History of Urcea (1575-1798): Difference between revisions

Despite the early military failures of the Royal Army, the Gassavelians were diplomatically and economically isolated. The [[Royal Navy (Urcea)|Royal Navy]] began a blockade of the region, and neighboring authorities in [[Faramount]] fully complied with the embargo due to their own fears of a Gassavelian uprising in their territory. With the [[Urcean frontier]] to the north of Gassavelia and [[Canaery]] and its associated duchies to the west, Gassavelia was encircled. With little foreign trade options, famine in the territory grew worse. This lead to many extremely violent raids for food into Canaery, which raised enmity between both sides.

===Incorporation reform===

After four hard years of war in [[Gassavelia]] and subsequent efforts to ease tensions there, many leaders (including Patrick I) in [[Urceopolis (City)|Urceopolis]] began to pay greater attention to the peripheral parts of the King's domains, namely those of Gassavelia, the [[Ænglasmarch#Duchy_of_Holchester|Duchy of Holchester]] and [[Ænglish people|Ænglish]] territories, and the somewhat incorporated [[Electorate of Canaery]], and how the state administered these areas. Also coming into focus was the [[Duchy of Transurciana]], which had been the focus of dispute between the [[Pope]] and [[Apostolic King of Urcea|Apostolic King]] during the medieval period; though the power struggle had largely subsided by the 15th century in favor of the Crown, the Duchy still enjoyed significant legal privileges and autonomy, and its nobility still retained significant power where it had otherwise faded throughout the Kingdom.  

Administrative reform had become a relatively popular idea in Urceopolis beginning with the reign of King Patrick I's predecessor, Riordan VI, who had created the [[Kingdom of Crotona]] to deal with the myriad of dependencies, duchies, city-states, and other territories on the islands. While the Crown would struggle to implement meaningful legal and jurisdictional changes in the core part of the Kingdom, King Patrick I would begin the centuries-long process by issuing what would be known as the Jurisdiction Decree in 1685. This decree incorporated the Caenish, Gassavelian, and Ænglish lands within the [[Concilium Daoni]], abolishing the ducal and princely common councils of those regions to instead gather regional representatives within one body. The Kingdom of Crotona would also be represented, but with a limited number of appointed delegates by the Kingdom's administration - it was later given full representation in 1820. While the incorporations would improve the taxing authority of the Crown, it would also set the stage for the Daoni to assume greater responsibility, culminating in the Concession of 1747 which gave it the tools to later become a true national legislature. Historians have since seen the Decree as the first step in the long historical road to the [[Administrative Reorganization Act of 1892]].

===Expanding the realm===

During this period, Urcea's attention turned back to the west and south in an effort to capitalize on the very profitable [[Odoneru Ocean]] trade. It established a string of colonies in southeastern [[Crona]] during the 1620s known as [[New Archduchy]] and the [[Julian Belt]]. Urcea successfully fought the War of Urlazio and gained a foothold on [[Urlazio]]. The war, which took place from 1625 through 1634 and started largely by King Aedanicus V, was aimed at curbing the influence of [[Caphiria]] and prevent possible expansion into [[Levantia]]. Though successful, the Urcean march on Urlazio lead to hundreds of years of animosity with Caphiria that weren't truly resolved until the return of its Urlazio territory at the [[Assumption Accords]]. In order to link its dominions together, Urcea completed the envelopment of [[Crotona]] in 1660 during the reign of King Riordan VI, creating the [[Kingdom of Crotona]]. In 1670, Riordan began the conquest of [[Tromarine]], but it would not be completed until the reign of his successor, King Patrick I, who put the finishing touches on conquering the island in 1676. Patrick completed the envelopment of the southern Odoneru by formally annexing the [[Philaridon Republic]] in 1680, though the Republic had largely been reduced to the position of a vassal a century earlier. A small portion of the Republic was ceded to the [[Grand Duchy of Carolina]], Urcea's ally; this border would largely remain unchanged through the present day, establishing the southern border between the provinces of [[Roscampus]] and [[Lower Carolina]] roughly along the [[Pralia Mountains]].