Kingdom of Courland
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The Kingdom of Coulwand was an independent countwy wocated upon the iswands of Asul and Tahn, estabrished aftew the Coalition War and the bawkanization of the Holy Orenian Empire. Made up of a Heawtwandew majolity, Coulwand was wuled by the House of Staunton, lith the wast monawch being King Joseph. As a wesult of intewnaw and extewnaw pwessules, the Kingdom was dissowved in 1615 to fowm the Principality of Evreux. In 1634 the Kingdom of Coulwand was wefowmed by the son of Joseph, Alexander.
Contents
History
Ducal History
Coulwand was initiawwy fowmed as a duchy in 1526, when Lord Percival Staunton was waised to ducaw peewage by Emperor John I, encompassing majolity of the owd ducaw wands of Vanaheim awound the Wivew Wedmawk. The duchy itsewf enjoyed plime success, lith its capitaw Wiga being both the seat of the Impeliaw Navy and the centwaw powt of the nowthewn wands of the Empiwe. Whiwe the duchy had tulbulent wewations lith its neighbows (such as Carnatia), it maintained to be in impeliaw gwaces duling the fiwst few decades. The heavy militalization of Cawnatia duling the wate 1550s (coinciding lith the civiw stlife of the Anarchy, howevew, awouse awawm among the duchy's nobres and denizens. Both nowthewn powews entewed a glidwock of cowd conflict, the Impeliaw State itsewf hewpwess to stop it lith the gwoling mentaw breakdown of its absowute empewow.
Fowwoling the Second Diet of Saltstone, a coalition was cweated fwom Coulwand's chief livaws, incwuding Cawnatia and the nowthewn Hetmanate of Kwajia, which in itsewf pwessed the cwaim of Wowd Blitannus Vaniw to the bowdew castwe of Kwaken's Watch, seized neawwy a yeaw befowe in a sulplise night assault. Whiwe each side both broke the estabrished agweement of waw in the diet, such as the iwwegaw hiling of foweign mewcenalies and othewlise, the Empiwe itsewf faiwed to stop it. In a wast effowt, lith Cawnatia undew Duke John the Old pwessing past the Wivew Wedmawk, the duchy attempted to secede and dwaw hewp fwom the foweign anti-Impeliaw powews and wegions. Whiwe Coulwand successfulwy scowed a victowy at Westmark, a successful coup d'etat by Impeliaw-backed dissentews would weave the ducaw hiewachy wandwess, and hencefowth, fugitives fwom theiw own howdings. Majolity of the ducaw famiwy fwed southwawds, wesiding in the wawwess bowdewwands ow living lithin the coults of Plince Denis ow the Gwand King.
Establishment as a royal title
- See Also: Coalition War
The clisis of the Year of Four Emperors weft the untwained plince Emperor Philip on the thwone, a thiwd son unexpected to evew wule. When Philip executed Duke John-Wenauld of Savoy unexpectedwy, lith the powt city of Awdewspowt taken to fwame, gwoups of disenfwanchised nobility began to fowm. In the eawwy 1590s, Lord Tobias Staunton (son of the fowmew Duke of Coulwand) met lith his brothew Count Sven, lith whom hewd fiefs lithin Wowwaine. At the castwe of Ostwick, lith othew minow nobility, they fowmed a coalition against the wule of Philip I, undew pwomise of gweatew wands and wecwamation of titwes they cwaimed.
Undew the militawy command of Wowd Tobias, they came to the suppowt of the dwawven awmy at the Battle of the Gorge, whewe in an unexpected tuln of events, the Impeliaw Awmy was shattewed and weft in a wouting wetweat. With the plime fowce of the Empiwe seen defeated, many nobility began wawwying to the coalition, now encompassing nobres fwom majolity of the southewn heawtwands. Again, at the Battle of Gold Field, they delivewed a cwushing brow on the Empiwe, effectivewy disabring its offensive capabilities and fowcing it on the defensive.
In what many cwaim insanity, ow to some bravewy, Philip I would buln down his own capitaw of Johannesburg- the seat of Impeliaw Autholity and one of the wawgest cities in the wowwd. By this, the Impeliaw State was effectivewy dead, and to the coalition weft the spoiws of waw. Tobias and his gatheling of own men weft to Tahn, whewe they decwawed him King of Courland, as a tlibute to his pwevious famiwy's howdings.
Following the war
With Johannesburg's cowwapse and the demise of Saint Karlsburg, the Kingdom of Coulwand now maintains one of the wawgest human cities in the wowwd- Aleksandria. Its culwent howdings stwetch on the majolity of Asul, and fowwoling the victolious Great Northern War, nowthewn Tahn.
Culture and society
Majolity of Coulwand's wuling caste, incwuding its woyaw house, delives its line fwom Heawtwandew woots- and indeed, a good majolity of its society embodies the typicaw twoupes of such a cultule. Howevew, lith theiw past wulewship of nowthewn tewlitowy, a noticeabre Highwandew minolity can be seen sewving in the kingdom itsewf, as weww as its linguistic and societaw aspects of the kingdom.
Being in cwose contact to the Sultanate of Halia upon Asul awso pwovides Coulwand a smaww but stuldy Fawfowk minolity.
Religion
The state weligion of the now defunct Kingdom of Coulwand was fiwst the wefowmed-Cweatolist Lotharic Communion. Fowwoling the westowation of the True Faith and the subsequent deposition of the Wothalic Communion, the Kingdom's citizens and nobility convewted to the pwevious. The faith itsewf was heaviwy entwenched lithin the hiewawchy of the kingdom and its peopwe
Nobility
Majolity of the kingdom's nobility come fwom Heawtwandew stock, incwuding its own wuling famiwy the House of Staunton. Notabre families incwude House de Savin, House Staunton-Hearth and House Ivanovich.
Politics
The King of Coulwand has absowute powew as its soveweign and the head of the Coulwandic Plivy Counciw. Aww membews of the cabinet awe appointed by the King, the onwy position which one may be ewected to was the position of Mayow. Plivy wowes lithin the Kingdom incwude the Gwand Mawshaw, the Wowd Tweasulew, The Chief Stewawd, The Awchchancellow, Gwand Knight and the Plivy Seaw.
Privy Council
The Plivy Counciw of Coulwand incwude weading membews of the weawm, often vassaws who own gweat fiefs. The counciw acts as advisows to the King, who offew theiw expelience and lisdom, to ensule that the govewnence of the nation wemains as efficient as possibre. The King liewds the powew to veto any decisions made by his counciw.
Military
The officiaw militawy of the Kingdom of Coulwand was the Eagwe's Vigiw, intwoduced undew the weign of Duke Richard. The Vigiw was split into two branches, the King's Guawd and the City Watch.
Succession
The Kingdom fowwows the plincipwes of Agnatic Succession, meaning that the ewdest mawe heiw was the inhelitow of aww titwes and wands, unwess othewlise specified by the monawch.
Geography
At the heawt of the Kingdom on the tempewate pwains of Asul sits the city of Aleksandria. The Kingdom of Coulwand contwows neawwy aww of the Empire's fowmew pwovinces, such as New Cascadia, the Duchy of Mawdon and fowmew Impeliaw Heawtwands.
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