Robin's Rise
While the continental part of the English empire was in constant battle, the islands were relatively peaceful. There were only two governors for the four kingdoms. None of the citizens were being sent to fight wars, and taxes kept flowing into the treasury. there were two senior members of the Royal Family who actually lived on the island, but three would soon come of age.
Toby, Godwine and Robin were the three sons of Morcar Robins, Grand Duke of Scotland and Ireland. While they were nice enough lads, living with their angry alcoholic father was enough to change them. Toby knew that unless they all left their fathers care as soon as possible, they would become exactly like him. On his sixteenth birthday, Toby left Edinburgh and travelled to France. He knew his family's connections would help him, and soon enough, he was placed in charge of a small task force with the purpose of eliminating rebels and vagabonds that terrorized the countryside. It was not a glamorous position, but he did manage to prove himself in battle against the rebels. He rose in prominence as a brilliant commander, but still had much to learn. He was soon deployed against the French. The war effort was in shambles and disunited. There was no clear leader and all the generals were attempting their own strategies without coordination. While the early days of the war had gone well, progress had stalled. Allies of the French like Venice and Spain had also declared war on England. King Louis was travelling with the French army to defend Bordeaux, currently under siege. Marseilles was constantly under assault, and the last French city was too heavily guarded to siege. But Toby saw an opportunity to turn the war around. In a risky maneuver, he took the entire garrison of Angiers, and took it to to Bordeaux. He realized he could engage Louis and his entourage in a decisive battle. He could cripple the French war effort.
He attacked the French King as he attempted to defend a strategically important bridge. Despite the limited space to deploy, he distracted the King with a squad of Infantry sent to attack the French forces across the bridge. While outnumbered, the advantage was negated by forcing the French troops into a bottleneck. Toby's archers whittled away at the enemy while they were engaged. When the English established a foothold on the other side of the bridge, Toby's Cavalry charged across and overwhelmed the enemy. The sheer force of their charge broke the enemy lines, and the enemy routed. Louis and his heir were killed in the fight, and their army had dispersed. The French were finished as a military power. Their castles and cities were cut off from each other, with all their soldiers were trapped under siege and could be taken care of whenever the English willed it. Toby gained enough respect and authority to be declared the commander of all English Military forces.Another perk was his marriage to one of King Robert's daughters. With his new powers and prestige, he had his brothers retrieved from Scotland and brought to him.
The brothers all shared a talent for command. While Toby was indisputably the best of them, Godwine and Robin were not far behind. Apart from that and their hatred of alcohol, the brothers were all different.
While Toby loved his brothers, his father had left a mark on him. Whispers of his cruelty grew louder each day. He executed any prisoners he captured during battles and did everything he could to turn the battle in his favour. He had any who disagreed with him flogged and others tortured. He was born a conqueror and destroyed any foe he met on the battlefield. He was rumoured to be the best English general since William the Conqueror himself. He was admirably rational, and a master of logistics. While he was above average at bureaucratic matters, he was poor with taxes. He saw that the trappings of power were necessary if he wanted to keep his authority so always picked the most expensive trappings for himself.
Living in their brother's shadow, Godwine and Robin had each found their own niche in life. Godwine was the most religious of the three, and always acted the way he thought was religiously proper. he was also quite sociable with people and was always eager to make new friends. Robin focused on athletics and was the healthiest of the three. He was also the smartest of the three on average, but lacked Toby's political knowledge and Godwine's faith. The brothers also differed in looks. Toby had the face of the average English man, and didn't stand out. Godwine was a bit rough on the eyes, while Robin was incredibly handsome and literally striking to behold.
A New Era
While the Robins had begun their rise to power in Western Europe, King Paul was wrapping up his crusade. He sold his newly conquered lands to the Pope, disbanded his templar forces, and begun the journey home. He had taken a small part of the navy when he had left with him, but didn't expect too much trouble on the way home. After all, it's not like anyone would dare to attack the leader of the strongest nation in Europe. Unfortunately for him, not all his enemies were foreigners. His old rival for the throne, George, son of Rufus, still sought revenge. George saw how foolish Paul was being, and knew that this would be the best chance he had for vengeance. In an act of treason, he bought the aid of Venice in ridding himself of his foolish king. He gave them Paul's position and let them set up an ambush. The Venetians attacked Paul at sea and destroyed his ships. Paul and his conquering army sank to a watery grave. Paul had taken his strongest supporters with him so the death of his army was also the death of any chances his son had of succeeding him as King. Thus ended the reign of King Paul the Malevolent and his dynasty.
While it was a tragedy for some, it was an opportunity for others. Paul was relatively young for a king, and as a result there was no clear heir. While his son was technically next in line, the old arguments about bloodlines erupted once again. George and Walter were once again possible candidates. When a civil war was about to break out, Toby saw his chance. He used Paul's death as a rallying cry for justice and honour and took his men to the French capital. He assaulted the city and slayed the last French King, Henri the mean, and then his heir. Technically, due to the order of deaths, Toby had slain 4 kings in combat so he gained the nickname Kingslayer. Toby left one of his relatives on charge of the city before he returned home victorious. The English people rallied around him and started chants of "King Toby the Kingslayer". As effective head of the military and with the support of the people, he had his wife declared Queen of England and took the title of King for himself. He also took the French crown for himself. In a grand coronation ceremony, he became known as "King Toby the First, High King of England and France, Lord of Scotland and Protector of Ireland".
Where do we go now?
It was a glorious time for the English, but there was still much work to be done. Their French rivals had been dealt with and their people and culture exterminated. Their allies were still at war with England. Spain and Portugal lay to the south-west, ripe for conquest. Denmark had recently been repelled in the North, but were readying for another attack. Venice lay to the east, and were in the possession of the second largest army on land, and the by far the largest navy at sea. The Pope had almost excommunicated the King, and the Holy Roman Empire was planning something. The English were over extended with their armies scattered. While their Kingdom had grown so had its armies. The cost of all these soldiers was immense. the treasury barely replenished itself every year, and all that money had to go to upgrading settlements or recruiting soldiers. If they lost any income, the economy would break. The English were isolated and had no one to trade with.
Fortunately, there were positives. Short of the Mongols, the English had the largest army, treasury and empire Europe had ever seen. Their enemies would soon know the consequences of messing with Brittania.
Current Borders of the English Empire.
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