![[about_calradica_banner_2.webp]] # Balion Isl. ## `1084` > During *Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord* According to Reddit user: TheTyke, the region of *Balion* is actually a corruption of the oldest name of *Great Britain*, which is *Albion*. [^1] [^2] This island may be inhabited by peoples called the [[Balish]].<br><br> According to the Dev Diaries of TaleWorlds, the [Kingdom of Vlandia](Kingdom-of-Vlandia.md) is based off of the Normans. [^4] [^5] The Normans started as Vikings who came from Scandinavia (i.e. places like Denmark, Norway, and Sweden) *in the far NORTH* – and through raiding the French coastlines and proceeding inland, eventually were ceded the territory known today as Normandy to get them to stop in `911`. *Then*, these Normans went on to conquer Britain across the channel in `1066`. Therein lies a dilemma, however.<br><br> Because according to in-game lore, “The Vlandians are the descendants of adventurers *from the WEST* who lived under the Empire for centuries before forming an independent kingdom.” [^6] implying they came from Great Britain – aka Albion, known as Balion in the *Mount & Blade* universe. However, Britain was only conquered by the Vikings after they took Normandy. [^3] <br><br> One solution is that these events happen in reverse. That is, they conquer Albion, aka Balion in `911` *first*, and then in `1066` they take Normandy *second* – creating the Kingdom of Vlandia – but they lose control of Balion between `1066` and `1084` explaining why Vlandia doesn’t have access to any soldiers or resources coming from an island existing off screen. ## `1257` > During *Mount & Blade: Warband* From *c*. `1199` to `1206` – French lands like Normandy were taken from the Kingdom of Great Britain by the French. [^7] Maybe Vlandia is split in half between the Rhodoks and Swadians, or maybe Vlandia sleeks over into Balion (*aka England*). [^1]: https://www.reddit.com/r/Bannerlord/comments/is8djj/lore_balion_and_the_battanians/ [^2]: https://www.britannica.com/place/Albion-island-Europe [^3]: https://www.britannica.com/event/Norman-Conquest [^4]: [[Blog_54_Faction_Banners]] [^5]: [[Blog_34_Vlandia]] [^6]: [[3-module_strings-(storymode)-(Bannerlord)]] [^7]: https://www.britannica.com/place/United-Kingdom/The-early-Plantagenets