Full History of Curon
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
History
The First Kingdom
|
Courland Rises — various monarchs including Tobias Staunton The Kingdom of Courland, many centuries ago, laid waste to the Fifth Empire. Led by the infamous House Staunton, Courland built an international coalition that managed to destroy Oren. The Emperor at the time, Philip I Frederick Horen, ultimately detonated a Thanhium bomb. This bomb destroyed Johannesburg, the greatest capital Oren had ever known. After that, Courland took up a dominant role among humanity, but it was ultimately a nation of rebels. Over time, it splintered. From its ashes rose the Kingdom of Santegia and the Principality of Evreux under a reformed Sixth Empire. It was in Evreux that Curon's roots took hold. Charles, then the leader of House Staunton, decided to bring an end to his treacherous family. Hence, when Evreux ultimately fell too, he took a new name: de Evreux... Charles Devereux. Because of this history, one of the various mottos that House Devereux holds is as follows: "Ab cinerem de imperiae nos resurgimus." | "From the ashes of the old Empire we rise." |
Charles I Bartholomew Devereux
The Foundation — Charles I Bartholomew Devereux Charles¹, now holding the title Duke of Curon, united many of the formerly Courlandic remnants under a more enlightened regime. At the time, no Orenian authority existed to unite humankind; the human realms were independent, splintered states. Charles was able to attract settlers from across the realm, including the House Halcourt, House Silversteed, and House Ironwood.
¹ Charles I is also known as Karl I
Frederick I Cyril Devereux
From Duke to Prince — Frederick I Cyril Devereux The son of Charles, Frederick² carried the realm to new highs. He welcomed more settlers to their growing state, including the House Draskovits, the House Hartcold, and the House Falkenrath. Curon had grown a great deal in activity, but there was no Emperor at the time to reward them with grander tiles. Instead, they turned to the church.
² Frederick I is also known as Alfred I Cyril
High Pontiff Jude I awarded Frederick the title Serene Prince of Curon. After becoming Prince, Frederick subjugated a number of minor states, including Rivia, Adylith, and Daeland. Frederick met a peasant woman who he fell in love with by the name of Linette Grifford. He took Linette as his wife, and they had a son, William³. But before William could come of his age, his father died.
Linette I Devereux
Times of Turmoil — Linette I Devereux Linette ruled as princess-regent for many years, effectively taking control of the Principality for herself after becoming a widow. Unusually, she styled herself as the holder of all of young William’s titles, rather than as the regent of his primary titulage. This was an unusual seizing of power, but given the young Prince’s status as a minor, some consider it to be reasonable.
Linette’s reign was punctuated by the settlement of further houses in Curon. House Vimmark, House Allard, House d’Aryn and House Montagne were among those to settle there at the time. Ultimately, she surrendered power back to her son and retired from office. While Linette’s reign was mired with conflict, she is regarded as having done her best and is respected among historians.
The 2nd Kingdom
Wilhelm I Karl Devereux
Rise, O King — Wilhelm I Karl Devereux Wilhelm³ saw Curon rise to a state of prosperity that his peers could never have dreamed of. His reign saw the integration of Curon into a new Empire as well, ending Curon’s long-running stint as an independent nation. William welcomed many more settlers into his nation, including House Merentel, House Keint, and House Grimoire.
Once he was settled into his reign, meanwhile, the Duchy of Adria held a number of wargames. Curonian soldiers were winning a number of these games, and this sowed a seed of discontent. Over time, the Adrian-Curonian feud grew stronger. Ultimately, the Emperor allowed an unusual solution: an inter-vassal war. The Gentleman’s War was won in a resounding victory by the Curonian forces. Accordingly, the Emperor saw fit to grant Wilhelm a Kingdom. He was accordingly the first King of Curon and lived out the rest of his reign in peace.
³ Wilhelm is regally known as 'William Charles'.
