V. History of the Empire
Current Christstany Calander Year: Year of Our Lord 1030
[B.C. = Before Christianity, A.D. = Anno Domini, year of our lord.]
Ancient Times; 3000 B.C. - 1 A.D.The history of Christstan begins with early records from ancient times with hieroglyphics written on stone slabs that could be carried in one hand. These records begin about 3000 B.C. (C.C. Calender time), telling the tales of past legends, a chief's rule, trade, and battles. Early Christstany peoples were clan based tribes that survived primarily on agriculture and incessant warfare amongst themselves and a people known as the "Galatians". The mindframe of the Christstany tribes was that you only had the right to items, land, food etc. if you could defend it. This lead to the right by might mentality inherent in Christstany thought. Now the tribes then were obviously not known as Christstany. Rather they referred to themselves as Rotharocks "Children of Rothar", and shared a common belief system. This religious system demanded constant warfare to earn the favor of the gods and secure their place in the afterlife.
- Early Germanic Warrior and Chief
For over a thousand years, the Rotharocks lived in clan based villages & small towns backed by agriculture, without change. Agriculture allowed for the specialization of labor, and all drew their place in the world from their father. Farmers were farmers for life, blacksmiths, would produced bronze weapons during this time, also were dynastic and highly respected. Their were no priests as the chief and most males performed the rituals vital to their survival. All men were warriors from birth, warfare was thought before the man's trade. Trade happened only when both tribes respected each other and were semi-related. This semi-familial bond of friendship would lead to the rise in factions and kingdoms that would spell out the next age.
Villages were run by Chiefs, who earned and maintained their position through military might. in most cases Chiefs were dynastic due to the fact that the sons of Chiefs were free from manual labor and spent their days hunting, raiding, and training. After some time, their dynastic right to rule was written down by law. Inheritance though was only by the strongest son. If a chief died with several strong sons, they would do battle till a winner emerged. These fights were never to the death, as killing your brother, especially one so militarily talented, was the highest crime of the time. Often times as the older brother, he had the most experience and training and thus usually became the next chief, this became law around the times of the dynastic chiefdom.
Galatians, as rather odd looking and not related to any of the Rotharocks were constantly raided and had their towns sacked for almost no reason. While the Galatians were more technologically advanced, the Rotharocks were to powerful a people in warfare for the Galatian technology to have great effect and allow them dominance. Due to the city-based and heavy trading nature of the Galatians, they united into powerful kingdoms early on and by that fact alone were able to resist total annihilation against the Rotharocks. Their stone-walled cities kept the Rotharocks at bay, though this would soon change.
With the advent of iron around 2000 B.C., and the domestication of horses, certain tribes became very powerful, very quickly. Warfare amongst the tribes evolved and those without Iron and horses were quickly absorbed into the tribes that did. Men who had horses and iron weaponry evolved into military elite, who spent their days as permanent warriors to the chiefs. During this time the highly fractured tribes and villages began to unite under the powerful Horse Lords or "Pferdeherren". The Chief's main village became the center of his lands, and began to grow into powerful cities as trade and tribute were brought in from the lesser villages. These Horse-lords soon followed the stone style walls, copied from the Galatians, as opposed to the wooden Palisades of older times. Horse-lords awarded their military elite with land and more horses and weapons, which increased their power and standing. The Horse-lords also began to ally with one another to achieve common goals, one of which was to dispose of the Galatians, who were seen as infidels and a blemish to the land. United and armed with horses and iron, things which the Galatians had been denied, the Rotharocks crushed the Galatian kingdoms and wiped out much of their populace. Those who remained were forced to be slaves to the Rotharock Pferdeherren. Much of the advances of the Galatians were preserved though, which only increased the power of the Pferdeherren who conquered them.
- Rotharock Horse-Lord and warriors
Eventually by 300 B.C. the major states of the Rotharock had emerged, now ruled by a König, who ruled through the descendants of the military elites of his ancestors. The Königs or Könige, were the descendants of ancient powerful families who became the primary Pferdeherren. Without linage to at least one Pferdeherren line, you had no claim to any kind of throne. One dynasty of the powerful Könige was known as the Weigers, rulers of the land nearest the sea and only Galatian lands. At this point, they were a minor kingdom in comparison to the others, but their sea access made them rich and allowed them to explore and bring in new ideas. One of which would be the major cultural movements and driving factors. This was Christianity. Exactly how it came is unknown but it is known that it came in through a Weiger port. At first the Weigers scoffed at the notion, but after several trial by ordeal tests and a dream of the King, Christianity became the official religion of the Weigers. Over the next 200 years, Christianity spread until it was the major religion of the Rotharocks, with the final conversion of the Kingdom of Maxony. This marks the beginning of year 1 A.D.
