until September 1265.

Richard bought the feudal barony of Trematon in 1270.
In December 1271, he had a stroke. His right side was paralysed and he lost the ability to speak. On 2 April 1272, Richard died at Berkhamsted Castle in Hertfordshire. He was buried next to his second wife Sanchia of Provence and Henry of Almain, his son by his first wife, at Hailes Abbey, which he had founded.

After his death, a power struggle ensued in Germany, which only ended in 1273 with the emergence of a new Roman King, Rudolph I of Habsburg, the first scion of a long-lasting noble family to rule the empire. In Cornwall, Richard was succeeded by Edmund, son of his second wife Sanchia.

[Der Böse Wolf]

Reminder sent to England

[Turkafinwë]

Terribly sorry guys, totally forgot about it. Will do it tomorrow. Thanks for reminding me DBW.

[Turkafinwë]

There we go

Ireland up: http://www.mediafire.com/file/k0rdso...nd_97.sav/file

[zender9]

Wales up:
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachmen...C_wales_97.sav


Plague still continues in Dublin and Lifford. But in the rest of Ireland, hard working people already rebuilding everything. Young men are signing to army and training day and night. A stronger Ireland is emerging day by day.
High King Lochlainn spends his time studying siege warfare. Discussing new siege equipments and artillery with his personal siege engineers. And of course he is making plans to use his war machines in his campaigns.
Meanwhile Prince Noah is gaining more power and popularity amongst the army.

[Dismounted Feudal Knight]

Apologies for the delay, my time here isn't really improving.

I digress. The Welsh State has made its contribution to the English Cause in food and resources, surely allevating some of their woes on the tail end of the Plague. Their eyes are on the sea, watchful of the Scots and the Irish, who have become rather comfortable in Welsh waters. Though many Welshmen still support them, making it difficult to address the issue, it is a matter of time before King Vortipor turns his eyes to the matter...

Onto the Scots, https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachmen...cotland_97.sav

[Der Böse Wolf]

Jealousy and revenge and two strong emotions.

In times of crisis and hardship, emotions are much easily triggered, creating dangerous situations.
The Welsh financial miracle is making the lowlands Scottish clans rage with envy and hatred.

Fuelled by these sentiments, Scottish merchants are still trying to disrupt trade and diplomacy in Wales.

Montgomery was infiltrated.
----

"Look at them...walking around with full bellies and hypocrite smiles...
They have forgotten how they went running to our lands asking for refuge years ago, while the English ravaged their lands...now they have bent the knee to the Crown and walk proudly, counting crops and coin...
God, I hate the Welsh..."

Having seen enough, the aptly named Hew, not a King , but a feared henchman, put fire in the great market, where all kind of food and goods were stocked, ready for the big fair the next day...

"Now let's see how happy you will send and trade your goods, you bunch of sheep..."

As he was walking away, Hew saw a well dressed man looking in horror at him.
Hew paused for a second, but then, like an agile feline, sprung towards him.

The Welshman screamed in panic and started running towards the gates to alert the guards.

Hew, giving chase, was blinded by the smoke emanating from the burning goods, and lost track.

The Welshman, looking behind his shoulder, saw the Scotsman going in the wrong direction.
He stopped to catch his breath and let a huge sigh of relief.

After gathering back his spirits, he turned towards the city gates, determined alert the guards.
Yet, as made one step, he heard like a whistling sound, and felt a sharp pain in the back...he did not have time to turn around as he collapsed on the floor in a pond of blood.

Hew's assistant, not blinded by smoke, has kept his eyes on the Welshman and struck him down in time, allowing him and his master to leave the city before the alarm was triggered.

---

Barons next: https://www.mediafire.com/file/8ouebniufp3f80s/TIOC_Barons_97.sav/file

[paladinbob123]

The plague..it was always the plague that lingered , destroying economy , peoples lives in these times...and the doctors had nothing they could do about it, perhaps in the future things would be better, where perhaps medical science could stop such things, that things would perhaps would be different. But for now, without the monies and revenue European trade brought to York and its surrounding area, little could be done apart from plotting, and so plotting was done in multitudes in York and the surrounding area.

Plots within plots had been hatched, but for now, without the finances to pay for such efforts there was little to be done, at this point, and all waited for the explosion of action that would follow the peace the illness had founded.

Turn to England
https://www.dropbox.com/s/ohtt7zgowa...nd_98.sav?dl=0

===============

Pembroke

[note the number of castles here as the normans spread their control ]
The town and county derive their names from the Cantref of Penfro: Pen = "head" or "end", and bro = "region", "country", "land", which has been interpreted to mean either "Land's End" or "headland"


Pembroke Castle, the substantial remains of a stone medieval fortress founded by the Normans in 1093, stands at the Western tip of the peninsular surrounded by water on three sides. The castle was the seat of the powerful Earls of Pembroke and the birthplace of King Henry VII of England. Gerald de Windsor was the first recorded Constable of Pembroke. Pembroke town and castle and its surroundings are linked with the early Christian church. Following the final extension of the Castle about 1254 the town was extended and defensive perimeter walls erected around the edge of the town. The walls survive on their medieval foundations, although much rebuilt over the centuries. A great many of the town's original medieval burgage plots survive and are divided by early stone walls that are of significant national importance.

Monkton Priory, sited on a hill across the river from the castle, founded in 1098 by Arnulf de Montgomery and granted by him to the Benedictine order, has very early foundations and retains much of the Norman walls of the nave. The choir and sanctuary were renovated in the 19th Century. Monkton Hall, close by the Priory church, is regarded as the oldest domestic building in Pembrokeshire and possibly Wales and is thought to have been the guesthouse for visitors to the Priory.

The first stone building in the town was a defensive tower, now known as the Medieval Chapel, at 69a Main Street, built on a cliff edge between 950 AD and 1000 AD. There are the remains of a great hall to the north and recently filled-in arched cellars. The building was thought to have been later used as an early church as the layout is the same as St. Govan's Chapel and was used by John Wesley in 1764 to preach Methodism. In 1866 it became the brewery for the York Tavern which was briefly Oliver Cromwell's headquarters at the end of the Siege of Pembroke during the English Civil War.

The town's main bridge across the River Pembroke, which also acts as a dam, crosses and constrains the millpond. The first bridge was constructed to house a tide mill, originally granted to the Knight's Templar in 1199.The last mill building was destroyed by fire in 1956.

On both banks of the Pembroke River to the west of the castle are many remains of early activities. The North Shore Quarries are relatively complete as are the remains of medieval and Elizabethan slipways where wooden vessels were built before the industrial dockyard and admiralty town was built on the grid pattern of Pembroke Dock. There is a very early complete graving dock in what was Hancock's Yard.

