Kingdom of Fühlgart

The **Kingdom of Fühlgart** is a Human country located in the North and the leader of the Monarchists. It is currently based out of the city of Neuesfeld and borders the City-State of Whitecrest and the Duchy of Western Innyria to the north and the Republic of Fühlgart to the southeast.

Initially established after the peaceful unification of the Alliance of Fühlgart in 645 AW, the Kingdom of Fühlgart rapidly became a superpower in the North. However, the kingdom was bogged down after many futile wars with the Kingdom of Wyrsia and a general decrease in the standard of living. The Kingdom of Fühlgart was dissolved in the wake of the Fühlgartian Civil War and replaced with the Republic of Fühlgart, briefly ceasing to exist between 1205 and 1211 AW.

After the Invasion of Frosthaven Island, the exiled Prince Erik von Kalzberg crowned himself King of Fühlgart once more in the early stages of the Great War. While initially leading an army of exiles, the Insular Campaign and eventual Second Fühlgartian Civil War led to the Monarchists reclaiming territory under the banner of the Kingdom. Currently, the Kingdom is ruled from the city of Neuesfeld, though its de jure capital is Kalzberg further east.

## History

### Founding

During the Third Human Rebellion, Lyxis the Blind, recently crowned Empress of Nytalyria, invaded the North to defend the remaining Faerian and Naerisi ruling class from the Kingdom of Humanity. The Nytalyrians rapidly defeated the Northern Human armies and drove them back to the South, where the two were separated by the Marenbach Mountains.

However, during the advance of the Human armies, many settlers had followed, or local Human slaves had been freed. This new wave of Humans now found themselves the subjects of the so-called New Freeholds, established by Lyxis' decrees. While their slavery had been outright forbidden, these Humans were still treated as second class citizens by the non-Human ruling classes.

After the Divine War, Nytalyrian influence over the New Freeholds began to loosen, as Lyxis adopted a policy of neutrality. Many New Freehold began to slowly lose influence, making them vulnerable to attack by Humans. One such state, the Freehold of Fenyka, became the target of such a rebellion. Three Human states declared independence: the Duchy of Torstadt, the County of Luftstadt. and the County of Bellimar. Together, these three formed the Alliance of Fühlgart and conquered Fenyka.

Over the coming centuries, Freehold after Freehold fell as the the Alliance of Fühlgart grew into a myriad of equal states unified which gathered in Torstadt. In 595 AW, a treaty preparing for Fühlgartian unification into a single state was signed to be enacted in fifty years. In 645 AW, the Alliance of Fühlgart ceased to exist and its cohort of member states unified into the Kingdom of Fühlgart, with its capital in Torstadt, the birthplace and seat of the Alliance.

### Early Monarchy

Fühlgart unified under Karl I von Torstadt, commonly known as Karl the Unifier. While Torstadt had already become an important political centre as both the home of the Alliance of Fühlgart and the Divine Order of Enselonde, it increased in both size, wealth, and importance in the coming decades. The various counts, dukes, and lord-mayors of the Alliance had become vassals in the new feudal monarchy, though some areas enjoyed more relevance than others. The most significant nobles were the Dukes of Kalzberg-Wargekirchen, Freistadt, Kirchenstau, and Schorburg-Niederschel. Collectively, they were known as the Four Great Duchies.

While the reign of Karl I had been prosperous, his son Arvin I enjoyed none of this stability. Throughout his reign, old vassals began dying and were succeeded by their sons. These sons had grown up while their respective states were still independent members of the Alliance of Fühlgart, and were discontent with being mere vassals under the crown. This ultimately led to the Rebellion of Sons in 672 AW, a brutal civil war that lasted for five years. During the conflict, House Luftschwert, the Dukes of Freistadt, proved very valuable to the House von Torstadt, as they were key in pacifying western Fühlgart. By 677 AW, House Luftschwert had positioned itself as the most important noble house after the von Torstadts. For their service, they enjoyed a meteoric rise in status and privileges.

Alvin I's successor, Karl II, was a much more intolerant figure. While Alvin would let certain things slide, Karl II sought to whip the nobility in line by any means necessary. He and his son, Karl III, shared a similar mindset in this matter. The two monarchs seriously expanded the Fühlgartian military, establishing a loyal chain of command and an organised national military. They did away with private retinues, weakening the vassal lords and giving them less opportunity to rebel.

