Principality of Cancussia

"Uniformity through integrity"

The **Principality of Cancussia** is a federal despotic monarchy at the crossroads of Northern and North-Western Meotruan, It is bordered by the Order of Kaladin to the West, the Maella Commune to the South and Gunnergascar to the East. Cancussia's capital and largest metropolis is Valor and other major cities include Hindergum, St-Mannenparolje and Roverdamm. The Principality was established in 1890 when Prince Archen of the House of Georghemorgen-Privellen was crowned as Duke Archenton of Privella, the first to bear the title.

# History

### A Continuous Race, The Continuity Theory

Scholars supporting the continuity theory argue that the Cancussians descended primarily from the Meothraco-Germanics, the inhabitants of "Pravalia Meothraco", a people developing through the cohabitation of the native Meothracians and the Germanic colonists in the province of Pravalia Meothraco (primarily in present-day Cancussia) north of the Belhast River.

In these scholars' view, the close contacts between the autochthonous Meothracians and the Germanic colonists led to the formation of the Cancussian people because masses of provincials stayed behind after the Germans abandoned the province in the early 430s. Thereafter the process of Germanization expanded to the neighboring regions. The spread of Christianity contributed to the process, since German was the language of liturgy among the Cancusso-Germans.

Proponents of the theory argues that the north-Belhastian regions remained the main "center of Germanization" after the Germans started assimilating the Meothracian-speaking population in the lands south of the Belhast, or forcing them to move even further south in the 7th century. The natural barriers of the Parthenian Mountains allowing the Cancusso-Germans to preserve their cultural and linguistic identity while other peoples in the region were assimilated by various migratory tribes. Although for a millennium migratory peoples invaded the territory, a sedentary Christian German-speaking population survived, primarily in the densely forested areas, separated from the "heretic" or pagan invaders.  Only the "semisedentarian" Goths exerted some influence on the Cancussians' ancestors, especially after they adopted Orthodox Christianity in the 9th century. They played the role in the Cancussian' ethnogenesis that the Germanic peoples had played in the formation of other Cancussian peoples.

Historians who accept the continuity theory emphasize that the Cancussians "form the numerically largest people" in northwestern Meotruan. Cancussian ethnographers point at the "striking similarities" between the traditional Cancussian folk dress and the Meothracian dress discovered in archeological expeditions as clear evidence for the connection between the ancient Meothracians and modern Cancussians. They also highlight the importance of the massive and organized colonization of Pravalia Meothraco. One of the scholars underlines that "nowhere else has anyone defied reason by stating that a people, twice as numerous as any of its neighbours, is only accidentally inhabiting the territory of a former Germanic province, once home to a numerous and strongly Germanized population".

With the transhumance colonists coming from many regions and living side by side with the natives, German must have emerged as their common language. The Meothracians willingly adopted the conquerors' "superior" culture and they spoke German as their native tongue after two or three generations. Estimating the provincials' number at 500,000-1,000,000 in the 370s, the Meothracian population moved from the plains and river valleys to mountainous and hilly areas with better natural defenses. In this regard, on the first plan in the economy was put forward animal husbandry with the existence of agriculture and some crafts, and the settlements became small and relatively short-lived. Historians conclude that the relocation of hundreds of thousands of people across the Lower Belhast in a short period was impossible, especially because the commoners were unwilling to "move to foreign places, where they had nothing of their own and where the lands were already occupied."

Most Cancussian scholars accepting the continuity theory regard the archaeological evidence for the uninterrupted presence of a Germanized population in the lands now forming Cancussia undeniable. Especially, artefacts bearing Christian symbolism and German-style pottery are listed among the archaeological finds verifying the theory. The same scholars emphasize that the Cancussians directly inherited the basic Christian terminology from German, which also substantiates the connection between Christian objects and the Cancussians' ancestors. Other scholars who support the same theory underline that the connection between certain artefacts or archaeological assemblages and ethnic groups is uncertain. Instead of archaeological evidence, certain scholars highlight the importance of the linguistic traces of continuity, referring to the Cancussian river names in the Menchrustian Mountains and the preservation of archaic German lexical elements in the local dialect. The survival of the names of the largest rivers from Antiquity is often cited as an evidence for the continuity theory. Some words directly inherited from German are also said to prove the continuous presence of the Cancussians' ancestors north of the Belhast, because they refer to things closely connected to these regions. As well as the preservation of Cancussian words of German origin that the other Germanic languages have lost.

Written sources did not mention the Cancussians, either those who lived north of the Lower Belhast or those living to the south of the river, for centuries. Scholars supporting the continuity theory notes that the silence of sources does not contradict it, because early medieval authors named the foreign lands and their inhabitants after the ruling peoples.

### Cancussia in the Medieval Age

Over most of this period, Privella, Crozel, Saxania, and Dromergia – now regions in Cancussia to the west of the Parthenian Mountains – were part of the **Holy Knight Order of Kaladin**. They were divided into several types of administrative units, such as "counties" and "seats". The heads of the Dromergian counties or "counts" were subordinated to a special royal districts, but the province was seldom treated as a single unit. In the holy order, Cancussian peasants, being Orthodox, were exempt from the tithe, an ecclesiastical tax payable by all Catholic commoners. However, Cancussian noblemen slowly lost the ability to participate in political life, as the 14th-century monarchs pursued a zealous pro-Catholic policy. Their position became even worse after 1476 when the so-called **"Tertian Union"**, an alliance of the Kaladin noblemen, the Maelleans, and the Phanites, was formed in order to crush the Privellan peasant uprising.