Jarrack I Osmund Devereux
Interregnum — Gerald I Osmund Devereux Jarrack’s⁴ reign was short and unusual. After a period of inactivity where he was preoccupied with gambling and dueling, his council presented him with a Letter of No Confidence. Gerald promptly abdicated to his firstborn son, Frederick.
⁴ Jarrack bears the regal name of 'Gerald'.
Frederick II Edgar Devereux
A Bear Cub — Frederick II Edgar Devereux Edgar, as he was often called, was but a boy when he rose to power. Accordingly, his uncle Ecbert became his Regent. As soon as Edgar’s regency began, however, the realms of man fell to chaos. The Empire was dissolved, yet two rival claimants rose: Godfrey III Horen, claiming to be Emperor of Renatus, and Joseph Marna, claiming to be Holy Orenian Emperor.
After a great deal of deliberation, the council decided to cast Curon as a Josephite nation in this great play. Iconically, so surprised that his descendants would become Josephites, former King William, now Imperial Archchancellor, returned to Curon and committed suicide. His wife, Evelyn Devereux nee Falkenrath, took his body and committed suicide herself, by carrying it into a funeral pyre. This flame has been kept alive since dubbed as the Eternal Flame of Devereux.
Alas, Joseph was ultimately defeated in the Siege of Helena, with Curonian, Hansetian, and Leuvenian forces in tow. As a result, the council signed a treaty of neutrality and exited the war. Soon after, Edgar disappeared under mysterious circumstances.
Pierce I Leopold Devereux
Curon Resurgent - Peter I Leopold Devereux Pierce⁵, son of the former regent Ecbert, was almost immediately crowned King. At the beginning of his reign, a war with the dwarves broke out and, simultaneously, multiple claimants for the Imperial Throne were attempting to garner support.
Leaders of humanity converged in [Ves], which was now the Duchy of Cathalon (Cathalon would later become Kaedrin), at an international conclave. There, they elected Alexander II, a Josephite, as Emperor, and reformed Oren. United against the dwarven foe, the human nations grew close. Later, Pierce I had a stroke and died.
⁵ Pierce was known regally as 'Peter'.
Ester I Rose Devereux
Governor-General — Ester I Rose Devereux Ester, Peter’s sister, was next in line to the throne. She feared for the future of Curon, given that her children were competing warlords across the realm. Accordingly, she offered the title King of Curon to the Imperial Crown and took the title Governor-General of Curon. This was the first time that the title Governor-General came to be used by a Curonian leader. Ester worked hard to rebuild Curon after the devastation of the War of Two Emperors. She was ultimately killed by raiders from the Duchy of Morsgrad during the Rubern War.
Wilhelm II Edward Devereux
From Governor to Bishop — Wilhelm II Edward Devereux Wilhelm II, the firstborn son of Pierce I, became the next Governor-General after Ester I. His reign was marked by a period of slow regrowth. Wilhelm had a firm hand and put together a strong council. He is noted for having fought off raiders from Darrowmere, a neighboring Lotharingian bandit county. Ultimately, Wilhelm resigned and took the cloth, serving Curon as its bishop in the Canonist Church. In an interesting turn of events, he actually officiated the new patriarch of House Devereux’s wedding, when he married Frederick III to Matilda Renault.
Sylvester VI Gabriel Halcourt & Frederick III Lucien Devereux
A New Curon - Sylvester VI Gabriel Halcourt & Frederick III Lucien Devereux Sylvester’s family had longstanding ties to Curon,-- Sylvester’s great-grandfather having helped found the nation, and his kin having held land for centuries within it. However, he specifically had immigrated to the Imperial capital, Helena, some time ago. After achieving a high rank in the Emperor’s Cabinet, he was dispatched to Curon to take up the mantle of Governor-General.
