| Colonial Hulstria | |||||
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| Capital Miyako | |||||
| Languages Luthorian, Dundorfian, Kunikata | |||||
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| Government Colony Emperor of Luthori First Last First Last | |||||
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Colonial Hulstria is an historic term given to the period between the conquest and colonization of north-western Dovani by the Holy Luthori Empire until the Great Rebellion that formed the Empire of Hulstria. The modern day Greater Hulstria was comprised 10 different colonies united under a Lord Governor appointed by the Luthori Emperor. The 10 colonies were reffered to as a whole as "Colonial Hulstria" as a whole due to the large political influence and wealth of the individual Hulstrian colony. The ten colonies were part of the greater colonial empire of Luthori at this time which had also comprised of the former Kingdom of Kazulia to the north and several lands east of the ten colonies, formerly held fuedal clans. The colonies of modern day Greater Hulstria eventually banded together in unification to fight for independence from Luthori in the mid 1600s led by Franz von Rothingren, later Franz I of Hulstria, becoming the first colonial state on Dovani to gain independence with the Peace of Kien.
History[]
Christopher Dove[]
Christopher Dove
In the year 1492 Luthori Explorer Christopher Dove set out from the Holy Luthori Empire in search of a continent rumored to exist at the end of the world. With the blessing of the Holy Luthori Emperor, Christopher Dove set out with an entire navy fleet to find this land and claim it in the name of the Emperor and Empire. Nearly 4 months after leaving port in Luthori, Dove's flagship spotted a strip of land on the horizon. They continued to sail toward it for two days before finally arriving on the coastline of what was eastern Dovani. 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 Hulstrian 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.
Straussia[]
Straussia had one of the most vibrant colonial economies during this time period in Hulstrian history. Straussia was home to many shipping industries, resulting in heavy trade among its inhabitants. Its location between the colonial districts of Hulstria, Hilgar, and Mitrania allowed for the construction of many trade routes and roads along the Schnee-Berge Mountains; many of these roads continue to exist in the modern Crownland of Mitrania. Their location additionally made Straussia a wealthy colonial district filled with merchants and traders. Out of all this came out the orgins of the Strauss family, a family who would go onto establish several banking and finance houses in Colonial Hulstria. The House of Strauss would be formally established years later after independence from Luthori. The Strauss family continues to exist in the modern day state of Greater Hulstria as one of the most politically important and wealthy families in the country.
The Great Rebellion (1635 - 1650)[]
Over a period of years, the colonies of the Holy Luthori Empire on Dovani grew increasingly discontented with the government of the home country. The Dovani colonies deeply resented the gradual movement of power from their own assemblies and governments to the centralized location Liore, nearly five thousand miles away in Luthori. These actions greatly limited the effectiveness of colonial administration and weakened colonial representation in the workings of the Holy Luthori Empire's government. In 1639, the Luthori colonies of Dovani, with Hulstria as their leader, revolted against Luthori colonial control before formally declaring independence later in the year.
George Stafford
The Battle of Volkermarkt
The first five years of the Revolt came to be known as the "Bloodless Period" as there was no major response from the Holy Luthori Emperor, his military nor the Luthori parliament. The dissent of the colonies had been both privately and publically dismissed by high ranking Luthori officials as merely a phase or, as the Luthori parliament's own Imperial Seal-Bearer Right Honorable George Stafford described as "mere growing pains of a child yet to reach maturity". It was conceived that, given some time, the power structures of the colonial governments would wrest power back from the rebels and reestablish colonial governance. However, this was to proved to be an increasingly difficult and unrealistic approach to the problem. Given the Luthori government's inaction, the rebels received time to further plot their revolution free of any sort of Luthori intereference. The first Hulstrian Diet met, establishing precedents for rule and appointed Franz von Rothingren, a colonel of the Hulstrian Colonial Legion and Diet assemblyman, as Hulstria's delegate to the Unabhängigkeitkongress (Independence Congress), composing of representatives from across the rebellious colonies.
Franz von Rothingren
The Independence Congress eventually met in Kien, the capital of colonial Hulstria, where the official document declaring independence from the Holy Luthori Empire, the Erklärung der Souveränität (Declaration of Sovereignty) was drafted. For nearly seven months the document was negotiated throughout the colonial governments before being accepted by all. Following the signing of the Declaration, Franz von Rothingren was appointed as Aide-de-Camp to Field Marshal Heindrich von Marchau, Commander-in-Chief of the nrewly established Hulstrian Army. Marchau glorified his new position, focusing on establishing social and political connections and thereby ignoring his duty to the army. In 1644, shortly before fighting broke out, he was relieved of command of the army. Brigadier General Franz von Rothingren shortly replaced Marchau, jumping to the rank of Field Marshal.
