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History of Urcea (1798-1902): Difference between revisions
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King [[Aedanicus VIII]] died just before 8 AM [[Urceopolis (City)|Urceopolis]] time on 1 November 1889, surrounded by his immediate female relatives as well as a cadre of officers and soldiers personally loyal to [[Gréagóir FitzRex]] (to the exclusion of the [[Life Guard (Urcea)|Life Guard]]). Once the King died, news spread quickly throughout the [[Julian Palace]], but FitzRex ordered the building locked down and all staff and personnel to remain in place. The date was advantageous; it was the {{wp|All Saints' Day|Feast of All Saints}}, an important Catholic Holy Day, and most Urceans - including those in political office - would be in and out of mass most of the day. FitzRex's officers managed to round up some of the most loyal of his senior officers as well as important so-called "railroadocrats" (most notably [[Trasinor affair|Leo Trasinor]]) by 8:45 AM to determine how to proceed. After about a half hour of discussion, it was determined FitzRex would take power and establish a regime of reform inclined towards the privilegiata, which many of the railroadocrats and senior officers had worked for in the preceding decades. The degree to which this coup was planned ahead of time has been disputed, though FitzRex's decision to isolate the palace even prior to the King's death indicates that at least he, personally, had been planning to make a move. Many opponents of FitzRex at the time and since have accused him of orchestrating a poisoning of the King, though most scholars believe he died naturally. Whatever the case, the railroadocrats moved quickly, and by 10 AM almost all railroads throughout [[The Valley (Urcea)|the Valley]] were halted. All military trains were halted except those of the units known to be loyal to the coup, who now could move freely throughout the country. Though most people were still at mass, those who were not began to gather in large crowds in cities throughout the Valley in both confusion and discontent. FitzRex's units began to secure Urceopolis by 10:30 AM and other major cities in the vicinity by 11 AM. Most [[Concilium Purpaidá]] members were detained until their loyalty could be ascertained, and any officers of the [[Concilium Daoni]] around the Palace were also seized and detained. | King [[Aedanicus VIII]] died just before 8 AM [[Urceopolis (City)|Urceopolis]] time on 1 November 1889, surrounded by his immediate female relatives as well as a cadre of officers and soldiers personally loyal to [[Gréagóir FitzRex]] (to the exclusion of the [[Life Guard (Urcea)|Life Guard]]). Once the King died, news spread quickly throughout the [[Julian Palace]], but FitzRex ordered the building locked down and all staff and personnel to remain in place. The date was advantageous; it was the {{wp|All Saints' Day|Feast of All Saints}}, an important Catholic Holy Day, and most Urceans - including those in political office - would be in and out of mass most of the day. FitzRex's officers managed to round up some of the most loyal of his senior officers as well as important so-called "railroadocrats" (most notably [[Trasinor affair|Leo Trasinor]]) by 8:45 AM to determine how to proceed. After about a half hour of discussion, it was determined FitzRex would take power and establish a regime of reform inclined towards the privilegiata, which many of the railroadocrats and senior officers had worked for in the preceding decades. The degree to which this coup was planned ahead of time has been disputed, though FitzRex's decision to isolate the palace even prior to the King's death indicates that at least he, personally, had been planning to make a move. Many opponents of FitzRex at the time and since have accused him of orchestrating a poisoning of the King, though most scholars believe he died naturally. Whatever the case, the railroadocrats moved quickly, and by 10 AM almost all railroads throughout [[The Valley (Urcea)|the Valley]] were halted. All military trains were halted except those of the units known to be loyal to the coup, who now could move freely throughout the country. Though most people were still at mass, those who were not began to gather in large crowds in cities throughout the Valley in both confusion and discontent. FitzRex's units began to secure Urceopolis by 10:30 AM and other major cities in the vicinity by 11 AM. Most [[Concilium Purpaidá]] members were detained until their loyalty could be ascertained, and any officers of the [[Concilium Daoni]] around the Palace were also seized and detained. | ||
On hearing that his father was in a terminal condition at around 11 PM on 31 October, [[Patrick III of Urcea|Patrick, Prince of Halfway]] boarded a train at midnight from the southern edge of the [[Urcean frontier]]. His train was halted at 10 AM with no explanation. After about an hour, a contingent of Army forces boarded the train and took the Prince into custody. Their commander, Prafáti Adrian Newlinar, was ordered to take the Prince to [[Urceopolis (City)|Urceopolis]] to be detained. However, Newlinar discarded his orders; while he believed in a pro-military coup, he believed his superiors might execute the Prince, and his conscience would not allow it. Instead, Newlinar's men took the Prince to the nearby city of [[Sangran]], where he was forced aboard a boat for exile in [[Lariana]]. While Newlinar's superiors were furious that the legitimate claimant had escaped, the move actually suited FitzRex's purposes. Just after 1 PM, he made a public address from the Julian Palace, announcing that the King had died and that his heir had fled the country, functionally proroguing his claim. In his place, a Regency would be established with FitzRex at its head; a new King "would be found in time, one suited to the popular mood and the momentous occasion in which our country finds itself", and that a new era of reform was ahead. The first official act of FitzRex's regency was to hold a large, elaborate funeral for King Aedanicus which he featured prominently in. | On hearing that his father was in a terminal condition at around 11 PM on 31 October, [[Patrick III of Urcea|Patrick, Prince of Halfway]] boarded a train at midnight from the southern edge of the [[Urcean frontier]]. His train was halted at 10 AM with no explanation. After about an hour, a contingent of Army forces boarded the train and took the Prince into custody. Their commander, Prafáti Adrian Newlinar, was ordered to take the Prince to [[Urceopolis (City)|Urceopolis]] to be detained. However, Newlinar discarded his orders; while he believed in a pro-military coup, he believed his superiors might execute the Prince, and his conscience would not allow it. Instead, Newlinar's men took the Prince to the nearby city of [[Sangran]], where he was forced aboard a boat for exile in [[Lariana]]. While Newlinar's superiors were furious that the legitimate claimant had escaped, the move actually suited FitzRex's purposes. Just after 1 PM, he made a public address from the Julian Palace, announcing that the King had died and that his heir had fled the country, functionally proroguing his claim. In his place, a Regency would be established with FitzRex at its head; a new King "would be found in time, one suited to the popular mood and the momentous occasion in which our country finds itself", and that a new era of reform was ahead. The first official act of FitzRex's regency was to hold a large, elaborate funeral for King Aedanicus which he featured prominently in. The military and most of the government recognized FitzRex as legitimate regent, some out of genuine support and others accepting it as a {{wp|fait accompli}}; only the [[Life Guard (Urcea)|Life Guard]] decided to follow the Prince into exile, quietly abandoning their posts over the nights of 3-4 November and making their way to Lariana, often with their families. Most members of the [[House de Weluta]] fled to [[Lariana]] or abroad, though a handful remained under comfortable house arrest. | ||
===Regency established=== | ===Regency established=== | ||