The House of Mallart, an Account of Arthean History Since 1392
This book is brought by Vitus Antonus, Senior Scribe of History at the Imperial Library in Mercunum. The work is an account of the earliest days of the glory of the House of Mallart. The work was first completed in 1407, but has been often revised and updated. Contributions to this work have been made by Bartol Dusept of the Imperial Library in Nareth. Dusept works with master historian Thomas Newgent.
Introduction
This is the account of the years of the House of Mallart, not just the accomplishments of the glorious King, but also the passings of the land and the growth of trade and peace between our wonderful nations. The lands that were once at war are now quiet. Ticetia holds royal glory, and even the old Empire is content. We shall look at many aspects of this brief but fruitful period of our history, but shall reserve the most vivid accounts for the political struggles between those at court in the north.
Of the House of Lannenhart
The first King of the House of Mallart was Siegfried, who rose to the throne in 1392, and his account shall be recorded later. Before these years, the land was ruled by the Ticetian usurper, Robert Lannenhart whos accomplishments are limited, and whose time upon the throne was short. Yet this King is accredited with bringing peace among our unified kingdoms, the peace which all now enjoy.
As is recounted elsewhere, the years of civil uprising then open war lead to the nations coming together, and it was following those struggles that Lannenhart brought peace. His fight brought an end to Marcus Usindus' inglorious reign, but too brutal was the iron fist that he used to maintain order once the fighting was done. It was Robert who brought The Kings Guard to our streets, with their polished breastplates and their heavy boots. These were a martial force, an attempt to repress and control rather than protect and support. In discharging that duty, they were successful, holding the kingdom in check and keeping the prospect of more fighting from boiling over. Yet Marcus brought that iron fist down on both peasant and noble alike,
And so, with unhappy peasants, and unhappy nobles, the land teetered on the brink of more fighting until decisive action was taken. Siegfried, as Marquis of Camarth, a land of the north of Ticetia had a noble pedegree. But his real strength was his towering will and clear conviction, and these went well with his skill as a politician and diplomat. He had spent six years as one of Robert's own nobles, sworn to his service, but also had Imperial connections which pulled at his loyalties. His family were appointed to the seat of Camarth in 1356 by King Thomas, as a belated reward for their work in the fighting, and as an attempt to smooth the troubles of Ticetia at that time. The king had been absent from the north when facing stiff opposition from many nobles in that region, and needed political support. Siegfried was keen to live up to the standards his parents had set when he became Earl of Camarth himself in 1386. Unlike Robert's kingdom, Camarth was kept militarily active in the face of the troubles and silently prepared to resist the King as the folly of his reign unfolded.
Seizing power is not a task that can be carried out lightly. It seems that Siegfried had secret negotiations with his counterparts the Princes of Cerlain and Tholain, and had continued a cordial relationship with his cousin, the Prince of Jorlinum. He needed their support - but perhaps not as much as he thought. Robert had already worn down any friendships with these nobles, as with the other senior dukes, marquises and princes of Arthea, eroding any support that he might have hoped to muster.
Also, history shows us that Siegfried was not the only noble with aspirations to carry out a coup. The Prince of Caldonacia had opened similar negotiations with the Dukes of Umberland and Essonlow in Ticetia, and had been in long and secret discussions with the Prince of Hebria. It was fortunate for the south, perhaps, that Siegfried was prepared first. It is unclear whether a Caldonacian King would have been acceptable to an Imperial nobility at this time, although perhaps any other King would have been preferable to some of those nobles, rather than continue to allow the Kings Guard to keep trampling over their authority.
The Coup
It was Abanacon 1392 when the decisive action was taken, and forms the beginning of this historical account. We now have access to some of Siegfried's records about the plans that he laid for the coup, and descriptions of the lengths to which he went are astounding. He thought, quite rightly, that the Kings Guard would not quietly accept any change of ruler. These men had been drafted from the armies that had stood alongside Robert during the civil war - many were capable and experienced warriors and their numbers had been greatly expanded and trained well. These had to be neutralised, at least until the King was dead. Whereupon his skills as a diplomat would be severely tested.
His plans show how he'd carefully selected a date for the coup to coincide with a major Kings Guard training event, ensuring that the main body of these troops would be of the city. It is not clear if this happened because of tinkering by Siegfried, or whether he'd learned of this training through subterfuge - either way it meant he had a capable spy in the court who had access to highly secret information. At this time the coasts of the east and south were attacked and raided repeatedly. Cellam had avoided all such attacks, but Robert clearly needed to prepare for a worsening of this situation.