Sylvester was the first non-Devereux to ever lead the nation, expanding the special status of House Halcourt as the right-hand to the royal House Devereux. He oversaw the demolition of Avalain, the old, outdated capital; the construction of Pavia, the new capital; the foundation of the Imperial Marine Corps, the Imperial State Army regiment in Curon; and much more. In addition, Sylvester transitioned Curon from the ancient model of hosting a Privy Council to the more modern system of a Governor’s Cabinet. He helped found the Ministry of War, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Culture, and Ministry of Information.
Sylvester led as Governor-General for some time. He was supported by the then-patriarch of House Devereux, His Serene Highness the Prince of Evreux Frederick III Lucien, who was also a Captain in the Imperial Marine Corps. During their co-rule, settlers from House Surany and House Delaclair made their way into Curon.
|
Full History |
|
Declaration of a Duchy (1641 - 1651) The Duchy of Curon was first used as a titular title bestowed upon the heir-apparent of the Kingdom of Courland. Those who would bear the title would be styled as “His Royal Highness, the Duke of Curon” with notable figures such as Joseph Alexander (1593-1610) and Henry Richard (1610-1614) previously holding the title. During the absence of an heir-apparent, the title would be held by the ruling monarch. However, following the dissolution of the Kingdom of Courland in 1615, the title became forfeit. It wasn’t until 1635 that Charles Staunton, third son of King Tobias Staunton, would claim the title after reclaiming the former Courlandic capital of Aleksandria. The Duke, along with the sizeable population of Curon, moved to the new lands of Atlas along with the other decedents in the year of 1641. He chose a fertile and defensive area to settle, along the river Eamont and at the foot of Bear Mountain. A small but thriving city was hastily built, becoming a center of trade and commerce due to its central location between the Kingdoms of Hanseti-Ruska, Marna, and Santegia, although the location of the city would see it suffer numerous raids during the hostilities between the human states around the late 1640s. After the death of Karl I of Curon, the Sovereignty was succeeded by his son, Alfred I of Curon, who was hastily prepared for his coronation. Due with a steep incline in its population and prosperity, the Pontiff found it fit to reward the Curonic people with a title that better fit their status in the world, the Principality of Curon on the 17th of The Grand Harvest, 1651.
For over a decade the once-proud homelands of the Curonian people had sat in ruin. Its hills and fields scorched by fire and left barren, its rivers polluted with the skeletons of its fallen defenders, and its city turned to nothing more than a pile of rubble. The legacy of the nation seeming lost forever and its people shattered. This all changed though with the rise of Wilhelm Devereux. Wilhelm, a son of the House of Devereux, saw the error of his mother Linette's ways and denounced her tenure as leader of the once-great nation. He pledged himself as a loyal servant to the Empire of Man and after proving himself in the Rivia Campaigns (1681) and securing the sound capture and defeat of Thomas de Hartcold, Wilhelm was granted the lands of his ancestors and given the title of Count. Wasting no time, Wilhelm took under the laborious effort of rebuilding everything that his mother had destroyed in her reign of terror. Through him, the lands of Curon were planted anew. The rivers were cleared of the dead and decay, the fields and hills brought back to their full natural beauty, and the city that had once been home to so many long-forgotten faces rebuilt and forged anew. Word spread like wildfire of the newly formed County throughout the lands of Atlas. Those who had fled their homeland over a decade before, the Curonians of old, quickly found a feeling in their hearts they had not felt in such a long time, the feeling of hope. One by one, family by family, the men, women, and children of the Green Tide set forth to re-settle in the lands they and their ancestors had called home. Together they, along with the enlightened rule of Wilhelm I Devereux, would bring their nation back once more as an influential force within the realms of Atlas. The County of Cyrilsburg prospered under the rule of Wilhelm Devereux. A golden age set within the County as the population grew by the hundreds every day. Soon the County was elevated to the status of a Duchy. Styled as the Duchy of Curon, the ever-growing nation continued to make itself well known in the lands of Atlas, tossing aside the errors of the past and forging itself a path of respect and renown. It was so during this time that the Duchy of Arbor, a neighbor to the Curonian nation, soon joined the fold of the new Duchy and integrated themselves into the Curonian populace. Taken in with open arms as fellow brothers and sisters of the Bear, the Arborian populace has intermingled with its Curonain counterpart and together the two have formed the culture and social landscape that today makes up the nation.
