Glantrian Political History - AC 828 to 829
by Harri Mäki and Giovanni Porpora828-829 AC
The leaders decide the future of the Highlands:
*Dwarves are expelled.
*Glantri will be a Republic, ruled by a Parliament composed by the Council and the House of Lords.
*One member for each of the ethnic groups present in the Republic, except Kaelics and Fenswicks, will form the Council.
The first controversial issue is the acceptance of the Alphatians who remained loyal to Halzuntram: only Wilhelm von Drachenfels' insistence manages to convince the other members (four votes on six: everyone except Frederick and Vortram).
The second is the acceptance of a Kaelic council member, Percival McDougall, and a Fenswick one, Adalbert Batril. Other leaders can't reach a decision because some of them think that Kaelics didn't help enough to gain such honour and that Fenswicks are too few in numbers to be represented.
Lord Glantri approves both, because of his democratic thoughts.
Lord von Drachenfels approves the Fenswicks and rejects the Kaelics, valuing their military skills only.
Lord Gorevitch-Woszlany rejects both because he doesn't want other groups to gain political strength.
Lord Virayana rejects the Kaelics, because he fears the current problems in Tavish will be used against him, and approves the Fenswicks because he wants to weaken the Kaelics.
Lord Vlaardoen rejects both, because of Flaemish hatred.
Lord Vortram rejects the Fenswicks and approves the Kaelics, valuing their future voting powers only.
The two would-be Council members immediately start quarrelling because of the very presence of the other group in the Republic: the Council rejects both.
*All Glantrian nobles compose the House of Lords. Their joining is submitted to the definitive judgement of the Council
During the first meeting the whole Parliament declares the Republic of Highlands is founded.
Then the Council decides the followings:
*Braejr is renamed Glantri City (four votes on six: everyone except Alexander and Frederick).
*Council members divide Charges among themselves to help the newly formed nation:
**Frederick Vlaardoen will be Supreme Judge
**Birkai Virayana will be Treasurer,
**Alexander Glantri will be Chancellor
**Vortram will be Chamberlain
**Morphail is in charge of building a Fort on the Ethengarian border, Fort Tchernovordsk.
**Wilhelm von Drachenfels is in charge of building a Fort on the Wendarian Range, Fort Nordling.
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| Alexander Glantri | Kerendan | Chancellor |
| Morphail Gorevitch-Woszlany | Traladaran | Viceroy of Tchernovordsk |
| Birkai Virayana | Ethengarian | Treasurer |
| Frederick Vlaardoen | Flaem | Supreme Judge |
| Wilhelm von Drachenfels | Hattian | Viceroy of Nordling |
| Vortram | Alphatian | Chamberlain |
THE HOUSE OF LORDS
In examining the claims of the would-be nobles, the Council de facto ratified what other Council member proposed,
confirming previous titles, but it had to face two protestations:
1) Hattians want the fief of Silverston returned to the family who first settled it, the von Graustein.
2) Flaems want the fief of Braastar brought away from the Ethengarian invaders and returned to the Council, as it was more than four hundreds years ago.
Lord Wilhelm von Drachenfels and Lord Frederick Vlaardoen want things to return as they were in the past, while Lord Birkai Virayana and Lord Vortram want things to remain as they currently are. Lord Alexander supports the Ethengarian and the Alphatian leaders, while, at first Morphail seems eager to support the Hattian and the Flaemish leaders.
However Lord Birkai offers some help for Morphail's task of building Fort Tchernovordsk. This help will come from the Glantrian Treasury. Lord Vortram assures Lord Morphail that the logistic situation of his territories will be his priority while accomplishing his tasks as Chamberlain of the land.
With Morphail's vote things remain the same.
Concerning the enfeoffment of new fief, the Council is well disposed toward them. However the titles had to be decided with some rationality. Frederick Vlaardoen proposed a system, which he called the Order, based on the distance a fief had from the Capital. What he didn't tell other leader is the source of this Order.