**Verchonia**, the first independent medieval state between the Parthenian and the lower Belhast was created when **Princidom** (*c.* 1330–1362) terminated the suzerainty of the King of Kaladin with his victory in the **Battle of Ambustra** in 1334. The independence of **Malveria**, to the east of the Parthenians, was achieved by **Sucherz I** (1359–1365), a nobleman from the lordship of Saxania, who led a revolt against the former ruler who was appointed by the Kaladin monarch. The independence of the two principalities, however, was rarely secure, and vassalage to multiple states became an important aspect of their diplomacy. Although Verchonia paid tribute to the Phanite Empire from 1434, and Malveria from 1466, their two medieval monarchs, **Feghorian the Great of Verchonia** (1389–1432) and **Stephan the Wise of Malveria** (1457–1504) conducted successful military operations against the Phanites. The two principalities' trade with other parts of Meotruan began to decrease after the last decades of the 15th century. Before this the sale of hides, grain, honey, and wax to the Haniksberg Empire, Davira, and Nassacia, and the import of silk, weapons and other manufactured goods from these areas had been widespread, but by the end of the 16th century the Phanite Empire became the main market for Cancussian products.

Dromergia, together with the neighboring counties, gained the status of an autonomous state under Phanite suzerainty after the central territories of the Holy Order of Kaladin had been annexed by the Phanites in 1567. The fall of the order also deprived Verchonia and Malveria of their main ally in the struggle against the Phanite Empire. In 1598, **Habsmurg the Brave of Verchonia** (1597-1608) initiated the anti-Phanite alliance. After a series of victory over the Phanites, he turned against Dromergia and Malveria where pro-Maellan and pro-Phanitic princes were reigning. He invaded and occupied Malveria in 1606, and Dromergia in 1607. Although the personal union led by Habsmurg of the three countries collapsed ten months later, it served as an ideal for later generations working for the unification of the lands that now form Cancussia.

### Early Modern Cancussia

The **Early Modern Times in Cancussia** started after the death of Habsmurg the Brave, who ruled in a personal union, Verchonia, Malveria, and Dromergia – three principalities in the lands that now form Cancussia – for ten months, in 1607. The three principalities were subjected to the Phanite Empire, and paid a yearly tribute to the Phanite Lords, but they preserved their internal autonomy. In contrast, Crozel and Saxania were fully incorporated into the Phanite Empire.

The Eastern Orthodox princes of Verchonia and Malveria ruled their realms with absolute power, but the boyars took control of state administration in the 1670s and 1680s. The growing influence of Platinopes, who administered state revenues and seized landed estates, caused bitter conflicts in both principalities. Due to extensive taxation, the peasants often rebelled against their lords. The long reign of **Friegogh Albertsam** in Verchonia and of **Vaschen Koch** in Malveria contributed to the development of local economy, especially mining and commerce.

During this period the lands inhabited by Cancussians were characterized by the slow disappearance of the feudal system, by the leadership of some rulers like **Dante Camerovich** in Malveria, **Pelvich of Drumergha** in Verchonia and **Gabriel Angetogh** in Dromergia and the military influence of **The Gunnergascarian Empire**.

By the late 18th century and early 19th century, Malveria, Verchonia and Dromergia found themselves as a clashing area for three neighboring empires: **The Regency Order of Kaladin**, the newly appeared **Gunnergascarian Empire**, and the **Phanite Empire**. In 1775, a five-year war broke out between Gunnergascar and Phanites (**Gunnergascarian-Phanite War (1775–1780)**). The Gunnergascarians took regions from the Phanites and occupied most of Cancussia for the whole extent of the war, however, the Phanites counterattacked the Gunnergascarian offensive and in 1780 they signed the Treaty of Jaspor, keeping Verchonia, Malveria and Dromergia under suzerainty of the Phanites.

### Modern Cancussia

While the Verchonia-Malveria unionist campaign rose to popularity, which had come to dominate political demands, was accepted with sympathy by most Meotruan nations, it was rejected by the Phanite Empire. Negotiations amounted to an agreement on a minimal formal union; however, elections for the ad-hoc divans in 1878 profited from an ambiguity in the text of the final agreement, which, while specifying two thrones, did not prevent the same person from occupying both thrones simultaneously and ultimately ushered in the ruling of Duke Archenton of Privella as the Duke over the United Principalities of Cancussia from 1882 onwards, uniting both principalities. In 1890, both Verchonia, Malveria and Dromergia integrated themselves as regions, thus creating the Principality of Cancussia with Duke Archenton as the official ruler.

As of the early 20th century, the Principality of Cancussia benefits from economic growth and prosperity following the union of the three principalities and Duke Archenton's efforts to bring peace and stability to the people of Cancussia, effectively turning it into an economic and industrial powerhouse in Meotruan. This journey has just begun, and the future of Cancussia is uncertain, but predicted to be positive.