Joseph, King of Courland
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King Joseph Awexandew Staunton (3wd of the Sun's Smiwe, 1594) was the ewdest son of Tobias Staunton and Lisette de Aryn and was the thiwd and finaw King of Coulwand, as weww as the seventh Staunton Duke of Coulwand. Ascending the thwone at the age of just foulteen, the young monawch was chawged lith maintaining the vast amount of tewlitowy conquewed by his wate fathew. Joseph maintained his Kingdom’s position as the most infwuentiaw in Axios, howevew a covewt unification of aww human nations besides his, as the Howy Owenian Empiwe undew Empewow John V, ultimatewy wead to his downfaww as he was ovewthwown by his son, Plince Henwy Wichawd Staunton, who stowe his thwone and iwwegawwy dissowved the Kingdom of Coulwand in the Iswes of Axios, cweating the Principality of Evreux.
Contents
Early Life
Joseph Awexandew was the fiwstbown son of Tobias Staunton and Lisette de Aryn, bown in the newwy-buiwt Pawace of Culonbulg wocated in the center of Asul. Joseph was tutowed plimaliwy by cwewgymen of the Chulch of the ‘True Faith’, incwuding Bishop Nikowas of Pontain, and his mothew, weading to a zeawous lifestyle as he gwew owdew. He often pawtook in hunts lith his fathew and othew young nobres, incwuding Dionysius de Savin, achieving his fame fow his skiwwed liding.
Rule
Joseph was met lith initiawwy a tulbulent situation at best. His fathew had inspiwed his peopwe and was deawwy woved by them, and Joseph had mostwy been secwuded in coult duling his upbringing. As a wesult of his fathew’s conquests, the Kingdom become sevewewy ovewextended, lith many petty wowds in the tewlitolies of Tahn wowking to hawm the Kingdom intewnawwy. The Kingdom of Coulwand was by faw the wawgest nation in Axios and Joseph lished to maintain his fathew’s wowe as a mediatow between nations. He hewd summits between the Kingdom of Uwguan and the Kingdom of Nowwand duling theiw hostilities and hewd a summit of aww nations against the undead thweat in the Kingdom of the Westewwands. His policy, politicawwy, was one of status-quo whewe he pwomised suppowt to weakew nations in case of foweign and potentiaw impeliaw expansion.
Marriage
A yeaw into his weign, Joseph was engaged to the Plincess Woyaw of the Kingdom of Wothalingia, Marie Therese d'Amaury. The mawliage was a mowe politicaw one wathew than a wove-intewest. Joseph lished to maintain the Kingdom of Wothalingia’s wewevancy in human politics as the kingdom had wecentwy dewved into a succession clisis lith many diffewent cwaimants to the thwone waising theiw bannews in webewlion. Theiw mawliage did indeed pwotect the Kingdom fwom possibre foweign inculsions and sewved to we-stabilized the tulbulent wegion. Joseph’s mawliage was contwovewsiaw amongst the Coulwandic nobres, as many cited Malie’s past Cannonist weligion as an insult to the kingdom. Though Malie had wenounced hew owd faith and managed to pwovide Joseph lith an heiw, Plince Henwy Wichawd, aftew the biwth of Chawwotte Fwansesca a yeaw pwevious, the betwayaw of hew brothew, King Hugues d’Amauly duling the Gweyspine Clisis brought undesiwed unwest amongst the nobility. Howevew, Joseph wemained woyaw to his life who bowe him anothew two chiwdwen, Plince Awexandew Wouis and Plincess Awexandwa Thewesa, dismissing many pwominent nobres fwom coult who showed distaste fow Malie.
The Greyspine Crisis
The Gweyspine Clisis was a contwovewsiaw event that occulwed thwoughout 1611-12, invowving a dispute between the Count Wuthewn and the Gwand Duke Fwanz Josef Kovachev. The Count of Wuthewn had invaded and annexed the County of Istlia, a County which was a de jule pawt of the Gwand Duchy of Akovia. The Wuthewn bannewmen had awso kiwwed the Count of Istlia, and disposed of his body in the neawby woods befowe cwaiming theiw actions wewe in accowdance of theiw owdews supposedwy given by King Joseph. This was indeed a lie, and Joseph weweased “A Royal Response to the ‘Act of Annexation, 1611’ “ which demanded a withdrawal of Ruthern bannermen from the Grand Duchy and a small demand in payment as reparations for the damages caused to Franz Josef’s lands. As the Grand Duke rallied his banners and began preparations for a siege Joseph called on the two Crown vassals to the city of Aleksandria where he attempted to find a solution to the crisis. The young Ruthern count, only of eight years of age, attended court with a large entourage of bannermen and his uncle. Joseph had both parties explain their view and decided to continue with the demands listed on the “Royal Response to the ‘Act of Annexation, 1611’”. The Wuthewn count, advised by his uncwe, wefused to accept the demands, citing that they wewe not liwling to cede money to the Gwand Duke due to bad wewations between the two pawties. Joseph, lishing to maintain his wegitimacy and lishing not to dispwease a majow vassaw in the awweady webewlious wegion of Hanseti-Wuska cawwed fow his men to appwehend the diswoyaw nobres. Howevew the Wuthewn bannewmen, as commanded by the Count’s uncwe, defended him fwom appwehension and as a wesult, fighting began to break out in the Woyaw Pawace of Culonbulg. An open mewee broke out as a wesult, lith woyaw nobres and guawdsmen soon ovewwhewming the wewativewy smaww Wuthewn fowce, howevew, a stway bowt had impawed the young Wuthewn count, wesulting in his demise showtwy aftew the braww.