Pembroke town walls

{note how the river provides access to the castle[by ship] and the town is surrounded on three sides by water for aid in defence}


The construction of the town walls by William de Valence, 1st Earl of Pembroke, probably began after the outer ward of Pembroke Castle was completed about 1280 as they tie into the castle's wall. They probably replaced a timber palisade and/or earthen rampart that protected the town, most likely at the narrowest point of the peninsula upon which the town is built. Construction was likely continued by his son Aymer (1296–1324), but the walls may not have been completed as there is a 1377 commission that the constable of the castle was charged to 'survey, repair, and fortify the castle and town of Pembroke'.

A century later, money was allocated for 'making a stone wall on the south side of the town of Pembroke' in 1479–80, but this may be interpreted as a repair or rebuild of the existing wall, completion of a missing section of wall or the strengthening of the wall, as was done with the Tenby town walls at about the same time by Jasper Tudor, Duke of Bedford.

The town walls, built of limestone rubble, had three gates, of which only fragments survive of the West Gate. The surviving portion of the walls is on the south side of town and extends some 225 metres (246 yd) from No. 5 Common Road to Rock Terrace. Much of the town wall has been incorporated or rebuilt into more recent structures


Pembroke castle



The place where Pembroke Castle was erected was already inhabited during the Paleolithic period, fortified in the Iron Age, and then used in Roman times and in the early Middle Ages. When the Welsh king Rhys was killed in a border skirmish in 1093, the Norman baron Roger de Montgomery took the opportunity to occupy South West Wales. After the conquest, he built castles in Cardigan and Pembroke, of which the latter was a wooden stronghold built using earthworks of an earlier iron age fort.


Due to internal conflicts in England, in 1102 Pembroke Castle was occupied by King Henry I, who put the sheriff in it and founded the town at its foot. The first sheriff was a Saer, dismissed after three years, while the castle remained royal property until 1138, when King Stephen created the earldom and granted it to a member of his entourage, Gilbert de Clare. His son and successor, Richard de Clare called Strongbow, in 1169 used Pembroke as a base to launch an invasion of Ireland. This unauthorized action and Strongbow’s proclaiming Lord of Leinster caused the wrath of Henry II, who personally intervened in Ireland and confiscated Pembroke. It was briefly given to the prince (later king) John, but eventually in 1176 Richard de Clare managed to regain the favor of the monarch, titles, lands and the castle. He held Pembroke until his death, in the same year, after which, due to the childless death of his only son, the castle returned to the king.




In August 1189, King Richard the Lionheart arranged the marriage of Isabella, daughter of Richard de Clare, to William Marshal, who received both the castle and the title of Earl of Pembroke. The new owner was not able to quickly take possession of the castle. It wasn’t until 1199 that he received confirmation from John, and he could come to Pembroke at the earliest in 1204 after returning from the war campaign in Normandy. During this period, Pembroke, as one of the few Anglo-Norman strongholds, did not fall into the hands of the Rhys ap Gruffydd, regaining the lands lost to the invaders. Rhys’s death in 1196 caused even greater confusion in the region and the need for William Marshal’s personal arrival in Pembroke. On his initiative, at the beginning of the thirteenth century, the construction of a stone castle began. Among others, a massive keep was built and the timber buildings at the town were expended, which after moving to further areas freed up space for the outer ward. After William Marshal who died in 1219, the castle was inherited by each of his five sons, whose third son, Gilbert Marshal, was responsible for enlarging and strengthening the castle between 1234 and 1241. Ultimately, all of Marshal’s sons died childless, and in 1247 the castle was inherited by William de Valence, Henry III’s half brother, who became the earl of Pembroke through marriage with Joan, granddaughter of William Marshall. Enjoying the terrible opinion of the arrogant, cruel and boastful feudal lord, after 1260 William de Valence began rebuilding the outer ward, replacing timber and earth fortifications with stone walls and erecting new residential and representative buildings at the upper castle at the end of his life.





During the two wars of Welsh Independence in the second half of the 13th century, the castle became de Valence’s base to fight the Welsh princes. Although the south-west of Wales was not directly involved in major military operations, the eldest son of William de Valence, also named William, was killed during a skirmish at Carmarthen in 1282. By the end of the century, Wales was already pacified, which significantly reduced the military importance of the castle. William de Valence died in 1296, and his son Aymer de Valence in Pembroke was probably only once, in 1323, leaving the castle to administrators and officials. When he died a year later, his property passed through marriage to the Hastings family, who owned the castle until 1389, until the childless death of John Hastings during the tournament. Then Pembroke again became royal castle, this time of Richard II. In the possession of the monarch at the castle deteriorated during the Hastings era, repairs were carried out, necessary because the building was intended for Pembroke County court sessions and because of fear of a French landing. At that time, the garrison of the castle was to consist of 190 people under the command of constable Degarrey Says.

see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lB177u2PK_U for aerial views

At the beginning of the 15th century, Owain Glyndŵr began the great uprising of the Welsh. Pembroke escaped the invasion because the then administrator of the castle, Francis а Court, paid Glyndŵr a tribute in gold, and the rebellion was suppressed after a few years. In 1413, King Henry V recreated the title of Earl of Pembroke, which was given to the brother of the monarch, Humphrey Plantagenet, duke of Gloucester. He died in 1447 in custody for allegations of treason and for maintaining contacts with the accused of witchcraft Eleanor Cobham. His successor for a short period was William de la Pole, a duke of Suffolk, who died enigmaticly in exile in France. In 1452 the castle and the count were handed over to Jasper Tudor, half brother of King Henry VI. Tudor brought to Pembroke his widowed sister-in-law, Margaret Beaufort, who in 1457 gave birth to her only child, who in the future would become King of England Henry VII. Jasper also became a great benefactor for Pembroke, the first since the time of William de Valence, renovating the castle and modernizing living its quarters.
The second half of the fifteenth century and the sixteenth century passed for Pembroke in peace. During the War of Roses, the castle did not play a military role, but was only used as a reward for loyal supporters. During the York triumph in the years 1461-1462 it was given by the new king Edward IV to William Herbert. After the Lancaster defeat at Barnet in 1471, Jasper Tudor fled to Pembroke, where he was most likely besieged by York troops, but he managed to escape to France with Henry Tudor.



After the end of the internal conflict between the Yorks and Lancasters, the rule of the new Tudor dynasty of Welsh origin, alleviated the hostility of the English and Welsh, and as a consequence with the development of firearms, the castle lost its significance. The change was brought by the English Civil War in the 17th century. Although most of South Wales was on the king’s side, Pembroke opted for Parliament. It was besieged by royalist troops, but was saved by the relief from nearby Milford Haven. The parliamentary forces then seized the royalist castles of Tenby, Haverfordwest and Carew. In 1648, when the war was over, the leaders of Pembroke changed sides and unwisely raised the royalist uprising. In reaction, Oliver Cromwell captured the castle after the seven-week siege. Its three leaders were found guilty of treason, and Cromwell ordered the destruction of the castle. It was abandoned and allowed to fall into ruin. It was not until 1880 that the first three-year renovation project was undertaken.


