Ymidda Hyryd
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Lady Ymidda Hyryd | |
|---|---|
 Ymidda appearing in a painting of the battle of Losric Strait c.1719 | |
| Wosracan Ambassador To Sjealand | |
| In office 3rd February 1727 – 28th April 1731 | |
| Monarch | King Rykdd I |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 27th January 1700 Lunnisby, Reasc, Wosrac |
| Died | 1st November 1736 Ynys-Gogleddol Coast |
| Cause of death | Battle Of Ynys-Gogleddol |
| Nationality | Wosracan |
| Parent(s) | Lily'bet Hyryd, Aidian Hyryd |
| Relatives | Maudew Hyryd |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | Empire Of Wosrac Kingdom of Wosrac |
| Branch/service | Wosracan Navy |
| Years of service | 1718-1722 1731-1736 |
| Rank | Fôr-lywydd (Commodore) |
| Unit | Ymidda's Sgwadron (Ymidda's Squadron) |
| Commands | RWS Maudew (Brig-Of-War), RWS Argraff (Brig-Of-War), RWS Harianodd (Barque), RWS Gwynti (Barque), Additional 5-7 small support vessels. |
| Battles/wars | Ellanghas War of Independence |
| Awards | Cadwalader's Sword |
Early Life
Born in 1700 to a middle class family in the Wosracan Duchy of Reasc, Ymidda had a sheltered upbringing. Child to Aidian and Lily'bet Hyryd in the quiet town of Lunnisby she was reportedly reserved in her early childhood. She would later absorb her fathers observant attitude after beginning education. While not the ideal student, Ymidda was credited as hard-working and attentive. Finishing school at 14, she worked as a tailor for her fathers company until the age of 18. Her father credited her as a hard-worker but noted she had little passion for working in tailoring.
It is not known when Ymidda's passion for naval warfare started from, though some associate it with the rise of Ellanghas Piracy around the seas of the Ellyn Isles. This era saw the nation begin to develop a more powerful navy and recruit more sailors. Ymidda would often practice swordplay with her older brother, Maudew, who was already considering a naval career.
Ellanghas War Of Independence
Following a period of unrest in the Ellyn Isles and numerous pirates who had begun to flock to the Ellanghas duke for safety, the duchy of Ellyn declared its independence from Wosrac. When Ymidda learned that Wosrac had declared war on the Duchy Of Ellyn, she volunteered for the Wosracan Navy and served with the Wosracan Navy alongside her brother, Maudew. They were assigned to serve on the 'RWS Calondur', a recently built brig of war.
Despite enlisting in December of 1718, Ymidda wouldn't experience her first naval battle until August 1719, in the brutal winds of the Losric Strait. The battle, known as the Battle of the Losric Strait, was the most devastating naval battle of the war. With the RWS Calondur suffering the worst losses compared to the other ships. Early shots of grapeshot took out large parts of the crew, reducing the Calondur's fighting ability. The third or fourth round of grape shot struck next to Maudew, who was wounded and fell to the ground.
Despite the harsh conditions, Ymidda managed to distinguish herself amongst the other crew-mates. She had particularly impressed the quarter-master, who remarked in his report that she showed 'A stunning sense of calm even while being shot at and was excellent with a rapier.' He strongly urged for her to be awarded the Cadwalader's Sword award after risking her life to move her brother to safety after he was wounded. The quarter master also noted 'I think that without the inspiration of Ymidda, the crew may of gave up fighting when the enemy boarded us...". She would be awarded the CS in September. Ultimately, her bravery could not save her brother, who succumbed to his wounds on December the 2nd.
Despite her brothers death Ymidda continued to serve aboard the Calondur. After the ships first-mate retired due to old age, she was promoted to the position in recognition of her service in July 1720. Her captain Jayden Grant remarked about her ability to inspire the ships crew, and how well her service had done for the ships reputation. Some historians speculate that there was a romantic relationship between Jayden and Ymidda, but it is hotly disputed. Jayden Grant would meet his end in the 'Battle of Ta'n Islet' In November 29th. Although a victory for the Navy, Captain Jayden was killed by broadside fire. In December 1720, Ymidda became captain of the Calondur, which she renamed 'RWS Maudew' as a tribute to her fallen brother. She would fight for the remainder of the war and after its end began hunting Ellanghas pirates until 1722. Many Wosracan ships joined her effort starting 'The Scrurge Against Ellanghas Piracy'. Despite her passion for the navy, she retired to care for her father, who's health had started to deteriorate by August 1722.