At this time there were around 1200 Kings Guards assigned to the city of Cellam, and this covered a population that was around 150,000 people in size. It's even bigger today, but even in those days there was significant urban sprawl, which helped immensely with Siegfried's operation. 1000 of The Kings Guard were amassed three miles outside the city preparing for their training, while the city had less than 100 guards on actual duty. Siegfried had been trickling his own troops into the city over the week, mostly disguised as peasants or traders. His force was just 250 men strong, but they weren't expected to fight. The order sheet was quite clear - they were to surrender if they couldn't close the city gates before the bulk of the guard turned up.
The plan unfolded like clockwork - at the chime of noon from the Verdin Bell (high in the Cathedral of Pendaroch), Siegfried's own guards overtook each of the undermanned city gates and closed them, making prisoners of the gate guards and shutting out the bulk of the Kings Guard. At King Robert's palace, in court session where Siegfried himself was sitting, fifty of his men appeared together and overwhelmed the dozen or so Kings Guard that were protecting the building. These guards were loyal to the king, and during the fighting men were killed on the polished steps of the chamber.
With the outer palace sealed off, the fighters marched into the court chamber itself where panic had broken out. Several nobles jumped to the defence of the King, and more fighting ensued. One voice among the swordplay was heard - that of Siegfried, calling for calm. His rhetoric at this point was considered by many nobles to have begun the new era. He rallied the nobles present, and declared to them the stark truth of King Robert, exposing many failings and presenting his alternative. The only real resistance came from the Duke of Wessonlow, but he was considered a lover of the grain mash and was not thought to be in his senses at the time.
Siegfried argued for peace, for and end to the iron fist of Robert's control, and then called to be granted the authority of the court before him. He had to speak quickly, the Kings Guard had been notified of the fighting, and had abandoned their training mission, they were headed for the city. They arrived too late, however. It took hours for them to penetrate the outer defences - they had managed to scale a wall and had men closing in to open one of the gates when the gates were opened before them.
Inside the court chamber a vote had been held. The king was tried for crimes against their nation - and convicted of oppressing the nobility. His legal defence had been short, as had been the remains of his life. Justice was swift, and reports have suggested they were met with applause. He was beheaded on the steps of the palace less than two hours after the palace had been stormed. Siegfried was already elected as his successor, but the fighting could still have gone badly.
So it was this sight that met the leader of the Captain of the Kings Guard when the city gate was opened (only minutes before the guard could have managed this feat themselves), a long pole with the head of the King atop it which was carried through the gate and set in the soft ground next to the road. The Kings Guard captain was filled with rage, and had calmed only a little when his escort to the palace delivered him into the courtroom of the new King. All Siegfried's planning came to a head at this point. Without support from the Guard, the new King was in trouble. The nations would, no doubt, descend into civil war once more, and the guard would end up fighting one another, serving one lord or another until a winner was found. Siegfried had considered this moment for many long days, it was, perhaps, his greatest achievement of that day. He convinced the Captain that he was worthy of the role he had been given. He promised the guard would keep their powers (he'd realised that the eastern raids meant the guard were desperately needed) he promised to maintain their autonomy from the nobility and he promised them a chance for glory.
At first the Captain did not see the future well, but his lieutenants certainly did. The final convincing was carried out by a young lieutenant who was keen to be involved with real fighting - they'd all grown weary of the need to keep the peasants under heel. This young lieutenant was Edmond Rhys, an influential figure who would rise to the become High Minister for Security just ten years later, heading both the Kings Guard and the Arthean Military. In the meantime, his contribution to the defence of the east was to prove invaluable too.
Siegfried had little room to change the authority of the Guard, and needed to keep both them and the nobility in agreement with him. He updated their charter, giving them wide ranging new powers over the peasantry, yet reducing their influence over his appointed nobility. His changes also set them in a clearer military standing. He constructed a façade of change that convinced all parties that the future was to become much richer for all involved. With the acceptance of the Captain, the Kings Guard were recalled to their barracks - an instant edict had been made to require them to improve their fighting skills and to work more closely as a military unit. There was to be military action required of them. That edict also called for a voluntary force to be assembled to help. They were to head to the east and the south to deal with the threat from the raids at the earliest opportunity.
