Markian Empire

The **Markian Empire** was an ancient, massive nation spanning the entirety of Eastern Merkopa in Suzerain. Once dominant over the Sordish, Agno, and Valg tribes, and under the leadership of the Mark, the sheer enormity of the Empire, combined with increasing civil unrest, led to its eventual collapse. Many of the modern Merkopan states are formed from the descendants of these tribes, and its legacy still extends to the present day.

## Codex

In 1113, the Markian Empire was the largest country in the world. It was also considered to be the most advanced civilization. Its capital was where Erlory is located today and was named Korakord. With a population of almost ten million people, the empire was sprawling with trade, culture and arts.

The golden age of the empire started with the death of Unger in 1125, and lasted more than three centuries. The height of the empire was reached in 1440, when it stretched so far and wide that messages being carried by horse would take several months to reach their destination.

The empire was a massive multicultural melting pot which gave no privileges for any specific culture. This started to change in the mid 16th century, when the identity of Markian became far more dominant with Emperor Turmund coming to power. He married into the second strongest family of the Markian Empire, the Reczniek, who had their support base from the Wehzek people in the west.

In the late 16th century, the Markian Empire stagnated and its massive size was taking a toll on its economy with its newly built advanced imperial highways being too expensive for the state to maintain.

When Emperor Turmund died in 1599, his wife along with the entire Reczniek family overthrew the Marks and seized control of the empire. Following this, many major regions of the empire took the moment to break away. First, Rumburg stopped paying its tribute and a year later, Agnolia broke away and declared its own kingdom.

As the Wehzek family were unifying their internal strength, the Kingdom of Valgos took the opportunity to invade several islands off the coast of the Markian Empire and expand its already threatening sea power over the eastern and southern sides of the Merkopan continent.

When the Markian Imperial Army had gathered to march to war against the breakaway states, most parts of the Empire were already in complete disarray and more countries broke away. They finally did strike the biggest target they could, Rumburg. The bloody conflict raged for 20 years. It became known as the War of the Dying Roses.

In the early 17th century, the Sordish people unified under the increasingly influential trade family, Renan, who formed their own autonomous governance system in the core territories of the empire. Following this, the Reczniek family decided it was too late to salvage the situation and retreated from the mainland of the empire to their own land in the west, where the majority of Wehzeks lived.

In 1630, Baron Worangrad declared Wehlen as an independent kingdom in the lands of the Wehzeks. He was followed by Albrecht Renan who seized the capital of the empire and declared the Renan within the same year, effectively ending the Markian Empire.

## Trivia

The Markian Empire is loosely based on the Roman Empire (through its infrastructure and economic legacy), the Ottoman Empire (because of how it collapsed), and the Mongol Empire (because of how it was founded).