Literacy Work
Retiring from Naval life to look after her father, Ymidda would often tell stories to him of her service. Her father would soon persuade her to begin writing of her experience in the navy and particularly about the battle of Losric strait. With help from her father, she began to make progress through her first book, and while she stopped work halfway through 1723, she would resume it by November of the same year. The book would be completed just a day before December. She proved to be a great writer and the her first book 'The Losric Strait - 1719' was widely spread across the nation. Her book saw her regarded as a national hero, and even King Rykdd personally congratulated Ymidda on her book in a new years ceremony.
In late 1723, seeking to boost his court's prestige, King Rykdd appointed Ymidda as the Royal Scribe Of The King And Parliaments. Ymidda thrived in this role, even managing to finish her second book titled 'Calondur To Maudew' which describes her rise through ship life and the brutality of naval warfare. The book caused controversy in the Ellyn isles, as the local nobles saw it as dismissive of the bravery of Ellanghas Captains. Regardless of this, the book sold well and spread like wildfire across the Wosracan empire, even selling well in Cradebetia.
Rising Politician
While Ymidda was content with her position in Wosracan politics, her father saw potential in her position. When Ymidda would visit his father he would convince her to try and aim higher, and suggested becoming a skilled diplomat or ambassador. In June 1724 Aidian requested that the King set Ymidda along a path of training in the art of diplomacy. King Rykdd was initially opposed to the idea sending a letter to Ymidda's father Aidian. In this letter he said "Your daughter is a gift, it almost seems that she was born for this kind of work. Whatever I throw at her, she will get done and ask for her next assignment. She is a born scribe, I will consider your proposal to train her in diplomacy. Though I haste to add I doubt I shall find a position for Ymidda."
Despite King Rykdd's initial hesitance, the slowly deteriorating health of his Ambassador to Sjealand left him with no choice but to train a suitable replacement. By late July, Rykdd had begun Ymidda's training in diplomacy and Sjealandic etiquette. King Rykdd would soon find himself suprised by Ymidda's hard-work and gift at diplomacy. In October 1724 he wrote a letter which he called an apology to Aidian. One important part of this letter read "Everyday I am more taken aback by your daughters work ethic and talent. She never gets fustrated at work or deadlines, but works through them as if it is not a bother to her at all. I hereby apologise for my initial resistance to her becoming trained in the art of diplomacy, for now I know I needn't look further for a replacement ambassador."
On the second of February, 1727, the Wosracan ambassador to Sjealand would suffer a fatal heart attack. Honouring his promise to the now deceased Aidian, he appointed Ymidda as the new Wosracan Ambassador to Sjealand. She would arrive in Sjealand by April, and took up residence in the Wosracan Embassy.
Wosracan Ambassador
TBD/TBA
After stepping down from her position as the Wosracan Ambassador to Sjealand on the 28th of April in 1731, Ymidda re-enlisted for the Wosracan navy just 14 days later. Her flagship, the RWS Maudew had been captained by her former first-mate, Saulus Herrest, since she retired from the Navy. After an agreed payment was met on the 16th of June in 1731 to Herrest, Ymidda was once again granted her old title as Captain of the Maudew. In recognition of her naval ability and previous accomplishments, King Rekydd awarded her the title of Fôr-lywydd o Ymidda's Sgwadron (Commodore of Ymidda's Sqaudron). This new squadron lead by Ymidda herself consisted of the RWS Maudew as the Flagship, another brig of war named the 'RWS Argraff', two Barques and five small but agile cutters.
Since the failed Ellanghas Independence war of 1718-21, the dukes of the Cradebet duchies had begun to build their own autonomous fleets. These fleets would sail the Wosracan and Augera seas, often disrupting trade by extorting merchant ships, raiding small schooners belonging to national navies and setting up naval ambushes against convoys. While these fleets did not officially serve under the Cradebets, they would pay the dukes with some of their exploits in order to use their ports and recruit Cradebet sailors for their crew. In 1732, an royal decree was passed by King Rekydd, ordering the hunting of these ships and imprisonment of their captains. This would be later known as the Grand Scurge Against Piracy and would last up until 1751, when the Cradebet 1751 revolution began. Ymidda, in a return to her former ways against Ellanghas Piracy, began to hunt down Cradebet pirates.
Grand Scurge Against Piracy
Her first battle since her retirement was the Battle of the Gendarund Coast. Ymidda had learned that a Cradebet pirate squadron had recently captured a sloop of war, docked in the Ellyn Isles and were heading to port Gendarund in Cugnad. The pirate squadron was known to of consisted of 3 Barques, 2 Brigs of war and the captured sloop of war. On the 2nd of August 1732 her Squadron intercepted the pirates not far from their destination. Although the battle was a decisive victory for Ymidda's sqaudron, she had lost one of her cutters and almost a quarter of RWS Argraff's crew.
