History of Urcea (1214-1402): Difference between revisions
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
(Republican integration) |
|||
| Line 4: | Line 4: | ||
== Th<span id="The_Cónnocracy"></span>e Cónnocracy == | == Th<span id="The_Cónnocracy"></span>e Cónnocracy == | ||
The ascension of Constantine to the Throne lead to the relatively non-noteworthy and peaceful rule of the House of Cónn for nearly forty years, primarily remembered for a series of construction programs to build and fortify trading routes and trail throughout the ever expanding Kingdom, including increased legal conformity of the [[Electorate of Canaery]] with the rest of the Kingdom, though full legal integration was not achieved for many centuries. | The ascension of Constantine to the Throne lead to the relatively non-noteworthy and peaceful rule of the House of Cónn for nearly forty years, primarily remembered for a series of construction programs to build and fortify trading routes and trail throughout the ever expanding Kingdom, including increased legal conformity of the [[Electorate of Canaery]] with the rest of the Kingdom, though full legal integration was not achieved for many centuries. | ||
| Line 12: | Line 11: | ||
== Al<span id="Aleckán_restored"></span>eckán restored == | == Al<span id="Aleckán_restored"></span>eckán restored == | ||
Donnchad outmaneuvered the Cónn loyalists that fought on behalf of Aedanicus III, who was physically and mentally unfit to lead his armies. Prince Donnchad seized [[Urceopolis (City)|Urceopolis]] on July 1st, 1253, being crowned the same day. In an attempt to end the dynastic feud, Donnchad I allowed the senile Aedanicus III to live unmolested in retirement in a small wing of the [[Julian Palace]], where he died without incident in 1257. Aedanicus III's son, the defeated Prince | Donnchad outmaneuvered the Cónn loyalists that fought on behalf of Aedanicus III, who was physically and mentally unfit to lead his armies. Prince Donnchad seized [[Urceopolis (City)|Urceopolis]] on July 1st, 1253, being crowned the same day. In an attempt to end the dynastic feud, Donnchad I allowed the senile Aedanicus III to live unmolested in retirement in a small wing of the [[Julian Palace]], where he died without incident in 1257. Aedanicus III's son, the defeated Prince Adrian, saw the new King's act as one of kindness and pledged loyalty to him and disavowed his claim to the Throne. During this period, Donnchad began the Urcean envelopment of the [[Latinic people|Latinic]] city-states of [[Crotona]] and [[Tromarine]], a process that would not be completed until the mid 17th century. These rich trading cities would strengthen Urcea considerably and give it an important naval foothold in the [[Odoneru Ocean]]. Donnchad spent much of his reign campaigning in Crotona and by the end of his life he had managed to subdue most of what is today the province of North Crotona. | ||
The peace was not to last, however; Donnchad was succeeded by his quarrelsome son Riordan IV, who befriended Prince | The peace was not to last, however; Donnchad was succeeded by his quarrelsome son Riordan IV, who befriended Prince Adrian and relied on Cónn support to defeat his domestic rivals among the nobility, including some Julio-Aleckán loyalists. Riordan's reign was primarily characterized by his attempts to centralize Royal authority and his alliance with the Cónns gave him great utility in this, though he eventually waged civil war as some of the nobles rose up against him in arms. Besides internal strife, Riordan's reign was also consumed with finishing the work launched by his father with respect to solidifying control over trade along the western coast and southeastern Odoneru. The previous century, King Niall I had managed to position the [[Creagmer republics]] as tributaries of [[Urcea]] while conquering one of the largest. Like Crotona and Tromarine, these areas were key to Odoneru treade routes, and accordingly Riordan heavily prioritized their further integration. Asserting his rights as the [[Imperial Kingdom of Urcea|Imperial overlord]] of the cities, Riordan invaded in 1270 and launched a campaign which alternated between brutality and mercy, destroying the private lands and mansions of the merchant classes who opposed him while sparing and granting lands to merchant who supported him. Following three years of campaigning, the [[Creagmer republics]] all swore direct fealty to the [[Apostolic King of Urcea]] in exchange for the merchant classes all being granted immediate status as [[Social_class_in_Urcea#Optimate|optimates]] within Urcean society. On his death in 1275 due to battle wounds, Riordan IV controversially named the Prince Adrian as his successor, who took the Throne on April 3rd, 1275. The Julio-Aleckán faction - most of whom were already in arms against Riordan - disputed the succession by law, claiming that Adrian was not only ineligible to succeed due to Riordan's brother Niall having a better claim, but also due to his having renounced the Throne during the reign of Donnchad I. Adrian I managed to rally the [[Royal and Imperial Army (Urcea)|Royal Army]] and defeat the Noble forces, who sought a Royal charter of some kind, and managed to secure his place on the Throne for the next 37 years. | ||
== Julian instability == | == Julian instability == | ||
Adrian's reign was mostly consumed by an effort to purge, wherever possible, potential Julio-Aleckán claimants and their descendants, though Adrian could not, himself, produce an heir, for which he was the target of both legal alarm and satirical attacks by the Aleckán faction. Adrian's primary accusation by his critics was that he was a closeted atheist anarchist looking to destroy the country by a lack of legal heirs, and that he was potentially a homosexual. Upon Adrian's death without children in 1312, the lead Julio-Aleckán heir, Lucás, the nephew of Riordan IV through his father Niall, defeated Cónn forces outside [[Urceopolis (City)|Urceopolis]] and was crowned King five days later on February 22nd, 1312 before Adrian I's nephew, also named Adrian, could muster enough forces to push his claim by force. Lucás, the last direct Julio-Aleckán King, reigned for 18 years between 1312 and 1330, a time which was primarily spent fighting a fierce civil war against Adrian Cónn and his allies. Lucás was eventually killed in single combat by Adrian at the Battle of Hollyhead, allowing the latter to be crowned in [[Urceopolis (City)|Urceopolis]] on January 22nd, 1330, twenty days after the battle. Like Adrian I, Adrian II spent his reign executing a series of bloody purges against the Julio-Aleckán family and their suspected heirs, though he was much more successful than his predecessor. Like his predecessor, however, Adrian II died childless and plunged the Kingdom into the Great Interregnum in 1339, the final phase of the [[Saint's War]]. | |||
== Great Interregnum == | == Great Interregnum == | ||
| Line 24: | Line 23: | ||
During the Great Interregnum, the Aleckán faction held the territory of the [[Urceopolis (Archduchy)|Archduchy of Urceopolis]] and other western portions of the Kingdom, though not the city of [[Urceopolis (City)|Urceopolis]] itself; the burghers and local landed nobility revolted and established the Pope as the temporal ruler of the city and the surrounding areas so as to prevent violence befalling the city as had happened previously during the Saint's War, an arrangement which was said would end upon the final conclusion of the conflict. The resulting rule of the [[Pope]] over the city lead to the high water mark of [[Papal State|political Papal authority]] and the last resurgence in power of the [[Duchy of Transurciana]]. The Cónn faction ruled over the [[Grand Duchy of Yustona]] and the [[Electorate of Canaery]]. The House of Cónn established its court northwest of the [[Magnag]] in the [[Urcean frontier|southern wilderness region]] in the newly constructed castle of Ardricampus, which took its name (''"King's Fort"''), from the period. This castle, an impressive structure built atop an oasis in arid shrublands, not only provided protection and resources for the defender but gradually sapped the besiegers of their resources, making it a formidable defensive position. The castle, with its well developed infrastructure exploiting the oasis, grew into a major city with the same name, around which developed the modern province of [Ardricampus]]. The Aleckán faction ruled from several castles near Urceopolis, but did not dare attempt to dislodge the Pope from the city. The [[Imperial Kingdom of Urcea]], tied to the [[Apostolic King of Urcea]], remained vacant, though in practice its duties continued to be exercised by a regent directly appointed by the [[Emperor of the Levantines]]. Apart from the Saint's War, the fate of the regency during this period was a source of fierce political disagreement between the Emperor and the [[Pope]] over who exercised control over [[Urcea]] during a crown vacancy, a question that was not clearly solved with the end of the war in the 15th century. | During the Great Interregnum, the