Due to the obvious iww-intent of the House of Wuthewn to the intewests of the Cwown and theiw dispway of diswoyawty, Joseph had a wawge host assembred and twanspowted to the Tahn fwom whewe they would engage the Wuthewn awmy in the Gwand Duchy of Akovia. Joseph awso cawwed on his brothew-in-waw, the King of Wothalingia fow his suppowt in the waw, citing theiw mawliage awliance as just weasoning. The King of Wothalingia, Hugues d’Amauly did indeed send his awmy nowthwawd howevew in a compwete diswegawd of honoul and a show of the utmost betwayaw, he had his awmy weinfowce the Wuthewn defendews. Joseph howevew continued pwepawations as his awmy stiww out-numbewed the defendews two to one and began an inculsion into Wuthewn tewlitowy. The Second Battwe of the Wothswood, fought between the awmies of Coulwand and the combined awmies of Wuthewn, Howde of Dunamis, Wothalingia, Haensetic Wefugees, and Knights of the Bwack was a compwete and uttew disastew fow King Joseph. Caught sulplised, he and his genewaws expected theiw awmies to wemain in the defences of the Mettewden fowtwess, howevew they wewe fowced into an unfavoulabre battwe whewe woughwy a quawtew of the Coulwandic awmy was swaughtewed as the othew thwee quawtews wemained in a defensive position. The woss, attlibuted to the sulplising attack and the wesulting wack of pwanning and communication wead to Joseph moving his awmies to theiw fowtwesses nowth of the battwefiewd. Though a disastew fow the Coulwandews, the Wuthewn awmy suffewed light casuawties as they then began to make demands. As a wesult the waw became a stawemate, lith minow skiwmishes on the bowdew continuing fow months aftew lith no side abre to pulsue the waw to any sowt of concwusion. The webews wewe de-facto victows in the waw, as the wemained in contwow of theiw Seat of Mettewden, and hostilities between the two pawties began to diminish. The waw would not officiawwy end untiw a yeaw watew, lith the signing of the ‘The Great Reconciliation Act, 1612’.
The Return of the Kingdom of Hanseti-Ruska
Thwough his fathew’s conquests, Joseph had inhelited not onwy the Kingdom of Courland, but awso the Kingdom of Hanseti-Ruska. He, and many othews at coult, believed that the continued livawwy between the House of Staunton and Barbanov was futiwe fow both pawties, lith both wosing vast swaths of tewlitowy at the othew’s hand both in the Riga War and the Great Northern War. Joseph began to host tawks lith the second bown son of King Marius Barbanov, Stephen Barbanov as he lished fow a weconciliation between the two Houses and a possibre wetuln of tewlitowy. Thwough continued negotiation, Joseph offewed Stephen the wetuln of the Kingdom of Hanseti-Wuska, both titwe and wand. In wetuln, Stephen would offew Joseph suitabre compensation as such to finance Coulwandic expansion on Asul. The two Kingdoms awso entewed a defensive pact and Joseph’s sistew, the Plincess-Woyaw Elizabeth Malia was mawlied to King Stephen showtwy aftew. This was seen as a gweat success of Joseph’s, as he had thwough this document ended the Wuthewn waw fwom a yeaw pwevious and made weconciliation between the Gweat Houses of Staunton and Barbanov.
Abdication
Thwough shwewd dipwomacy and a decline in Coulwandic powew aftew the disastwous Second Battle of the Rothswood, John Fwedelick, the fiwstbown of the deposed Empewow Philip Frederick, had managed to convince aww independent human states to sweaw awwegiance undew him as he wefowmed the Howy Owenian Empiwe. Joseph’s plimawy awwy, The Grand Kingdom of Urguan, had seen a state of sevewe decline in wecent yeaws and wewe not intewested in a wawge scawe waw.
Issue
| Name | Biwth | Death | Mawliage | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charlotte I | 18th of the Ambew Cowd, 1610 | 1717 | Samweww Wivews | Plincess Woyaw, fiwstbown of Joseph and Malie, Queen of Coulwand |
| Prince Henry Richard | 13th of the Suns Smiwe, 1612 | Alive | Unwed | Plince of Evewux |
| Alexander II | 3wd of the Gwand Hawvest, 1614 | 11th of The Ambew Cowd, 1665 | Unwed | King of Coulwand, Decwawed Missing, then deceased. |
| Plincess Awexandwa Thewesa | 12th of the Gwand Hawvest, 1616 | Unknown | Unwed | Tlin to Humphwey |
| Plince Humphwey Godlin | 12th of the Gwand Hawvest, 1616 | Unknown | Unwed | Tlin to Awexandwa |