Foundations of the Empire; 1-500 A.D.With the rise of Christianity, the tribes became much more civilized and united. A Church was organized, headed by an elected Priest, known as the Kirchenführer. The Kirchenführer claimed no divine authority, nor right, but rather was the administrative and theological leader of the Church. The Church was a vital part of Rotharock life as it decided what was right and wrong and could say that the actions of a lord was against Christianity. This worried people and lead to many assassinations, and overthrows of rulers. Morals ruled Rotharock life. Though despite good Christian intentions and background, the warrior culture of the people prevailed and resulted in 500 years of feudal warfare amongst the Könige and sometimes their Grafs and Herzog (Counts & Dukes). The major kingdoms emerged, and the Kingdom of Christstan (as the Könige of the Weiger dynasty called their lands) rose to tower over them all. Through many political maneuvers and royal marriages, the Weiger held a great deal of land, and by the might of their forces, maintained their holdings and crushed opposition. Their power was also backed by the church which was headquartered in their lands. As a way to consolidate the power of the Weigers, and end most of the internal warfare, the Kirchenführer assembled the lords and declared an election of an Emperor (Kaiser) who would rule over all of them, maintain the peace and establish law and order throughout the land. The Weiger King, Conrad II, was elected unanimously as Kaiser Conrad I von Christstan. His rule brought about the end of dominant feudal powers and the beginning of a centralized rule, and an intellectual renaissance.
- Christany Knight and the Imperial Double Eagle.
Renaissance and Imperial Conquests; 501-907Emperor Conrad brought in a new age of learning and culture. It was during his reign that the Great Artists of Christstan arose. The legacy of those painters is still visible in modern Christstany art. Emperor Conrad sought to increase his power and hold of his title by advancing the military. Gunpowder had been experimented with and used for hunting in the past, but was too clumsy to be effectively used in combat. He offered a great reward and a great deal of funding to the man who could build him a practical model of the weapon, which he invisioned as the future of Christstany military. The new weapon was dubbed the Feuernrute (We know them as an Arquebus). He revamped the military and organized the most powerful fighting force in Christstan.
- Emperor Conrad with his new Army.
With this powerful new force and the unity of the powerful lords of Christstan, the Emperor and the people of Christstan were able to look outside their borders for the first time in 2500 years. Various surrounding peoples had often times tried to dominate Christstany lords, but were repulsed for the most part. Emperor Conrad sought to bring these peoples under his rule as well and began a long series of campaigns to defeat his neighbors. He would spend 20 out of his thirty-year reign on the battlefield. At the age of sixty, he died and left his empire and his quest to his son Henry I. Henry did not have the innovative mind of his father and ruled with absolute single-mindedness. He spent his 15 year reign raising heavy taxes to support his army in the field. As a brilliant commander, trained under his father and was free of political restraints while serving, sought to continue that in his rule. To him, supporting armies in the field against infidels and enemies of the state was the most important role of the Emperor, and did all in his power to do so. He would not stop a campaign due to the strained state of his country and the weary new recruits who were tired of the fighting. His unwillingness to leave the field was his demise, he was infected with a plague sweeping through the neighboring kingdom of Worria, where his father had died.
Emperor Henry left one son before he went on his conquests, as the boy was far to young to accompany him at the time, the young prince was left in the care of his cousins, the dukes of Maxony. In their court he learned to appreciate the arts, literature and trade. He was by no means the warrior his father was, nor even his grandfather, but he was a much more gifted politician. When he received the new of his father's death, his first concern was to fix the horrid mess his father left him. As a man of 24, he had a lot of time to accomplish his task. He withdrew the army from Worria in exchange for their vassalage and conversion, he did so by threatening to continue his father's campaign and promised he would leave their current political structure alone as long as the Leader of Worria swore fealty to him and his successors. This ended the major conflict of the nation and allowed him to disband the army of his father. For this action alone, he was praised by his subjects and immediately loved early on in his reign. He married his second cousin, the duchess of Maxony, the first sign of his brilliant use of political marriages. He knew her father had no male heirs, nor no brothers and thus his duchy would be inherited through his daughter and her husband.
With the first major obstacle out of his way, Emperor Henry was free to spend his fathers tax money on things that benefited the empire and restored his grandfather's art and science institutes. He was known as Das Prächtige (The Magnificent). He would continue to restore the empire throughout his reign and married his sons and daughters off so well, that few could, or would challenge his dynastic claims, and would ensure the power of his family for years to come. He ruled till he died at 79, ruling for 55 years.
This age of innovation and conquest would last for another 300 years, in which Weiger Emperors ruled continuously and unchallenged.
Succession problems and Rebellions 907-965The age of prosperity and intellectual revival ended with the death of Emperor Wilhelm II. He died at the age of 15 due to a disease contracted while on campaign with his father. With no uncles to claim the throne, the throne would have to pass to a second cousin of the Emperor. Wilhelm's sister had been captured by her second cousin for this purpose but she was far to young to wed. Two rival factions had strong claims to the throne, the Dukes of Maxony (Which were seperated from Imperial lands when Wilhelm's grand uncle Conrad of Maxony was given the Duchy by his father) and the Counts of Ravia, also heirs to the throne through a male line via Wilhelm's other grand uncle Albert the Wise. The contenders of each line were respectively Prince Conrad II of Maxony and Henry of Ravia. Both were unmarried and wished to marry the young princess Anna, sister of Wilhelm. Henry had captured her and was waiting till she was 14 so he could legally marry her, Conrad would not allow his rival this honor and declared war on him. So for the first time in 400 years, lords used their armies against each other. All Conrad wished to do was recover the young Anna from Henry and marry her himself. The war was fought for 7 years called the 7 Years War or First War of Succession. Conrad was victorious and recived the girl from a beaten Henry on her 13th birthday. A year later, Conrad Married her and took the title of Emperor, which was vacant and thus resulted in fracturing of the states again.