Aleckán faction held the territory of the [[Urceopolis (Archduchy)|Archduchy of Urceopolis]] and other western portions of the Kingdom, though not the city of [[Urceopolis (City)|Urceopolis]] itself; the burghers and local landed nobility revolted and established the Pope as the temporal ruler of the city and the surrounding areas so as to prevent violence befalling the city as had happened previously during the Saint's War, an arrangement which was said would end upon the final conclusion of the conflict. The resulting rule of the [[Pope]] over the city lead to the high water mark of [[Papal State|political Papal authority]] and the last resurgence in power of the [[Duchy of Transurciana]]. The Cónn faction ruled over the [[Grand Duchy of Yustona]] and the [[Electorate of Canaery]]. The House of Cónn established its court northwest of the [[Magnag]] in the [[Urcean frontier|southern wilderness region]] in the newly constructed castle of Ardricampus, which took its name (''"King's Fort"''), from the period. This castle, an impressive structure built atop an oasis in arid shrublands, not only provided protection and resources for the defender but gradually sapped the besiegers of their resources, making it a formidable defensive position. The castle, with its well developed infrastructure exploiting the oasis, grew into a major city with the same name, around which developed the modern province of [Ardricampus]]. The Aleckán faction ruled from several castles near Urceopolis, but did not dare attempt to dislodge the Pope from the city. The [[Imperial Kingdom of Urcea]], tied to the [[Apostolic King of Urcea]], remained vacant, though in practice its duties continued to be exercised by a regent directly appointed by the [[Emperor of the Levantines]]. Apart from the Saint's War, the fate of the regency during this period was a source of fierce political disagreement between the Emperor and the [[Pope]] over who exercised control over [[Urcea]] during a crown vacancy, a question that was not clearly solved with the end of the war in the 15th century. | ||
The 1340s saw the brief reappearance of the [[Creagmer republics]] in reduced form. With tacit support from the [[Philaridon Republic]], prominent merchant families in western [[Urcea]] overthrew local garrisons and attempted to reassert the independence of the mercantile city-states, especially given the harmful influence the war had on trade in the region. In 1344, the Aleckán [[Urceopolis (Archduchy)|Archduke]] launched a campaign to try and reestablish dominance over the cities, but failed and soon made an agreement to tacitly recognize their independence within the [[Imperial Kingdom of Urcea]] in exchange for financing future Aleckán campaigns. This agreement brought the republics into an uneasy alliance with the Aleckán faction, and both factions in the [[Saint's War]] internally planned to quickly subjugate the area once they managed to defeat the other party. | The 1340s saw the brief reappearance of the [[Creagmer republics]] in reduced form. With tacit support from the [[Philaridon Republic]], prominent merchant families in western [[Urcea]] overthrew local garrisons, disavowed the agreements made with Riordan IV, and attempted to reassert the independence of the mercantile city-states, especially given the harmful influence the war had on trade in the region. In 1344, the Aleckán [[Urceopolis (Archduchy)|Archduke]] launched a campaign to try and reestablish dominance over the cities, but failed and soon made an agreement to tacitly recognize their independence within the [[Imperial Kingdom of Urcea]] in exchange for financing future Aleckán campaigns. This agreement brought the republics into an uneasy alliance with the Aleckán faction, and both factions in the [[Saint's War]] internally planned to quickly subjugate the area once they managed to defeat the other party. | ||
