Alternative History
Advertisement

Lloegyr (Lloegrian: Seaxenna) is a constituent country of the United Kingdoms of Albion, occupying most of the south-east of the island of Albion. It is the smallest of the three countries of Albion and also the most densely populated. Its capital at London contains the busiest port in Albion, and one of the busiest in the world.

The origins of modern-day Lloegyr can be found at the beginning of the 5th century AD, when Angle, Saxon, Jute and Frisian migrants from the continent began migrating to eastern Albion following the Roman withdrawal. Quickly displacing the native Britons, they penetrated far into the interior of the island and for a time threatened to control it completely. This trend was reversed after the Battle of Penn Hill in 665, and the remaining Anglo-Saxon kingdoms from then on found themselves confined to east of the line between the Afon Abws and the Mor Gwytis. Many Germanic-speaking communities remained west of the line, but slowly found themselves assimilated into British society.

During this time, the main kingdoms of Lloegyr were Lindsey, Mercia, East Anglia, Essex, Kent and Sussex. Others such as Wessex and the Hwicce found themselves subjected to and eventually annexed by their more powerful British neighbours. Bernicia, which lay to the north, shared a similar origin with the Lloegrian kingdoms but is not normally counted as one of them due to its differing political and social situation.

In the late 7th and early 8th centuries a second wave of Germanic migration began, this time mainly from Frisia. These migrants, though small in number, left their mark on Lloegrian society, as evidenced by language and place names.

The Lloegrian kingdoms survived relatively intact into the second millenium, even after the unification of Prydain. After the Arvorian conquest of Prydain, however, King Hywel Gorchfygwr and his successors strived to expand into Lloegyr. Lindsey and Mercia were conquered by Hywel himself during his campaign, and Kent and Sussex were conquered in the next century by Arvorian adventurers sworn to the king of Prydain. By the year 1200 East Anglia was the only Lloegrian state to remain strong and independent, but even it had to recognise British suzerainty from time to time.

Although several East Anglian kings were able to exert their authority over a wider area, by 1284 it too had been conquered. It and many other Lloegrian territories were formed into an appanage for the heir to the British throne, hence the title Prince of Lloegyr. Despite several rebellions over the years, the region was finally transformed into an integral part of Prydain with the passage of the Laws in Lloegyr Acts of 1535-42.

Advertisement