Rise of Rurik

Compared to the Roman-era cathedral in Trier, the church in Mainz had an unfortunate fate.

After being looted five hundred years ago, the building collapsed on a large scale during the fire, with only the stone base and some broken walls remaining.

The ancient barbarians had become civilized people. They were baptized as Christians and built a new church on the ruins, the so-called Saint Martin's Cathedral.

Also during the Merovingian era, Saint Martin financed the rebuilding of a new church in Mainz. In addition to the rock base, it is built with a large amount of wood. It lacks the thickness of Roman-style rock buildings and has a lower construction cost.

Compared to Worms upstream, Mainz may be a more suitable location for the bishop's seat. However, with such a cathedral that was clearly built in a hurry, the regional archbishop was not willing to move the seat here.

But the Archbishop himself was already stationed here, or he himself was now forced to be at the mercy of Ludwig.

Because, if he does not want to, the position of archbishop will be deprived of him immediately.

What does the sudden arrival of the Norman longships in Mainz have to do with Ortega?

Until Father Conrad of Nassau Abbey suddenly arrived with caution, this visit was really an unexpected surprise.

Odega summoned this low-ranking monk with a very high standard. What is a high standard? He lit up the small room with dim oil lamps in his private office, and sent out all the people to wait for the two to talk face to face.

After a brief ceremonial greeting, Odega had to make some soul-searching questions.

"The Normans are here again. What are they here for? Who are they?"

Conrad answered simply: "Still a Russian stationed in Nassau."

"The leader is still Joseph (referring to Blue Fox)."

"It's his brother, Paul."

"Paul? So, is this Paul a good person? From what I understand, these Russians have all had their minds corrupted by the devil, even you! You! You did not educate them, and you are also guilty."

Odgar had a solemn face and used very harsh words. If his identity had not prevented him from committing the crime of "wrath", he would have pointed his finger at Conrad's nose and cursed.

[To be honest, I have been using @recently.

All because of the extremely special status of this Archbishop of Mainz (Worms).

The "Imperial Faction" was a loose alliance of nobles in the Frankish territory. They supported Lothair as the sole king, opposed the three-part empire treaty established by the previous king, and advocated using war to wipe out other princes and their influence.

If Lothair wanted to kill his two brothers and nephew Pepin, the imperial faction was responsible for the instigation.

For example, Count Metz, of course, had to encourage his monarch to use violence and cruelty. Only in this way could Metz have the opportunity to obtain greater privileges after the civil war and restore the power of the former principality.

Some local archbishops were forced to choose sides, and Odegaard took Lothair's side. However, the entire diocese was simply occupied by Duke Ludwig of Bavaria.

In order to avoid being exiled, he betrayed his position and surrendered to Ludwig, thus retaining his position as archbishop.

His life experience was quite complicated. When he was young, he traveled around the empire, served in many monasteries and churches, and had a good relationship with the late King Louis the Pious. By the way, he also had a good relationship with Prince Lothair.

In fact, Odgar was the baptizer of the defeated Danish king Horik who was made a "roast pig" to sacrifice to Odin by Rurik on Hanukkah (Christmas) at the end of 840.

Therefore, when he surrendered to Ludwig, he met the Danish mercenaries who returned five to six people at that time and their leader, the expelled King Harald Clark.

Horik, who knew that the seizure of Durist Port had made Count Baudouin of Flanders uncomfortable, also learned that this man had first been ordered by Ludwig to go to Denmark to become king, and also learned of his rebellion and second surrender. In the end, he was found to have been killed.

When Horik was deliberately made into a roast pig by the newly born Kingdom of Ross, the Ross man Joseph Blue Fox was the person involved.

A group of Russian troops from that war have now transformed into the Nassau garrison, and now...these people killed Lothair's 800 standing army? !

Although they were all in the city of Mainz, Archbishop Odegaard did not receive the "Fox Brothers" who visited this city last year. He only knew that after the King of the East and Duke Ludwig of Bavaria lost the Danish mercenary group, he clearly immediately Get new Norman mercenaries with stronger strength.

Taking advantage of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, in this private place with no one around, he deliberately asked Conrad a fatal question. ….

No, he checked the surroundings again and made sure that all the priests were resting in the dormitory. Then he returned to the Chamber of Secrets and asked, "Is it really them? Is it really Ludwig who asked them to attack Trier?"

