The Return of Prince John

Revisiting and Revising
"For God, Queen, and Country"

by Chris J. Hahn

In the pre-dawn light, Prince John could just make out the black edge of land that was the coast of Scotland. Wrapped in a plain but warm cloak, he stood gripping the rail tightly and staring intently at the coast line as the blackness transformed to green and blue as the sun rose in the April morning sky. The Prince's mind was filled with thoughts of not only what lay before him - a second chance at securing a throne that was his - but with the memory of the terrible year that had cast him out of his homeland nearly a decade before. The nightmares still came, if they weren't as frequent. He would wake with a start, visions of his dying army clouding his view of the bed chamber. Indeed, many times it appeared to the Prince that some of the men now ghosts - were trying to speak to him.

Prince John closed his eyes for a long moment and forced himself to concentrate on what lay ahead, forced himself to think of the promise that would soon be realized. To be certain, he had made several compromises in order to secure the alliance of the Scots as well as of the French, but once he was returned to power, the necessary evils of alliance would be dealt with ... and severely so.

A flight of gulls drew the Prince's attention away from such serious matters. He relaxed his grip on the rail and drew in a great breath. He then adjusted his cloak and turned to view the large number of ships following his flagship. "Soon, " he almost smiled to himself, "I will be back on land ... my land, and leading a force so powerful that my mother, the Queen who bore me and then disowned me, will tremble in her shoes at the very word of my approach." Satisfied with this thought, the Prince left the deck for his spacious cabin. He wanted to go over, again, the order of landing and campaign objectives for the first month with his senior officers.

Well, that was not quite correct. Prince John was in the command "pond", but he was just one of a number of big fish in the same water. He and a few trusted advisors had made an escape from the wretched Winter encampment back in 1640. Possessing a mind better edged for contest on the political battlefield, the Prince had renewed his alliance with the Scottish. Securing the support of the French had proved much more difficult and tricky. The Scots were not keen to have foreigners on their shores. Those lords on the side of the Prince not reduced by the Queen upon her victory, were hesitant and skeptical as well. Pushing the point that the French would be the lesser of the two evils (for the time being), and that things would be markedly better when the Queen was in prison - or better, dead - Prince John was beginning to gain a small following among the disenfranchised nobles. It was tricky ground, however. In the worst case scenario that the Prince could develop, he would simply serve as a puppet ruler under the French King. But, he continued and reminded himself, it would be a short service.

While Prince John conducted the review of plans and time tables, the French force following was making preparations for its landing. Duke Bertrand, after a very long wait, was finally getting his chance to prove himself in an important campaign. The French King and Court would no longer be able to overlook him, in favor of other more established and more refined nobles. King Abelard II, having successfully concluded the war in the East and, satisfied with the condition of and tensions in England, finally granted Prince John his audience. Over the course of a year, the two men came to an agreement. In essence, Prince John was signing over fully one-third of his soon to be kingdom to the French ruler. In addition to land, there was the promise of money, trade rights, and of military assistance on the Continent, in case the French were attacked. The King, in kind, was offering the support of not one, but two armies for the Prince. The first, under command of Duke Bertrand, to gain a foothold on the island country. This force, in conjunction with the Scots (who had been promised land and monies as well), would launch an irresistible offensive against the forces of the Queen.

A second army, under command of Prince Roumiere, would follow on at the end of Summer. Originally, plans called for this force to land at the same site as the first army. However, options were kept open, in case the campaign progressed in their favor. In this case, a landing very near the Queen's own province might prove more strategically sound.

Despite every effort at concealing this political alliance to Queen Polivka, bits and pieces of information filtered across to her. Most of this material came from other countries on the Continent, where wind of the machinations between King Abelard II and Prince John raised more than one eyebrow and set more than one voice to discussion (or gossip). Queen Polivka did not dismiss the possibility ... without solid evidence of Prince John's demise, she had a hunch that one day, he would come back and make another attempt for the crown. And yet, her political plate was more than full. It had been a long nine years since the defeat of the Rebels. The three provinces that were once in open rebellion had been pacified and garrisoned. Well, at least the capital districts had been. The defeated Rebels would not accept leaving their districts completely without military protection. So, a compromise was reached. And, while it was tempting to advance against the Scots after final victory -- the Queen decided that here too, compromise would, in the long term, benefit both sides.

More Prince John

Return of Prince John ECW Campaign

Return of Prince John ECW Campaign Rules

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© Copyright 2001 Hal Thinglum
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