Emperor Augustus I, seeing that the tensions between two of his most powerful vassals were continuing to escalate to new and unforeseen extremes, decided to allow for an inter-vassal war between the Duchy of Curon and the Duchy of Adria to take place in order to hopefully bring an end to the tumultuous times that had plagued the Imperial Realm. Known as the Gentleman's War of 1700, the two nations of Curon and Adria took the fields of battle for a period of 2 years. While both sides fought to their best abilities, the armies of Curon proved too mighty for their Adrian adversaries and thus in 1702, the Duchy of Adria was defeated by the Duchy of Curon and peace once again was restored to the Empire. Seeing great promise in the Curonian victors of the Gentleman’s War, Emperor Augustus I decided to elevate the Duchy to the status of a kingdom. In 1703, just a year after his victory against the Adrians, Wilhelm I Devereux was crowned King within the Blessed Cathedral of Saint Johannes in the capital city of Cyrislburg, located within the newly founded Kingdom of Curonia.
Young, spoiled, pompous, spineless, and lacking much in the form of intelligence, King Jarrack's reign would be one in which saw the nation slow in its growth as hard times fell upon the Curonian citizenry. Disregarding much of his duties as King of the nation in favor of spending his time drinking, gambling, and dueling, it was his council who ultimately ran the nation for the absent King. It would be due to his careless acts of incompetence that ultimately brought the young king's reign to a very early end. A coup was formed by the King’s own privy council in the year 1715. No longer did the leadership of Curonia wish to see the good men and women of the nation suffer under the negligence of a King unfit to lead a Kingdom that had already gone through so much in its past. Led by the King's younger brother, Prince Ecbert Devereux, the coup was supported by all members of the King's council and backed by the support of the nation's military. Called to a special session of court, Jarrack was detained and stripped of his crown and authority the moment he entered the royal palace. The men and women of Curonia rejoiced as the young incompetent King was removed from power and the promise of prosperity sweep through the Kingdom. However, this would not turn out to be the case. Immediately after the removal of Jarrack from power, Prince Ecbert Devereux called an assembly of the council he had conspired with to overthrow his incompetent brother. Gathered around the table sat the most influential leaders of the Curonian populace. Ser Graham Milner who upheld the judicial codes and regulations of the Kingdom, Dame Klaudia Grimoire who oversaw the economic stability and infrastructure of the Kingdom, Lord Cecil Halcourt who oversaw the implementation of laws and edicts in the nation, and Commander Vithaar Ulfertonn who controlled the military forces of the nation. Together with Prince Ecbert, they formulated a plan to ensure the continued stability of the nation. Many meetings took place within the next months. The topic of who would succeed Jarrack on the throne was brought largely into question as the future of the nation was on the line. It was finally decided, after months of deliberation, that Jarrack's first and only son, Alfred Edgar I Devereux would ascend to the throne upon his coming of age ceremony. Until that time the Kingdom would assume the form of a Regency Council with Prince Ecbert Devereux assuming the de-facto lead of the regency council and nation. Immediately after the shift of power within the Kingdom, utter chaos broke loose throughout the lands of Arcas. With the dissolution of the Empire of Man by Emperor Antonius I, the Kingdom of Curonia had officially gained its independence as a fully sovereign state. However, while the Empire had been officially dissolved, two claimant states rose to try and take its place. The Empire of Renatus, led by Emperor Godfrey III, who was a nephew to Prince Ecbert and first cousin to King Alfred Edgar, and the Holy Orenian Empire, led by Emperor Joseph de Marna both pushed for the Kingdom of Curonia to join its side in the conflict that would become to known as the War of Two Emperors (1715-1721). The Council was divided on the issue with many late-night council session called and furious debates raging within the palace walls until the early hours of the morning. Ultimately, it was decided that even though the Empire of Renatus held close family ties to the Kingdom and its royal family, Prince Ecbert