Gerald de Windsor
Gerald de Windsor (c. 1075–1135), alias Gerald FitzWalter, was the first castellan of Pembroke Castle in Pembrokeshire (formerly part of the Kingdom of Deheubarth), in Wales, and was in charge of the Norman forces in southwest Wales.

The death in battle of Gerald's father-in-law, Rhys ap Tewdwr, Prince of Wales, and the last King of Deheubarth in Wales ("last king of the Britons"), was the opportunity for a general Norman invasion of South Wales during which Arnulf de Montgomery, youngest son of the powerful Roger de Montgomerie, 1st Earl of Shrewsbury, swept out from Shrewsbury and ravaged south into Dyfed, where he built Pembroke Castle, in the form of a rudimentary fortress later described by Giraldus Cambrensis (c.1146-c. 1223) (Gerald's grandson) as a "slender fortress of turf and stakes. When he went back to England, Arnulf left the fortress and a small garrison in the charge of Gerald of Windsor, a stalwart, cunning man, his constable and lieutenant". The first Pembroke Castle was not very strong and offered little resistance.

In 1096, two or three years after the establishment of Norman Pembrokeshire, a general uprising occurred in Wales against the Norman invasion during which Gerald's defence of Pembroke Castle excited the admiration of his contemporaries, all the more for his unique stratagems during the desperate stance. While fortress after fortress fell to the Welsh onslaught, Pembroke Castle held out, despite the rigours of a lengthy siege by Uchtryd ab Edwin and Hywel ap Goronwy, which greatly reduced Gerald's forces. Fifteen of Gerald's knights deserted at night and left by boat, on the discovery of which Gerald confiscated their estates and re-granted them to the deserters' followers whom he created knights. Giraldus Cambrensis described the events as follows:

"When they had hardly any provisions left, Gerald, who, as I have said, was a cunning man, created the impression that they were still well supplied and were expecting reinforcement at any moment. He took four hogs, which was about all they had, cut them into sections, and hurled them off over the palisades at the besiegers. The following day he thought of an even more ingenious strategism. He signed a letter with his own seal and had it placed just outside the lodgings of Wilfred, Bishop of St David's, who chanced to be in the neighbourhood. There it would be picked up almost immediately and the finder would imagine that it had been dropped accidentally by one of Gerald's messengers. The purport of the letter was that Gerald would have no need of reinforcements from Arnulf for a good four months. When this despatch was read to the Welsh, they immediately abandoned the siege and went off home."

In 1094 in recognition of Gerald's successful defence of Pembroke, King William II rewarded Arnulf, Gerald's overlord, with the lordship of Demetia, and created him Earl of Pembroke.In 1102, before the revolt of the Montgomery faction against King Henry I, Gerald went to Ireland, where he negotiated the marriage of his overlord Arnulf de Montgomery with Lafracoth, daughter of the Irish king Muircheartach Ua Briain.

Gerald de Windsor held the office of Constable of Pembroke Castle from 1102. In 1108 Gerald built the castle of Little Cenarth(Cenarth Bychan)which is probably Cilgerran Castle.Gerald received the manor of Moulsford then in Berkshire (since 1974 in Oxfordshire), by grant of King Henry I (1100-1135).

Gerald married Nest ferch Rhys ("Nesta") a Welsh princess, daughter of Rhys ap Tewdwr, the last King of Deheubarth in Wales. Nest brought the manor of Carew as part of her dowry, and Gerald cleared the existing fort to build his own castle along Norman lines.


In 1109 his wife Nesta was abducted by her second cousin Owain ap Cadwgan. According to the Brut y Tywysogion, Owain and his men entered the couple's home (assumed by historians to have been either Cilgerran Castle or Little Cenarch) and set fire to the buildings. When Gerald was awoken by the noise, Nesta urged him to escape by climbing out through the drain-hole of the garderobe. Owain then seized Nesta and her children and carried her off. Some sources however suggest that she went with him willingly.

Gerald's influence was such that due to Nesta's abduction Owain and his father soon lost much of their territory of Powys. Owain himself was obliged to go into exile in Ireland and when he returned in 1116, he was killed when his retinue of fifty men at arms was cunningly attacked by Gerald and his large cohort as they both traveled to aid the king of England.

Nesta is the female progenitor of the Fitzgerald Dynasty, and through her the Fitzgeralds are related to Welsh royalty and to the Tudors (Tewdwrs). The Tudors are descended from Nest's father Rhys ap Tewdwr (Anglicized to "Tudor"). Henry Tudor, King of England, was a patrilineal descendant of Rhys ap Tewdwr. Consequently, Gerald and Nest's offspring, the Fitzgeralds, are distant cousins to the English Tudors.

[Turkafinwë]

England

"More water!" cried the doctor. The physician had been taking care of Anselm for the better part of two weeks. What had started as a minor ailment, a little headache, some nausea and dizziness had turned into high, unending fever, bloodied vomit and bowel movements. Most days the Lord Protector lay unconscious in his bed, the fire in his blood keeping him bedridden. When Anselm woke he would not know where he was and be extremely anxious. He would moan and try to rise. The team of doctors would then give him some concoction to keep him calm. This couldn't go on for much longer the head physician knew. If the fever would not lower soon Anselm would burn out. He placed another moist cloth on the Lord Protector's head.

Ireland up: http://www.mediafire.com/file/5uxeed...nd_98.sav/file

[zender9]

Wales up:
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachmen...C_wales_98.sav

[Der Böse Wolf]

Reminder sent to Wales.

[Dismounted Feudal Knight]

Completely missed this, will get to it soon.

[Dismounted Feudal Knight]

Well, little to report; following the lifting of plague, comes the lifting of various Welsh measures against viral spread and the light reformation of oa depleted militia. Good men have been lost, but time and the country march on as ever.

Onto the Scots,
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachmen...cotland_98.sav

[Der Böse Wolf]

In the dark alleys of Montgomery...
--------------------------------------------

"I don't understand those Welsh folks...their king bends the knee to the crown, their capital city is falling apart; yet no one moves an eyelid..."
Hew the killer, talking with his informant, is making plans for his next sabotage mission.

Many important buildings in the city have already been damaged by acts of sabotage, but the city rulers do not seem willing to do any repairs...even when the Welsh coffers are full.

"Maybe I should strike at the heart to see how they will react..."
Hew smiled and disappeared in the dark.

----

Barons next: https://www.mediafire.com/file/hyrrz...ns_98.sav/file

[paladinbob123]

The plague continued to exist in the two provinces of Newcastle and York in northern england, but movement had begun , with port constructions at Newcastle and additional wharfs at York for additional trade with the European mainland to raise profits and import additional foodstuffs to help the people surivive the winter, and to start trading again. Money began to collect in the coffers of the Northern shires , and noises began to ring out accross the lands, as blacksmiths raised hammer to anvil , and leathermakers began to make additional armour.

