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New Harren: Difference between revisions
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===Colonial establishment=== | ===Colonial establishment=== | ||
[[File:George Inness - The Lackawanna Valley - Google Art Project.jpg|thumb|left|250px|''Wellville and Environs'' (1880) is a well-known idyllic depiction of Urcean colonial towns in New Harren in its first decades.]] | [[File:George Inness - The Lackawanna Valley - Google Art Project.jpg|thumb|left|250px|''Wellville and Environs'' (1880) is a well-known idyllic depiction of Urcean colonial towns in New Harren in its first decades.]] | ||
In the 1850s, [[King Aedanicus VIII]] sought to acquire land in Crona to boost Urcea's prestige and, additionally, in order to find territory to settle veterans of the [[Third Caroline War]]. After much searching, the tribe of [[List of peoples of Cusinaut#Q-T|Schoharie]], the southernmost tribe in the Northern Confederation, agreed to sell its marshy southern coastal region to Urcea for four million talers in 1857. King Aedanicus declared the territory the | In the 1850s, [[King Aedanicus VIII]] sought to acquire land in Crona to boost Urcea's prestige and, additionally, in order to find territory to settle veterans of the [[Third Caroline War]]. After much searching, the tribe of [[List of peoples of Cusinaut#Q-T|Schoharie]], the southernmost tribe in the Northern Confederation, agreed to sell its marshy southern coastal region to Urcea for four million talers in 1857. King Aedanicus declared the territory the Rectory of New Harren in 1858, and the new settlers arrived to find a difficult, swampy environment, which was only cleared through expensive application of new industrial technologies. Port St. Charles was established by the settlers in 1858, and by 1868 most of the bogs had been drained, allowing for arable land. [[Urcean people|Urcean]] colonists flooded into the country in the 1870s in light of constant overcrowding in [[Urcea]], and by 1880 it was clear that the small territory was no longer sufficient to hold the growing population. Urcea declared war on the Schoharie in 1881 in the hopes that overwhelming Occidental power would prevent the Confederation from intervening, but it became clear that the gambit had failed as huge warbands and armies from the Confederation appeared on New Harren's frontiers. Using the power of its advanced [[Royal Navy (Urcea)|Royal Navy]] and [[List of equipment of the Armed Forces of Urcea#Muskets%20and%20rifles|bolt-action rifles]], Urcea quickly seized coastal fishing areas, transforming the war into a war of attrition. Growing expenses led to the war ending in 1883; Urcea was ceded some territory from the Schoharie but the effort was largely considered a failure due to the inability to win a decisive victory. The war had claimed the lives of thousands of natives, and the Schoharie living in the ceded territory fled northward, settling in the lands of the Tepetlcali and Algoquona. Many of the Schoharie living in its remaining territory also began to migrate northwards, as many believed it would only be a matter of time until the Urceans returned. [[King Aedanicus VIII]] did intend to try again, but died in 1889, and the colony was considered one of the King's vanity projects. | ||
[[ | One of the last acts of Aedanicus VIII was to appoint a new Rector, a former [[Concilium Daoni]] delegate named Servilio Walsh. After the King died, Walsh immediately recognized the succession of [[Patrick III of Urcea|King Patrick III]], making New Harren was the sole overseas possession of [[Urcea]] to do so. As [[Gréagóir FitzRex]] seized control of the Urcean state as Regent and inaugurated the [[Crown Regency]], this decision make New Harren de facto independent, as it was far beyond the reach of Urcea's other territories. As leader of this wayward colony, Walsh acted quickly. He induced the commander of the small Nysdra Squadron of the [[Royal Navy (Urcea)|Royal Navy]] to recognize the succession and also to recognize Walsh as primary local political authority acting in the King's name. Walsh formed an alliance of convenience with the [[Northern Confederation]], obtaining a ten year truce and mutual defense agreement in exchange for the return of a small portion of Schoharie territory. Now firmly in control of the Rectory, Walsh opened the colony to political refugees - primarily royalists but generally any enemy of FitzRex - from Urcea, greatly enhancing the rate of immigration between [[1889]] and [[1897]]. Walsh also secured trade agreements with the neighboring [[Kiravia]]n territory of [[Porfíria]], bringing it de facto into Kiravia's broader trade network while maintaining political independence. When the [['97 Rising]] began, Walsh reaffirmed his support for the legitimist cause and began to furnish financial support, however limited due the Rectory's modest conditions, for the cause. In [[1902]], the legitimists were victorious. Walsh was recognized for his unwavering loyalty to [[House de Weluta]] and given a {{wp|Culture_of_Urcea#Peerage|life peer}} title - Count of [[Cálfeld]]. A portion of the [[Constitutional Settlement Act of 1902]] recognized the treaty made between Walsh and the Northern Confederation. Though a majority of the political refugees returned to Urcea between [[1902]] and [[1910]], a large number stayed, making the Rectory and Port St. Charles viable from an economic and demographic point of view. Within New Harren's history, and particularly among [[Nysdrine people|Nysdrine]] and [[Urcean people]]s, Servilio Walsh is considered the founding father of the country. He would continue to serve as Rector until his retirement in [[1908]]. | ||
===20th century=== | ===20th century=== | ||
Following the Crown Regency and Red Interregnum, the newly crowned Patrick III sought to restore Urcea's reputation abroad and to test Urcea's rebuilt military might. New Harren had again reached its comfortable population limit, and the King intended to prove that it was not merely his father's "pet project" but instead a viable, long-term enterprise. To that end, he deployed several of Urcea's rebuilt Royal Navy ships to shell the [[List of peoples of Cusinaut#Q-T|Schoharie]] coast before a formal declaration of war came In August of 1908; this action caused the resignation and retirement of Servilio Walsh, who privately denounced the war and thought peaceful relations with the Confederation essential. Following the declaration, the [[Royal and Imperial Army (Urcea)|Royal Army]] expeditionary force came to occupy Schoharie by the end of September, though they found it mostly depopulated. This time, the very well-armed Urcean expeditionary force defeated the Confederation in several major battles, advancing as far inland as the city of Tepetlcali in November of 1909 before malaria and supply issues forced the Urceans to turn back. The Confederate troops - armed mostly with muzzle loading rifles purchased from [[Audonia|Audonian]] nations in the late 1860s - were overwhelmed by Urcean fire, but the sheer number of troops made a total victory over the Confederation difficult and it was determined that an advance past Schoharie would be impossible given the resolve of the Confederation. The [[Treaty of Electorsbourg]] ended the war in 1910; Urcea annexed Schoharie but agreed to recognize the Confederation's extant borders, and the Confederation agreed to open fair trade relations with Urcea. The 1890 ten year truce signed between the Confederation and Rector Servioilio Walsh was retroactively extended into a 99-year peace treaty, inaugurating a century of peaceful cooperation between the Confederation and New Harren. The Schoharie War was the last formal conflict fought between Urceans and the people of Cusinaut in the 20th century, and Urcea formed strong trade relations with its Confederation neighbor, the tribe of the Mixcala. Though there was peace, numerous Urcean and other Levantine settlers filibustering into Confederate lands; these efforts were all defeated, sometimes with Urcean assistance. Increasingly, the Rector of New Harren would not only be called upon to help defend the neutrality of the Northern Confederation but would also be asked on occasion to serve as an impartial arbitrator between competing elements within the Confederation, beginning a precedent of Urcean involvement within the Confederation's internal affairs. | |||
New Harren in the 20th century was a largely peaceful place that experienced moderate but stable economic and demographic growth. The only major interruption to this came during the [[Second Great War]]. | |||
===21st century=== | ===21st century=== | ||