History of Hendalarsk

Despite recorded human activity in the region stretching back millennia, Hendalarsk as a state has only been synonymous with the land it now occupies for the last few centuries, a period which itself has been punctuated by multiple civil wars. The history of Hendalarsk is therefore not just a history of the Hendalarskara state itself, but also of those polities and peoples which have over time been absorbed into it. For purposes of coherence, this article will nevertheless focus on the history of the Hendalarskara state and its society, with other polities discussed in more detail elsewhere.

An Age of Duels: Hendalarsk and Khunyeria, 1126-1401

- Hendalarsk begins this period as a newly-minted Grand Duchy which has come out from under the shadow of the (collapsing) Khunyer Empire, perhaps defeating a few bordering vassals of the former Empire to safeguard its autonomy

- Around 1140 the Grand Dukes make peace with the rump Empire, and (fatefully) conclude a marriage agreement with one of the junior lines of the Khunyer monarchy that results in frequent intermarriage going forwards

- The twelfth and thirteenth centuries see a flourishing of intellectual life in the monasteries and emerging universities of Hendalarsk, as well as increasing urbanisation brought about by population growth and the expansion of longer-distance trade along the Zalgis. This period is when Frehmenwerth first starts to emerge as a serious commercial centre as well as a centre of political authority, since it's at the crossroads of the north-south route along the Zalgis and the east-west route into the Kupferberg

- From the 1150s onwards, with their western frontier secure, the Grand Dukes begin consolidating their authority southwards, from the outpost at Jenwerdorf, and eastwards into the Nünsyi realms; this progresses from being raids for loot and prestige by marcher lords into a full-scale campaign of conquest in the western foothills and passes - The Khunyer central monarchy is quite weak throughout the twelfth and early thirteenth centuries, as the feudal nobility work to ensure they aren't subject to any sustained challenge from royal power; this changes decisively in the late thirteenth century with the rise of [X monarch] from the southwest of the kingdom, who begins to bring them to heel

- He dies prematurely though, with a young heir, sparking the Second Khunyer Civil Wars, or the Wars of the Carnations (after the different-coloured flowers that different factions sport). This is eventually won decisively, after decades of intermittent internecine struggle, in 1324, by a member of the junior line married into the Hendalarskara royal family. He is focused on rebuilding his kingdom, but his son who takes over is an ambitious man...

- And when the Hendalarskara Grand Duke dies without sons in 1359, this ambitious ruler of a reconstituted empire decides he wants the Grand Duchy for himself - not as a tributary but as an integral part of the state. So begins the Duel of the Valleys, which rumbles on until 1401.

- Key details: Khunyer prefer cavalry warfare, a combination of heavy knights and horse-archers, which is initially devastatingly effective in the open plains between the two states, and at the Battle of [1361 Battle] cripples the Hendalarskara army - by 1363 Frehmenwerth has fallen, the new Grand Duke is dead and the realm is on its knees. A younger brother rules the eastern marches though, and a reconstituted and battle-hardened army repeatedly defeats Khunyer raids and incursions into the passes. A big battle in 1369 sees a major Khunyer force crushed in the valleys and marshes east of Frehmenwerth, with the Khunyer heir killed - which starts the fracturing of the Khunyer state that eventually leads to the Hendalarskara victory once Hendalarsk is properly reconstituted. Frehmenwerth is retaken by 1370, the younger brother is crowned in the city, a twelve-year truce is agreed with Khunyeria in 1372 and the young grand duke spends that time aggressively bringing everyone between the Khunyer frontier and the southeastern lake under his banner. Tightly-drilled pike formations protecting longbowmen are able to outrange horse archers while protecting against cavalry charges - and pikemen are easier to train than knights. The truce lapses in 1384, it is not renewed, and the second major phase of the war begins. The climactic battle is fought in 1387, west of modern Grenzdalar; it's the bloodiest single day of fighting in Hendalarskara history before the modern civil war but ends with Hendalarskara forces victorious. The young (now middle-aged) king, however, takes a lot of wounds that eventually fester and kill him in late 1389, aged 46; his young son takes over aged 21 but needs a few years to consolidate his rule, replenish the army. From 1393 the final phase of the war begins in earnest, and is mostly a long succession of bloody sieges of Khunyer cities. Mezönyékvár falls in the summer of 1397, the new grand duke crowns himself King of Khunyeria and by 1400 the remnants of the Khunyer nobility have accepted his rule; they sign the final peace on New Year's Day 1401.

An Age of Glory: The Road to Unification, 1401-1650

- Peace in 1401 puts King X of Hendalarsk as the senior partner in a personal union with Khunyeria, but the two states remain legally and administratively separate
- One final revolt after his death in 1429; when it's finally crushed in 1434, the independence of the Khunyer kingdom is abolished and it becomes a subordinate kingdom of the Archkingdom of Hendalarsk
- Monarchs mostly focus on integration and reform for the next century, and the country is relatively peaceful and therefore prosperous; by contrast the lower Zalgis is in turmoil due to the rise of Hernemünde while Werdach in the east begins to collapse. Being unaffected by this turmoil gradually comes to put Hendalarsk at an advantage
- A mercenary condottiere takes control of Zalgisbeck by 1540 and this sets in motion another, more destructive series of wars in the Zalgis basin. This comes to put Hendalarskara commerce at risk and eventually the state acts under Maximilian

Maximilianic Unification: 1558-1592

For more information, see Maximilianic Unification

An Age of Decay: 1650-1798

- Ruling such a vast territory effectively becomes difficult, and local aristocracies begin to reassert themselves against the centre
- Cultural conflict in the Kupferberg as colonisation of the region by Goths intensifies and sparks local resistance; degradation of legal status and scattered atrocities
- Much of eastern Hendalarsk (except the Pentapolis) is stagnant as the economy is wholly reoriented towards the Zalgis
- The monarchy itself also becomes moribund, and eventually this gives rise to nationalist reform movements, particularly in Frehmenwerth
- Isolationism due to concern about defending such vast frontiers if war hits, plus the nation being effectively landlocked and dependent on the Isthmus for access into the Kilikas, itself dangerous

An Age of Extremes: 1798-1925

- An industrial revolution! All that copper and other ore in the Kupferberg becomes very important
- Some kind of pagan revival movement among the indigenous Mountaineers, maybe millenarian, in response to continued Gothic encroachment
- The liberal reformers frighten the aristocracy, the monarchy is able to exploit this, and a neo-absolutist state emerges
- There's a Russia 1905 moment at some point in the 1860s, and some parliamentary concessions like a States-General emerge from it, but they're mostly symbolic
- The rise of an industrial proletariat accompanied by a rise of syndicalism and communism as relevant ideologies - and fascism in response
- Red Interregnum, financial crash, weak recovery and fascist paranoia about communist militancy gets you...

Hendalarskara Civil War: 1919-1925

For more information, see Hendalarskara Civil War