Her squadron successfully hunted down small to medium pirate squadrons along the Cradebet and Wosracan coast until February of 1736. By the start of 1736 Ymidda's Sgwadron had hunted down and destroyed eight pirate squadrons and recaptured three stolen ships. Recogonising Ymidda's achievements and futher potential, the Grand Lord Admiral of the Wosracan Navy, Craig Styfnig, requested that Ymidda's Sgwadron sail alongside his personal Squadron to hunt down a small fleet of pirates last seen in the Losric strait. Ymidda, confident in not only her ability but also knowledge of the area, accepted the request in March and met with Styfnig at Port Molissa in Sunthil in April.
The two reportedly would spend the late hours of April debating strategy and planning their engagement with the fleet. Ymidda was reportedly keen on getting as much information about the pirate fleet as reasonably possible, while Styfnig was more focused on sailing out once a plan had been set in motion. In the end, a compromise was reached. Ymidda was granted 3 cutters boosting her squadron to 11 ships in total. In return they would sail out of port in late October and planned to engage the enemy on either the 1st of November 1736 or the 2nd of November.
The Battle Of Ynys-Gogleddol
Grand Lord Admiral Craig Styfnig had learned that the pirate fleet had re-entered the Losric strait from the south and within two days, the two commanders set off in the late days of October. Styfnig writes in his report that the weather was clear and the seas were calm, however the wind was battling against them. Styfnig also writes how Ymidda had urged him to wait a little while longer and supposedly quoted her saying that 'We ought [to] wait for more appropriate weather for the enemy shall see us far [before] we can engage [in] battle...' This point was echoed by Styfnig as he writes the combined squadrons docked in a nearby port just days after setting off. Despite the unexpected wait, the squadrons encountered the fleet on the 30th of October in the upper Losric Strait.
Despite Styfnig's uppermost confidence of the size of the pirate fleet, it was later revealed that most of the information the commanders had gathered about the fleet was outdated, exaggerated, misleading and some of it plainly incorrect. Upon setting off in October, the two commanders expected a fleet of around 15-20 vessels of which they expected 10-15 to be converted merchant ships. On the commanders first encounter with the fleet, it was estimated the fleet consisted of 38 ships, with only 8 of vessels being converted merchant ships. Under Craig Styfnig's command the combined squadron of 24 ships retreated. Styfnig ordered a direct path to a port in the Duchy of Cugnad. Ymidda urged him to dock on one of the nearby Ellyn Isles. Ymidda's suggestion was overruled as Styfnig believed the pirates would trap the two commanders in port and blockade whichever town they docked in. The squadrons found themselves in a storm in the Lower Losric strait. With no other options left, the commanders docked on the small island of Ynys-Gogleddol.
By the first of November, Ymidda and Styfnig had been chased down and in the early hours of the morning, the pirate fleet sent several support ships to fire grapeshot and regroup. This took out large parts of Ymidda's flagship the RWS Maudew. The Maudew was then engaged by three barques and a sloop-of-war. With their Commodore occupied, Ymidda's Squadron began to fire upon the enemy fleet, but soon found themselves destroyed, sinking or retreating. In a decision that Styfnig later recalled as 'The most regretful and painful decision of my entire existance.', he ordered his squadron to withdraw. This left just the RWS Maudew, RWS Argraff and one of Styfnig's barques to fight the near entirety of the pirate fleet with just 4 support vessels to shelter them.
By noon, according to Ymidda's first-mate's report, Ymidda was killed. "Grapeshot had landed near the ships wheel, where I'd just seen Ymidda standing. I looked over the railings, thinking she had been launched overboard. Panic started to set in as I couldn't see her floating in the water. I remember hearing a distinct moan and seeing she had been knocked down the stairs. The enemy ship crashed against our hull, and soon they were aboard. I saw Ymidda get up with dagger and rapier in hand, but in my heart I knew she wasn't in a state to fight. Then a gunshot. A gunshot louder than any cannon. A bullet with more importance than any broadside fire. Ymidda slumped to her knees, she reached towards a crate to lift herself up. I saw in that moment the fire and passion die in her eyes, just pain. And with an almighty crash, she hit the ground. Our crew tried to fight on, but there were too few of us. Within less than ten minutes, all who didn't surrender were dead. We were rushed aboard an enemy ship, and soon they began to sink the crew less ships. We had lost..."