Greater Canaery

Greater Canaery is a term referring to the Urcean provinces and crownlands of Canaery, Gabban, western New Audonia, western Sanctissimo Sacramento, and most of Kingsvale, although portions of that province are also considered to be part of the Urcean frontier. Greater Canaery describes portions of Urcea which are either primarily inhabited by Caenish people or have significant Caenish influences. The region's borders in part descend from areas which were part of the Electorate of Canaery and the counties of Gabban and Goldin, all of which were ruled by nobility of Caenish origin. Accordingly, many people in this region refer to themselves as Urceo-Caens, and Urcea's political parties have historically adopted a more Caenish social approach in the area with strong emphasis on local cultural issues.

History

The area of Greater Canaery was very lightly populated in prehistoric times up through much of Antiquity, as indigineous Gaels mostly avoided the region both due to the difficulty of traversing between it and the Valley through the Hortus Mountains as well as due to its equatorial climate and dangerous fauna. Light migratory patterns existed and minor settlements were erected near the Mountain of the Blessed Sacrament by a tribe known as the "Canutes", which most scholars agree gave the area its name as well as that of the Sea of Canete. The area was subsequently subject to small amounts of Istroyan colonization from around 1000 BC to 500 BC, but these efforts were largely restrained to the coasts and were smaller in nature than the colonies to the east in what would become known as Nova Istroya. Largely passed over by Latin colonists during the Latin Heroic Age Greater Canaery fell under the sway of Urceopolis and Great Levantia in the latter half of the first millennia BC, though the Istroyan cities largely continued their practice of self-governance. Great Levantia built several major roads and major clearings in the region, connecting the cities by land, but the area did not see a major uptick in settlement during the Great Levantine period.

In the late third century AD, Gothic people began to regularly raid the area by sea due to the fact it was lightly defended and could not be easily patrolled by Great Levantia. Many of these peoples eventually settled in the area and intermixed with the local Gaelic and Istroyan populations, creating the modern Caenish people. Despite popular and earlier historical beliefs, the Caens did not originally settle Cana nor were they associated with the settlement until later, first erecting major settlements in the bay of Gabban. The future Caenish people were eventually incorporated into Great Levantia as foederati in exchange for supporting Amadeus Agrippa in 310. With legal sanction secured, the future Caens would eventually move north, settling Cana and moving inland to the Hortus Mountains, creating a cohesive society in the area where none had previously existed. Along with the rest of Levantia, the Greater Canaery area began to embrace Christianity in the fourth century. The Caens famously sacked Urceopolis in 434, exposing the decline of Great Levantia, and following its collapse the once-united foederati Realm of the Caens splintered into rival tribes and cities. The area was divided throughout the 6th and first half of the 7th century, when the entire region fell under the influence of Hištanšahr in loose agreements of tribute, though the infighting among major local factions continued.

The modern history of the region coincides with the establishment of the Levantine Empire by Emperor Conchobar I. Following his conquest of Urceopolis in 760 and his coronation as Emperor, Conchobar marched south against Hištanšahr, winning a number of campaigns. Although the Emperor was unable to achieve his overall ambition of the conquest of Hištanšahr, he was able to conquer essentially all of Greater Canaery. As with other places in Levantia, he reorganized the local administration, establishing the Duchy of Cana, the County of Gabban, and the County of Goldin, elevating three prominent local factions of Caenish tribes to formal political prominence. He also integrated some of the interior portions of the region - including the modern province of New Audonia - into marches along the Southern Wilderness. The integration of Greater Canaery into the Holy Levantine Empire largely established it as a settled society, and its politics were quickly integrated into the rest of Levantia. The area eventually fell under the sway of the Apostolic King of Urcea in the twelfth century, becoming a distinct portion of Urcea through today. Due to the significant logistical difficulties of linking the region to the rest of Urcea through the Urcean frontier, the area retained significant political autonomy up through the industrial period.