MacDidz: The Scottish Blog

[Didz]

Summer 1108: For Saints and for Sinners

Edward was aware that there was a problem amongst the Christian community in his Kingdom. Ever since the Battle of Nottingham there had been a growing unorthodox belief in the special status that the people of the United Kingdom held in the favour of the Lord. Edward was not unsympathetic to this view himself and had perhaps unwisely intimated as much to the Pope on several occasions.

However, things began to take a more serious path soon after Edward paid-off the Irish and Welsh mercenaries and sent them home.

These men returned home rich with gold from their conquests and stories of Gods intervention in their victory. For most of these men the stories were just a good way of becoming the centre of attention in the local tavern, and impressing the wenches. Over time the stories were embellished and improved upon to keep them fresh and exciting.

But for a select few, who were unwilling to labour for their living, not skilled enough to become tradesmen, or too foolish to use their fortune wisely, the stories became the basis of their personal survival. They quickly found that the stories tied in perfectly with the growing belief in Gods special relationship with the people of the United Kingdom, and that by preaching these stories they could attract both money and personal favours from a growing flock of believers.

Thus, stories began to grow that Christ was born in Scotland , that Jerusalem was founded in England’s green and pleasant land. That the Holy Lamb of God was first seen on the hills of Wales, and the Holy Ghost walked freely across the bogs of Ireland. The people of the United Kingdom were Gods chosen, especialliy blessed and destined to inheret the Kingdom of Heaven and those of other nations merely servants and inherently inferior.

The most well known preacher of this new belief was Mataad Nevell a Scotsman from Inverness who had managed to convert 30% of the population of Northern Scotland by his teachings. But there were at least two others known as Primus and Isaac.

Belief in these new teachings was highest in the Scotland, Ireland and Wales where the message was readily accepted by those who had fought and profited from the war with England. Understandably, it gained much less support amongst the English of London and Nottingham who it was said had fallen from Gods grace by allowing a Norman to take their throne.

Inverness = 30% Heretic
Edinburgh = 24% Heretic
York = 24% Heretic
Wales = 22% Heretic
Dublin = 17% Heretic
London = 1% Heretic
Nottingham = 0% Heretic

Edward considered such belief’s harmless, if not actually beneficial to Kingdoms spiritual well-being, he may even have agreed with some of the preaching’s of these new prophets, which after all supported his own view that God favoured his destiny.

But the Pope was not so tolerant, it was Edward's brother Edmund who first sent warning to London that Domencius Boctarius, a Papal inquisitor, had arrived in Edinburgh intent on routing out the source of these heretical belief’s and restoring the Kingdom to the true word of God.

Edward responded to this news with alarm, now was not the time to explore questions of theology, now was the time for unquestioning conformance. He immediately suggested to Edmund that this would be a good time to visit the swordsmiths guild in Nottingham to upgrade his weaponry, whilst at the same time instructing the priests of the Scottish church to demonstrate their own enthusiasm to assist the Papal agents as far as they are able.

Scotland quickly became emptied of nobility and full of priests.