When Conrad assumed the throne as Conrad IV, the Empire of Christstan was in anarchy with each lord acting independently and made war on each other just as conrad had done. He spent the next 20 years of his reign regaining the prestige and power of the Emperor. He could not get the full loyalty of the lords his ancestors had enjoyed, but got them at least to generally follow his orders. His union with Anna produced two sons and a daughter. He traded daughters in marriage with Henry of Ravia, marrying his sons to Henry's daughters.
Conrad's sons hated each other and his eldest, Conrad V, banished his brother Wilhelm from Imperial landholdings. His father-in-law and granduncle welcomed him to Ravia. He inherited Wallicha, a minor estate from Henry, and openly detested his brother. When his brother died in combat a few years later leaving no heirs, Wilhelm naturally assumed the throne. Though his Brother-in-law, the Count of Ravia, quickly informed Wilhelm and the rest of the Empire that it was not a legal move as Wilhelm had been banished and disinherited by his brother and thus he was the only legitimate heir especially with the marriage of the daughter of Emperor Conrad V. This argument broke out into another war of Succession, thoughtfully named the Second War of Succession. Wilhelm was Victorious, crowned (again and officially) as Emperor Wilhelm III.
For the next 15 years, the throne would constantly be contested by brothers, cousins and uncles of the descendants of Wilhelm. These constant wars between Weigers weakened the Emperor's power and prestige greatly. It became so bad that the Lords stripped Emperor Heindrick X of his Empire and formed the Republic of Rothar in 965 A.D.
The Rise and Fall of the Republic of Rothar; 965-998After Heindrick X had been stripped of his title, he was exiled to live on the Eastern Islands and all Imperial holdings became nationalized and used as tourist areas and museums. The coup against him was led by Prime Minister Edmund James, who captured him while he was walking in the gardens of the Imperial Palace, all Imperial Counts were similarly banished to small castles within their lands.
James seized power until elections were carried out. The elections were corrupted by James who manipulated them so that only he could win. He formed a representative government with himself at its head. He lead the new secular nation for 15 years until his death, his young nephew was elected to succeed him. His nephew, Thomas James, ran the country poorly, but with an iron fist. Anyone who challenged him was blacklisted and destroyed politically & economically. The country was further secularized, creating great uproar from the very conservative masses. The country was run by a minority elite core of wealthy liberal businessmen, who did not represent the wishes of the masses as they promised.
Heindrick von Weiger, the future Emperor Heindrick, was taught by former imperial officers the art of war and governing. He excelled in the University of Steinburg, majoring in Political Science, then gaining an advanced degree in Law. Despite this education, his passion was the martial affairs. Heindrick used the great wealth his family still had and organized a large defense & technology company, the future Imperial Arms & Technology. When the Republic entered war with Guthenburg, the traditional enemies of Christstan, they needed the advanced forces under Heindrick's command and thus hired him to deal with these enemies. They gave him a commission as Generalfeldmarschall in the Republican Army.
Heindrick invaded Guthenburg with his now large force, his leadership and strategic skills made the men and officers love him. He created a cult of personality within the military forces. Men became loyal to him more than the state as he dealt with the things they needed, personally purchasing most of the necessary supplies the army needed. He grew tired of Rothan politicians who did not understand war. His campaign was largely successful and he received the official surrender from the Guthenburg leader himself, along with the leader's daughter whom he married. He was ordered to establish martial law until the lands were deemed ready. It was at this time he formed the NationalechristlichePartei comprised of his loyal officers who aided him in running the territory. The people there loved him and when they were incorporated as a province, he was elected Governor General. He used his connections to begin reestablishing the Christstany Church which was dismantled by Edmund James as a symbol of the old regime.
Within two years of being governor and funding the Church movement, the fearful liberal leaders of the nation outlawed the Church totally due to fears of it promoting an imperialist rebellion. This was the last straw for Heindrick who officially declared himself independent of the Republic and lead his troops to liberate the people of the Republic in 995 on the 30th anniversary of the republic. This blitzkrieg style rebellion swiftly toppled the republic by 998. Heindrick reestablished the country the way it was prior to the rebellion, promoting old nobles back to their positions, however the Parliament was granted more power.
Empire Once Again: 998 - Heindrick rebuilt the empire and regained the imperial prestige. He has improved the nation in almost all aspects, especially socially giving the country unity and tradition once again.
[complete]
