Alternate history: the Anarchy of King Stephen.

[Mouzafphaerre]

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I'm on an advantageous level in this one; read the "From The Norman Conquest To The Death Of John 1066 1216" volume of a well written, albeit pro-English, post Victorian History of England. It's (legally) available for free at...

GAH!!! They changed the website and it's no more available.

Here is the record anyway.

Idiots! I downloaded most of them already.
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[Duke Malcolm]

I say 3 with the feigned retreat as well

[King Henry V]

Sorry, only the first poster can make suggestions :p. Besides, I don't think Baldwin would pursue the cavalry and would mistrust any proposals by the King.

Fight at Miller’s Ford

You inform the barons that you shall undertake William of Ypres’ plan to play a game of deception with the rebellious Baldwin and that you will ambush him. The barons whisper murmurs of dissent as once again their King takes the advice of a foreign mercenary over the council of his own vassals.
You rise from your chair.
“That is my decision,” you tell them firmly.
They fall quiet. No one will dispute the word of his sovereign. You sit back down again
“So be it,” you say. “On the morrow I shall despatch envoys to de Redvers offering him clemency and gold and that he should meet me outside Exeter where we shall discuss terms. I will go personally, and be accompanied by only my bodyguard.
Shouts of disapproval break out.
“Your majesty,” implores a nobleman. “You cannot put yourself in such danger. The consequences of your imprisonment by a rebel would be disastrous! It would ruin the kingdom and plunge it into war! The realm would descend into anarchy!”
“All the more reason why Baldwin will come personally with most of his men. He will simply be unable to resist the idea of me being his captive. Besides, since the plan is so hazardous, all the more reason for it to be well planned and executed. My lord Ypres, you may elaborate on your plan.”
William of Ypres stands and begins speaking.
“My lords, one of the chief advantages we have no is that de Redvers is currently unaware that we plan an attack against him. However, in order to maintain this secrecy and not arouse fear from Baldwin, our forces should be split up. My Lord de Rougehavre should command the cavalry, as he originally suggested.”
De Rougehavre bows his head in acceptance.
“My lord, your horsemen will leave for Bampton tomorrow evening. You will travel mostly at night, resting during the day and avoiding the major roads and towns if possible. My Lord de Roussy, how long will take two hundred cavalry to get to Bampton?”
“About two days,” replies a man at the opposite end of the table, “travelling at night and keeping away from the main roads. But no more than three, of that I am certain.”
“Three days, very well. I will command the main force of infantry. However, I will travel by ship up the coast. I will land up the river Exe at high tide during darkness. My scouts inform me that there is a small stream to the east of Exeter that runs into the Exe. The Honiton road fords it by a mill. Your majesty, I suggest you travel west to Honiton on that road and you should propose to meet de Redvers at this ford. Beside the road is a wooded hill. It is there that the infantry under my command shall hide and await the arrival of de Redvers, who will undoubtedly bring many of his men to secure your majesty’s capture. However I am informed that most of his soldiers are brigands and generally low lives, who are more suited to a knife in the back than facing real soldiers in the open. So if all goes well, your majesty will be in no danger what so ever, de Redvers will defeated and Exeter shall be freed.”
This time, however, the hall remained silent.
“Very well, it is decided,” you say. “Emissaries shall be sent tomorrow to de Redvers offering terms. I shall offer him his freedom, the castle of Bampton and one thousand pieces of gold.”
There are gasps at this last piece of information.
“A thousand pieces of gold!” cries the fat lord who favoured the cautious approach. “How will your majesty find such a sum at such short notice?”
“Your lordship need not worry yourself about being taxed any further,” you reassure him. “We shall only take a saddle bag full of gold as a sample. The rest of the bags will be filled with anything that we have on hand: brass, silver, copper, tin, iron… anything which makes a satisfying clink.
“On the day after tomorrow, Lord Ypres and his men will leave for their ships at Chesil Beach, and will sail to Sidmouth, where they shall remain anchored off shore where the ships will remain until the envoy return with a hopeful acceptance of terms. I shall press for a swift meeting, saying that I must return to London forthwith, offering him more gold if he meets me sooner rather than later. I shall go to Honiton, where I will remain until the emissaries return. Meanwhile, Lord de Rougehavre will ride to Bampton, where he too will wait for my order to attack. Is everything clear, my lords?”
The barons slowly nod their heads in agreement.
“If that is the case, I think the business of this council is concluded for tonight.”
You rise from your seat and withdraw to your bedchamber.