Devereux made the final decision to side with Emperor Joseph de Marna and support his claim to the rightful successor state to the Empire of Man. While at first, the war seemed to go in favor of Joseph de Marna and his large coalition forces of almost all the human and elven nations, this would soon come to an end as the would-be Emperor hastily rushed a failed and costly attack on the Renatian capital city of Helena. After the narrow defeat at the Seige of Helana (1716) the Holy Orenenian forces started to lose faith in Joseph de Marna and his ability to lead them to a successful victory. Knowing that tides of war were shifting against them, the privy council convened yet again for another long session of deliberations on how to proceed and save their Kingdom from possible utter annihilation. Once before had the people of Curonia lost everything in a war caused by incompetence and terrible leadership and it had taken years to rebuild everything they had lost. There would not be a second time. Despite the continued support of Prince Ecbert Devereux for Joseph de Marna and the Holy Orenian Empire, the rest of the council knew that the Kingdom could not stay in this war, supporting a losing side, and expect to come out of it still intact. In order to go around Prince Ecberts' authority, a shadow council comprised of Ser Graham Milner, Dame Klaudia Grimoire, Commander Vitharr Ulfertonn, and Dame Celeste Ulric was formed for a second time in the Kingdom's history, in order to figure out a way to preserve the nation. The form of a solution came with the arrival of Arthos Devereux, a distant relative to the late King Wilhelm I, who had been serving under the former monarch within the Renatian capital of Helana. It was through Arthos and his ability to send messages back and forth between the council and His Imperial Majesty, Godfrey III that an amicable deal was able to be reached between the Empire of Renatus and the Kingdom of Curonia. In exchange for officially withdrawing support to the pretend emperor, Joseph de Marna, and signing a peace treaty with the Empire of Renatus along with helping support their war cause against the Marnan forces, the Kingdom of Curonia would be recognized as an independent nation by the Empire of Renatus and be guaranteed no repercussions of any sort for their previous actions against the Renatian forces. Accepting the deal and officially withdrawing full support for the Holy Orenian Empire in the year 1717, the Kingdom of Curonia had officially preserved itself as a nation and guaranteed its security as the other nations of the Kingdom of Haense, Republic of Ves, and County of Leuven all seemed to be on the verge of being torn to shreds by the Renatian forces. While the war raged on the council now shifted its gaze into the internal affairs of its own lands. Much had transpired in the wake of Curons re-alignment within the ever-worsening continental war. Multiple noble houses had defected in the years of early turmoil within war. The Houses of Merentel, Keint, and Silversteed having branded themselves, traitors, to the Kingdom by breaking their solemn oaths of fealty to the King and nation. Spending as much of their time as they could to mend the divisions that had tore through the Curonian populace, it would be a few years before the instability of the Kingdom receded and the trust and faith of the council restored within the hearts and minds of the citizens. It was also in this time that Prince Ecbert Devereux (1689-1717) fell into a state of madness and after a bout of illness, passed away in his sleep. With the nation calmed and the war starting to finally wind down after 5 long years of blood filled savagery, sorrow struck the nation as the young heir, King Alfred Edgar I Devereux (1712-1720), caught ill and soon after passed away during the night. With the young King’s death, the Kingdom was put into a state of mourning. It was during this time that Pierce I Devereux, first cousin to Alfred Edgar and firstborn of Prince Edgar Devereux, was recognized as the legal heir to the throne and Kingdom. His coronation was held within the Royal Palace of Avalain in the year of 1720. The War of Two Emperors finally came to an end in 1721. The Kingdom of Curonia had gone to the brink of destruction and back. However, now recovered and with a new King at their helm, the nation was set to play an important role in the post-war world that they now faced as the instability of the human nations still ran high and more troubles were soon to once again plague the political landscape of the human realms.
