No woes more terrible were laid at Albion's feet than by the rebellious traitors and their Catholic masters. The Great Rebellion and its crushing has changed our beloved and hallowed land forever. That suffered however has only served to make the love for Albion burn brighter in the people's bosom.
From “The History of the Great Rebellion”, a history of the Albion Civil Wars by Edward Hyde, Earl of Clarendon

Succeeding his mother, Queen Elizabeth I, Henry launched into a new age with great enthusiasm but perhaps not all that much innate political accumen. Thanks to the continued presence of both Elizabeth's old advisors and competent newcomers however, King Henry invigorated England with a new sense of purpose and pride. His greatest achievements, not without the help of loyal servants and a little luck, was the defeat of Spain in war and the signing of the Treaty of London in June 1606 which led to the enrichment of the crown as well as the formal acquisition of the title of King of the Netherlands (Spain being the only remaining country to dispute it at the time). The treaty was shortly followed by an alliance with France and successful expansion of English interests across the board.

Where anything was missing the armies of England, led by influential generals such as Lord de Vries and Lord Luca, soon put things right for King Harry. It has been speculated that triumphs would go on and on if not for events most grave - the release of Moloch under uncertain circumstances on the outskirts of London, the Summoning of Satan by the heretical Baron Daresbury and the plot of the Catholics which led to regicide. While the two former events put the Kingdom at danger from the forces demonic and mysterious the latter led to the end of King Henry's reign itself.

There was speculation that the fate of the Kingdom was tied to Henry himself and his coming death led to imminent destruction and strife. The King remains a beloved figure of history and is seen as a great hero and leader most terribly wrong.

Though endless rumours, ideas and beliefs have been aired as to the interests and personal life of the Queen, her interest in magicks questioned, her relationship with the Countess of Reading discussed and her true intentions queried, there can be little doubt of her love for her dead husband. She took up the sword of her husband and mother-in-law and fought for Albion with all her strength and will.

Within months she was confirmed as the successor and Queen Elizabeth II of England and her son to be her heir and rightful King. As with King Henry IX, Parliament played a significant role in securing and establishing succession.

Following the death of King Henry IX many English and Irish Catholics, supported by Spanish and Papal agents rose up against the Monarchy and attempted to take control of the Kingdom. The rebellion quickly grew into a full-blown war as both sides armed for proper military combat and battles were conducted across the country.

The Battle of London, continuing for months at the outset of the war, saw the efforts of those in court at the time, including Queen Elizabeth, to establish peace within the city and try to control the situation outside. Though the fighting was both fierce and light over the months the Royalists gained a firm advantage thanks to the military expertise of its generals.

The fighting in the South West was confined largely to Bristol which held firmly despite the numerous Rebel attempts to capture it and eventually at least some sections of the South of England were secured and defences against invasion by the Spanish or Irish established.

The Siege of Oxford lasted for the majority of the war though the city remained peaceful despite the concentration of enemy forces and the constant reinforcement of the siege. Most of this is attirbuted to the efforts of the Oxford Colleges and in particular the Master of Cain's College, Sir Theodocius Dawkins, who helped protect their city.

The North, suffering from a plague around York was taken control of by James VI of Scotland who entered under peace-keeping and humanitatian pretence. Though the North of England was kept peaceful during the First Civil War, it was at the expense of land effectively ceded to Scottish control.

The Civil Wars and the evils they brought were compounded by the flooding across all Albion and Europe that was seen as the great punishment of God on the unrighteous. It affected both Rebels and Royalists however and forced imaginative and new strategic (and at times tactical) thinking to be employed.

Many lands, cities and towns had to be abandoned to the seas if no magical or spiritual means could come to aid. Among the casualties was London which was abandoned to rising floodwaters by the end of 1608 and government officially relocated to the City of Oxford which had recently become an isle. The Isle of Oxford had been raised out of the waters and set to float above the seas in an extraordinary display of co-operative magics by Sir Theodocius, Rebecca Lanik, Lord-General Edward de Vries (a notable alchemist as well as General) and leading practicioners of the Invisible College. The Invisible College itself shortly disappeared from London and appeared in Oxford itself, on Christchurch Meadow and has remained there ever since, a seperate entity to Oxford University.

The sudden death of King James VI of Scotland in 1612, shortly after the Rebellion of the First Civil War was put down, provoked serious hostilities again. Apparently poisoned, Queen Elizabeth II was blamed by the Scots lairds and Parliament and King James son, King Charles I of Scotland (known as “Prince Charlie”) led Scots armies to claim England's throne and set things right. Hostilities were encouraged by the Jesuits and remaining Catholic agents and Charles made good progress into war-ravaged England, helped by the control of Northern England.

Charles eventually come so far as to land a force on the Island of Oxford from the north and parade less than three miles from the City itself. However, making much the same mistake as the Catholic forces had, he allowed himself to become bogged down in attempting to besiege the heavily fortified city, and gave the Lord-General Edward de Vries the time he needed to muster an elite force of dragon-mounted troops recently trained at a secret location in Royalist Wales (which became ideal at this stage of the war as a dragon-training ground, having one of the largest expanses of reliably dry ground), break the siege and scatter Charles’ forces. The ensuing fight was bloody, but Charles eventually surrendered at the battle of Norwich Bay, and the resultant treaty named Elizabeth Queen in her own right over the Archipelago of Albion (comprising what was once England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland) was largely masterminded by her loyal Prime Minister, William Milton. By 1616, Albion had begun the slow road to recovery from a decade of constant strife.

Ireland saw fighting throughout the Civil Wars, conducted for the Crown mostly by General Luca Braganza and in the initial stages by East India Company forces under Lord Michael Gerard. Hostilities gradually fizzled out by 1616 however (indeed many troops were diverted to deal with King Charles of Scotland) and though General Braganza had quelled a serious rebellion the effective control of what remained of Ireland is much-disputed. The East and South East is controlled effectively by the Crown but beyond the network of fortifications Ireland is but officially part of Albion.

The period of rebuilding following the establishment of the Archipelago Kingdom of Albion is known as the Second Queen's Peace in reference to the long peace of Queen Elizabeth I latter reign. Though tattered, Albion rose to the occasion of adapting to new surroundings and quelling religious and civil strife. It remains largely a recognizeable Kingdom - its women are as strong and courageous as its men and the mind are as creative and imaginative as they have ever been. Learning and knowledge are highly prized, as is martial skill and the ability to sail a ship to Cadiz and come back with Spain's wealth!