In [[1341]], the sitting [[Emperor of the Levantines]] decided to set aside his own regent and invade [[Urcea]], planning to install either himself or a relative - scholars disagree on this point - on the throne of the [[Imperial Kingdom of Urcea]]. Imperial forces advanced down the [[Urce river]] as far as [[Castle Welute]], but were defeated there by forces loyal to [[House de Welute]]. The de Welutas - also known as the Welutians or the Velucians - originally hailed from the [[Ionian Highlands]] and maintained considerable connections there, and as a house they were formed earlier in the century as part of an alliance between King Lucás I and some highland clans. The Emperor signed a treaty pledging non-interference for the remainder of the conflict, a pledge that his successors honored. For their efforts, [[House de Weluta]] was rewarded with the daughter of the sitting Aleckán [[Urceopolis (Archduchy)|Archduke]], beginning the long association between the House and the [[Julian dynasty]]. | In [[1341]], the sitting [[Emperor of the Levantines]] decided to set aside his own regent and invade [[Urcea]], planning to install either himself or a relative - scholars disagree on this point - on the throne of the [[Imperial Kingdom of Urcea]]. Imperial forces advanced down the [[Urce river]] as far as [[Castle Welute]], but were defeated there by forces loyal to [[House de Welute]]. The de Welutas - also known as the Welutians or the Velucians - originally hailed from the [[Ionian Highlands]] and maintained considerable connections there, and as a house they were formed earlier in the century as part of an alliance between King Lucás I and some highland clans. The Emperor signed a treaty pledging non-interference for the remainder of the conflict, a pledge that his successors honored. For their efforts, [[House de Weluta]] was rewarded with the daughter of the sitting Aleckán [[Urceopolis (Archduchy)|Archduke]], beginning the long association between the House and the [[Julian dynasty]]. | ||
| Line 32: | Line 31: | ||
The minor [[House de Weluta]] by [[1374]] were firmly ingrained members of the [[Julian dynasty]] by means of their descent from King Lucás I via the daughter of an Archduke married into the family followed its victory against the [[Emperor of the Levantines]] in [[1348]]. In an unlikely series of events, the head of house de Weluta at that time - Donio de Weluta - came into possession of the [[the Cape (Urcean province)#History|Duchy of the Cape]], a territory to the southwest of the [[Archduchy of Urceopolis]] that had been part of the [[Imperial Kingdom of Urcea]] but largely remained aloof of the affairs of its neighbors. The last Duke of the Cape died in 1372 without a close relative, leading to two years of struggle between local magnates over who should become Duke. Sensing an opportunity, the Aleckán Archduke of Urceopolis dispatched Donio and his forces to the Cape to try and resolve the dispute and gain an ally during the conflict with the Cónns. Following a four month campaign of restoring order and building local connections, Donio was unexpectedly offered the Duchy by local leaders in June 1374 as a compromise candidate, and he accepted the title. Donio was able to justify accepting the title due to his distant relation to the historic [[Southern Kingdom of the Levantines|Southern King of the Levantines]] from the line of his mother, the Aleckán princess. The de Welutas gaining the Cape brought it into Aleckán orbit and elevated the de Welutas into a place of political prominence. | The minor [[House de Weluta]] by [[1374]] were firmly ingrained members of the [[Julian dynasty]] by means of their descent from King Lucás I via the daughter of an Archduke married into the family followed its victory against the [[Emperor of the Levantines]] in [[1348]]. In an unlikely series of events, the head of house de Weluta at that time - Donio de Weluta - came into possession of the [[the Cape (Urcean province)#History|Duchy of the Cape]], a territory to the southwest of the [[Archduchy of Urceopolis]] that had been part of the [[Imperial Kingdom of Urcea]] but largely remained aloof of the affairs of its neighbors. The last Duke of the Cape died in 1372 without a close relative, leading to two years of struggle between local magnates over who should become Duke. Sensing an opportunity, the Aleckán Archduke of Urceopolis dispatched Donio and his forces to the Cape to try and resolve the dispute and gain an ally during the conflict with the Cónns. Following a four month campaign of restoring order and building local connections, Donio was unexpectedly offered the Duchy by local leaders in June 1374 as a compromise candidate, and he accepted the title. Donio was able to justify accepting the title due to his distant relation to the historic [[Southern Kingdom of the Levantines|Southern King of the Levantines]] from the line of his mother, the Aleckán princess. The de Welutas gaining the Cape brought it into Aleckán orbit and elevated the de Welutas into a place of political prominence. | ||