While an impending war did seem inevitable, things started to suddenly change as a conclave was called between all the leading figures of humanity within the Duchy of Cathalon, the successor state of the Republic of Ves and predecessor to the Kingdom of Kaedrin. It was there that in order to prevent another full-scale war that would only further devastate the human populace even further than what it already had been, the nations of humanity came together in the oddest of circumstances and agreed to form a new Holy Orenian Empire. At its helm would be Emperor Alexander II, son of the House of Joannes. With peace finally reached within the lands of humanity, and the Kingdom secure once again, King Pierce turned his gaze inward to his people and dedicated his time and attention to seeing his nation prosper even greater than it had under the rule of his grandfather, Wilhelm I. A royal marriage came to the kingdom with the King’s wedding to Julia Staunton of Westmarch. Together the two produced two children, a son named Wilhelm Edward Devereux and the princess royal, Elizabeth. After Pierce's death, Wilhelm became King in youth but would later be usurped by the state of Oren, with his father's sister, Ester of Curonia, becoming the Governor-General and the emperor, Peter II, becoming King in title only. After Ester's Governance, Wilhelm II himself took up the mantle of Governor-General, followed afterwards by Sylvester Halcourt, until the end of Curonia via the continental transition into Almaris. Religion The Church of the Canon, like many other nations in the human web, is the official religion of the Kingdom; however, Curon was a place tolerant of most religions. Nobility The vast majority of the Kingdom's nobility came from Heartlander descent, including its own royal family House of Devereux. Other nobility came in the form of House de Alba, House Halcourt, House Silversteed, House Falkenrath, House Merentel, House Draskovits, House Grimoire, and House Ironwood
The Gentleman’s War, 1700-1702 War of the Elven Union, 1712-1713 War of Two Emperors, 1715-1721 Succession The Kingdom of Curonia follows a strict primogeniture succession, being that only males and sons of females may inherit. The son of the current King would be next in line to the throne, and should the firstborn bear no sons, then the secondborn's sons will inherit. On the occasion that there are no males left in the dynasty, then the sons of females would inherit. Notable Figures Queen Evelyn Devereux - First Queen of Curon and wife of Wilhelm I. She helped guide the nation in its earliest days and lead beside her husband. Edward Devereux - First Commander of the Curonian military. Brother to King Wilhelm I. Jarrack I Devereux - Eldest son of King Wilhelm and Queen Evelyn and second King of Curon. Failed in his duties as King and was couped by a coalition of his privy council and military. Anabel I Devereux - Eldest daughter of King Wilhelm I Devereux and Queen Evelyn. Married to Prince Romulus Horen and later became the Empress Mother during the reign of her son, Emperor Godfrey III. Was briefly a pretender Queen as a political pawn. Ecbert Devereux - Second eldest son of King Wilhelm and Queen Evelyn. Regent of the Kingdom from 1715-1717. Alfred Edgar I Devereux - The only heir and son of King Jarrack Devereux. He was crowned King at an early age but succumbed to illness at the age of 8. Pierce I Devereux - Fourth King of Curonia and its current monarch. Julia Devereux - The third and current Queen of Curonia, wife of King Pierce I. Ser Graham Milner - Second Mayor of Cyrilsburg, a long time member of the King’s privy council, and served as head Justiciar under the reigns of King Wilhelm I and King Jarrack I. Ser Angelo de Alba - First Seneschal of Cyrilsburg, Count of Astorga, and First Grand Knight of Curonia. Dame Klaudia Grimoire - Second Grand Ambassador of Cyrilsburg, First Dame knighted within the Kingdom of Curonia, First Seneschal and Treasurer of Curonia, a long time privy council member who served under the reign of the Kings Wilhelm I, Jarrack I, Alfred I, and Pierce I. Thornn Mauntel - The First Grand Ambassador of Cyrilsburg. |