The First Year
Siegfried's memoirs show that he was utterly paranoid during the first few weeks of his reign that people would consider his efforts to be lacking in cohesion, or spread to wide to be effective. His solution to this fear was to ensure that all steps were taken, as quickly as possible, to address the biggest problems that Arthea faced. The first task he undertook was to send heralds far and wide, across Caldonacia and across the nations of the Empire. In each place he drew on his heritage to try and show he was somehow 'one of them'. This was particularly applicable in the south across the former Imperial nations, who he reminded about his close ties with King Thomas. In reality he changed nothing of the power structures in these far off lands - the nobles he kept in place and he expected allegiance from them.
His earliest decrees began a work that would transform Arthea, and it began a change from hugely agricultural society into one of industry and making. He needed military power to fend of invaders, and he saw that as the way to achieve both glory for himself, and peace for the kingdom. His 'industrialisation' was geared up at providing that military muscle. The militia force needed to be equipped, but it also needed to be manned.
Besides the military changes that he'd put in place, he bolstered the authority of the nobility. He was keen to avoid a peasant revolt, and needed those people to provide soldiers for his attempt to defend their coastlines. He also pulled together the smartest people he could find. He needed to counter the ships that were being used to assault his eastern and southern coastlines, and invested in naval improvements. There were several industrial improvements that occurred because of this investment, but the biggest were new vessels and bigger ships. These take time to build and test, however, and progress was always slower than the King wanted.
During this year, the Kings Guard and the voluntary militia force were amassing around the eastern towns of Caldonacia, from Redmun to Fornan Bay, and along the Hebrian and north Tholain coastlines. They were equipped with cavalry units to respond quickly and shipbuilding was taking place in the deeper ports there. There were problems, of course. The prospect of raising a volunteer army had been relatively easy in the south - there were volunteers whose lands and livelihood had been affected, and hundreds whose families had lost people during the raids. In the north, on the coasts of Caldonacia, they had suffered many of the same problems. But here there were fewer volunteers. Far fewer. Siegfried was concerned. He needed more political support there, as he thought his authority was being eroded by the Prince. It had become clear during the first six months of his reign that the Caldonacian Prince had been negotiating to bring enough forces for a coup, just like he had done. It was from Hebria that he'd learned this, as they had been part of the Caldonacian conspiracy. Siegfried instigated a change - and one which would cement his position as king.
He used the plot for a coup as an excuse to accuse the incumbent Prince of Caldonacia of a plot to seize power. There was nothing in this, of course, but it gave all the excuse Siegfried needed to have the Prince removed. He was dealt with lightly, but was confined to the nobility of Ticetia, far from the place where his influence could be felt. Siegfried installed one of his own brothers, Edward Mallart, to the now vacant role of prince. Finally he began to get a response to the need to raise his volunteer force - he'd suffered a years delay to the process in Caldonacia, however.
With this appointment, the Mallart family finally set aside their noble connection with Camarth. Edward Mallart had been the Marquis there in his brothers absence, but now there were no more siblings to take on the role. Siegfried appointed his close friend and senior Baron, Edward Patrais to this seat. Patrais had demonstrated his own political ability, and became a useful ally to the new King.
While making these declarations, the King also finally determined the line of succession. His own son, James, was just a teenager, but he was appointed heir, and Siegfried declared that the eldest child of the monarch shall always be considered first for succession of the King.
Royal Tour
After this first year was complete, the King visited his new realms. His intention was to meet each of the Earls, Counts, Dukes and Marquises of his realm and have them pledge their allegiance anew. His route lead him to Caldonacia first, where he passed through the towns and cities. He saw first hand several of the towns and villages that had been raided, and he pledged his full help. He also recognised the empty lands, the abandoned west and south where people had once dwelt before war had ravaged those places. He also asked that plans be set in place to expand the lands to live in these places once again. This turned out to be a tall order for the people of Caldonacia, whose population had not expanded much in a hundred and fifty years. He would later return to this and encourage Ticetians and Hebrians to inhabit these lands.
The tour eventually passed south into Hebria and Tholain where more of the ravaged towns were visited. Siegfried was said to have became more and more angry with each visit, and each time pledged more military help for the people here. He found it easy to raise volunteers here for his militia. Eventually he passed through Cerlain and Antaurus and Limia, before ending his tour in Jorlinum at the home of the Prince in Malberina, where a huge festival was held. He also sat with all the Princes of the six imperial nations, and explained his vision and is plan to defeat the raiders and to expand and strengthen each of the nations. He was considered a powerful speaker, and appears to have carried this meeting strongly. At the end there was significant hope for the future, and the former Empire had been given new impetus and direction.