| Dominion | Ruler | Origin/different group | |
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Westheath | Alexander Glantri | Thyatian |
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Fenswick | Adalbert Batril [1] | Averoignans/independent |
| _ | Hightower | Joanna Hodlan | Thyatian |
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Berrym | Michal Postbrad | Flaem |
| Braastar | Babayun Tsembu | Ethengarian | |
| Singhabad | Birkai Virayana | Ethengarian | |
| Tavish | Bogdo Khan | Ethengarian [2] | |
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Glenargyll | Percival McDougall | Kaelic |
| High Sonden | Vidar Verlien | Flaem | |
| Kopstar | Leopold Rjevens | Flaem | |
| Ritterburg | Wilhelm von Drachenfels | Hattian | |
| Silverston | Vortram | Alphatian [3] | |
| Blofeld | Sigmund Pieinants | Flaem | |
| Crownguard | David McGregor | Kaelic | |
| Eriadna | Lendup | Alphatian | |
| Linden | Frederick Vlaardoen | Flaem | |
| Ostbruck | Albert Kern | Flaem | |
| Redstone | Arden | Alphatian | |
| Sirecchia | Astolfo di Sfonti | Kerendan | |
| Verrazzano | Umberto Fulvina | Kerendan | |
| Volnay | Prusius Cornhearst | Alphatian | |
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Adlerturm | Mina von Graustein | Hattian |
| Altendorf | Conrad Wechsen | Hattian | |
| Egorn [4] | Johan of Haaskinz | Hattian(mixed)/Alphatian[5] | |
| Graez | Gerhard Lowenroth [6] | Hattian | |
| Igorov | Morphail Gorevitch-Woszlany | Traladaran | |
| Kutchevski | Alexandru Timenko | Traladaran | |
| Leenz | Burkhard Schwassen | Hattian | |
| Oreggiano | Francesco Costanza | Kerendan | |
| Palatinsk | Moise Kviepoly | Traladaran | |
| Rymskigrad | Fedor Markovitch | Traladaran | |
| Uigmuir | Malcolm McAllister | Kaelic | |
| Vorstadt | Sigefroi Vantte | Flaem |
[1] Batrils came to Mystara together with d'Ambrevilles.
[2] Tavish was an old Kaelic hamlet, Bogdo's father, Gegen, settled there in the late 810's and enslaved local peoples. Ethengarians ruled with an iron hand. Beverages were forbidden, Kaelics were treated very badly.
[3] Silverston had been the original dominion of Grausteins as Silberstein.
[4] Egorn was far away at the beginning. Before Averoignians join the Republic in 845 it was really isolated. There was no route over to mountains to Verrazzano, only route to Glantri City went through Averoignian lands.
[4] Johan of Haaskinz was interested in Alphatian magic, married an Alphatian woman in 805 and went to Eriadna. When in 820 Wilhelm von Drachenfels switched side, Johan began to feel threatened there so he escaped through Braejr to the Averoignan lands and then west where he established tower of Egorn. In 828 everyone was surprised when he appeared to Glantri City and petitioned the position of Baron of Egorn. Everybody thought he had perished with his family during the war.
[5] Lowenroth family had always been a close ally of the von Drachenfels and von Graustein. They had been given the Barony thanks to their prowess in battle.
WHY WERE THEY GIVEN THOSE TITLES?
ALPHATIANS: Halzunthram gave the title of Count of Silverston to his trusted advisor, Vortram's father, as the highest noble in the area. Then Volnay, Redstone and Eriadna were made as Viscounties to be at a lower status. All these were confirmed in 829. Since Egorn is very distant by other dominions it's given the lower title.
ETHENGARIANS: Braastar, Tavish and Singhabad were three Ethengarian khanates before 829, held by the three more powerful Ethengarian families. In 829 they were all granted the title of Marquise.
FLAEMS: There were only four ducal families left (Rjevens, Vlaardoen, Pieinants, Postbrad). Flaems insisted to have seven Duchies. Others allowed them seven fiefs but, due to the fact the fiefs weren't as large as previous Flaemish Duchies, Flaems were imposed lower titles. Frederick Vlaardoen, who convinced the other Flaem nobles to accept the Republic and was elected council member, was very annoyed by this. But Alexander Glantri convinced him by offering the most powerful position in the Council, the Supreme Judge. To have other nobles accept this situation Vlaardoen agreed in degrading Linden to Viscounty, a title lower than most of other Flaemish fiefs. Other nobles agreed, after all Flaemish people continued to call them Duke anyhow.
HATTIANS: Sigmund von Drachenfels got the title of Count of Ritterburg from Halzunthram. The title was also meant to mark his claim to the leadership of the Thyatians /Hattians/Kerendans. After that he gave the baronies of Graez, Leenz, Adlerturm and Altendorf to his followers. Then in 829 those titles were confirmed. That's why there were only baronies.
KERENDANS: Ottone di Sfonti was made the first Viscount of Sirecchia by Halzuntram. Verrazzano was originally Barony, but was also promoted to Viscounty by Halzunthram to keep Fulvina loyal to him. Oreggiano retained at a lower status. Those titles were confirmed in 829.
Glantri is named Archduke and moves to Westheath. Joanna Hodlan had been a close friend of Alexander Glantri since wartime and Alexander insisted that his old fief should be given to her. She moves to Hightower as Duchess.
TRALADARANS: Morphail had some Traladaran title (voivoda?), with other Traladarans being boyars and they all got the title of baron in 829. Morphail was content with the simple titles of Baron because he wanted to let others think he wasn't interested in politics.
