History of Urcea (800-1098): Difference between revisions

The '''History of Urcea from 800 to 1098''', sometimes also called the '''Archducal Period''', consists of period of time from the death of [[Saint Julius I]] in 800 AD to the proclamation of the [[Golden Bull of 1098]]. This period saw the rise of the [[Julian dynasty]] within the newly established realms of the [[Archduchy of Urceopolis]] and the [[Grand Duchy of Yustona|Duchy of Yustona]], and additionally saw the growing power of the [[Julian dynasty]] within the [[Southern Kingdom of the Levantines]]. During this period, the [[Holy Levantine Empire|Levantine Empire]] disintegrated and was partially reunited. The two Julian realms were united in 922, forming a powerful constituent part of the rapidly weakening Southern Kingdom of the Levantines. This period saw the first [[Emperor of the Levantines]] of the [[Julian dynasty]], confirming their rapid ascent. In the midst of a civil war that threatened the existence of the Levantine Empire, Emperor Saint Charles II offered the Royal dignity to the Julians in exchange for their support. In 1098, the two Julian realms were united and the descendants of Saint Julius I assumed the Kingship of [[Urcea]] that year, marking the formal foundation of the country.

In 922, the last male-line heir of St. Julius in the [[Urceopolis (Archduchy)|Archduchy of Urceopolis]], Cumhachtabilis, died without issue. The closest heir was Grand Duke Seán, of the [[Grand Duchy of Yustona|Duchy of Yustona]], direct descendant of [[Saint Julius I]]'s brother who had been placed there as Grand Duke in the 8th century. The King of Carolina viewed this to be unacceptable, as the combination of the so-called "Julian Realms' would render him impotent. The King of Carolina attempted to take the Archduchy for himself as a new center for his Kingdom, sparking what historians would refer to as the War of the Urceopolitan Succession between the House Yustona (including loyalists in the vacant Archduchy) and the King. In the end, Grand Duke Seán triumphed and was crowned Archduke of Urceopolis and also Mayor of the Palace (of the Southern Kingdom of the Levantines), elevating House Yustona to the true power in the Kingdom. Seán would marry his eldest son to a bride from the direct descent line of [[Saint Julius I]], which would eventually bear Niall of House "Julio-Yustona". Seán died in 930; he was succeeded by his son Seán II, who was deathly ill at the time of his assent. Upon the death of Seán II, Niall, brother of Seán I, seized the Throne, on the basis that the younger Niall (son of Seán I) was too weak to rule. The King, however, would intervene and the elder Niall was killed on the battlefield, allowing the 7-year old Niall of House Julio-Yustona to become Archduke and Grand Duke. The King believed that a young heir would allow the Conine dynasty to reclaim power within the Kingdom, though his death and succession of his own young son meant that they could not consolidate power in time.

In 965, the [[Eastern Kingdom of the Levantines|Eastern King of the Levantines]], a man named Leo, a [[Derian people|Derian]] noble, deposed the Conine King in the Southern Kingdom with the considerable assistance of the Archduke of Urceopolis, who invited his invasion. The Pope crowned Leo as Emperor in 972, reforming the [[Holy Levantine Empire|Levantine Empire]], though permanently without the Western Kingdom of the Levantines. The Leonine Dynasty proved short lived, and its failure to produce an heir lead to near-open revolt. The Archduke of Urceopolis at the time, Julius III, joined the rebelling factions, eventually winning and securing that the Emperor would be elected by the most powerful or worthy vassals of the Empire via the [[Collegial Electorate]]. ''Julius Secures the Imperial Liberties'', a romantic painting of the Archduke forcing the Imperial regent to sign a charter (the Pragmatic Sanction of 997) following the regent’s defeat on the field, became an iconic rallying symbol for Urcean national identity within the Empire in the 19th century. Archduke Julius III’s son, Adrian IV, became Archduke and Grand Duke in 1002, and he himself was elected Emperor in 1014, becoming Emperor Adrian II, the first of several of the family of St. Julius to become Emperor. During his reign, Emperor Adrian convened the first [[Great Landsmeet]] in 1022. This Landsmeet was envisioned by the Emperor as a meeting of all of the Custóirs of the [[Estates of Urcea]] as a system to resolve disputes within the Archduchy-Yustona between the various [[Social class in Urcea|optimate families]], whose feuding undermined the realm. The Great Landsmeet was also devised as a system to help assist in administration of the realm by way of consensus, an early example of the foundation of the [[Constitution of Urcea]]. The Great Landsmeet would meet only upon the call of the Archduke, and during its existence it met dozens of times in its centuries of existence. It replaced the earlier Tribal Assembly, which had not met since 917, and given that only the heads of the 50 estates were required to participate, it was considerably easier to gather enough Custóirs to have a working meeting. The Great Landsmeet would remain a permanent institution for centuries. Adrian, reformer and the "First Urcean Emperor", died in 1036.

By the late 11th century, the [[Holy Levantine Empire]] had already approached something resembling its territorial peak; the Luciusian Dynasty had conquered the area of modern northern [[Fiannria]], an area that had eluded central authority for nearly a millenia. This area was, at that time, part of a larger region commonly known as Ultramurus, that is, “beyond the wall”, referring to the walls constructed by [[Great Levantia]] to signify their northern borders, which today is referred to as [[Ultmar]]. Within the Empire, the position of the Archduchy-Duchy continued to grow, acquiring several lands and titles outside the traditional geographic boundaries of Urceopolis-Yustona, particularly over the Cape and down into the modern province of Callan but also as far north as the city of Killea. These lands were all established under the Kingdom of Dericania in 1043, which encompassed, for the most part, the southern half of the Empire; the Kingdom of Culfra encompassed the north. Additionally, the Golden Bull of 1043 also set the amount of electors at 9; neither Yustona nor Urceopolis were granted the electoral dignity as it was thought to be a way to balance its power relative to the rest of the Empire. This lead to a 100-year quest on the part of the Julio-Yustona Dynasty to acquire a vote for Emperor, either by a chance to the law or by inheritance.