On his return to Cellam, nine months after his departure, he was greeted by happy crowds. His reform of the Kings Guard had appeared popular. The peasants were certainly better treated now. But we know now that this wasn't because of a change of culture, it was about the need to train the guard for military duty. There were fewer of them on the streets, resulting in less oppression. This was to change in the coming years but for now a peace had arrived to Ticetia.
Fighting Away East
The reign of Siegfried was marked throughout with the fight against raiders in the east and the south. For the first three years of the reign the Kings Guard and the raised militia had been chasing shadows - it's not even clear if the raiders knew they were being hunted. They'd land and spend several days looting possessions and, occasionally, the people of the area and then exit, leaving behind destruction and blood, and a distraught population.
Slowly the military units learned to respond more quickly. Watchtowers were constructed along the coastlines, faster horses were found, and the military were honed and improved. Siegfried also began spending tax money with the mercenary guilds to bolster the numbers of the guard doing the fighting. The started to catch some of the raids. Fighting was fierce - and among the militia especially, there was a desire for revenge and a bottled up fury that at first tore through the raiders. But very few of the raids were caught, and it was not until 1396 that vessels were large enough to attempt to challenge the incoming vessels. Then an incident of luck spurred on the defenders to produce new defences and use new technology.
The small, sluggish ships of the Arthean navy had managed to corner a single raiding ship. It had taken years to provide vessels that could achieve this, and for the first time an enemy ship could not escape them. There had been incidents where enemy ships had been engaged before, but they were always too manoeuvrable and had escaped. This time the navy was fortunate enough to have plenty of small vessels on hand to help out.
The enemy ship was engaged off the coast of Cerlain, and they shepherded it in towards the shallow waters near Cavonry. It was sunk by repeated fire from ballistae on board the boats and catapults from the shore. All hands on the ship were reported as lost, and no hand to hand fighting was reported. The waters here were shallow, allowing the vessel to be salvaged and brought into the docks at Morara. Arthea had no vessels that could move out of sight of land at this point, and the sinking represented a major coup.
King Siegfried poured resources into studying this vessel, and he had the Princes of Cerlain and Tholain both oversee this investigation themselves. This investigation also attracted private money from the traders of the south, and drew the attention of experts from Candonacia who had been leading the way with Arthean ship advancement before this. Its secrets were quickly assimilated, and work to construct several new Arthean dockyards began. One was at Morara which commenced in 1399, followed by one at Addinsly Port in Ticetia and a further two at Ellisport and Port Tolsor in Caldonacia, all of which commenced building in 1401. More shipbuilding docks began to appear across the former Empire over the following years, too. It was this point where the tide finally began to turn against the raiders.
Population Boom
Despite the raids being a drain on the inhabitants of the east coast, this period under the house of Mallart saw leap in the population of Arthea. This trend had started following Unification, and had accelerated during these last years of the 14th century. The biggest growth was seen across Ticetia and the centre of the former Imperial lands, Jorlinum, Antaurus and Cerlain. This growth was probably due to the availability of food and the improving climate, but it began to cause problems. That food supply was beginning to be stretched by the time the 15th century started, and action was needed.
Siegfried took matters in hand, of course. He had already seen lands where people had shrunk back, and he couldn't reconcile the lack of growth in Caldonacia with that seen in his own land of Ticetia and which had bee impressed upon him by Prince Antaurus. He devised a new farming strategy, one which promoted expansion of farmland into wilderness areas, expanding settlement between towns and beyond original borders. The lands to the south and east of Ticetia saw the biggest growth. People were starting to build new homes, the lands slowly creeping southwards towards Jorlinum, and shortening the wilderness trade route.
In past years, during the formation of Ticetia and during the famine years, towns like Ulleswood and Jambridge were briefly abandoned as food resource had dried up, but they'd been repopulated, and now the lands around Fort Houlan and beyond were being marked out for new settlements. Ulleswood, situated on the edge a huge woodland, was to spearhead that expansion. Wood is a vital commodity in building new homes, and by the end of Siegfried's reign, it was large enough to become a city.
The situation was the same in the former Empire, too. In Antaurus, the eastern plains grew into bustling farming communities, especially around Wisterom and Langor, which then provided supplies for the growing and expanding capitals of Mercunum and Kenver. And the expansion seems to have been contagious. With small grants provided for opening new farms on wild lands, the 'wheatlands' of Cerlain in the triangle between Miellias, Selbern and Mellinara expanded faster than any region in the Empire. Even the road out to Aromon was exploited.