Other dominions:
*FENSWICKS/BATRIL: Batrils came from Nouvelle Averoigne. They fell out with d'Ambrevilles around same time when Fenswick people came to Mystara with Kaelics and joined the leaderless Fenswick becoming their leaders. Adalbert Batril, a charismatic leader and an accomplished politician, gets the title of Duke for having helped rebels during the war (even more than Kaelics did).
*KAELICS: During the last years of the Forty-Years Wars Percival McDougall and Malcolm McAllister (both fighters) lead a band of Kaelics to fight against Halzunthram. Bruce McGregor kept his troops out of the fight. After the Council denied them the right to have a council member, it granted them (and Fenswicks as well) a dominion in their lands and the right to seat at the House of Lords. Soon after they knew their dominion would be a Viscounty and the Fenswick one a Duchy they were enraged but managed to turn things to their own advantage. They knew the Council was eager to assign titles to everyone who actively helped during the war, even creating new dominions to cover the vast territory. So they elected McGregor as Viscount of Crownguard (McGregors had already settled around Crownguard during the war) then Percival McDougall (McDougalls have been living south of Tavish, so they have to move somewhere else) and Malcolm McAllister demanded the right to create their own fief. The two fiefs were chosen near Glantrian borders, to be sure the Council valued their strategic position, too.
Percival led his people over Glantrian Mountains near the Duchy of Fenswick, to Glenargyll and gets a County there, while Malcolm goes north and establishes the Barony of Uigmuir.
Despite of Duke Batril's protestations, the Council approved them at the unanimity: Alexander, Frederick and Wilhelm (judging them militarily useful), Morphail and Vortram (siding with the more politically powerful Kaelics), Birkai (wishing some Kaelics were far away from Tavish).
THE POLITICAL MACHINE
*Council voting powers
No voting powers derived from Council charges. Every member counts as one.
*House of Lords voting powers
There was a method similar to the current one with a more Republican feeling:
Baron 10, Viscount 12, Count 14, Marquise 16, Duke 18, Archduke 19
The rationale behind is that the highest member wouldn't have double voting power respect the lowest.
Generally the members of the Council didn't attend the HoL voting sessions, except when voting for a succession or a new fief.
*Approval
Every proposal has to be approved both by the HoL and the Council.
Any amendment ought to be approved by the other House too.
A proposal is approved only when HoL and Council have done so without any amendments.
The majorities requested are:
A simple majority (i.e. 50%+1), for ordinary matters and a 2/3 majority for extraordinary. (Note that this means the Council had to approve everything with a 2/3 majority).
*Succession
The title goes to the legitimate heir chosen by the former noble.
Should he die heirless the whole Parliament (i.e. HoL and the Council) chose amongst the candidates.
Candidates have three months of time to present their demand, which has to be supported by at least 50 HoL votes or by two members of the Council.
Candidates can be either nobles who wishes to change their fief or non-nobles.
The choice is made with the members of the Council joining the HoL and gaining the voting power related to their title. The majority needed is 50%+1.
*New fiefs
The majority requested is higher than a succession: 66% of the whole Parliament votes.
*Council Members and Council Charges
The relative ethnic group elects when a Council member dies a new one.
Every group decides his own mechanism of election, if they can't agree upon a new member in three months time the House of Lords decides instead.
Different groups behave as follows:
-Alphatians: by vote. Voting power is: Count 3, Viscount 2, Baron 1
-Ethengarians: The membership is given to the stronger (i.e. actually Virayana). The others can challenge the actual member; the winner is proclaimed new member.
-Flaems: by vote. Voting power is 1 for everyone; heir of the past member counts as two.
-Hattians: the membership is granted to the rightful heir of von Drachenfels
-Kerendans: by vote. Voting power: 1 for everyone. Heir of the past member cannot vote.
-Traladarans: who cares?
Council membership is whole life unless the member rejects his membership.
Council charges are decided and voted by the Council only. The Council can decide to change them whenever it feels such is the case. The HoL can propose to the Council to change some charges, however only the Council can change them.
GROUPS OF POWER, ALLIANCES, HOSTILITIES
*General observations
Alliances are based on ethnic origins; these are loose groups and not the current House-with-allies system, even if these groups are somewhat similar to modern Houses.
Kaelics are a powerful non-aligned group. Batril is an independent noble, representative of Fenswicks.
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| NAME | TITLE | CV | HV | PV | NOTES |
| Vortram | Council member and Count of Silverston | 1 | ---- | 14 | |
| Arden | Viscount of Redstone | -- | 12 | 12 | |
| Lendup | Viscount of Eriadna | -- | 12 | 12 | |
| Prusius Cornhearst | Viscount of Volnay | -- | 12 | 12 | |
| Johan of Haaskinz | Baron of Egorn | -- | 10 | 10 | Hattian, joined Alphatians some years before 829 |
| TOTAL VOTES | 1 | 46 | 60 | ||
Internal relationships are good. Vortram is currently the unquestioned leader.
