King Oswulf I of Wessex

Overview

King Oswulf acceded the throne of Wessex at the age of four in the year 800AD, almost immediately upon his accession there was a Civil War to attempt to institute a Gavelkind Succession law. This war lasted for three years from the beginning of 801 to the end of 803 and was notable as one of the last wars that Emperor Charlemagne of the Holy Roman Empire fought in. Oswulf was a conquering king and spent a great deal of his reign in aggressive wars against neighbouring kingdoms such as Mercia, Kent, and Middlesex subsuming areas of these nations into his own empire. The most notable events of Oswulf's later reign were the Middlesex Campaign, the War of the Coalition of Britannia, and the Succession Crisis. King Oswulf had one daughter, Cynegyth, who succeeded him upon his death after a multi-year succession crisis which began as he was dying of syphilis and ended upon his daughter's victory in the ensuing Civil War.

The Gavelkind Crisis

The Gavelkind Crisis began almost immediately following Oswulf's accession to the throne. Oswulf was confronted early one morning in 801 by his angry vassals who demanded the institution of the Gavelkind Succession Law, upon Oswulf's (5) refusal they left and raised their standards, indicating the beginning of a civil war. King Oswulf was escorted from the Palace of Winchester in the early hours of the night and a guerrilla war ensued. Winchester was placed under siege and the young king petitioned his ally Emperor Charlemagne (his future father-in-law) for support. It took three months for the first troops of the Holy Roman Empire to arrive and, working with Wessex's forces, the siege of Winchester was lifted as it entered its fourth month. The combined forces of the Holy Roman Empire and Wessex were enough to capture the City of Gwent and force a surrender by the Rebels. Oswulf left the ringleaders of the revolt in prison for 25 years before eventually releasing them after deciding on the proper amount for a ransom.

Early Conquests and the Middlesex Campaign

Eager to prove himself at a young age the teenage king mounted several offensives in his childhood years. In 804 he declared war on the Petty Kingdom of Glywysing and over the course of two years gradually ground them down with the help of his noble council and his regent. The war hinged on two key events in 805AD where Cardiff, the capital of the kingdom, fell and the forces of Wessex won the Battle of Gloucester, relieving a two month siege, by the end of the year the Kingdom had fallen. In 806 Oswulf and his betrothed were dealt a bitter blow by the death of the Holy Roman Emperor Charlemagne. The alliance with the Holy Roman Empire was renewed at the Council of Bruges by Emperor Louis. Emboldened by this strengthened alliance Oswulf ordered his most important conquest, the Middlesex Campaign. In 808 Wessex's forces were proven to be a force to be reckoned with in their own right when they swept into London, winning a strong victory before sealing the deal with a decisive victory at Cornwall mere months later. In 809 the two sieges of London and Westminster were enough to force the total surrender of the Earl of Middlesex, his lands becoming a part of the Petty Kingdom although he was allowed to keep his title.

Coming of Age, the Mercian Crisis, and the Britannic Coalition

In 810 there was a crisis on the Isles of Britannia, the Danish King had rallied a number of Scandinavia warlords and set about preparing for an invasion of the Kingdom of Mercia. At the age of 13 this thrust King Oswulf into the centre of the Mercian Crisis and the Conference of Oxford. At the conference the Kings of near enough every independent Kingdom of Britannia resolved to repel the Danish invaders at any cost, no matter how long it took. The Coalition assembled a mighty force of nearly 20,000 men to meet the invaders in Norfolk where they believed the landing to be coming. Years passed and there were still no invasions, by 813 Oswulf had come of age and was free of the constraints of his regency, just in time for the Danish landing at York to catch the Northumbrian Army completely unawares. The resulting battle of York dealt a crippling blow to Northumberland's capacity to wage war and nearly spelled doom for the Coalition.

The Coalition assembled its forces in North Wales, preparing to counter-attack. Oswulf, not famed for his tactical command on the battlefield, marched with his men to do battle and attempt to relieve the siege of [Insert Mercian Capital here]. In January 814 battle was joined, 14,000 men marching under the myriad of colours of the Coalition against the 10,000 men mustered from over the sea. The fighting lasted for over a week as skirmishes broke out, pitched battles took place, and then finally by February of that year the spine of the Danish forces was broken and they were forced to retreat all the way back across the North Sea. By 815 an armistice and peace treaty were signed.

Later Campaigns

The latter campaigns of King Oswulf were not waged by him but were directed by him. Shortly after the peace treaty with Denmark was signed Oswulf directed his forces to cross into Wales and make war with the peoples who lived around Brecon. Within a year the area had been subjugated and annexed, adding yet more Welsh land to the Kingdom of Wessex. Similar victories were recorded over Kent (taking the County of Sussex) and Cornwall (taking the County of Dorset) over the course of the next five years. During that time King Oswulf struck a secret pact with the Holy Roman Emperor Charles II, in return for assistance in the Holy Roman Civil War Charles would send forces to help Oswulf in a later war of his choosing. Oswulf obliged and sent limited support to the Emperor who was eventually victorious, this marked the one and only time Oswulf intervened on the continent.

By 823 the young king directed his troops to go to war with the Petty Kingdom of Mercia, it was here that he cashed in his favour with Charles. With 3000 Roman troops added to the 2000 troops of the Wessex Royal Army he was able to mastermind a crucial battle at Wessex, lifting any threat of siege and forcing Mercia onto the backfoot. This victory was followed up by more victories in East Anglia and Offa's Dike before the Mercians surrendered control of the County of Oxford in return for peace. This would mark the final campaign of King Oswulf and his final great triumph.

Succession Crisis and Death

By 827 it was clear that Oswulf was not long for this World. He had contracted syphilis and was slowly dying but he grew desperate in his desire to protect the future of his dynasty and kingdom. In a stunning move that historians still debate he gave the Earl of Gwent his independence on condition that this would seal his vote for the changing of the Succession Laws of Wessex to recognise a female's right to inherit. Within a month of this change in the succession laws Oswulf had died and the kingdom was thrown back into civil war.

Legacy

Oswulf was responsible for a period of internal peace in Wessex that lasted for over two decades, and the vast majority of his reign. He was a pious man who often sought to be right with God and with the Pope, repenting quickly if he had been seen to have angered either. His legacy is mixed, undoubtedly a sharp strategic mind he expanded the Eastern and South Western borders of Wessex greatly but he shall be forever remembered for his failure to sire a son and his desperate gamble to secure his succession for his daughter Queen Cynegyth which quickly plunged the kingdom back into civil war.