Learning of the Declaration of Sovereignty and the Independence Congress, the Luthori government realized that their governments in Dovani would be unable to quash the now-five year old rebellion. Late in 1644, the Luthori Imperial Diet ordered the launching of a massive, surprise military attack to supress the revolt. Imperial Luthori troops landed on Hulstrian soil and rapidly overan most of the coastal regions, including present-day Kuratha and Budenlar. The Battle of Volkermarkt was the first major battle between Hulstrian and Luthori armies in the Great Rebellion. Both sides suffered high casualties, however, the Luthori forces effectively held the field by using several flank tactics, effectively winning the battle. This defeat crippled the morale of the Hulstrians. However, the demoralized Hulstrian forces recovered after a series of small victories shortly after Volkermarkt. The Hulstrian army quickly learned from their mistakes and several weeks later at the Battle of Konstanz they tasted victory as the Luthori army was forced to surrender its newly won territory.
Luthori General Johnathan Codrington
The remaining years of the war became a back and forth struggle with neither side able to dealt the necessary blow to tip the balance in their favor. The death of Lord Godfrey, Duke of Himmelgred, the leader of the Holy Luthori invasion force, by the hands of the rebels is considered to be the turning point for the war however. Field Marshal Franz von Rothingren played to the strength of his army and undertook a prolonged series of "hit and run" campaigns on Luthori strongpoints and supply lines, limiting the Holy Imperial Army capability to properly fight on Hulstrian ground. In a bold effort to quell the rebellion once and for all, including to extract revenge for the death of the Duke of Himmelgred, reinforcements were sent to Hulstria with the objective of taking over Kien, the main operation command of the rebellion force in Hulstria, in hopes to deal a fatal blow to Rothingren and Hulstria; the Holy Imperial Army, to carry out this plan, forged through modern Budenlar and western Hulstria to the outskirts of Kien. The two forces met on the cold morning of 13 December 1646 in what is considered by many historians the largest and longest battle of the Great Rebellion. The Battle of the Kiennese Pass took place just outside of the Hulstrian capital city with Luthori at first outnumbering the Hulstrians; it was only on a ratio of 3 to 2.
For nearly two weeks the defensive structures outside the capital, most notably Fortress Kien, battled through constant attacks from Luthori forces. However, the Imperial Army did was not able to muster enough strength to breakthrough the Hulstrian defenses. The Imperial Army commander, General John Codrington, decided to wait for reinforcements and prepared to siege the city. He ordered the massing of all the army's artillery around Fortress Kein and proceeded to carry out a two day long bombardment of the Fortress. Cordington's complacency and overreliance on artillery allowed von Rothingren to prepare his own surprise attack.
During the night of 22 December Field Marshall Franz von Rothingren moved his small force of cavalry over the mountain peaks to the seemingly inpenetrable forest beyond the city. In the predawn mist of 23 December, he ordered a diversionary attack of infantry on the Imperial army's frontlines. As the attack was underway and all attention was focused on the front, von Rothingren rallied his calvary units, numbering only around 500 Luthori Riding School graduates, and attacked the exposed flanks of the Imperial Army in what forever will be known as the "Charge of the Hulstrian Lancers". This surprise attack routed the Imperial Army and the small cavalry force was recorded to have accounted for nearly 3,000 of the Luthori dead, roughly one-tenth of the entire Luthori force present at the battle.
Following this decisive victory at the Kiennese Pass, von Rothingren began pushing the Luthori Imperial Army out of colonial Hulstria and in the process land that had been taken over by the invading forces. In 1649, the Holy Luthori Emperor began to worry that a drawn out war might cause other Luthori colonies, such as Kazulia to the north, to revolt and therefore wished to end the Great Rebellion as soon as possible. Later in that year, Luthori delegates met with their Hulstrian counterparts and formally granted and recognized Hulstrian independence. By the end of that year, all Luthori forces were removed from Hulstria and the country began the process of forming its own governmental institutions. Despite the large war between Hulstria and Luthori, the two modern countries acknowledge one another as being very close allies. The two country's monarchies are even ruled by the same royal dynasty; the Rothingren-Traugotts.