Something was afoot within the province, as money was spent in preparation of who knew what ...and for what end?

Turn to England {getting close to that 100th turn -winks}
https://www.dropbox.com/s/fgzt0i4925...nd_99.sav?dl=0

-------------
Harlech Castle

I couldve used Aberdyfi castle perhaps as that is more in location to harlech which is a little more to the northwest of this position..but such is the grandeur of harlech castle in wales, i will use it here in replacement of aberdyfi for gameplay purposes[and leave a comment about that below for notes]. Note like many of the castles built in this period to subdue the welsh, it could at the time be supplied by sea..but such has coastline changes occured that by the 18th century , the sea has withdrawn, leaving a clear sand area by the 18th century[see pic - on western edge]

Harlech Castle , located in Harlech, Gwynedd, Wales, is a Grade I-listed medieval fortification, constructed atop a spur of rock close to the Irish Sea. It was built by Edward I during his invasion of Wales between 1282 and 1289 at the relatively modest cost of £8,190. Over the next few centuries, the castle played an important part in several wars, withstanding the siege of Madog ap Llywelyn between 1294–95, but falling to Owain Glyndŵr in 1404. It then became Glyndŵr's residence and military headquarters for the remainder of the uprising until being recaptured by English forces in 1409. During the 15th century Wars of the Roses, Harlech was held by the Lancastrians for seven years, before Yorkist troops forced its surrender in 1468, a siege memorialised in the song Men of Harlech. Following the outbreak of the English Civil War in 1642, the castle was held by forces loyal to Charles I, holding out until 1647 when it became the last fortification to surrender to the Parliamentary armies. In the 21st century the ruined castle is managed by Cadw, the Welsh Government's historic environment service, as a tourist attraction.

UNESCO considers Harlech to be one of "the finest examples of late 13th century and early 14th century military architecture in Europe", and it is classed as a World Heritage site. The fortification is built of local stone and concentric in design, featuring a massive gatehouse that probably once provided high-status accommodation for the castle constable and visiting dignitaries. The sea originally came much closer to Harlech than in modern times, and a water-gate and a long flight of steps leads down from the castle to the former shore, which allowed the castle to be resupplied by sea during sieges. In keeping with Edward's other castles in North Wales, the architecture of Harlech has close links to that found in the County of Savoy during the same period, an influence probably derived from the Savoy origins of the main architect, James of Saint George.




3th–14th centuries
In local mythology, the site of Harlech Castle in North Wales is associated with the legend of Branwen, a Welsh princess, but there is no evidence for a native Welsh fortification having been built there. The kings of England and the Welsh princes had vied for control of North Wales since the 1070s and the conflict was renewed during the 13th century, leading to Edward I intervening in North Wales for the second time during his reign in 1282. Edward invaded with a huge army, pushing north from Carmarthen and westwards from Montgomery and Chester. English forces advanced down the Conwy valley and through Dolwyddelan and Castell y Bere, onto Harlech, which Sir Otton de Grandson took with 560 infantry in May.

Edward ordered the construction of a castle at Harlech, one of seven built across North Wales in the wake of the 1282 campaign. Money to pay for the initial phase arrived in mid-May and carpenters and 35 stonemasons were dispatched in June and July to commence work. By the winter of 1283, the first 15 feet (4.6 m) of the inner walls had been constructed, allowing the castle to be defended in the event of an attack, and a small, planned town had been founded alongside the castle. John de Bonvillars was appointed the constable of the castle in 1285; after his death in 1287 his wife, Agnes, took up the role until 1290.

Construction continued under the overall direction of James of Saint George, a Savoy architect and military engineer. In 1286, at the height of the construction, the workforce comprised 546 general labourers, 115 quarriers, 30 blacksmiths, 22 carpenters and 227 stonemasons, and the project was costing nearly £240 a month. The castle was essentially complete by the end of 1289, having cost an estimated £8,190, around 10 percent of the £80,000 that Edward spent on castle-building in Wales between 1277 and 1304.

Harlech was established with a garrison of 36 men: a constable, 30 men, including 10 crossbowmen, a chaplain, a smith, carpenter and stonemason, and Master James was rewarded by being made the constable of Harlech from 1290–93. In 1294, Madog ap Llywelyn began an uprising against English rule that spread quickly through Wales. Several English-held towns were razed and Harlech, along with Criccieth Castle and Aberystwyth Castle, were besieged that winter. Fresh supplies were sent from Ireland by sea, arriving via Harlech's water gate, and the uprising was quashed. In the aftermath of the revolt, additional defences were built around the route down to the sea. Further work was undertaken between 1323–24, following the Despenser War; Edward II was threatened in the region by the Mortimer Marcher Lord family, and ordered his sheriff, Sir Gruffudd Llwyd, to extend the defences leading up to the gatehouse with additional towers.

http://www.castlewales.com/harlech.html - some great internal pictures of the castle

15th–17th centuries
In 1400 a revolt broke out in North Wales against English rule, led by Owain Glyndŵr. By 1403 only a handful of castles, including Harlech, still stood against the rebels, but the castle was under-equipped and under-staffed to withstand a siege, the garrison having just three shields, eight helmets, six lances, ten pairs of gloves, and four guns. At the end of 1404, the castle fell to Glyndŵr. Harlech became his residence, family home and military headquarters for four years; he held his second parliament in Harlech in August 1405. In 1408 English forces under the command of the future Henry V placed Harlech and its commander, Edmund Mortimer, under siege, conducting a bombardment with cannon, probably destroying the south and east parts of the outer walls. When this failed to take the castle, Henry left John Talbot in charge of the siege and moved on to deal with Aberystwyth Castle.Supplies finally ran short, Mortimer and many of his men died of exhaustion, and Harlech fell in February 1409.

In the 15th century, Harlech was involved in the series of civil wars known as the Wars of the Roses that broke out between the rival factions of the House of Lancaster and York. In 1460, following the Battle of Northampton, Queen Margaret of Anjou fled to the castle and between 1461–68 it was held by her Lancastrian supporters, under the command of Dafydd ap Ieuan, against the Yorkist Edward IV. Thanks to its natural defences and the supply route by sea, Harlech held out and as other fortresses fell, eventually became the last major stronghold still under Lancastrian control. The castle became a base for their operations across the region: there were planned operations in 1464, Sir Richard Tunstall mounted attacks from Harlech in 1466 and Jasper Tudor landed there with French reinforcements in 1468, before then raiding the town of Denbigh. Tudor's arrival caused Edward IV to order William Herbert to mobilise an army, possibly up to 10,000 strong, to finally seize the castle. After a month's siege, the small garrison surrendered on 14 August. This siege is credited with inspiring the song Men of Harlech.