It is a cold and misty April morning as you wait sitting on a felled tree trunk beside the stream at Miller’s Ford. So far the plan has been going successfully: the envoys which had despatched had returned with a promise from Baldwin that he would meet you at the ford, on condition that you come personally with a force of only twenty men and with the promised treasure. The “treasure” you have assembled in a wagon. However, only one red leather saddlebag is filled with the precious gold coins, the rest is a mixture of anything you could find. However, if all goes well, de Redvers will not be in a position to examine the other bags.
Ypres’ men are, as planned, lying in wait at the wooded ridge beside the road. Although it took a few days to find enough ships to carry four hundred men with supplies and the winds were at first unfavourable, this was no matter in the end as the emissary was kept for three days before being allowed to return with the acceptance to your apparently generous proposals.
Of Rougehavre’s cavalry, however, you have received no word apart from that they left Bampton last night. You hope that he will not attack prematurely when de Redvers is still in Exeter, or too late when the survivors from Baldwin’s ambushed forced will have been able to find refuge in the city and bar the gates.
Rougehavre’s horsemen are mostly light cavalry and only comprise a score of knights, since the remainder you have kept in reserve in a wood about a mile west of the ford, to cut off de Redvers retreat.
The morning wears on steadily and there is still no sign of de Redvers. Perhaps he has grown suspicious? Perhaps he has received word of a force of five score cavalry north of Exeter and he has marched out to attack? Or has he heard reports of a moonlit landing of armed men on the river?
All these suppositions and hypotheses run through your head until you hear the hooves of horses in the distance. After a moment of fear that it is Rougehavre attacking Exeter too early, you see a score of horsemen cresting a hill and riding towards you, followed by many more. Soon over a hundred mounted soldiers appear before you, all armed to the teeth with spears, swords, axes, maces, daggers and even small wooden crossbows. As you suspected, you see that Baldwin had no intention of honouring the agreement.
You hear shouts behind you. You turn and look across the stream. Horsemen also appear there, cutting your retreat.
Then things go wrong. De Redvers’s band of some two hundred foot soldiers appears and begins to climb the hill where your own infantry are hiding. This was not part of the plan.
You quietly order you men to dismount from their horses and close together to form a wall with their kite shields. Then you walk forward a few paces towards the main force of enemy horsemen.
“Is Baldwin de Redvers among you?” you ask them.
A mailed horseman spurs his steed forward and removes his helmet.
“I am Lord Baldwin de Redvers,” he says in an arrogant voice.
“It seems that either people have been telling you lies about the martial prowess of me and my bodyguard, or that your greatly care for my safety. If not, why so many men?”
The rebel foot soldiers still climb the hill.
“If you majesty,” Baldwin says the last two words with a sneer. “If your majesty comes with us now and puts down his weapons, no blood need be spilled this day. What is your answer?”
“No, I don’t think I shall,” you say simply and turn around to join your bodyguard.
The enemy soldiers reach the top of the hill and enter the tree line. After a few moments, you hear shouts of surprise and anger. The noise of steel on steel soon follows.
“Betrayed!” cries de Redvers and launches his horse down the slope towards your men. His own cavalry soon follow him.
You run back to you knights, draw your sword, lock your shield against theirs and form a tight circle as the horsemen to your rear splash across the stream and slam into your shields.
It is a close, tight and bloody fight as crouch behind your shield, deflecting the blows of sword and axe and waiting for an opportunity to thrust your sword into the exposed breasts and thighs of the enemies.
Your men fight bravely, but the sheer number of rebels threatens to crush the small bodyguard. You glance up the hill for a moment but see no sign of your infantry appearing from their own fight among the trees.
All around you men fall, mostly enemies, but an increasing number of your own men. If Ypres’ men do not come quickly, you will be engulfed and possibly killed. Something must be done soon.
Then you hear the sound of a horn. On the place that Baldwin’s men occupied stands the knights you had kept behind to cut off de Redvers retreat.
Packed tightly together, shield edge to shield edge, knee to knee and with their lances couched under their armpits and pointed downwards, they make an organised, concerted charge.
Though outnumbered by Baldwin’s men, they smash into the unprepared rear ranks of the enemy horsemen, cutting down all in their way in an attempt to free their king.
Another horn sounds and your footsoldiers appear from the trees and charge down the hill.
It is only a few moments before the rebels turn and flee the field, leaving all their wounded behind who are soon mercilessly butchered by your own men. Your knights turn and pursue the defeated rebels. However, the latter’s horses are fresher and lighter and easily out run your heavy and tired mounts.
You stagger out from your group of exhausted bodyguards with your sword covered in blood. William of Ypres and your brother appear, his clergyman’s clothes unstained by any blood. Ypres dismounts.
“My lord, are you all right?” he asks you.
“Yes, I am. By God, for a moment I thought I would die.”
“I am deeply sorry, my liege. The enemy soldiers fought hard and bravely against our infantry.”
“Never mind. We must ride for Exeter forthwith.”