Although a major feat of management, this expansion is overlooked by many historians. Siegfried had spent his life as a politician and courtier, but demonstrated a keen eye for organisation through the changes he made to farming that allowed his nation to grow and flourish. This farming expansion, of course, went on to have its biggest effect - an acceleration in the population growth of Arthea, driving other trade and fuelling the demand for non food goods. This has many positive effects, but is now starting to cause other problems, as our nations encroach on the lands of other species, especially the goblinoid races and wild folk who inhabit the mountains of the Empire.
The Succession
King Siegfried had been hugely successful in terms of his achievements. But as his work built momentum and the raiders of the east were at last being faced with forces that could match them, his own health took a turn for the worse. During the late 1390's and into 1400, the Kings health had slowly declined. In 1401 he contracted a terrible coughing illness that his clerics could not deal with. He ensured he taught his son James all he could about the arts of battle, of diplomacy and the ways to manipulate political power. There were many claims at the time that Siegfried had been the subject of a slow poisoning, but it is clear from the historical records that his health failed over a long period. He finally succumbed to his illnesses in 1402, dying quietly in his sleep in late Ulunacon. James assumed control of the realm with little fuss and very little changed from the approach taken by his father.
Siegfried's legacy had left James with a wealth of tools with which to fight the raiders. He'd assumed always that they only needed to reach a tipping point, a stage where the raids became so dangerous to carry out that they would not bother, and he concentrated his forces on making this happen.
Through 1404 and 1405, the Kings Guard were re-equipped with lighter weaponry and were re-focussed to become experts as light rapid response forces. They were also split into smaller groups and space closer together along the shoreline. When this was combined with extra wooden-frame watchtowers, they reduced their response time down to just a few hours. They became very effective.
The next big change for James' forces came in 1406 when the latest range of military ships were launched. These are faster and far lighter than anything we've seen before, yet they are huge constructions made of wood with a large sail raised on a high mast. They seem very nimble in the water and have been very effective in dealing with the raiders.
By the middle of 1407, we have seen no return of the raiders. The new vessels sunk over a dozen of their ships as they came close to our shoreline. Perhaps the King will be inclined to seek out the lands of the raiders and return the compliment for the long years of suffering that has been imposed upon our shores.
The Growth of Commercial Seafaring
Out of the need for military technology we have seen huge changes in the sea-bound capabilities of the forces of Arthea. These vessels have become part of the infrastructure of the nation and through 1407 and 1408 they became available to commercial traders too. The exploration of the seaways beyond the horizon has barely begun, and we know not how far the world extends beyond the reach of our vision.
But new discoveries abound. We have discovered new land away to the west of Cellam over the seas. These islands are home to people much like ourselves, and are rich with natural minerals and even gemstones. We commenced trading with them and we have helped them overcome some of the food production problems that we ourselves suffered three hundred years ago.
The exploration of the seas continues unabated, yet fear exists among those who work the waters. We have not yet found the fabled edge of the world. And if we do find such a place, would our brave explorers ever return to tell us of it. Or would their ship be pulled over the lip by the tide and die on the rocks below?
More Clampdown
It is clear that James' time as monarch is one in which the upstarts of the peasantry need to be controlled. Since the ending of overseas raids, the peasants have revolted on many occasions, their numbers fuelled by the militia men who have been stood down since there is nobody to fight. The King's response is justified and appropriate. He has at his command many war-hardened troops of the Kings Guard who have seem service protecting our land. It is to these men that the King has turned in among the chaos.
An edict from the king in 1411 finally removed limits on the power of the Guard to act against these unscrupulous or out of line peasants. The Guard are responsible for casting legal judgement against peasants that threaten authority in this way, and can now decide guilt there and then at the scene of a crime. Nobles also have had restrictions lifted on the controls of what is allowed in their dealings with the peasants. The threat of civil war must be avoided at all costs. We have only just secured the safety of this realm from invaders. We surely must secure it from our own upstarts too.
To further confirm the Kings control, his edict has also been that we should expand the navy. He has another scheme planning that should enact revenge for the long years of suffering of our people. He has decreed that searches be made for the lands of the raiders, and that justice be meted upon them. This will involve a larger naval presence, and the use of mercenary troops willing to strip revenge from our former enemy. In the south, especially in Hebria and Tholain, these words are popular, but the people of Ticetia seem less willing.