The English Civil War broke out in 1642 between the Royalist supporters of Charles I and the supporters of Parliament. Harlech apparently had not been repaired following the 1468 siege, and had become completely dilapidated, with the exception of the gatehouse, which was used for the local assizes[No..this wasnt a rude typo {winks}-its actually a thing-a court which formerly sat at intervals in each county of England and Wales to administer the civil and criminal law.} . In 1644 Prince Rupert appointed a local Royalist, Colonel William Owen, as the castle's constable, and Owen was entrusted with repairing the fortifications. A long siege ensued from June 1646 until 15 March 1647, when the garrison of 44 men surrendered to Major-General Thomas Mytton. The castle was the last mainland royal fortress to surrender in the war, and the date marked the end of the first phase of the war. The castle was no longer required for the security of North Wales and, to prevent any further use by the Royalists, Parliament ordered its slighting, or destruction. The orders were only partially carried out, however, and the gatehouse staircases were destroyed and the castle rendered generally unusable, but it was not totally demolished. Stone from the castle was reused to build houses in the local town




Architecture
Harlech Castle rests upon part of the Harlech Dome, a spur of rock almost 200 feet (61 m) high; the land falls away sharply on the north and west, and a ditch cut into the rock protects the remaining approaches to the castle.The castle has a concentric design, with one line of defences enclosed by another, forming an inner and outer ward; the outer wall was originally somewhat taller than today. Harlech is built from local grey-green sandstone, with large, regular blocks used for the towers and irregular material, possibly taken from the ditch, used for the walls. A softer yellow sandstone is used for the decorative work in the castle, possibly quarried from around Egryn Abbey near Barmouth.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gf-_Rm4AeFw - aerial view of the castle by drone..worth a look...but sadly the welsh music won out as the single video ..than the aerial shots [winks]

The main entrance to the castle would have involved crossing a stone bridge between the two easterly ditch bridge towers and the main gatehouse; little remains of the bridge towers today and a timber entrance way to the gatehouse replaces the bridge. A water gate overlooks a protected stairway of 127 steps that runs down to the foot of the cliffs. In the 13th century, the sea came up close to the stairway, allowing resupply by sea, but today the sea has retreated significantly, making it more difficult to envisage the concept in its original setting.

[the castle with its concentric internal defences and high positioning make it a formidable castle to take]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqfFCddqMrM - a hour long study on the castle, the campaigns around it, and its defences

The gatehouse follows the design, sometimes termed the Tonbridge-style, that became popular during the 13th century, with two massive "D-shaped" defensive towers flanking the entrance. The passage into the castle was guarded by three portcullises and at least two heavy doors. The gatehouse has two upper floors, broken up into various rooms. Each floor has three large windows overlooking the inner ward; the second floor has two additional grand windows on the sides of the gatehouse; the gatehouse was fitted with fireplaces and would originally have had prominent chimneys. The use of these rooms has been the subject of academic debate: historian Arnold Taylor argued that the first floor of the gatehouse was used by the constable as living accommodation, with the second floor used by senior visitors; Jeremy Ashbee has since challenged this interpretation, suggesting the high status accommodation may instead have been located within the inner ward, and the gatehouse used for other purposes.

The inner ward is guarded by four large circular towers. Over time these acquired various names: in 1343, clockwise from the north-east, they were called Le Prisontour, Turris Ultra Gardinium, Le Wedercoktour and Le Chapeltour, but by 1564 they had been renamed the Debtors', Mortimer, Bronwen and Armourer's Towers respectively. Le Prisontour incorporated a dungeon and the Le Chapeltour may have contained an artillery workshop in the 16th century. Several ranges of buildings were built around the inner ward, including a chapel, kitchen, service buildings, a granary and a great hall. The battlements may originally have been built with triple finials in a similar fashion to Conwy, although little remains of these in the modern era.

The architecture of Harlech has close links to that found in the kingdom of Savoy in the same period. These include semi-circular door arches, window styles, corbelled towers and positioning of putlog holes, and are usually ascribed to the influence of the Savoy architect Master James.The links between the Harlech and Savoy are not straightforward, however, as in some cases the relevant Savoy structures were built after James had left the region The similarity in architectural details may, therefore, be the result of the wider role played by Savoy craftsmen and engineers on the Harlech project.



Master James of Saint George
(c. 1230–1309), was a master of works/architect from Savoy, described by historian Marc Morris as "one of the greatest architects of the European Middle Ages". He was largely responsible for designing King Edward I's castles in North Wales, including Conwy, Harlech and Caernarfon (all begun in 1283) and Beaumaris on Anglesey (begun 1295)

Savoyard archival records record that James' father, Master John, was a master mason working on castles in Savoy during the mid-13th century — these castles included that first worked on by James of Saint George at Yverdon-les-Bains. His name "Saint George", acquired following his move to England, is believed to be a reference to the castle of Saint-Georges-d'Espéranche, located southeast of Lyon in the Viennois. The first reference to this name is Magistri Jacobi Di Sancto Georgio on 8th November 1280, two years after his arrival into England. His patron, King Edward I, probably met Master James of St George whilst returning from Crusade and visiting Savoy in 1273. It was 25 June 1273 that King Edward I of England visited Saint-Georges-d'Espéranche so that his great nephew Philip I, Count of Savoy might pay homage to him in fulfilment of an earlier 1240 agreement on Alpine tolls.

Responsible for the castles constructed for Philip I, Count of Savoy in the Viennois between 1270 and 1275 at Saint-Georges-d'Espéranche, La Côte-Saint-André, Voiron and Saint-Laurent-du-Pont. It is very possible that the simultaneous construction of these castles, three round tower castles and one octagonal tower palace castle, influenced Edward’s decision to hire him to construct the castles in north Wales. Perhaps his last work in Savoy was at Châtel-Argent in the Aosta Valley in the summer of 1275.

The earliest references in the English records of James of St George are found in April 1278 describing him as "eunti in partibus Wallie ad ordinandum opera castrorum" translates as “going to Wales to put in order the works of the castles” there, that is the Mason charged with the design, technical direction and management of the works underway in Wales He is recorded as travelling to Wales, "visitandum castra de Flint et Rothelan" at which time four new castles were being built: Flint, Rhuddlan, Builth and Aberystwyth. Historian A. J. Taylor records that from 1277 until 1280 his main work was to supervise the building of Rhuddlan Castle and the canalisation of the River Clwyd before turning to Flint. Flint Castle is similar in concept to that built by Master James earlier at Yverdon-les-Bains

He was appointed Master of the Royal Works in Wales (Magistro Jacobo de sancto Georgio, Magistro operacionum Regis in Wallia) around 1285, drawing a wage of 3s. a day.[Both come from the Latin word 'libra', meaning 'pound'. The £ sign developed from a very elaborate capital 'L'. s. Shillings were usually abbreviated to 's'. The 's' stands for 'sesterius' or 'solidos', coins used by the Romans.]
This appointment gave him control of construction in all its aspects of castles at Conwy, Caernarfon and Harlech.