The death of the last direct male Julio-Aleckán heir in battle in [[1392]] seemed to indicate that the Cónn faction was about to emerge victorious. However, the supporters of the Aleckán cause decided to elevate Lucás of [[House de Weluta]] - to faction leadership. Lucás de Weluta, elevated to the rank of Archduke of Urceopolis and ruling from [[Castle Welute]], continued the fight against the Cónn faction. Lucás de Weluta rallied the Aleckán faction and raised a large number of highlanders to his banner, rejuvenating the Aleckán cause. In order to strengthen his position, Lucás controversially decided to break the tacit alliance between himself and the [[Creagmer republics]], invading them and restoring control over the western portion of the [[Archduchy of Urceopolis]]. Lucás's campaign despoiled some of the merchant cities, weakening their influence and harming Odoneru area trade while gaining a short term advantage in terms of funding for additional soldiers while also raising some urban levies from the region. Lucás managed to parlay the new gold to hire large mercenary forces from [[Anglei|Angla]]. | The death of the last direct male Julio-Aleckán heir in battle in [[1392]] seemed to indicate that the Cónn faction was about to emerge victorious. However, the supporters of the Aleckán cause decided to elevate Lucás of [[House de Weluta]] - to faction leadership. Lucás de Weluta, elevated to the rank of Archduke of Urceopolis and ruling from [[Castle Welute]], continued the fight against the Cónn faction. Lucás de Weluta rallied the Aleckán faction and raised a large number of highlanders to his banner, rejuvenating the Aleckán cause. In order to strengthen his position, Lucás controversially decided to break the tacit alliance between himself and the [[Creagmer republics]] in 1394, invading them and restoring control over the western portion of the [[Archduchy of Urceopolis]]. Lucás's campaign despoiled some of the merchant cities, weakening their influence and harming Odoneru area trade while gaining a short term advantage in terms of funding for additional soldiers while also raising some urban levies from the region. Unlike Riordan IV's agreements, which the cities broke, Lucás stripped the local notables of all [[Social class in Urcea|social rank]] and worked to dismantle the economic hierarchy which empowered the merchants to influence society. With the exception of the [[Philaridon Republic]], 1394 brought about the final end of the Creagmer republics. Lucás managed to parlay the new gold to hire large mercenary forces from [[Anglei|Angla]]. | ||
With his new gathered forces, Lucás de Weluta marched against the Cónns and, within a decade, eventually issued a final defeat to the Cónn faction at the Battle of Glens Falls in 1401. His forces subsequently besieged of the Castle of Ardricampus in early August 1402. Facing defeat, the Cónn claimant - the Elector Aedanicus of Cónn - threw himself from the walls of the fortress, committing suicide. Rather than slaughter the remaining members of the family, Lucás de Weluta married Aedanicus's only daughter Eileen and sent the rest of the family into exile in [[Angla]], where per agreement some of them would marry into the Royal family there. The de Weluta army then marched on [[Urceopolis (City)|Urceopolis]], where a tense standoff occurred between de Weluta forces and those loyal to the [[Pope]]. Following a month of what historians have called a "light siege" of the city, the Pope welcomed the de Weluta Archduke into the city. Lucás was crowned personally by the Pope on September 14 1402, ending the [[Saint's War]] and Great Interregnum definitively. | With his new gathered forces, Lucás de Weluta marched against the Cónns and, within a decade, eventually issued a final defeat to the Cónn faction at the Battle of Glens Falls in 1401. His forces subsequently besieged of the Castle of Ardricampus in early August 1402. Facing defeat, the Cónn claimant - the Elector Aedanicus of Cónn - threw himself from the walls of the fortress, committing suicide. Rather than slaughter the remaining members of the family, Lucás de Weluta married Aedanicus's only daughter Eileen and sent the rest of the family into exile in [[Angla]], where per agreement some of them would marry into the Royal family there. The de Weluta army then marched on [[Urceopolis (City)|Urceopolis]], where a tense standoff occurred between de Weluta forces and those loyal to the [[Pope]]. Following a month of what historians have called a "light siege" of the city, the Pope welcomed the de Weluta Archduke into the city. Lucás was crowned personally by the Pope on September 14 1402, ending the [[Saint's War]] and Great Interregnum definitively. | ||