Messisorian Kingdom
The Messisorian Kingdom was an Ancient Istroyan polity in Sarpedon during Antiquity. Considered to have been established with the establishment of permanent hegemony of the city of Messisoria over the island of Herciana in the 1140s BC, the Messisorian Kingdom was a major power in the ancient Istroyan world and an early rival of Caphiria's for dominance of northern Sarpedon. Coming to encompass most of modern Thessia and Halfway as well as Herciana, the Kingdom was rich and experienced its peak (called the "Messisorian Empire" by historians) around 850-600 BC, when its center of power gradually shifted from the island of Herciana to the mainland parts of the Kingdom. The Kingdom was gradually pushed back by Caphiria and destroyed in 198 BC.
The Messisorian Kingdom was the first major polity in northeastern Sarpedon and was responsible for the proliferation of Istroyan civilization in the region. During its existence, the Messisorians inflicted severe defeats on increasingly organized Sarpic tribes, driving them back and weakening them for later conquest by Caphiria. The Messisorians would have a lasting legacy in the minds of Istroyan people on Sarpedon, and Veltorina would claim direct discent from the Messisorians upon its independence in 1782.
Historical overview
Herciana was colonized in ca 1650 BC by the Ancient Istroyan civilization, which established numerous colonies on the island. Becoming preeminent among them was Messisoria, which was larger than the other cities and more prosperous, eventually establishing a formal hierarchy of power on the island. Messisorian hegemony was challenged several times by other cities on the island; most prominently, one conflict in the 1140s BC lead to the other cities forging alliances with Istroyan colonies on the mainland. Messisoria won the war and directly annexed the mainland cities while continuing the subordination of its neighbors on the island. While it had always been ruled by a King, most historiographical conventions mark this event as the beginning of the Messisorian Kingdom. The conquest of mainland territories transformed Messisoria from an insular hegemon to a regional power, becoming preeminent Istroyan power in the region.
The Messisorian Kingdom began to prosecute offensive wars in the 9th century BC. After decades of continued fighting - both against Istroyan city-states and Sarpic tribes in the interior as well as against newly encroaching settlers from Adonerum - the Kingdom of Messisoria encompassed not only Herciana but most of modern Thessia. The informal historiographical "Messisorian Empire" - a network of directly administered territories and clients - brought significant benefits to Herciana, becoming one of the best developed places in all of ancient Istroya. The Empire reached its peak in 850 BC with the conquest of Halfway. Coins and goods from Herciana from this period have been found as far afield as western Audonia and Vallos, indicating its significant economic presence within the ancient Occidental world. Beginning in the 600s and becoming permanent in around 500 BC, the Royal court gradually shifted away from Herciana to take up residence in the city of Taxades in the northeastern region of modern Thessia, as the city was closer to the new core of the Kingdom and more easily defensible.
As its expansion halted, the Messisorian Kingdom faced several major Sarpic threats, with major confederations of tribes attempting to raid, settle, and conquer the Kingdom in 487 BC, 424 BC, and 380 BC. Most historians believe these tribes were moving eastward away from Caphiria, which was expanding. Each time, the confederations managed to reach Taxades but could not besiege it due to the lack of advanced equipment and strength of the fortifications, and each time they were defeated. The defeats of these people sent them southward, further pushing Sarpic people southwest away from the coasts, and significantly weakened Sarpic tribes overall in northern Sarpedon, opening up for later Caphirian conquest.
Messisoria began to enter a period of decline beginning in around 350 BC. Its original core territory, Herciana, entered a period of demographic and economic decline as its political significance waned. Halfway was conquered by post-Adonerii polities of Urlazio in 313 BC. In the 200s BC, the Messiorians were gradually pushed back by the nascent Caphirian state to the west, and from the northeast the loss of Halfway opened it up to annual raiding and piracy along its coasts. Taxades was conquered by the Caphirians following a three year siege in 225 BC, after which time the court relocated back to Herciana. The Kingdom was reduced to just the island by 202 BC. It was conquered four years later in 198 BC and sacked, destroying much of the ancient architecture, culture, and wealth of the island, and with it the Messisorian Kingdom was brought to an end.
Legacy
The Messisorian Kingdom created lasting demographic impacts on Sarpedon, being the first power to extend Ancient Istroyan civilization beyond the coasts and into the interior of northeastern Sarpedon. Its expansion and colonization efforts transformed northeastern Sarpedon into an Istroyan-speaking area, which it remains in the 21st century. Its capital, Taxades, would later become Constanz, the capital of Veltorina. Veltorina would draw significant cultural and symbolic influence from the Messisorian Kingdom, and most scholars believe Veltorine people are the distant descendants of the initial Istroyan conquests that occurred up through the 7th century BC. The Messisorians would also leave a wealth of ruins and historic architecture in Thessia, Halfway, and Herciana which survive in varying forms today.