[Acko]

Prologue (1400)


In the year 1400, England was a mere regional power in the sea of many greater powers. Although near-dominant in Britain, it is far from a contender in the politics of mainland Europe. 



The realm is ruled by the military-minded Ealdhun Hvitserk, who can trace his ancestry back to the legendary Viking Halfdan Hvitserk, one of the sons of Ragnar Lodbrok who invaded Britain to avenge their father’s death. 


England’s primary rival in the region is the Kingdom of Northumberland, who also shares England’s only northern frontier. 


England’s only rivals are located in the British Isles, and the strongest of them is the Kingdom of Northumberland.


Another branch of the Hvitserks rule in the Kingdom of Lotharingia, a state whose very existence is threatened by its geographical location. 


The primary rival of England, the Kingdom of Northumberland, also has stated its intention to become King of Great Britain. 


In Iberia, the post-English Kingdom of Andalusia and the Kingdom of Castile are locked in a fierce rivalry to dominate the peninsula.


Western Europe is dominated by the states of France, Frisia, and Italy, while Lotharingia and Burgundy are two comparatively minor states with an unfortunate location as a buffer between several great powers. While in Central Europe, the Kings of Germany and Bavaria, not unlike the situation in Iberia, are locked in a seemingly eternal rivalry with each other. 


Eastern Europe is divided between the Orthodox Ruthenia and Cumania, and the pagan states of Finland and Rus’.


The Levant region is largely dominated by the Orthodox Byzantine Empire, which was for a short while unified with the Kingdom of Bulgaria under the Croatian Domagojevic dynasty. 


Knowing the state Europe is in, Ealdhun hires only the best of the best for his council, choosing carefully from among his nobility. 


Ealdhun signs several treaties with Frisia, the first of such being a royal marriage and the second being an alliance. 


A prominent yet misguided monk preaches a heretical doctrine to the commoners of some minor village, which somehow gains national attention. His burning has left a permanent black stain on the Church, just one in a mighty amount of factors that would later lead to a dangerous schism within the Church…

Nation may rise against nation, kingdom against kingdom, but can England survive this age of conflict, reformation, and enlightenment?