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History of Urcea (1098-1214): Difference between revisions
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Riordan I, crowned [[Apostolic King of Urcea]] following his [[History_of_Urcea_(800-1098)#Late_Archducal_period|participation in the northern uprising]], did not have long to reign as King and died roughly two and a half years later in August of 1100. His eldest son, Aedanicus, was {{wp|sterile}} and also had extreme physical limitations, although scholars have debated the extent of these limitations as they are not clearly defined in the sources. A small consensus indicate that Aedanicus may have been {{wp|developmentally disabled}}. Aedanicus died after an uneventful two years on the throne and was succeeded by his brother Riordan II. | Riordan I, crowned [[Apostolic King of Urcea]] following his [[History_of_Urcea_(800-1098)#Late_Archducal_period|participation in the northern uprising]], did not have long to reign as King and died roughly two and a half years later in August of 1100. His eldest son, Aedanicus, was {{wp|sterile}} and also had extreme physical limitations, although scholars have debated the extent of these limitations as they are not clearly defined in the sources. A small consensus indicate that Aedanicus may have been {{wp|developmentally disabled}}. Aedanicus died after an uneventful two years on the throne and was succeeded by his brother Riordan II. | ||
During this time, the great numbers of possible male heirs (both close and distant) | During this time, the great numbers of possible male heirs (both close and distant) led to dynastic instability in [[Urcea]] that would eventually go on to become an existential problem in later centuries. The relatively successful reign of Riordan II ended in 1118 following sixteen years spent mostly establishing Urcea's royal dignity among the princes of the [[Holy Levantine Empire]]. Riordan was succeeded by his son, Aedanicus II. Aedanicus II's reign was greatly consumed by the issue of succession as he managed eight daughters but no sons. The lack of a male heir led to a decreasing state of mental stability for the King according to contemporary and modern historians. In late 1130 Aedanicus attempted to legitimize his bastard son Donnchad, a decision which served as the "last straw" and led to the creation of a powerful palace faction. With tacit approval from the [[Catholic Church|Church]], the faction moved quickly, and Aedanicus was murdered in a supposed hunting accident on 19 January 1131. His brother, Niall, was never directly implicated but was assumed by both contemporary and modern historians to be the leader of the palace faction and its prime architect. The same day his brother was murdered, Niall became [[Apostolic King of Urcea]]. His nephew, Aedanicus's bastard son Donnchad, was quickly imprisoned for supposedly plotting against the new King and disappears from the historical record following his imprisonment in February 1131. | ||
== The Republics and river == | == The Republics and river == | ||
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The [[Julian dynasty]] had long sought to secure control of both banks of the [[Urce River]] and the land between it and the coast, even before the [[Golden Bull of 1098|establishment of the Kingdom in 1098]]. This land had been part of [[Latin League]] polities prior to the establishment of the [[Holy Levantine Empire]] and now comprised of the [[Creagmer republics]] - a series of {{wp|mercantile republic}}s occupying the land on what is today [[Urcea]]'s western shore. These lands were considerably wealthy from their strong position in the [[Odoneru Ocean|Odoneru]] trade market, with contacts and clients as far abroad as [[Kiravia]]. Although King Niall I was the first King to truly focus on Urcea's access to the sea and control of these wealthy cities, his predecessors has also made attempts to bring them within Urcea's direct orbit with varying degrees of success. Efforts were made during the 1110s and 1120s to emphasize the Apostolic King's right to tax these cities as their [[Imperial Kingdom of Urcea|legal liege]], but these efforts were largely rebuffed. By the reign of Niall I, the [[Philaridon Republic]] had emerged as the most powerful of the republics and served both as its protector and as its chief advocate to the [[Emperor of the Levantines]]. | The [[Julian dynasty]] had long sought to secure control of both banks of the [[Urce River]] and the land between it and the coast, even before the [[Golden Bull of 1098|establishment of the Kingdom in 1098]]. This land had been part of [[Latin League]] polities prior to the establishment of the [[Holy Levantine Empire]] and now comprised of the [[Creagmer republics]] - a series of {{wp|mercantile republic}}s occupying the land on what is today [[Urcea]]'s western shore. These lands were considerably wealthy from their strong position in the [[Odoneru Ocean|Odoneru]] trade market, with contacts and clients as far abroad as [[Kiravia]]. Although King Niall I was the first King to truly focus on Urcea's access to the sea and control of these wealthy cities, his predecessors has also made attempts to bring them within Urcea's direct orbit with varying degrees of success. Efforts were made during the 1110s and 1120s to emphasize the Apostolic King's right to tax these cities as their [[Imperial Kingdom of Urcea|legal liege]], but these efforts were largely rebuffed. By the reign of Niall I, the [[Philaridon Republic]] had emerged as the most powerful of the republics and served both as its protector and as its chief advocate to the [[Emperor of the Levantines]]. | ||
[[File:Weltchronik Fulda Aa88 202v.jpg|thumb|right|200px|A 14th century depiction of the siege and sack of Cauca.]] | [[File:Weltchronik Fulda Aa88 202v.jpg|thumb|right|200px|A 14th century depiction of the siege and sack of Cauca.]] | ||
Attempted legal encroachments during the early 12th century precipitated efforts by the republics to secure {{wp|Imperial immediacy}} during successive sessions of the [[Imperial Diet]]. One such effort | Attempted legal encroachments during the early 12th century precipitated efforts by the republics to secure {{wp|Imperial immediacy}} during successive sessions of the [[Imperial Diet]]. One such effort led to the Philaridon Republic being successfully granted immediacy in 1139, precipitating a military response. Under the earlier pretext of the de jure legal overlordships of the Republic, Niall marched an army into the merchant republic of Cauca in June 1139 over the political and legal objections of all of the merchant republics and the [[Pope]]. The Philaridon Republic sent a mercenary army which Niall defeated on 18 September 1139 before setting into a siege of Cauca during the winter. As the winter passed, the defenders of Cauca grew more desperate and sallied forth in February, taking grievous casualties. Niall ordered the city stormed at the end of March 1140 and the city was sacked. Many of the prominent merchant families were killed, including leading men of the city. Niall declared the areas under Cauca's influence would be immediately added to his own realms, while the spoils of the city would prove valuable for the rest of his reign. The [[Emperor of the Levantines]] did not intervene, and Niall marched from republic to republic extracting agreements of tribute from each except Philaridon. Several smaller cities were directly added to the realm of the Urcean king and reorganized as free cities. Historiographically, these free cities would no longer be considered "Creagmer republics" and continued to exist in some cases until the [[Administrative Reorganization Act of 1892]]. | ||
== Southern orientation == | == Southern orientation == | ||