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| NAME | TITLE | CV | HV | PV | NOTES |
| Babayun Tsembu | Marquise of Braastar | -- | 16 | 16 | |
| Birkai Virayana | Council member and Marquise of Singhabad | 1 | ---- | 16 | |
| Bogdo Khan | Marquise of Tavish | -- | 16 | 16 | |
| TOTAL VOTES | 1 | 32 | 48 | ||
Internal relationships are tense: Bogdo Khan is hostile towards the two mages, Virayana and Tsembu are the same towards him, while neutral among them.
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| NAME | TITLE | CV | HV | PV | NOTES |
| Frederick Vlaardoen | Council member and Viscount of Linden | 1 | ---- | 12 | |
| Michal Postbrad | Marquise of Berrym | -- | 16 | 16 | |
| Leopold Rjevens | Count of Kopstar | -- | 14 | 14 | |
| Vidar Verlien | Count of High Sonden | -- | 14 | 14 | |
| Albert Kern | Viscount of Ostbruck | -- | 12 | 12 | |
| Sigmund Pieinants | Viscount of Blofeld | -- | 12 | 12 | |
| Sigefroi Vantte | Baron of Vorstadt | -- | 10 | 10 | |
| TOTAL VOTES | 1 | 78 | 90 | ||
Internal relationships are ambiguous: they are very unite when dealing with infidels, otherwise they remain neutral.
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| NAME | TITLE | CV | HV | PV | NOTES | |
| Wilhelm von Drachenfels | Council member and Count of Ritterburg | 1 | ---- | 14 | ||
| Mina von Graustein | Baroness of Adlerturm | -- | 10 | 10 | ||
| Gerhard Lowenroth | Baron of Graez | -- | 10 | 10 | ||
| Burkhard Schwassen | Baron of Leenz | -- | 10 | 10 | ||
| Conrad Wechsen | Baron of Altendorf | -- | 10 | 10 | ||
| TOTAL VOTES | 1 | 40 | 54 | |||
Internal relationships are friendly. Other nobles accept Von Drachenfels' leadership, at the moment....
Batril
1) Adalbert Batril: Duke of Fenswick. Council votes 0, Parliament votes 18
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| NAME | TITLE | CV | HV | PV | NOTES |
| Percival McDougall | Count of Glenargyll | -- | 14 | 14 | |
| David McGregor | Viscount of Crownguard | -- | 12 | 12 | |
| Malcolm McAllister | Baron of Uigmuir | -- | 10 | 10 | |
| TOTAL VOTES | -- | 36 | 36 | ||
When they came from their ancestral homelands McGregors and McDougalls were equal leaders, McGregors were sorcerers, McDougalls mostly fighters.
Percival McDougall will be the Kaelic leader until 859.
Internal relationships are very friendly. They vote as one.
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| NAME | TITLE | CV | HV | PV | NOTES |
| Alexander Glantri | Council member and Archduke of Westheath | 1 | ---- | 19 | |
| Joanna Hodlan | Duchess of Hightower | -- | 18 | 18 | |
| Astolfo di Sfonti | Viscount of Sirecchia | -- | 12 | 12 | |
| Umberto Fulvina | Viscount of Verrazzano | -- | 12 | 12 | |
| Francesco Costanza | Baron of Oreggiano | -- | 10 | 10 | |
| TOTAL VOTES | 1 | 52 | 71 | ||
Internal relationships are friendly. Alexander Glantri united them with his charisma.
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| NAME | TITLE | CV | HV | PV | NOTES |
| Morphail Gorevitch-Woszlany | Council member and Baron of Igorov | 1 | ---- | 10 | |
| Fedor Markovitch | Baron of Rymskigrad | -- | 10 | 10 | |
| Moise Kviepoly | Baron of Palatinsk | -- | 10 | 10 | |
| Alexandru Timenko | Baron of Kutchevski | -- | 10 | 10 | |
| TOTAL VOTES | 1 | 30 | 40 | ||
Internal relationships are obviously very friendly
Total HV 336, PV 419
Relationships between ethnic groups
| Alp | Eth | Fla | Hat | Kae | KeTh | Tra | |
| Alphatians | ----- | N | N | H | N | N | N |
| Ethengarians | N | ----- | H | F | H | F | N |
| Flaems | N | H | ----- | F | N | N | N |
| Hattians | H | F | F | ----- | N | N | F |
| Kaelics | N | H | N | N | ----- | F | N |
| Kerendans/Thyatians | N | F | N | N | F | ----- | H |
| Traladarans | N | N | N | F | N | H | ----- |