History of Urcea (1575-1798): Difference between revisions

== Imperial Rule and Beginning of Industrial Revolution ==

Early mills, such as this one, became an increasingly common sight in Urcea during the middle and late 1700s

During the period of the Urcean Crown's ascent to Imperial dominance, important changes were occurring in the country and in [[Levantia]] in general. In the period 1730-1765, devices such as the flying shuttle, spinning frame, and the spinning jenny were invented in the Imperial heartland. With increasing mechanization bleeding into other sectors and a greater ability to refine cast iron, the early stage of the Industrial Revolution had begun in Levantia. King-Emperor Leo (to 1768), and his son Brian (reigned 1768-1781), largely allowed the economy to progress without intervention.

The first decade of Lucás's reign proceeded mostly without incident, but under the surface several Princes were conspiring. The Duke of Upper Verecundia, son of the Emperor who was defeated in the [[War of the Caroline Succession]] was revealed in 1794 to be part of the so-called "''Red Emperor''" Plot, a conspiracy to potentially assassinate the Emperor in conjunction with a mass uprising of the Princes. King Lucás's forces easily overcame Upper Verecundia's small forces and took the Duke into custody. While imprisoned, several other conspiracies began to grow throughout the Empire, particularly in the [[Kingdom of Dericania]]. The question of what to do with the Duke of Upper Veredunia became a major political issue in both [[Urceopolis (City)|Urceopolis]] and in [[Corcra (City)|Corcra]], but in early 1796, after waffling indecisively for two years, Emperor Lucás decided to sentence the Duke to death for treason. The decision to sentence the Duke to death for treason, rather than the conspiracy itself, lead to widespread outrage within the Empire and, in conjunction with three decades of de Weluta primogeniture, proved to most the "despotic" nature of the Urcean Crown. The Princes and Estates of the Kingdom of Dericania declared themselves in rebellion by June of 1796, joined later in the year by most of the other princes in the Empire, beginning what was later known as the [[Second Caroline War]].

Following a disastrous 1797 campaign season in which the [[Royal and Imperial Army (Urcea)|Royal and Imperial Army]] was badly beaten and ejected from Dericania altogether - including a popular uprising in Corcra that ejected Lucás's forces, 1798 saw most of the fighting occur in [[Aenglasmarch]] and in [[Carolina]]. Beginning in 1798, several of the Dukes of [[Aenglasmarch]] - nominally direct vassals of the [[Apostolic King of Urcea]] rather than of the Emperor - waged an uprising that allowed for easier access for rebel forces into Carolina. The fighting concluded for the year with a standstill, though King Lucás contracted pneumonia while wintering in Carolina and died on December 19th, 1798. His son, the new King Brian III, assumed control of the army in the week following, but decided to call for a ceasefire. His rationale has been hotly debated by historians, but his letters seem to indicate he thought he could diplomatically end the war by portraying it as a conflict between the Princes and his father. Critically, King Brian also decided that he would not assume his father's Imperial title until peace was achieved. These decisions proved mistakes as the time allowed the members of the former [[Collegial Electorate]] to once again gather in Corcra and elect a rival Emperor, and Brian's decision to not assume the title undermined his legitimacy. While wintering in 1798-99, large defections of Imperial troops left the Royal Army at a disadvantage relative to their opponents.