The Auncient Rule in Isselunde

(This post is (arguably) part of the Great History of the League of Desmond. Though in no particular series, it is best if read after this post.)

The land of Iceland fell under Norwegian control from 1262-1264, at the end of a period of widespread chaos and anarchy. Haakon IV, king of Norway at its peak, began the acquisition; Magnus VI "Lawgiver", his successor, finished it. Under Magnus' rule, there was peace in Iceland, and the people were content. But his successor, Eirik II, was a weak king, guided (or controlled) by his counselors. Iceland grew restive under his rule, and it looked as though the very conflict that Iceland joined Norway to avoid was about to engulf the isle once more.

It was at this time that, according to the sagas, the hero Desmond emerged, to unite Iceland against the Norwegian king and seek freedom once more. It should be noted, before we continue, that Desmond is considered something of an Icelandic equivalent to Robin Hood; gathering tales from many times and people into one. As such, while it is likely that a hero of the sort described below did live and take the actions accorded to him, he may well not have been Desmond himself; the legends of Desmond can be connected to deeds stretching from 800 AD to 1550 AD!

Desmond swiftly moved to unite the people against his opponent Eirik II, the "Ratte-Kinge", as Desmond cruelly insulted him. Armed with what was thought to be the finest blade in all the land, Durendal (supposedly the legendary blade of Charlemagne's champions), Desmond seized the allegiance of all the earls of Iceland, by persuasion or force. Desmond's supporters in the League of Desmond, which Desmond himself had been a member of in his youth, helped lend a great deal of aid. The League of Desmond had been rather skeptical of Iceland's subjection to Norwegian rule, and welcomed a chance to throw it off. By 1287, seven years after Eirik II's succession to the throne and four years after Desmond's campaign began, he set sail with "three scores of longboats, filled with men both brave and stronge" to the coast of Norway.


In the summer of 1287, Desmond arrived, and set about ravaging and burning all along the coast. The "Ratte-Kinge" levied his troops and set sail, arriving within two months of Desmond with five score longboats, though "fewwe so stronge in woode or fleshe" as those Desmond had taken from Iceland. Desmond tied his ships end to end, forming a floating battle line - in those days, naval combat was much more similar to land combat than it became in the age of cannon, with most of combat consisting of the close melee battles that defined land combat. The Ratte-Kinge flung his men at Desmond's line - and Desmond threw them back, with terrible losses. He stood in the middle of his line, on his flagship Solid Serpent, shouting insults at the Ratte-Kinge's men and slaying any who approached him. Eirik II, knowing that his kingdom rested on the fate of this battle, sent a daring flanking attack against both sides of Desmond's line - leading the right himself. He fought his way, ship to ship, until he came at last face-to-face with Desmond. The Ratte-Kinge, alone of Desmond's foe, faced him with equal stature - matching him blow for blow. But his sword at last shattered beneath Durendal's weight, and he threw himself in full armour into the icy waters, preferring suicide to the dishonour of death.

Desmond continued to loot and pillage, and returned to Iceland at last in the fall of 1287, his longships burdened with captives and treasure. Rather than accepting rulership of Iceland himself, he crowned his companion, King Kessler, ruler of Iceland. Kessler ruled benevolently for thirty long years - though eventually, in a time of trouble, signing another pact with Norway in 1300 AD. (This time, it was with rather a better ruler.) Kessler ruled semi-autonomously from Norway for the rest of his life. On his death, he was consumed in a great fire, in a funeral attended by all the greatest men of the Northlands. Desmond himself consigned the holy blade Durendal to the flames, and then wandered away, never to be seen again. Legends linger that he, like King Arthur, will someday return to aid his people in their time of need.

Or so, at least, the sagas of that time say.