When asked like this, Conrad also knew its fatality.

"Are you afraid? Don't be afraid, say it. Just answer, yes or no."

Conrad did not seem to continue to be unconscionable. He said with a serious face: "Yes. Everything is a conspiracy, and even the king is the conspirator."

As if a sword had been stabbed in his chest, Odega held his heart in his hands and endured the pain to regain his composure. He was covered in cold sweat and his lips were trembling.

"I...what else can I say? The war between nobles has given up all face and souls. Do...should I continue to blame the Normans? Some nobles are also deceived by demons."

Odegaard was very interested in things outside, especially the homeland of the Normans. How about the Danes? His knowledge was still limited to twenty years ago, but he didn't know that the northern world had been turned upside down in twenty years.

The information Conrad was able to explain was limited and distorted, but he gave an accurate description of the military power of the Normans. Almost instantly, the always powerful Ross army arrived in Coblenz. The Frank army that committed malicious arson was killed and beheaded by the powerful Ross army, and then the Ross army disappeared overnight.

Such a description shocked Odgar into a cold sweat, so much so that the meeting ended passively with the old guy about to collapse.

So this time the Russians stationed in Nassau arrived in Mainz with a lot of heads and at this critical moment when the war was imminent. The heads were flattering, and they came to ask for a fight.

After all, Odega is not a devout person who can only worship God. To put it crudely, as the saying goes, the butt determines the head. Naturally, his current archbishop must wear a gold-plated and silver-plated bishop.

Top Hat is a good servant of God. If he is really deprived of his position, he will continue to be loyal to Lothair and show himself as a military noble when he appears again.

It is not impossible to command the army to kill people on the battlefield, and now you cannot show your hypocrisy to others. In the current situation, you must be extremely pious and have no concern for the military and the nobles' struggle for power.

How could he decide these thoughts himself? It's just wishful thinking.

Like a puppet on strings, the dignified archbishop must comply with Ludwig's requirements except for normal religious matters. In fact, he has been banned from leaving the cathedral without permission.

On one side there is a secret meeting in the cathedral, and on the other side there is a secret meeting in the palace.

The archbishop had a deeper understanding of the Norman Rus, but of course it was only from ignorance to a little knowledge.

Ludwig and the Russians have a new conspiracy, which is actually a win-win deal on a high platform.

In fact, for Ludwig, he would make the most money once the conspiracy succeeded.

To complete the conspiracy, the prerequisites must be fulfilled. The next morning, the noble Duke of Bavaria broke into the St. Martin's Cathedral in the city with a high profile.

He didn't even take off the exquisite Ross dagger hanging from his waist. Firstly, I really feel that this sword is too exquisite, and secondly, it is also a spiritual victory. Knowing that the sword that belonged to King Rurik of Rus was hanging on his body, he could not win the Elbe War, so he needed to show off the Norman sword he claimed to have "captured" to regain his face. ….

It can be said that he had this mentality when he shouted at the Black Fox and the Ross garrison in Nassau.

As for Archbishop Odegaard, Ludwig did not have any psychological burden. He was a complete winner for this man.

Facing the intruding Ludwig, Odega only dared to remind him in a low voice: "Honorable Duke of Bavaria, this is a holy place. Please take off your weapons and put on your robes..."

"Forget it," Ludwig interrupted the Archbishop arrogantly.

Odgar took three steps back, head raised, not daring to say anything.

"Why are you afraid of me? You! You don't even want to call me the King of the East. That's fine." Ludwig's domineering attitude did not diminish, he approached the Archbishop directly and looked down at this noble servant of God.

"King...what do you...come here for? Could it be that you want to repent?"

"Repent? Oh, I will repent. I will repent after the war when I killed the army of my elder brother. However, a grand ceremony will be held in the cathedral soon. I am here for no other reason than to consecrate two nobles in the mission hall. .And you must serve as a witness."

"Okay! Okay... May I ask the king, who is the new noble?"

"That's a good question. Of course it's the Russians who personally sent ships and troops."

Ortega now sweats like a psycho every time he hears "Ross". Listening to what Ludwig said, he instantly thought of last year's conspiracy. But I can't reveal a word, and I can't let anyone know what I know. Especially now, he estimated that Ludwig had reached some kind of bloody conspiracy with the Russians, and only the devil knew what the conspiracy was.

