INTRODUCTION

Part 3 – Geography, A Key Concern

Geography plays a huge role in this story, both from the characters’ point of view (a unified Empire made up of modern-day France, the lowlands, Germany, Austria, northern Italy, and all the countries in between) and the point of view held by a medieval audience (France is a single kingdom broken up into quasi-independent regions, Germany is a quilt of hundreds of tiny principalities, Austria is an exotic eastern realm, etc.).

Here is a map I’ve put together: 

Note the extraordinary amount of forested land – basically everything except the heart of France.  Some of this is scattered woods, but a good deal of it is all but primeval, particularly the Ardennes and the great Black Forest.  The only practical way for the Empire to maintain coherence was the rivers, a reality that looms large in the characters’ minds.

The original, France-oriented medieval audience will immediately grasp the importance of rivers too.  During the high Middle Ages it was virtually impossible to carry on commerce except over rivers.   Even more than that, however,

If you look at a map of France you can see that it’s roughly shaped like a pentagon, with five corners associated with five great rivers.  At the top is the Seine.  That is Charlemagne’s river, ruled from Paris.  The other four rivers and corners were dominated by the four brother Dukes who Charlemagne thought could be in revolt.  The main river in the Northeast is the Meuse, controlled by Duke Benes of Aigremont.  In the Southeast is the Saône/Rhône system, dominated by Duke Gerard of Vienne.  The Southwest is fed by the Garonne and the Dordonne (Dordogne), under Duke Aimon.  And the river of the Northwest corner is the Loire, whose mouth is at Nantes (modern Nantes) under Duke Ronald. 

Beyond the borders of France (but inside the Empire) are two other key rivers, the Rhine and the Danube.  Charlemagne controls much of the Rhine (from Aix La Chapelle), but shares it as a practical matter with the Dukes of Mayence (Ganelon).  The Danube is ruled by Duke Naymon, who is Charles’ main counselor but also the first cousin of the four Dukes at issue.  If they really are going to revolt, Charlemagne would be surrounded and literally all of France would be roused against him.

So . . . his greatest Dukes failed to come when called, and the King faces a nasty set of dilemmas.  Was it an innocent mistake?  Neglect?  Or the beginning of a plot against his throne?  How should he react to each of those scenarios?  If it’s a plot, how far does it extend?

And how can the King deal with all this while the Saracens remain to be fought?  They’ve been turned back for the moment, but it won’t be long before they return again.  It doesn’t take divine inspiration to know that.

Scott P. Pavelle, Esq.
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