Who is at war with who?

[zakalwe]

A short bit about scots/english relations for the previous decade, partly taken from another thread.

Malcolm III staged 5 major raids into Northumbria during his reign - in 1061, 1070, 1079, 1091 and 1093. These were for mixed reasons - the support of Anglo-Saxons in his court and expansion into Northumberland down towards the Tyne which he was hoping to claim.

In retaliation, in 1072 William the Conq took a great army with an accompanying fleet up through Lothian into Fife. At Abernethy he forced Malcolm into paying homage to him and giving his son as hostage.

From the translated Anglo-Saxon chronicle - ''This year King William led a naval force and a land force to Scotland, and beset that land on the sea-side with ships, whilst he led his land-force in at the Tweed, but he found nothing there of any value. King Malcolm, however, came, and made peace with King William, and gave hostages, and became his man; whereupon the king returned home with all his force. '' ( Note - Florence of Worcester and those who follow him say that William proceeded as far as Abernethy; where Malcolm met him, and surrendered to him )

In 1079, Malcolm once again raided into England. AS Chronicle again - ''This year came King Malcolm from Scotland into England, betwixt the two festivals of St. Mary, with a large army, which plundered Northumberland till it came to the Tine, and slew many hundreds of men, and carried home much coin, and treasure, and men in captivity.''

In 1080 William's son Robert struck back into Scotland forcing a renewal of the Abernethy terms at Falkirk and arranging more hostages. Later that year the English began work on a new castle on the Tyne.

So in game terms at the start of 1080, the Scots have raided into England, and the Norman English will be thinking of a suitable response.

[Justiciar]

And so the North was "harried". Bastards.

[ZombieFriedNuts]

Go england!

[Inal_the_Great]

Circassians with Russians are fighting at North Caucasus around this time.

[King Yngvar]

But for gameplay reasons, everyone will probably start as neutral.

For gameplay reasons it would be silly if the Byzantines allied the Turks after the first turn...