However, it is understandable that the archbishop himself was present to witness the sacred ceremony of canonizing nobles.

He took the task, but was surprised by Ludwig's eagerness.

"The ceremony is going to be held tonight?"

"Without further delay, tonight! Even if it's a little crude."

From Ludwig's point of view, he wished that the fast-sailing Russians would set off immediately and destroy the key stone bridge in Sarabrücken and burn the granaries in a short time, thereby cutting off the retreat of his elder brother's army. Greatly improve your dire situation.

So he had prepared a guide overnight, so to speak, to point out the direction of the Ross army stationed in Nassau during the attack.

Now Thuringian Hortakulf himself crossed the Rhine with ease in a Norman longboat that morning. This was a rather fantastic feeling in his life. He could look at the city of Mainz with its thick stone walls from a Norman perspective.

He even chatted disrespectfully with his soldiers in Thuringian dialect and a lot of slang: "If we were Normans, we would row a ship like this and land directly, plunder and leave. Haha,

But we are not Normans. "

After saying this, many armored warriors laughed loudly, making the people rowing the boat confused.

The Thuringians do not speak Frankish, but the local Germanic dialect. However, the two languages ​​have great similarities and can communicate with each other without any barriers. If both Thuringians use slang and slang, there will be no hope of conversation.

Because the Principality of Thuringia was annexed by Frank through war, it was forced to surrender after paying a certain amount of human losses. The old nobles were killed, and the newly canonized nobles were rewarded with "countries of the border", so-called marquises. ….

Thuringia has had its own opinions since ancient times. They have to guard against the invasion of the Franks and the Saxons. The biggest threat is the waves of immigrants from the Slavic tribes in the east.

The Sorbs and other Slavic tribes were conquered by the Frankish army. These people were all slaves. In the war two years ago, they sent many troops but were completely wiped out. There was no explanation for the catastrophic losses, and Ludwig demanded no less tribute.

The Thuringian princes who were authorized to collect taxes naturally had to resort to plunder. The Frankish Civil War was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Even though he had a certain degree of Frankish ancestry, Thakulv now fully stood on Thuringia's side. He deliberately stood still and deliberately took advantage of the slave clan, all in order to stabilize the existing strength and wait for opportunities to expand.

However, the very real problem is that Thuringia has had limited strength since ancient times.

Takulf organized a thousand men to be recruited, most of them infantry. Have troops been sent out? Out. Why are there only a thousand people? Answer, Thuringia is weak. Why is there only a small number of cavalry, which is not against Charlemagne's regulations? Answer, Thuringia is weak.

Send troops, but not at the expense of aid. The versatile man was very concerned about the international situation. The Duke of Saxony made peace and formed an alliance with the more powerful Normans. A big threat suddenly appeared in northern Thuringia.

The failure of the war in 840 meant that Ludwig's control over the entire north could not be said to be under control, it could only be said to exist in name only.

He needs to think about it: If I didn't appear extremely enthusiastic, what else could he do to me?

With the help of Norman ships, the Thuringian army almost completely crossed the river in just one morning, leaving only a small amount of baggage.

Just as Ludwig complained to Black Fox yesterday, the Thuringian army deliberately did not bring a large amount of supplies. The people arrived, a thousand people, neither more nor less, and a thousand mouths just waiting for the king to deliver food.

He even realized why Ludwig valued the Normans in Nassau? "Isn't it just to show off to me that you have a new mercenary? Since you value them as much as you value Harald Clark. Let your new favorite do the dirty work. Anyway, if someone dies, the loss will not be I."

Therefore, the Margrave of Thuringia clearly landed with a generous attitude. He entered the city to meet with the king. When he heard Ludwig's strange and difficult things, he put on a smile and pretended to listen attentively, but he secretly murmured: "You are a bastard." fool".

However, the Margrave of Thuringia was aware of Ludwig's love for the Nassau Rus, and was still surprised by his plan to publicly ennoble the great nobles.

Can a small Nassau, a small village chief in the Lan River Valley, and a mere baron become the ruler of the entire Lyingau? Why did Koblenz also belong to them? Is the news reliable? Did Ludwig not want to occupy the strategic fortress area of ​​Koblenz himself?

Yes, Ludwig wanted to use the power of the Russians to leverage their strength.

