The Fifth Crusade had begun three years before the coronation of Anaivere Plantagenet. Talking about Crusades, they were bloody wars between the Christians and the Muslims. Each of whom wanted to occupy the Holy Land, the territory which included Jerusalem, Nazareth, Bethlehem and Thèbes. Bethlehem was believed to be Jesus Christ's birthplace and Jerusalem was believed to be the place where he sacrificed and resurrected. In Muslim belief, the Holy Land was the gate to Heaven, where had their God, Allah, whom they believed was the one who created all humankind, Heaven and Hell, even Lord Jesus of the Christians was only one of his interpreters. Thèbes, which was in Egypt, in the Holy Bible it linked with the myth of Moses and the way across Red Sea which he led the Jews through to escape the Pharaoh.
The good King Richard the First, who was Queen Anaivere's unfortunate uncle, had died after the Third Crusade, on 6 April 1199, when he was on the way back to England. His tomb, now still there, located in the duchy of Aquitaine. And our beloved Queen Anaivere Plantagenet was on her duty to the Church: get the Holy Land back to the Christians, as her uncle, the deceased King Richard, did in the Third Crusade.
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December 1216...
A letter from Frederick the Second, the great Emperor of Holy Roman Empire, was sent to Queen Anaivere of England, sought for aid in order to strengthen the army for the coming battles in Egypt. He also said in the letter that he had been heard about the illustrious Queen Anaivere Plantagenet with the deadly arrows which could defeat a battalion in a sight. The Queen replied that for the Church's honour and the deceased King Richard I's will, she would aid the Empire. In return, the Emperor would give her five thousand gold sovereigns in silk and wheat for Nottinghamshire's poor citizens, in plate armours for her Crusaders and Army. The Emperor accepted the deal. He asked if they could see each other at a castle located to the north of the duchy. Or, at the castle of Leopold VI, Duke of Austria.
Four days before Christmas Eve, Her Majesty Queen Anaivere led the Crusaders through English Channel, France and stopped at the meeting destination. The Emperor was waiting with a daughter of the Duke, in the great hall.
"Your Imperial Majesty, I am here at your service"
The Queen curtseyed with respect in front of the Emperor.
"Queen Anaivere of England, it is a pleasure to have you here at the moment. I am Frederick the Second, Holy Roman Emperor"
"You sent a letter to seek aid from England, didn't you, Your Imperial Majesty?"
"By God's favour, I have been heard about you, who brought victory to your allies in the Barons' War. The lady who is standing beside me here, is one of the daughters of Leopold VI, Duke of Austria. At the moment, the Duke is in Egypt for the Crusade"
The Duke's daughter curtseyed with respect to the Queen of England.
"I am Tessarina Oitzlea Theodora Babenberg, Duchess of Austria, daughter of Duke Leopold VI of Austria"
The Queen of England smiled.
"In England, there is a popular belief that in Holy Roman Empire, people are terrible at Latin. It seems to me the rumour is wrong"
"The Duke has many daughters, Tessarina is my goddaughter and the Duke's only unmarried daughter left", said the Emperor.
"Father was upset that I am thirty-three this year and no lords would marry me. It was the Fifth Crusade and by the Mercy of God, I desire to dedicate my virginity to Our Lady, and other martyred saints. I just simply wish that the Crusades would end"
The Duchess then made a cross sign. "In the Name of the Father, the Son, and of the Holy Spirits. Amen"
The Queen nodded to the Duchess, said gently:
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A Forgotten Legend: Anaivere the First
Fiction HistoriqueBy his mother's last will, King John's little niece, Princess Anaivere was made the heir apparent to the throne instead of his later own child. At first, he intended to use his niece as a puppet in order to strengthen his power and get rid of the th...