Meanwhile, Karl III, sought to attack the neighbouring Duchy of Innyria to the north, one of the final two Northern Freeholds. However, shortly before he could rally his country to war, Torstadt was struck with an outbreak of the Second Plague of Ihyll. The royal court immediately entered a state of quarantine, yet it had already been too late. Karl III contracted Shadowrot and died soon after in 714 AW, being succeeded by the young Karl IV. Karl IV had also contracted the disease, leaving him a cripple with a barely functioning mind.

Utterly unable to carry out his royal duties, Karl IV's younger sister, Karolin, became his regent at 15 years old. Four years later, Karl IV would finally die to long-term injuries brought forth by his illness. Karolin was crowned Karolin I shortly after. While her ascension to the throne was unexpected, it marked the start of a brief golden age for the Kingdom of Fühlgart.

### Karolinian Golden Age

Karolin I took the throne in 722 AW with uncertain prospects. While she is later remembered as Karolin the Great, at the time she was young and unproven. The first and only queen to ever take the Fühlgartian throne, her gender proved to be a stumbling block for many of her vassals, some of which saw her as weak and had preferred her eleven-year-old brother, the young prince Feodor, to take the throne after Karl IV. It should be noted that Feodor himself made no claim to the throne and showed no desire to actually be a monarch.

This did, however, not stop the Duke of Schorburg-Niederschel. As one of the Four Great Dukes, Ansell I von Schorburg had gathered a mighty network of supporters, both fellow vassals and influential merchants. Ansell I demanded that Karolin I abdicate in favour of Prince Feodor, which she refused. In response to her refusal, Ansell rebelled and called on his fellow vassals to depose Karolin, though the reception was lukewarm. The resulting conflict, known as the Feodorian Succession Crisis. Oddly, while Ansell I fought to install Prince Feodor and offered him to defect, Feodor remained in Torstadt and publicly distanced himself from Ansell's rebellion.

The Feodorian Succession Crisis lasted from 723 AW until its violent conclusion in 731 AW. As Feodor himself aged, he became a knight-commander in the armies of his older sister. Gradually, Ansell I lost allies and territory in a long series of battles and skirmishes, ultimately being driven back to his home duchy. Karolin I gave him the option of surrender, yet the stubborn Ansell refused. In the resulting Siege of Schorburg, the duke was captured and put to the sword. The population of the city was spared though ultimately forced to move out, as the entire settlement was razed to the ground. Ending the rebellion by destroying one of the four great ducal seats of power sent a message to other vassals that Karolin planned to stay, and wasn't going to be dethroned by mere dukes.

## Fühlgartian Monarchs

* House von Torstadt
	+ Karl I, 645-659 AW
	+ Arvin I, 659-679 AW
	+ Karl II, 679-702 AW
	+ Karl III, 702-714 AW
	+ Karl IV, 714-718 AW
	+ Karolin I, 722-760 AW
	+ Gregor I, 760-771 AW
	+ Friedrich I, 771-775 AW
* House von Kalzberg
	+ Dietrich I, 771-792 AW
	+ Hanno I, 792-815 AW
	+ Rochwald I, 815-836 AW
	+ Dietrich II, 836-875 AW
	+ Reinhart I, 875-886 AW
	+ Albin I, 886-905 AW
	+ Hanno II, 905-920 AW
	+ Karl V, 920-957 AW
	+ Hubert I, 957-985 AW
	+ Karl VI, 985-999 AW
	+ Arvin II, 999-1028 AW
	+ Reinhart II, 1028-1047 AW
	+ Reinhart III, 1047-1079 AW
	+ Karl VII, 1079-1100 AW
	+ Friedrich II, 1100-1112 AW
	+ Friedrich III, 1112-1145 AW
	+ Albin II, 1145-1170 AW
	+ Dietrich III, 1170-1187 AW
	+ Albin III, 1187-1205 AW
* House von Kalzberg-Mitthel
	+ Erik von Kalzberg-Mitthel (Disputed), 1211 AW-