Harlech Castle, begun in 1283, was effectively completed in 1289. On 3 July 1290, James of St George was appointed Constable of Harlech Castle, succeeding John de Bonvillars who had died in August 1287. He held this position until 14 December 1293.

His final Welsh castle was Beaumaris, on which work started in April 1295. Described by historian Marc Morris as Master James "most perfectly conceived castle" it remained unfinished on his death in 1309.

James of St George had joined Edward I in Scotland, probably around September 1298. In February 1302, James of St George was appointed to oversee to the new defences at Linlithgow. He had also worked at Stirling during the siege of 1304.

There is no record of James's wife, Ambrosia, receiving a pension after his death, so it is probable she did not survive him.


Madog ap Llywelyn
Madog ap Llywelyn (died after 1312) was the leader of the Welsh revolt of 1294–95 against English rule. The revolt was surpassed in longevity only by the revolt of Owain Glyndŵr in the 15th century. Madog belonged to a junior branch of the House of Aberffraw and was a distant relation of Llywelyn ap Gruffudd, the last recognised native Prince of Wales.

Madog was the son of Llywelyn ap Maredudd, the last vassal Lord of Meirionydd who had been deprived of his patrimony in 1256 for opposing the Prince of Wales, Llywelyn ap Gruffudd, at the Battle of Bryn Derwin. Llywelyn ap Maredudd had gone into exile in England where he received a pension from the English crown, until June 1262 when he reconciled with the Prince of Wales. He died in a skirmish fighting for the Welsh in April 1263. His eldest son, Madog, who may have been born in exile, is known to have received substantial monetary gifts from King Edward I of England in 1277, and used this money to sue the Prince of Wales in 1278 in an attempt to have his father's cantref of Meirionydd returned to him. It appears that Madog returned to Gwynedd after the death of Llywelyn ap Gruffudd in 1282, and received lands from the King of England in Anglesey.

On Michaelmas (29 September) 1294, Madog put himself at the head of a national revolt in response to the actions of new royal administrators in north and west Wales and the imposition of taxes such as that levied on one fifteenth of all movables. As a royal prince descended directly from Owain Gwynedd and the fifth cousin of the last Prince of Aberffraw (Dafydd ap Gruffudd, the executed brother of Llywelyn), Madog declared himself to be the lawful successor and assumed the royal titles of his predecessors including that of Prince of Wales (an example of which can be seen in the so-called Penmachno Document). The uprising had been planned for months and attacks occurred on the same day across Wales. While Madog acted in the north the attacks in mid and south Wales were led by Cynan ap Maredudd, Maelgwn ap Rhys, and Morgan ap Maredudd of Gwynllwg in Glamorgan. The rebel leaders hoped that by the end of September King Edward and most of his forces would be in France on a planned campaign. However, due to bad weather Edward's army had not yet sailed and he quickly cancelled the French campaign to deal with the Welsh uprising.

Caernarfon was overrun by Madog's forces and the castle occupied, as were the castles at Castell y Bere (subsequently burnt), Hawarden, Ruthin, and Denbigh. Criccieth Castle was besieged by Madog's forces for several months, as was Harlech. Morlais castle was captured under the aegis of Morgan in the south, and Cynan ap Maredudd besieged the castle at Builth for a period of six weeks. Half the town of Caerphilly was burnt—although the castle itself held out—and, further south, Kenfig Castle was sacked.

In north Wales, attempts were made by many English landowners to retrieve the situation. The lord of Denbigh, Henry de Lacy led a march to Denbigh after the castle there was besieged; however, he was ambushed outside the town on 11 November, and in the ensuing battle his force was routed by the rebels. In north-east Wales, Reginald de Grey was more successful, stationing substantial garrisons at Flint and Rhuddlan—neither castle fell to the rebels, though Flint was subjected to a lengthy siege. Many other castles across Wales were besieged and several towns burnt.

In December 1294 King Edward led an army into north Wales to quell the revolt, stopping at Wrexham, Denbigh, Abergele, and elsewhere on his way to Conwy Castle, which he reached shortly before Christmas. His campaign was timely, for several castles remained in serious danger—Harlech Castle was defended at one point by just 37 men. Edward himself was ambushed and retreated to Conwy Castle, losing his baggage train. The town of Conwy was burnt down and Edward besieged until he was relieved by his navy in 1295.

The crucial battle between Madog's men and those of the English crown occurred at the battle of Maes Moydog in Powys on 5 March 1295. Surprised by an army led by the Earl of Warwick, the Welsh army regained their composure and successfully defended against an English cavalry charge by using the "porcupine" pike men formation, or schiltron, a formation favoured by the Scots armies against English knights. However, arrow fire from English archers inflicted heavy losses, and in a pursuit of the Welsh from the battlefield, many Welsh soldiers drowned trying to cross a swollen river.

Madog barely escaped from this episode with his life and was a fugitive until his capture by Ynyr Fychan of Nannau and hand over to John de Havering in Snowdonia in late July or early August 1295. He was subsequently taken to London, where he seems to have been kept in captivity for the rest of his life; he was still alive in 1312. He was survived by his sons.

The revolt of 1294–95 elicited a harsh response from Edward I in the form of humiliating and punitive ordinances further restricting the civil rights and economic and social opportunities of the Welsh. However, it was not long before Llywelyn Bren, Lord of Senghenydd, led a second rebellion, aided by some of the more prominent Marcher Lords in 1316.

battle of Maes Moydog-addendum
Madog's opponent was the Earl of Warwick who, on hearing that Madog's army was camped in a valley close to his base at Welshpool, made a night march on 4 March and surrounded Madog's army. Madog had his spearmen formed into a square, and repelled an English cavalry charge, killing around 10 men at arms. However, Warwick's innovative deployment of archers and crossbows gave the English the upper hand. Surrounded, Madog's men fought their way out of the encirclement and killed a further 90 English men, then retreated across the swollen river Banwy, in which many drowned. A second, smaller engagement near a place that the English records call 'Thesseweit' - the location of which remains uncertain - resulted in the loss of Madog's supply train. English losses totalled around one hundred dead; Welsh losses were placed at seven hundred. The battle was a crucial step in breaking Welsh resistance in the revolt; Madog went to ground and was captured in late July.


