Kingdom of Curonia

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LoreS1.png Note: This page contains information on a location from a past map that is no longer inhabited.
Kingdom of Curonia
DevereuxCoatOfArms.png
Curonian coat of arms
Capital: Avalain
Languages: Common, Auvergnian
Religion: Canonism
Monarch: Held as titular by the Holy Orenian Emperor.
Preceded by:

Duchy of Curon.png Principality of Curon

Succeeded by: Dissolved (1763)

The Kingdom of Curonia was a kingdom under the Holy Orenian Empire located slightly North of central Arcas. It is was part of the demesne of the Holy Orenian Emperor, existing only in titular form since its associated province was dissolved by order of Governor General Sylvester Halcourt in 1763.


History

The County of Cyrilsburg and the Duchy of Curon (1680 - 1703)

The Second Coalition War of Atlas (1667-1669) had seen the homelands of the Curonian populace laid waste to by the Crown of Renatus Marna and its allies. It was by the direct hand of Princess Linette Devereux, and her insatiable hunger and lust for power that cost her not only her life but also her lands and city. As the men, women, and children of the Bear fled during the night from their homes, leaving everything they knew and cared about behind, it seemed as if the Curonian legacy had reached its end.

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.

Declaration of a Kingdom

The last decade of the 1600’s had been a turbulent one for the lands of Atlas. With the incursions and attacks from the Vaeyl in the north and the constant attacks from bands of bandits in the south, tensions rose all throughout the lands of Atlas. Seeking to give a display of military might, the Duchy of Adria decided to host an Empire-wide war games. With all imperial nations invited the Duchy of Curon showed up in full strength, ready to demonstrate to its Emperor its full power and might. While all seemed fine in the first portions of the games, things took a turn for the worse when the Duke of Adria, Ratibor Rodrigue Carrion, called foul play when the Curonian military seemed to be on the verge of beating the armies of Adria. With tensions already running high, the Adrians saw a powerful Curon as a threat to their stability and power in the Imperial lands. Instructed directly by Duke Raitbor, the Adrian military then started to actively raid the Duchy of Curon and attack any Curonians they saw taking the imperial roads.

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.

The Era of Decay (1711 - 1720)

After the Vaeyl launched their final assault on the descendants and forced the mass migration of all races from the frozen lands of Atlas to the new temperate lands of Arcas, King Wilhelm I Devereux decided that his reign as the leader of the great Curonain nation had come to a close. In 1711 King Wilhelm abdicated his throne in favor of his eldest son, Jarrack I Devereux. With his departure of the Kingdom to the Imperial city of Helena to serve the Emperor as his arch chancellor, King Jarrack I now had full control over his father's legacy.

Young, spoiled, pompous, spinless, 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 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.

The Dawn of a New Era

The post-war Arcas was one of pure instability for most human nations. The Kingdom of Curonia was largely an exception from the troubles that seemed to plague the realms of man. It was only at the dissolution of the Pax Orenia, a treaty signed by all human nations that assured the continued cooperation between all of humanity, and after the dissolution of the Kingdom of Cascadia, the successor state to the Empire of Renatus, that issues started to arise for the Kingdom of Curonia and its people. This largely stemmed from the rise of, once again, multiple claimants rising up to claim the title of Emperor of Humanity. With large interference from the Under-Realm of Urguan, the formidable dwarven nation that had helped see the overthrow of the Kingdom of Cascadia and its eventual downfall and dissolution, humanity once again found itself at the brink of mass-scale warfare.

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 Catahalon, 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 have produced, so far, one child, a son named Wilhelm Edward Devereux.

Religion

Canonism is the official religion of the Kingdom.

Nobility

The vast majority of the Kingdom's nobility come from Heartlander descent, including its own royal family House of Devereux.

Other noble house include:

House de Alba

House Halcourt

House Silversteed

House Falkenrath

House Merentel

House Draskovits

House Grimoire

House Ironwood


Politics

Wars

Third Atlas Coalition War, 1689 -1692

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

Wilhelm I Devereux - Founder of the Kingdom of Curonia. Led the nation from the status of a County all the way to a Kingdom. A skilled war tactician and diplomat.

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 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.

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.