The sight of Exeter stopped you in your tracks. Inside the red sandstone walls, smoke billowed up into the air in several places, especially around the castle. You cursed. Couldn’t Rougehavre control his men? He was supposed to free the citizens from the tyranny of de Redvers and his bandits, not burn their homes and loot the city. You spur you horse on to the city.
You enter the city by its main gate, the heavy doors surprisingly swung open. As you progress through the streets, you see no sign of Rougehavre’s cavalry, only the corpses of de Redvers men hacked to pieces. However, you see more and more citizens, many of them armed. When they see you and your royal device painted on your dented shield, they begin to cheer.
As you approach the castle, you suddenly realise what has happened: the citizens of Exeter, seeing their occupiers, beaten and retreating, rose up against them and attacked them in the streets as the rebels desperately tried to reach the safety of the castle. The fires were probably started by accident, as often happened during riots.
You arrive in front of the red castle walls and observe the situation before you. Two ladders lean against the wall, up which climb a mixed force of citizens and knights who were sent to pursue Baldwin. Of Rougehavre and his men there was no sign.
You turn towards the Flemish mercenaries following up behind you.
“Well, what are you waiting for?” you call out to them. “We have a castle to take!”
You dismount from your horse, draw your still bloodied sword and order some of the townsfolk watching the assault to gather some ladders and rest them against the wall. This done, you give a great cry and lead the mercenaries up the rungs.
When you reach the top, you thrust your sword into a rebel’s bowels and jump onto the battlements, followed by several Flemings. After a few minutes fighting, you clear your part of the battlements and attack the remaining rebels. Seeing this new onslaught of well armoured men, the rebels soon crumble and flee for their last refuge: the keep.
You climb down from the walls and order your men to pull of the crossbar and open the gates. A horde of foot soldiers and townspeople swarm through the gates and launch themselves against the keep. Many of the citizens carry axes, and hack open the bolted door. Then follows the awful carnage of taking a keep by storm: tight, bloody fights in corridors and up stairways. In one bedchamber you find several women and children and order some mercenaries to guard them from vengeful citizens. Finally, you reach the rooftop, and ask for your banner to be brought up. You pick up Baldwin’s flag, with you throw of the keep and replace it with your own. Your men and the townsfolk give a great cheer. The rebellion is suppressed and Exeter is once again yours.

Baldwin is found hiding under a table in the great hall and delivered before you bound in chains. You are asked to pass judgement on the defeated rebel.
“Noble king,” says one of the townsfolk. “This man has usurped your majesty’s power and committed acts of murder and robbery against your majesty’s subjects. We ask that justice be done; we ask that this man be executed. His death would serve as an example to others that your majesty is not someone to be defied. ”
Henry leans towards you and speaks softly in your ear. “Dear brother, perhaps you should follow Christ’s teachings and show a little mercy to this rebel. A cell in some remote castle would remove him from any trouble and your soul would remain unblemished before the Almighty. Imprisonment would be a suitable punishment for de Redvers.”
A woman bursts out of the keep and runs towards the place where you are seated. Her feet are bare and her hair is unbound. She flings herself at your feet.
“Most gracious sovereign,” she pleads. “Please, I beg for you mercy on my husband’s soul. He is defeated now; he no longer poses any danger. I ask only that your majesty may spare his life and have pity on my children and me. I beg that he be sent into exile.”
At this the wretched woman bursts into tears and is dragged away by your soldiers.
Then there is the question of the forty remaining rebels who have been fortunate enough not be killed immediately. The townsfolk once again favour their execution, but William of Ypres asks for their forgiveness.
“My lord, they no longer pose a threat and to kill them would be cruel and tyrannical. Your majesty does not want to lose the love of your subjects in such a fashion.”
It begins to thunder and the dark clouds discharge their heavy load of rain.
“I shall give my verdict tomorrow,” you say.

