History of Hulstria and Gao-Soto

This page currently relates to the modern era of History from the discovery of Dovani onwards. It is about the History of the Nation of Greater Hulstria starting at the discover of the Continent of Dovani.

Christopher Dove
In the year 1492, Luthori Explorer Christopher Dove set out from the Holy Luthori Empire in search on a continent rumored to exist at the end of the world. With the blessing of the Holy Luthori Emperor, Dove set out with an entire navy fleet to find this land and claim it in the name of the Emperor. Nearly 4 months after leaving port in the HLE, Dove's flagship spotted a strip of land on the horizon. They continued to sail toward it for 2 days before finally arriving on the coastline of eastern Donvani. This land was barren an dissapointing to Dove so he continue to sail south around the continent and then sailed North up the Western Coast until he found what appeared to be fertile land. On July 7th, 1493, nearly 12 months after seeing the last port of the old world, Christopher Dove stuck a Luthori Flag a beach of the continent that would later become known as Dovani, named for him, claiming it for the Holy Luthori Empire. He would return four times to Dovani, each time finding a faster route there. On his final voyage to the continent he was accompanied by a group of colonists from the Holy Luthori Empire. He was tasked by the Emperor with establishing the first Luthori settlement on the continent. The settlement was built near the spot where he first landed, and was named Ehrigia, it would become the capital of New Luthori. Dove would die 3 years after the colony's founding while serving as Governor-General of New Luthori. He was succeeded by a man named Auric Strauss, who's family would become intertwined with Hulstrian history. Dove's body was buried originally in a small cemetary in Ehrigia, however 10 years late it was moved to the Dove Vault, a massive tomb in the middle of Ehrigia that has since become a national monument.

Colonization
By the year, 1560, Luthori claims encompassed all of modern day Greater Hulstria. They claims were divided up into 10 colonies:

Hilgar
Hilgar was by far the largest of the Luthori colonies in the new world. Named for a mythical tree that was believed to grow in the colony, Hilgar became an important source of hard woods for Luthori. Of all the colonies it had by far the largest number of native Gishotoi living in it. This often lead to violence between the Gishotoi and Luthori colonists. The Colonist are said to have wiped out thousands of Gao Showa because of the Luthori use of gun power and the burning of any and all Gao Showa settlements. A Peace was finally established after nearly 150 years, ending the fighting in the year 1654. From there an uneasy peace was established, with the Gishotoihold up in the east, and the Luthori fortifying their position in the west. The Hulstrian fortress of Kaiserburg was built and expanded largely during this period. Kaiserburg would serve as the Hilgarian capital up into the present day.

Hulstria
Of all the colonies New Luthori and Marchau were the commercial and agricultural centres of the colonies, respectively. However a small city in the colony of Hulstria rapidly grew to prominence. The city of Kien had originally been founded by Lutherans fleeing the religious intolerance in The Holy Luthori Empire. In fact the vast majority of colonists who came to the Gishoton Colonies were Lutherans fleeing Luthori. They brought with them their knowledge of everything from art to shipbuilding. Kien was constructed in a way very reminiscent of the old world capitals. Large Cathedrals, Towering Castles, a Grand Palace, and a massive wall known as the Fake Ridge, as it streches on from several kilometers. A prominent Luthori family, the Labsburgs, who had immigrated to Kien from Liore, were able to come to such a position of power in Hulstria that the Governer-Generalship of Hulstria passed down hereditarily through their family. It was under the Labsburgs, that Hulstria, and specifically Kien, gained a good deal of influence in colonial affairs, eventually absorbing part of the neighboring colony of New Yodukan.

Mitrania
The region east of the Schnee-Berge Mountains was first visited by Luthori colonists towards the close of the 15th century. At that time it was somewhat thinly peopled. The majority of the inhabitants appear to have been unskilled farmers of the Gishotoi, barely resembling their sophisticated forefathers. Modern scholars believe that the strain of the wars with the Luthori Empire had drained the resources of the Gishotoi in the region. Once the territories were conquered by the Luthori, colonists poured into the rich farmlands of Mitrania. The colonists built the city of Graaffsberg as the administrative centre of the new colony.

In 1578 farmers of Duntrekker, Luthori Catholic, and Episcopalian Kalistani descent seeking pasture for their flocks settled in the country. They were followed in 1593 by the first settlers of the Southern Expansion. These emigrants left Hultria, New Liore, New Luthori, and the other northern and coastal colonies for various reason, but were primarily animated by the desire to escape from Luthori sovereignty. The leader of the first large party of emigrants was Pieter Heerden, who concluded an agreement with Takehiko, the chief noble of the local Gishotoi, ceding to the farmers the country between the Schnee-Berge Mountains and the Grote Blauwe Rivier. The region continued to prosper, at the expense of the native Gishotoi. By the 1620's it is estimated that only 1/3 of the original number of Gishotoi remained in Mitrania.

Vorm
For the Dorvish classical composer, see Vorm

The Rise of Hulstria
1560 - 1635

The Great Rebellion
1635 - 1650

The Empire of Hulstria
1650 - 2117

The Great Dark Period
2117 - 2193