Alexios Comnenus
Strategos and Emperor of Byzantium after 1081
Alfred
King of Wessex in the ninth century
Andronikos
Byzantine commander of light cavalry and latterly strategos
Andros
Interpreter and Ragnar’s assistant at the farm
Anna Dalassene
The mother of Alexios
Bandon (plural Banda)
Unit of 200 men
Boatyard
Kiev
Branton
Osbert’s brother, an archer
byrnie
Armoured coat
Calisthenes
Spymaster for Nicephorus III
Canute
King Sweyn’s son
conroi
Knights who follow a leader
Danegeld
Bribe paid to Danes by English kings in the 8th -10th centuries
Dekarchos
Officer in command of ten men
Droungos
A unit, normally 500 men commanded by a Droungarios
Ealdgyth
Wife of King Harold
Eric
King Sweyn’s son
gammer
Old woman or mother
Gytha
Relative of the Earl of Hereford and wife of Aelfraed
Harald
King Sweyn’s son
Hedeby
Denmark’s capital
Hetaireia
Imperial bodyguard of the Byzantine Emperor
Inglinoi
English troops fighting for Byzantium
Irene Doukaina
Granddaughter of Caesar John Doukas- Emperor
Isaac Constanus
Aelfraed’s Imperial Aide
Isaac the Jew
Jarl Gunnersson
Captain of The Maiden
John
Official at court
Kentarches
Officer in charge of 100 men
Kentarchia
100 men
Komes
Commander of two hundred men in the Byzantine army
Kontoubernion plural Kontoubernia
A unit of ten cataphracts or ten soldiers
Kurya
Pecheng King
leat
An open stretch of water close to a river
Makios Embolas
A street in Constantinople
Malcolm Canmore
King of Scotland
Manzikert
The battle where the Byzantine Emperor was captured
Medelai
Middleham North Yorkshire
Miklagård
Constantinople
Nicephorus Botaniantes
Strategos and Emperor before Alexios
Nicephorus Bryennios
Rebel General
Nikephoros Basilakes
Rebel General
Olef
Commander of the Varangian guard
Osbert
Sergeant at arms of Aelfraed
Pechengs
Tribe of horsemen near southern Russia
Ragnar
Danish Warrior
Reuben
Jewish money lender
Ridley
Housecarl of the Earl
Roussel de Bailleul
Rebel Prince and Norman knight
Straboromanos
Head of the Imperial spies under Nicephorus
Strategos plural Strategoi
A Byzantine general
King of the Danes
Thema plural Themata
en thousand man Byzantine army
Thingman
Housecarls of the English Royal family until 1051
Thor
Sea captain
Tourmache
Byzantine commander of 2400 men
Wight
Spirit
Witenagemot
The council of England wh ich chose the king
wyrd
fate
Historical note
Edgar the Aetheling did invite Sweyn II of Denmark to invade England; they captured York and then ravaged the countryside. When William came north he bought off Sweyn with the money he had raised through taxes and then punished the people of the north by slaughtering them! Sweyn then returned to Denmark. By 1080 Sweyn’s son Canute was king of the Danes and then he was killed by his brother Harald who then became king. Sweyn had many illegitimate sons. I used Eric as one.
Alexios was a strategos and he did pursue Roussel who is a really interesting character. He did refuse to fight at Manzikert but was then forgiven and given command which is when he decided to become a ruler himself and rebelled. Alexios pursued him to Amasya where the people loved him and Alexios used a ploy to make them give him up. Aelfraed’s clandestine operation is my version. Amazingly when Roussel was captured and imprisoned he was still allowed to lead men against Nicephorus Botaniantes who rebelled. He joined the enemy again! This time when the Seljuk’s captured him he was executed, having used most of his nine lives.
The Battle of Kalavrye took place almost as described in the book. Alexios was given command of the army and he tried to ambush Bryennios. The two wings collapsed and Alexios barely escaped with his own retinue. He regrouped his scattered troops and assaulted again. Meanwhile the Pechengs had decided to loot their ally’s camp and the Byzantines defeated the larger army by feigning a retreat. Bryennios was captured and the rebellion quashed. Nikephoros Basilakes did rebel and Alexios defeated him through a night attack.