That evening, a banquet is given in your honour at the Guild Hall, where the richest and most prominent burghers toast your health.
However, there are certain issues to be resolved.
A richly dressed merchant approaches you.
“My liege, there is a certain concern over the disposal of the funds which you have taken back from de Redvers. Much of it is from the taxes that he most maliciously extracted from many of the burghers here, including myself. If your majesty would return these moneys to us, I and many other merchants would be most grateful.”
“But are there not many of my subjects around here who are now homeless, with their land pillaged and their purses stolen?” you ask. “Does Christ not ask that we feed and clothe the poor and the helpless?”
“Yes, but…”
“I shall think on it,” you reply curtly.
The merchant slinks away like a whipped dog.
Your brother walks towards you and whispers in your ear.
“Stephen, as you perhaps now, the royal treasury has dwindled much since your accession to the throne. The gold seized would do much to replenish it and pay the mercenaries you have hired for this expedition.”
You repeat that you will consider the proposals and pour some more wine.
It is then that someone bursts into the hall. He is clad in mail and his drenched cloak clings to his body.
“My lord de Rougehavre,” you say with a hint of astonishment. “We were awaiting you this morning. Fortunately the good people of Exeter were able to complete your task, and very effectively I might add. May I enquire where you were?”
It is a few seconds before he speaks.
“We got lost,” he says angrily.
“Lost?”
“We followed the wrong star when we left Bampton. By morning we ended up many miles to the west of Exeter.”
You bite your lip to prevent yourself from smiling.
“It seems you may need to be taught a few things about stars from sailors, my lord. Anyway, there is good wine and some fine beef here, if you are hungry.”
“However, my liege, there is further news. My brother-in-law, Lord Gilbert fitz Gilbert of Clare, wishes to inform you that his forces have met defeat against the Welsh and that the situation is becoming grave. I also heard that the Scots press further into your majesty’s realm, while I have just learned from a ship’s captain fresh in from Normandy that Geoffrey of Anjou has broken his truce and reached as far as Touques. All regions request your majesty’s attention immediately.”
Once again, there are many decisions to be made.

A: the fate of Baldwin de Redvers.
1. Execute him.
2. Imprison him.
3. Exile him

B: the fate of the rebel prisoners.
1. Execution.
2. Pardon.

C: the disposal of the captured funds.
1. Give it back to the burghers. They would be vary grateful and might be willing to lend you money in the future.
2. Give it to the worst victims of the rebellion. It would gain you the support of the common citizenry of Exeter.
3. Add it to the Royal Treasury, which is in bad need of funds and the mercenaries need paying

D: your next move.
1. Against the Welsh. It would bring badly needed support for Gilbert of Clare.
2. Against the Scots. A victory against them would pacify this front for many years.
3. Sail for Normandy. Defeating Geoffrey of Anjou would negate Matilda’s chance of raising support in England.
Note: for D you can choose to go personally to one region, and sending somebody else to another region to act as your deputy. You can also send reinforcements instead of going in person.

[Kraxis]

Execute Baldwin... This will make the citizens happy.

Pardon the rebels... This will show that you are a kind ruler, yet firm (see A).

Return the money to the burghers... Money are always valuable, and rich merchants always rub off on the citizens. Strong economy will help you get taxes later (see D).

Personally see to it that the Welsh are crushed. Send Ypres to stop Geoffrey, or at least oppose him long enough for you to come and end it. You need to stop what appears to be a strong Welsh incursion. The Welsh border is richer than the Scottish border and is much closer than Normandy, besides the castles up north are much stronger, they will last longer and the local nobles are stronger than those near the Welsh border. If you defeat the Welsh you might very well gain some money as well as new, cheap and quite good troops (Welsh longbowmen).
Sending Ypres to Normandy will do a lot to ease the nobles (if he is not around he will not be able to influence you) while his keen intellect will go a long way to oppose Geoffrey, win/win scenario. Later you can deal with Geoffrey.

[Lord Winter]

A.1
B.2
c.1
d. same as kraxis
When excuting baldwin make a point that it isn't just his rebellion that he is being killed for but the mistreatment of the commen people. With this it will show that you care about the common people in place of the gold.

[King Kurt]

As usual Kraxis is on the money. The only thing I might add would be that I would send De Rougehavre with Ypres - his getting lost sounds a bit too convienent so removing him from the centre of the action would deminish his influence.

Finally - congratulations on the narrative - I read the last episode not knowing what would happen - truely exciting and it caught the feeling of the time excellently.

[Mouzafphaerre]

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Although only the first poster can make decisions, I can't keep my mouth shut, so here you go:

A ― 1. Execute him the Tudor way as I wrote in the first reply, although it doesn't fit in the feudal Norman etiquette. That would make a good example. (+2 dread. )

B​ ― 1. Hang them. The commoners should also know the price of teaming with the wrong side.

C ― 2 & 1. A small amount to cover the most urgent expenses for the most affected and the rest to the bourgeois. Buy the support of both the commons and the gentry. The improved economy and taxes will repay it in the future.

D ― Rush to Wales and send d'Ypres on to Normandie.

I'm unsure of what to do with de Rougehavre. Keeping him at hand might be better, at the cost of letting his influence at home be, than sending him away, which bears the risk of him switch sides and join the Angevines.
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