Principality of Northscaldia
Principality of Northscaldia | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 465–888 | |||||||||
| Northscaldia within Europe since 465. Northscaldia within Europe since 465. | |||||||||
| Capital | Tournay | ||||||||
| Official languages | Medieval Latin Old Menapian Frankish | ||||||||
| Common languages | Old Menapian Old French | ||||||||
| Religion | Roman Catholicism | ||||||||
| Demonym(s) | Menapian • Northscaldian | ||||||||
| Government | Absolute monarchy | ||||||||
| Prince | |||||||||
• 465-511 | Clovis I (first) | ||||||||
| Legislature | None (rule by decree) | ||||||||
| Historical era | Middle Ages | ||||||||
• Established as a principality as a result of the Battle of Ytanlaegh | 465 | ||||||||
• Independence after the death of Charles the Fat | 888 | ||||||||
| Currency | denier | ||||||||
| |||||||||
| Today part of | Northscaldland | ||||||||
The Principality of Northscaldia (Medieval Latin: Principatum Northscaldia, Old Menapian: Tyernauïth aech Northscaldia) or Northscaldia, was a principality on the coasts of northwestern Europe that existed in the Frankish Empire and then West Francia as a semi-autonomous state for over four hundred years until a brief struggle of independence in 888 after the instability in the realm caused by the death of Charles the Fat who became ruler of the whole Carolingian Empire after gaining lordship over Alamannia in 876 and the Italian throne after Carloman's death and being rowned emperor in 881, inheriting East Francia and West Francia after his cousin, Carloman II, died. It was one of the only Celtic-based entities in Europe after the beginning of the Early Middle Ages.
Originally, the area was inhabited by Menapii, Morinii, and Britons who came from the British Isles after the Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain. These group of people are referred to as Menapo-Britons. They attacked Childeric I's domain, the Salian Franks, in 461, starting the Franco-Menapian War, which lasted for four years until 465 when Childeric triumphed at the Battle of Ytanlaegh. He would then organise the area into a principality for his son, Clovis I, to rule. Clovis would then become ruler of the whole kingdom of Francia after his father died in 481. The territory of the principality is small in comparison to nowaday Northscaldland. It only consists of the eastern part of the modern province of Wase-Flanders, and a small strip of land that connected them to Tournay.