Briuria - Esmaria

Current flag

Current holdings

> His heavenly light bathed our lands and blessed our peoples so that all of Beaunesse may know peace. No longer shall any man fight his brother, for we are all united in our worship of Him.
>
> Saint Louis the Anointed, Writ of Peace, 98 BC

The Dual Monarchy of Briuria - Esmaria is an odd union of two kingdoms found in eastern Eran.

The official name of the country is "the Lands and Kingdoms of the Ever Holy Crowns of Saint Joan the Apostate of Antollon and Saint Louis the Anointed of Soiyonne by Grace of Ilier and Honour of Artur".

## History

Following their successful revolution from the Tathen Empire in 400 AC, the region of Beaunesse was plunged into complete chaos. Many kingdoms dominated the land, and war was commonplace.

By 523 AC, two major powers had consolidated their realms: the Kingdom of Briuria and the Kingdom of Esmaria. These two kingdoms were fierce rivals and both wished to unite all of Beaunesse under their banner.

The following period became known as "les Guerres de Frères", or "the Brothers' Wars", as both Briuria and Esmaria fought for dominance. While these wars saw minor territorial gains for both sides, it seemed as though neither of them could one up the other.

Following the massive loss of life in the Battle of Sarbonne during the Sixth Brothers' War in 645 AC, morale for both sides crumbled. The Battle of Sarbonne saw 40 thousand men die, and is still remembered today as a great tragedy. Louis VI of Esmaria proposed the idea of a lasting peace to King Leopold I of Briuria, as both nations mourned the loss of life. The treaty of Sarbonne signed later that year saw both sides exchange territories and formally ally with each other, ending the Brothers' Wars.

The following decade saw the two nations improve relations, with their royal families intermarrying. In 652 AC, a radical idea was posed by Leopold I, a union of the two nations. The idea was for one nation to be ruled by two separate but equal monarchs, and Louis VI agreed. This treaty also secretly divided the remaining nations of Beaunesse between the two crowns.

The Golden Peace was signed in 653 AC, and the Dual Monarchy of Briuria - Esmaria was officially formed. Peace wouldn't come to Beaunesse in the following centuries however, as the Dual Monarchy set about uniting the region under their rule. In the current year, only the defiant Kingdom of Aspil remains.

## Inner Workings

The Dual Monarchy is a clunky mess of laws, and her bureaucracy is nigh labyrinthine. Both crowns rule regions of land separate from each other internally, and tax rates and some laws differ between the crowns. Notably, the lands of Briuria forbid church officials from ruling portions of land, whereas Esmaria does not. Despite this, certain laws arbitrarily apply in the lands of both crowns, such as the "beer tax" which levies high tariffs on alcohol, something that is typically controlled by dukes or counts.

In matters of foreign relations, the two crowns are treated as one entity. However, both monarchs must agree on any foreign policy unanimously. This leads to a lot of deadlock and clunky politics, and has been a consistent issue ever since the country's founding. Despite this constant issue, this matter was solidified in the Golden Peace, which is considered to be close to sacred.

All these inefficiencies are likely to not be changed in the near future, as it could damage the delicate balance of power and lasting peace the two crowns have built in the past centuries.