Imperial Union of Katrosea

## History

The Imperial Union of Katrosea (Katch-roe-see), commonly known as "The Empire" or simply "Katrosea" is a nation primarily located on the continent of Amilor. It consists of 28 Provinces, a Palatial District, and 9 consolidated colonial holdings across the globe. Katrosea is the world's second-largest country by both land and total area. With a population of over 333 million, it is the most populous country in Amilor and the third most populous in the world. The national capital of Katrosea is the Palatial District, and its most populous city and principal financial center is Havillund.

Evidence of human population of Western Amilor has been discovered up to 65 KYA. The first large governmental structures known to exist go back roughly 12 KYA, thought to be the result of agricultural advancement in the area enabling the old Amilorean tribes to settle and develop. The tribal organizations that inhabited the current Katrosean borders originate from around 2200 BCE, with the tribes that would make up the 5 Kingdoms of Western Amilor locked in a perpetual struggle for dominance. Of these, around 2,000 BCE, the tribe of Kata became the dominant power, as has been discovered through archaeological finds in Grandsea. Though the nations would struggle and develop alongside and against each other for 2,000 years until the establishment of the First Empire in 12 A.D, Katosia came out as the primary economic and military power in the region, with her Baronets often deciding the direction of small wars between the other 4. Following the destruction of this initial empire a brief period of chaos ensued, but was ended with the foundation of the second Empire in 1300. The colonial period began in 1732, and led to the establishment of the overseas Empire which remains to this day as a world power and economic giant.

### Early Katrosea

In 3 A.D. King Untreff of the Kingdom of Katosia was deposed, and his son Untreff II ascended the throne. This was seen as a moment of weakness by the other 4 Kingdoms, and they attempted to bring Katosia to bear in open combat. The battle of Unterlyzt in 5 A.D. was the culmination of the war, with an army of 60,000 men under the command of Prince Korlizt of Grandsea facing an army of almost 80,000 under the command of Prince Utrecht of Istritz, King Hebberg of Oplitst, and Baron Marchs of Tiazt. The battle was a stunning rout in favor of Korlizt, and saw the eventual revolt of the peasantry of Hebberg to the cause of Untreff II and the accession of Hebberg's kingdom into Katosia. The forces of Prince Utrecht and Baron Marchs mutinied soon after word spread of Hebberg's unseating and beheading, and the war was won by Katosia in mid-12. This victory saw the first Empire arise as a regional economic and military authority, and the largest expansion of Katosian borders to date.

The first Empire met its end in 1200 A.D. when a viral plague caused unprecedented financial devastation to the coffers of the empire, leading to a revolt in the standing forces and the secession of the Baronets in Grandsea. A poor winter harvest in 1201 was the precursor to the final end of the Empire following the death of Untreff XVII to a lower Baron armed with an early firearm, consisting of simply a tube filled with small metal pellets and black powder, marking the first gun-related death in Katrosian history.

### The Second Empire

The intermediary period between the First and Second Empires was a time of immense strife and widespread chaos. Sickness and violence wreaked havoc across all of Western Amilor, and it lasted until 1288, when King Innstrickt of Grandsea began a campaign to reunify the Empire. It began as an effort to secure trade routes overland and on the seas to neighboring regions, and turned into what was called "The Great Crusade" to bring Katosia back to its former glory. At the end of his campaign, King Innstrickt was arguably the most successful ruler in Katosian history. His efforts to not only empower the new nobility but to reform national farming practices, educational institutions, and streamline government were revolutionary for their time and led to the establishment of the Second Empire and the coronation of Innstrickt as Emperor of Katrosea in 1300.

### The Colonial Period

Things continued generally as normal, some minor wars, civil strife, until 1732. In 1732 the Imperial Katrosean Trade Board sent a resource expedition to chart and secure the Northernmost islands of the Eleuthanian Archipelago in an effort to establish a port authority in the region and provide Katrosean traders and fishermen safe harbor to the South. This marked the beginning of Katrosean colonial efforts worldwide. In the next 40 years Katrosea established 9 more colonies, and by 1772 was one of the more extensive colonial powers on the planet. A large population combined with a powerful economy and a large fleet saw the expansion of the Empire to almost every corner of the world.

### The Katrosean Civil War

The current Imperial seat of Katrosea (Now pronounced "Kat-roe-see") was defined by the Imperial Civil War of 1861. The Civil War was sparked by the attempt of several dozen minor noble families in the Southwest of the nation to defy Imperial edict concerning the reform of the Noble-Peasant labor hierarchy and the distribution of unused and undesirable farmland to trusted peasant laborers. The war, turning into a political, ideological, and regional conflict, was fought over the next year between the Imperial Army and the Southern breakaway provinces of Grandsea and Yardtst. It pitched the peasant armies of the South against the professional Imperial army, but saw several major officers in the Imperial Army join their home provinces in the conflict.

The Civil War lasted 2 years, and saw the Southern armies, while superior in command, destroyed systematically by superior Imperial logistics and weaponry. Innovations in ironclad warships, breech-loading artillery pieces, needle rifles, and reconnaissance balloons made all the difference and enabled the Imperial forces to outmaneuver and outgun the rebel forces at every opportunity.

At the end of the war, which saw the near total-desolation of the Southern Provinces, a policy of reconstruction was pursued. The Nobles heading up the Federation Army were summarily executed and replaced by family members friendly to the Empire, and were required to swear oaths to the Emperor and the nation. The plan to distribute lands nationwide to local authorities and peasants for growth and development were pursued ambitiously. The widespread benefits to the average man saw the dissolution of remaining rebellion, as holdouts were offered clemency and eligibility for Imperial land management programs.

### Industrialization

Katrosea, in the next several decades, began the long process of industrialization. Shifting from an economy mostly made up of 'cottage infrastructure' to an increasingly mobile and methodical system saw the rise of the Noble Monopolies, the expansion of the Karnoan Imperial Navy to incorporate Armored Cruisers and Ironclad warships, the expansion of the Grand Harbor at Yardtst, and the incorporation of the Extraneous Territories as the Province of Pylland. From the construction of the first water-powered machine textile mills to the first steel mills in Katrosea industrialization began and only gathered steam as time went on.

The inaugural trip of the Transnational Railroad saw the beginnings of larger settlements in the frigid Northern reaches of the nation, and the ability to begin exploiting the vast resources of the entire nation for improved production, including oil deposits, iron and gold mines, and lumber. The invention of the first practical motorcars in Katrosea and the construction of the first highways between cities along the Urban Coast saw the ability of Katroseans to commute for work, and the further integration of Katrosean society. The Emperor himself drove the first trip from one city to another, and bought a Katro-Kola at a service station in the city, sharing it with his driver, who accompanied him on the trip.