Men of Harlech Song
"Men of Harlech" or "The March of the Men of Harlech" (Welsh: Rhyfelgyrch Gwŷr Harlech) is a song and military march which is traditionally said to describe events during the seven-year siege of Harlech Castle between 1461 and 1468. Commanded by Constable Dafydd ap Ieuan, the garrison withstood the longest known siege in the history of the British Isles. ("Through Seven Years" is an alternative name for the song.) The song has also been associated with the earlier, briefer siege of Harlech Castle about 1408, which pitted the forces of Owain Glyndŵr against the future Henry V of England.

"Men of Harlech" is important for Welsh national culture. The song gained international recognition when it was featured in the 1941 movie How Green Was My Valley and the 1964 film Zulu.

The music was first published without words during 1794 as Gorhoffedd Gwŷr Harlech—March of the Men of Harlech in the second edition of The Musical and Poetical Relicks of the Welsh Bards, but it is said to be a much earlier folk song. The earliest version of the tune to appear with lyrics, found thus far, comes from a broadside printed c. 1830. Since then, many different versions of the English lyrics have been published. It was published first with Welsh lyrics in Gems of Welsh Melody, edited by the Welsh poet, John Owen (Owain Alaw), published in London, England and Wrexham, Wales, during 1860

There are many versions of "Men of Harlech", and there is no single accepted English version. The version below was published in 1873.

John Oxenford version (published 1873)
Verse 1
Men of Harlech, march to glory,
Victory is hov'ring o'er ye,
Bright-eyed freedom stands before ye,
Hear ye not her call?
At your sloth she seems to wonder;
Rend the sluggish bonds asunder,
Let the war-cry's deaf'ning thunder
Every foe appall.

Echoes loudly waking,
Hill and valley shaking;
'Till the sound spreads wide around,
The Saxon's courage breaking;
Your foes on every side assailing,
Forward press with heart unfailing,
'Till invaders learn with quailing,
Cambria ne'er can yield!

Verse 2
Thou, who noble Cambria wrongest,
Know that freedom's cause is strongest,
Freedom's courage lasts the longest,
Ending but with death!
Freedom countless hosts can scatter,
Freedom stoutest mail can shatter,
Freedom thickest walls can batter,
Fate is in her breath.

See, they now are flying!
Dead are heap'd with dying!
Over might hath triumph'd right,
Our land to foes denying;
Upon their soil we never sought them,
Love of conquest hither brought them,
But this lesson we have taught them,
"Cambria ne'er can yield!"

An earlier version is thus:-

Broadside version c. 1830, republished by Thomas Oliphant in 1862
Verse 1
Hark! I hear the foe advancing,
Barbed steeds are proudly prancing,
Helmets in the sunbeams glancing
Glitter through the trees.
Men of Harlech, lie ye dreaming?
See ye not their falchions gleaming,
While their pennons gaily streaming
Flutter in the breeze?

From the rocks rebounding,
Let the war cry sounding
Summon all at Cambria's call,
The haughty foe surrounding,
Men of Harlech, on to glory!
See, your banner famed in story
Waves these burning words before ye
"Britain scorns to yield!"

Verse 2
'Mid the fray, see dead and dying,
Friend and foe together lying;
All around, the arrows flying,
Scatter sudden death!
Frighten'd steeds are wildly neighing,
Brazen trumpets hoarsely braying,
Wounded men for mercy praying
With their parting breath!

See! they're in disorder!
Comrades, keep close order!
Ever they shall rue the day
They ventured o'er the border!
Now the Saxon flies before us!
Vict'ry's banner floateth o'er us!
Raise the loud exulting chorus
"Britain wins the field."

Zulu version by John Barry Prendergast (1964)
Men of Harlech, stop your dreaming,
Can't you see their spearpoints gleaming,
See their warrior pennants streaming,
To this battle field!


Men of Harlech stand ye steady,
It can not be ever said ye,
For the battle were not ready,
Welshmen never yield!


From the hills rebounding,
Let this war cry sounding,
Summon all at Cambria's call,
The mighty force surrounding!


Men of Harlech on to glory,
This will ever be your story,
Keep these burning words before ye,
Welshmen will not yield!

Welsh lyrics
Rhyfelgyrch Gwŷr Harlech

Wele goelcerth wen yn fflamio
A thafodau tân yn bloeddio
Ar i'r dewrion ddod i daro
Unwaith eto'n un
Gan fanllefau tywysogion
Llais gelynion, trwst arfogion
A charlamiad y marchogion
Craig ar graig a gryn.

Arfon byth ni orfydd
Cenir yn dragywydd
Cymru fydd fel Cymru fu
Yn glodfawr ym mysg gwledydd.
Yng ngwyn oleuni'r goelcerth acw
Tros wefusau Cymro'n marw
Annibyniaeth sydd yn galw
Am ei dewraf ddyn.

Ni chaiff gelyn ladd ac ymlid
Harlech! Harlech! cwyd i'w herlid
Y mae Rhoddwr mawr ein Rhyddid
Yn rhoi nerth i ni.
Wele Gymru a'i byddinoedd
Yn ymdywallt o'r mynyddoedd!
Rhuthrant fel rhaeadrau dyfroedd
Llamant fel y lli!

Llwyddiant i'n marchogion
Rwystro gledd yr estron!
Gwybod yn ei galon gaiff
Fel bratha cleddyf Brython
Y cledd yn erbyn cledd a chwery
Dur yn erbyn dur a dery
Wele faner Gwalia'i fyny
Rhyddid aiff â hi!

Branwen

Branwen, Daughter of Llŷr is a major character in the Second Branch of the Mabinogi, which is sometimes called the "Mabinogi of Branwen" after her.

Branwen is a daughter of Llŷr and Penarddun. She is married to Matholwch, King of Ireland, but the marriage does not bring peace

The story opens with Branwen's brother, Brân the Blessed, giant and King of Britain, sitting on a rock by the sea at Harlech and seeing the vessels of Matholwch, King of Ireland, approaching. Matholwch has come to ask for the hand of Branwen in marriage. Brân agrees to this, and a feast is held to celebrate the betrothal. During the feast, Efnysien, a half-brother of Branwen and Brân, arrives at the stables and asks of the nature of the celebration. On being told, he is furious that his half sister has been given in marriage without his consent, and flying into a rage he mutilates the horses belonging to the Irish. Matholwch is deeply offended, but conciliated by Brân, who gives him a magical cauldron which can bring the dead to life[black cauldron animation & book , anyone? }; he does not know that when the dead are brought back, they will be mute and deaf.

When Matholwch returns to Ireland with his new bride, he consults with his nobles about the occurrences in the Isle of the Mighty. They are outraged and believe that Matholwch was not compensated enough for the mutilation of his horses. In order to redeem his honor, Matholwch banishes Branwen to work in the kitchens.

Branwen is treated cruelly by her husband Matholwch as punishment for Efnysien's mutilation of the horses, though not before she gives birth to an heir, Gwern. She tames a starling and sends it across the Irish Sea with a message to her brother and Brân brings a force from Wales to Ireland to rescue her.