The so-called possession of Coblenz is equivalent to dancing naked in front of Lothair and the imperial nobles. It is a real strategic threat, and secondly, it is also extremely insulting. Since the Russians are fierce, let these northerners and the nobles fight for a long time. The death of the people is not their loss anyway. ….

So Ludwig thought he was smarter and should give these Normans greater benefits, so that they would be reluctant to part with what they had now and would fight Lothair to keep their wealth and status.

By the way, it is also the Marquis of Thuringia who shows off what royal power is.

What else can be done? Takulf was willing to go to the cathedral to see the grand ceremony of the canonization ceremony, and by the way, to see what kind of "Norman Chief" was loved so much by the king.

Until he saw that "a fat pig full of bristles" was about to be canonized

Baron of Wiesbaden.

To be fair, Black Fox is just a big fat guy, and he can't lose weight passively unless he goes through a complicated and difficult experience like his second brother Blue Fox.

He put on a special robe according to the rules of the Franks. It was a robe that was a combination of Frankish national costumes and a modified Roman Empire toga. Finally, he tied his waist with a belt as much as possible. Unfortunately, the more he tied his waist, the more ridiculous he looked.

He and his wife Sofia both wore these distinctive robes, and Sofia was even more beautifully dressed. Both of them deliberately hung sterling silver crosses on their chests. This was an extraordinary accessory. It stood out because of its size, declaring the dignity of the owner.

On the other hand, Ludwig, wearing a military uniform and a golden crown, tried his best to show his nobility.

The Ross steel sword still hangs on his waist, but when it comes to the actual canonization, he uses his real sword - a broad-bladed Frankish iron sword inlaid with rubies and lapis lazuli.

Archbishop Odegaard led all the clergy and the guest Father Conrad as witnesses.

As for the nobility, only two great nobles were present to watch the ceremony, namely Thuringia Marquis Thakurf and Count Bobo of Upper Main (Bamberg).

Completely different from his elder brother, Ludwig did not have a large number of feudal nobles in the eastern and northern regions of the empire. Firstly, these areas had been conquered by military forces in the past hundred years. Secondly, the large armies that opened up territories had long been conquered. A great military aristocrat was in control, and this great aristocrat did not need vassals from all over the country to send troops to support him.

Now Ludwig is such a big noble. His control of the north has failed. Fortunately, legally the nobles who once rebelled are still loyal to him. As for the control of Bavaria and Austria, he behaved more like an Eastern king.

More and more Bavarian troops passed through the earldom of Upper Main, taking advantage of the shipping and riverside access of the Main River and finally gathered in Mainz. Ludwig used his heavy cavalry at the bottom of the box, recruited a large number of new soldiers, and formed a large number of flag troops, which were directly commanded by himself.

Count Bobo of Upper Main was a man who made great achievements. His merit lay not in killing the enemy, but in clearing the communication lines so that the Bavarian army could reach Mainz smoothly. Even in the future battlefield, Ludwig did not want the count to suffer any losses.

The Marquis of Thuringia was different. This guy probably needed to be beaten with a whip before his army was willing to fight to the death. He can only fight with the wind. He does not have the ability to fight bloody battles, but he must have the ability to plunder and it is great. After all, Ludwig is aware of what he did when he conquered the Slavic tribes.

No, the big fat Black Fox and the petite Sophia both knelt down. Ludwig held his sword and touched their shoulders and heads to congratulate them, and deliberately shouted a narration declaration.

"Canonized! Sophia Heinrich Nassau, Count of Nassau-Koblenz-Leingau!"

"Conning! Paul Black Fox Gouldson, Baron Wiesbaden!"

Ludwig also made a major declaration: "The Robert family defected and all their titles were abolished. Wiesbaden returned to Leingau, and Leingau remained unchanged! Sophia was the first countess of Leingau, the eldest son of Sophia and Paul He will be the next Earl of Laingau."

Such a declaration was enough to cause an uproar in the aristocratic circle. A woman became an earl and a Norman became a baron.

Although the expelled King of Denmark was loyal to Ludwig, his life and death were uncertain in the end and he did not get a title. This "Norman pig" named Paul also became Baron Wiesbaden? And his son is the earl who rules the three lands.

The Earl of Main was in a calm state of mind, while the Marquis of Thuringia stared in disbelief.

But that was the fact. Ludwig repeated the declaration three times, and it was obvious that he would not change anything. .

The reborn star fruit