Anne Yeomans of Caroline
Lady of the House of the Varangian Guards
House Autocrat Minister
House Rolls Minister
Awards:
Legion of Alhambra (January 2007)
An English Viking slave bride
who's gypsy spirit emerges as Teresita upon occasions
and subdued by her religious upbringing as Sister Anne.
My father holding land in the area of York, known as Jorvik by the Danes, in England where I was born, gave him the name of Yeomans. Calling it his “Caroline”, after my mother who died while giving me birth, named me Anne, which meant “full of grace”. Edward the Confessor became King of all of England when Harthacanute died in the year before my birth. The times of my childhood were peaceful, but trouble in the land brewed for many years, as the King tried to hold the lands of England together. I remember my father’s sadness when Earl Siward died and he said, “England will not be at rest. Trouble is brewing.”
As the battles continued over who ruled England, I met Sigurd Bahr, a Norwegian, who settled for a time until he was called to take up arms to fight with Hardraka. Our home was in ruins as the men of the armies devastated our lands, taking our life and home from us including my father’s who died defending us. Rescuing me after the battle at Stamford Bridge, Sigurd convinced me to go with him as only a few ships were able to leave for his homelands. We married in secret, as we headed to Norway, but as his English slave I would be given better treatment.
A shift of power with the loss of Hardraka caused many to move and leave their homelands. As a part of the migration to the lands where Hardraka gained his wealth we left Norway by a ship with many others and headed to lands of the Byzantine Empire. King Hardraka had made his wealth in the service as a Varnagian Guard and the need for them there was great. Traveling along the coasts of the many lands, an area inhabited by very dark-skinned people known as the Moors, to the lands of the Romans, then finally to our destination of Constantinople, we arrived during the time of Michael Doukas. We were called the Englinbannangoi because of our immigration from England, but in the service of Emperor, Sigurd gained respect as a faithful guard of the Empire.
I had been accustomed to working the land of my father’s and was not afraid of hard work, but the lands around Constantinople were barren and much harder. My skin darkened working underneath the rays of the sun, I enjoyed the music and dancing of it’s people and learned many of their beautiful crafts. Their own struggles for military and governmental power kept the Guards busy when Michael was deposed by Nicephorus, who’s own General Alexius took the throne from him. Fortunately for us, the Guards flourished during his time, but as he continued his appeals to the Pope and a new war called the “crusades” was developing, we felt a need to change our environment. The many skirmishes and battles Sigurd fought were catching up with him. We decided to leave the lands of the approaching “holy war” and head to the land of the Moors to be merchants and enjoy our remaining years in the warmth of the country.
We arrived at Almunecar, Spain and worked our way up to Sacromente hills of Granada where the gypsy cave dwellers lived just beyond Alhambra.