The war of Alexios and Robert was fought pretty much as described. The Varangians were massacred in the first battle and it ended the way it was described. As far as I know there were no renegade Varangians with the Normans- this is a story after all. Alexios did bribe the Holy Roman Emperor to invade Italy and when Guiscard was away Alexios did recapture, from Bohemund, all the territory he had lost. When the Normans returned to Corfu they were faced by Alexios. The site of their battle is not known and the consensus of opinion was that it was a draw but Robert and five hundred knights did die of a fever and the Normans did not return until after Alexios was dead at the time of the First Crusade. Alexios was the only enemy Robert did not defeat. Alexios’ daughter wrote a history of this time and most of the events I have used were written by her. History is always written by the victors.
My story is really about a Briton and in Aelfraed I see the archers of Crecy, Poitiers and Agincourt. The cavalry at Blenheim, the courageous riflemen of the Peninsular and the Guards at Waterloo; the 24th Foot at Rorke’s Drift right up to the Cockleshell heroes who sailed up a river to complete a mission against all odds and who can forget the magnificent Paras at Arnhem. All of these are what I like to think of as the warriors who came from the Housecarls of Harold. Men like Ridley and Osbert, Branton and Edward. Honest men who did their duty without fuss and without complaint and were then forgotten when they returned home. Those men who fought and sacrificed for their country as comrades and long may we honour them.
Griff Hosker
January 2013
Other books by
Griff Hosker
If you enjoyed reading this book then why not read another one by the author?
The Sword of Cartimandua Series (Germania and Britannia 50A.D. – 128 A.D.)
Ulpius Felix- Roman Warrior
Book 1 The Sword of Cartimandua
Book 2 The Horse Warriors
Book 3 Invasion Caledonia
Book 4 Roman Retreat
Book 5 Revolt of the Red Witch
Book 6 Druid’s Gold
Book 7 Trajan’s Hunters
Book 8 The Last Frontier
Book 9 Hero of Rome
Book 10 Roman Hawk
Book 11Roman Treachery
They are all available in the Kindle format.
The Aelfraed Series (Britain and Byzantium 1050 A.
D.- 1085 A.D.)
Book 1 Housecarl
Book 2 Outlaw
Book 3 Varangian
These are available in the Kindle format.
The Wolf Warrior series (Britain in the late 6th Century)
Book 1 Saxon Dawn
Book 2 Saxon Revenge
Book 3 Saxon England
Book 4 Saxon Blood
Book 5 Saxon Slayer
Also available in paperback and Kindle is the book aimed at 12-15 years olds, Great Granny’s Ghost
Carnage at Cannes is a modern thriller and is available in the Kindle format.
Travel
Adventure at 63-Backpacking to Istanbul
The Lucky Jack Civil War series
Book 1 The Rebel Raider
Book 2 Confederate Raider
For more information on all of the books then please visit the author’s web site at http://www.griffhosker.com where there is a link to contact him.
All the books are now published by Sword Books Ltd.
The End
Historical note
Griff Hosker June 2013
Other books by
Griff Hosker
If you enjoyed reading this book then why not read another one by the author?
The Sword of Cartimandua Series (Germania and Britannia 50A.D. – 128 A.D.)
Ulpius Felix- Roman Warrior
Book 1 The Sword of Cartimandua
Book 2 The Horse Warriors
Book 3 Invasion Caledonia
Book 4 Roman Retreat
Book 5 Revolt of the Red Witch
Book 6 Druid’s Gold
Book 7 Trajan’s Hunters
Book 8 The Last Frontier
Book 9 Hero of Rome
Book 10 Roman Hawk
Book 11 Roman Treachery
They are all available in the Kindle format.
The Aelfraed Series (Britain and Byzantium 1050 A.D.- 1085 A.D.)
Book 1 Housecarl
Book 2 Outlaw
Book 3 Varangian
These are available in the Kindle format.
The Wolf Warrior series (Britain in the late 6th Century)
Book 1 Saxon Dawn
Book 2 Saxon Revenge
Book 3 Saxon England
Also available in paperback and Kindle is the book aimed at 12-15 years olds, Great Granny’s Ghost
Carnage at Cannes is a modern thriller and is available in the Kindle format.
Travel
Adventure at 63-Backpacking to Istanbul
Coming in Autumn 2013
The Irishman in the grey - a trilogy set in the American Civil War
For more information on all of the books then please visit the author’s web site at http://www.griffhosker.com where there is a link to contact him.