Some swineherds see the giant Brân wading the sea and report this to Matholwch, who retreats beyond a river and destroys the bridges. However, Brân lays himself down over the river to serve as a bridge for his men, he said ("He would be a leader, let him be a bridge").

Matholwch, fearing war, tries to reconcile with Brân by building a house big enough for him to fit into in order to do him honour. Matholwch agrees to give the kingdom to Gwern, his son by Branwen, to pacify Brân. The Irish lords do not like the idea, and many hide themselves in flour bags tied to the pillars of the huge, newly built house to attack the Welsh.

Efnysien, inspecting the house prior to the arrival of Brân and his men, uncovers the men hidden in the bags and kills them all by crushing their heads one by one. At the subsequent feast to celebrate Gwern's investiture as King of Ireland, Efnysien, in an unprovoked moment of rage, throws his nephew Gwern into the fire. This causes chaos between the two countries, and they start fighting each other. The Irish forces at first appear to be losing, but by resurrecting their dead soldiers using the magical cauldron begin to win the battle. However, Efnisien sees what he has done, and regrets it. Disguised as a dead Irish soldier he is thrown into the magical cauldron, and pushes against its walls so that it breaks into four pieces. Efnisien dies in the attempt. The war is still extremely bloody, and leaves no survivors except for Branwen, Bran, and seven Welsh soldiers. They sail home to Wales.

Upon reaching Wales, they realize that Bran has been hit by a poisoned arrow to his leg, and he dies. Branwen, overwhelmed with grief for everyone she has lost, dies of a broken heart.

In the ensuing war, all the Irish are killed save for five pregnant women who lived in Wales who repopulate the island, while only seven of the Welsh survive to return home with Branwen, taking with them the severed head of Bendigeidfran. On landing in Wales at Aber Alaw in Anglesey, Branwen dies of grief that so much destruction had been caused on her account, crying, Oi, a fab Duw! Gwae fi o'm genedigaeth. Da o ddwy ynys a ddiffeithwyd o'm hachos i!, "Oh Son of God, woe to me that I was born! Two fair islands have been laid waste because of me!" She was buried beside the Afon Alaw.

Brân had commanded his men to cut off his head and to "bear it even unto the White Mount, in London, and bury it there, with the face towards France." And so for seven years, his men spent feasting in Harlech, accompanied by three singing birds and Brân's head. After the seven years they go to Gwales in Penfro, where they remain for eighty years. Eventually, they go to London and bury the head of Brân in the White Mount. Legend said that as long as the head was there, no invasion would come over the sea to Britain.

At Llanddeusant, Anglesey on the banks of the Alaw can be found the cairn called Bedd Branwen, her supposed grave. Now in ruins, it still has one standing stone. It was dug up in 1800, and again in the 1960s by Frances Lynch, who found several urns with human ashes. It is believed that if the story of Branwen is based on real events, these must have taken place during the Bedd Branwen Period of Bronze Age British history.

Aberdyfi Castle
Aberdyfi Castle was founded by the Lord Rhys, Rhys ap Gruffydd in 1156, shortly after he had become ruler of Deheubarth. Rhys had heard rumours that Owain Gwynedd was planning to invade Ceredigion in order to reclaim it for Gwynedd. Rhys responded by building a castle at Aberdyfi. However, the threatened invasion did not take place, and Turvey claims that Owain's intention may have been to test the resolve of the new ruler. Rhys "raised a ditch to give battle", according to Brut y Tywysogion, known as the 'Chronicles of the Princes' in English.

{The remains of the motte is the tree covered mound on the right}

Although the threat had not materialised, an earthwork topped by a timber castle was built on the site. A motte was constructed at the end of a low ridge running across marshy ground, surrounded on two sides by the confluence of the Dyfi and Einion rivers. The mound is still around 20 feet high with a diameter at the top of about 30 feet and it was originally surrounded by a deep ditch.

Roger de Clare, a Norman lord, attacked and captured the castle in about 1158. However, the Lord Rhys recaptured the castle the same year. Llywelyn the Great held an assembly at Aberdyfi Castle in 1216 where he supervised the parcelling-out of land in south Wales to the minor rulers of Deheubarth in return for their homage. Hitherto Llywelyn had ruled over Gwynedd only; however, the Aberdyfi assembly is seen as a crucial point in his reign, marking the moment at which the minor rulers of Wales submitted to Llywelyn's overlordship. In 1230 he began using the style 'prince of Aberffraw, lord of Snowdon' - in essence, a confirmation of his de facto position as prince of Wales.

[Turkafinwë]

England

"Damnit". Jasper said aloud. When news had reached the son of Lewes that Lord Protector Anselm had fallen ill he had become overjoyed. If Anselm were to die Jasper Lewes would've easily been able to ascend as leader of the English Kingdom. The lords would have no other option but to support him. His father's legacy and his work in the subjugation of Wales made him the strongest contender for the Crown. With no direct heir from Edward I still living the family Lewes was the closest to the next of kin. Lewes had been the confidant of Edward as well as a friend of Edmund the Mad. Lewes had taken care of Edward 's son Geiles while protecting the realm from many threats. Alas Anselm recovered. Jasper would not let this stop his plans though. He would become King of England, Anselm or no. To relieve himself of the setback Jasper rode to fight some dissidents who were hiding in north Nottinghamshire. The malnourished peasants were slaughtered in Jasper's wrath.



Robin wiped off the bloodstains from his blade. He was sore and hurting. The bugger put up a terrible fight Robin thought as he seated himself at the concealed campfire. He ripped a bit from the dead Scotsman's clothing to use as a bandage; Robin's arm was bleeding. Robin took a gulp from his water flask as he recalled the couple of days. The English assassin had received a message from the intelligence in Wales that someone was terrorising Montgomery and the surrounding area. Merchants murdered in their bed, a diplomat dissappearing and now the city hall of Montgomery blown up in broad daylight. Something had to be done about it. Robin took another gulp and looked at the still body lying a bit further. Poor sod. Robin had started his investigation by gathering information from the locals. They spoke of a dark shadow striking swift as the westbound wind and vanishing like a gale. One old man provided the Englishman with a lead that led him to the forests north of Montgomery. There Robin had spent two days tracking the Scottish assassin. On the third day Robin found what he was looking for and struck during dusk. The Scot had been taken unawares and fought like a caged leopard. It wasn't the first time Robin had looked death in the eye, that's what you could expect in this line of work. Robin shrugged and rose. He had to get out of there and find a decent place to sleep. The menace of Montgomery was no more.



Ireland up: https://www.mediafire.com/file/imo88...nd_99.sav/file

[Der Böse Wolf]

Oh no not Hew!!

[paladinbob123]

zender it seems is on holiday under sept6th...and has nominated jadli to sub for him...i will send a reminder to jadli he is up