Castle Welute

Castle Welute
General information
Type	Royal palace
Location	Archduchy of Urceopolis
Country	Urcea
Renovated	1907-1909
Owner	King Riordan VIII

Castle Welute is a royal residence situated on the Urce River in Westglen, and it serves as the primary home and administrative center of the monarchy of the Apostolic Kingdom of Urcea. It also serves as the primary birthplace of children of House de Weluta, especially in the Royal line. Since the 14th century, it has served as the ancestral home of the House de Weluta, and prior to the 18th century it was an important fortification in the defensive network around Urceopolis. It has served as the semi-permanent residence of the Apostolic King since the reign of King Aedanicus VIII. The outer walls were removed during the 19th century as many had begun to collapse. The outer portions of the Castle are open to visitors, and contain shops and stalls for local agriculture.

History

The granite outcropping on which Castle Welute is built was likely the site of human settlement since the stone age, and archaeological evidence has been found suggesting Gaelic ringforts on the site prior to the arrival of Adonerii settlers in Levantia. Easily fortified, the site was inconsistently settled until the 800s BC, when it apparently became the seat of a series of petty Gaelic kings. Gaels were driven from the area in the 700s BC and the hill was largely forgotten as the surrounding area became wooded, and it remained a forest for the Great Levantia period. Conflicting historical and archaeological evidence suggests that the Latin League fought a major battle against Gallawa either at or near the current Castle site in the 750s, and a legend maintains that Saint Julius of the Caeline himself conducted the battle against Gallawa sitting atop the hill, a claim that would give a kind of increased prestige and moral authority to House de Weluta, although the claim is subject to a great deal of scholarly debate.

Early modern period

The military value of Castle Welute became apparent to military and Royal figures during the latter half of the 17th century. Though its fortifications remained largely medieval, the Castle sat upon one of the most dominating geographical features of the Upper Urce, making it a vital position to hold in the northern Valley if the Northgate was breached. Consequently, major reconstruction efforts began in the early 18th century as part of a broader effort to make Urcea more resilient in the face of military conflict. The keep and medieval curtain walls were retained as the center point of the fortress, but a series of sprawling star fortifications were constructed radiating out of the medieval castle. As the Castle sat on the west bank of the river and would be vulnerable if an army were to surpass the new outer fortifications by crossing to the east bank, several batteries and fortifications - collectively dubbed Castle Leo - were built along the east bank. Warehouses for siege supply were built as was a major supply depot intended to support operations of the Royal and Imperial Army in the northern section of the Valley. The resulting set of fortifications were impressive, and only came under serious threat once during the century they were operational. During the Second Caroline War, advanced forces of the Imperial Army skirmised with pickets around the castle, and Imperial reconaissance suggested it would be too difficult to take without a prolonged siege. This played a major role in the failure of the Imperial Army to advance on Urceopolis, setting the stage for later victories over the Imperial Army by Ionian forces loyal to House de Weluta.