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Mutuleses Possessions in Ochran and the Vespanian Ocean Och K'ak | |
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| The Mutulese Ochran and Tsurushima in 1801 The Mutulese Ochran and Tsurushima in 1801 | |
| Largest | Kabur |
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The Mutulese Ochran is the name generally given to the parts of Ochran who where under direct or indirect rule from the Divine Kingdom. Under this denomination come today's Benaajab, the Spice Islands, the Vespanian Islands ( with few exceptions like Lion’s Rock ) and other minor concessions. It’s generally dated from 1528, with the creation of the Mutulese Legation in Tsurushima by Akutze Selenecha, to the Second Bandhaśēka Rebellion in 19XX and the Independence of Benaajab.
History
Akutze Selenecha's Travels
Kirishtan Revolt
The Mutul was but a minor trade partner of Tsurushima during the 16th century, far outshined by the economical and political influences of the Belisarians Legations. However, during the Kirishitan Uprising, the Mutulese Legation was the only one to side with the Shogunate and pagan forces. Because of their non-abrahamic faith and their reputation for human sacrifices and body modifications, Mutuleses were also victims of the Uprising, and the Siege of the Mutulese Legation lead to the creation of Mutli-Tsurushimans militias that fought alongside the Shogun’s armies and supporters.
Establishment in Benaajab
Mutuleses traders arrived in Nadipatha during the 16th century. They established economical links with the various kingdoms of the region, using their ports in the Spice Islands as a rear base for trans-makrian commerce. While their presence was first weak, as the Mutul was only one among many economic competitors in the region, having to fight for influence with Arthuristans, Tarsans, Latins, or even Rezeses traders, which had all an older and stronger presence in the Vespanian Ocean.
The Kirishtan Rebellion and the end of the Open Gate Policy by the Kakita Shogunate changed the balance of powers in the region. the Mutul was the last economic force allowed to trade with Tsurushima, who slowly abandoned its authority over the Spice Islands. Buying or even occupying lands in these archipelagos, Mutuleses traders obtained a decent economic strength that allowed them to obtain vast shares in the spice trades.
The Kirishtan Rebellion’s aftermath was felt even in Nadipatha, where Mutuleses traders had become more and more common in the past century, to the point of having “Mutuleses” enclaves and legations in some kingdoms. Chocolate, spices, weapons, paper books, and other manufactured goods or luxury goods from Oxidentale became the new fashion in the Nadipathans kingdoms. Mutuleses merchants organised themselves in corporations, the Nuk Nahob, which obtained more and more prerogative in their ports. By the 1600s, cities where the Nuk Nahob were present had market places built and organized in a Mutulese fashion, temples dedicated to Mutuleses gods, and even ballcourts for games of Pitz, gladiatorial games, or public ceremonies.
<imgur thumb="yes" w="250" comment="Mutuleses traders built temples and infrastructures using a mix of local and Mutulese styles. ">s5wKpwO.jpg</imgur> With the acceleration of trans-Makrian exchanges in the 1600s and 1610s, Nadipathans speculators saw a sudden fall in price of their investments, in cocoa, Oxidentale spices, cotton clothing, or general manufactured goods sold by Mutuleses traders which until then had a certain rarity to them that made them valuable. Most of these speculators were part of the Nadipathans aristocracy and the whole country knew a vast crisis as they ended up unable to repay their debts.
To clear themselves, speculators had to sell their lands, their properties, and even their rights, such as the ability to perceive taxes. Nuk Nahob had to organize themselves and recruited small militias to go and collect debts from aristocrats unwilling to pay. A mission that proved to be far easier than expected as the traditional armies of the nobility were in open revolt now that their salaries weren’t paid. In fact, most of the mutuleses militias were staffed with ex-Nadipathans millitaries. The same militias would then go on to become the general enforcers of the Mutuleses, collecting taxes, fighting bandits, and maintaining order and justice in the markets. A parallel organisation formed up, as the Nuk Nahob obtained de facto control of what will soon be known as Benaajab.
The First Bandhaśēka Rebellion happened when the old aristocracy, recovering from the 1590s Crisis, tried to retake their powers by force, with the support of the monarchs and religious authorities. Despite first successes, the Nuk Nahob called the K’uhul Ajaw for help, who sent officers and military advisors to reorganise the Benaajabi army. The merchants militias became real military corps, staffed with freed slaves, underslaves who fled their plantations, or just sons of farmers and artisans impoverished by the economical and political situation.
The reformed military was successful and obtained many victories against the rebellious aristocracy. But the Nuk Nahob won the war through a serie of reform that won them the popular support of the populations :
- The underslave cast was abolished and they joined the slave cast.
- A new code of law was published, detailing the rights and duties of slaves, giving slaves the right to sue their masters for abuses, and to participate in the negotiations of their contracts.
- Defeated aristocrats saw their lands sized and divided among the farmers who cultivated them, who became land owners.
- Public fields were closed and sold to speculators.
- Administrative reforms ended many feudal taxes, such as the equivalent of the cens, banalités, reduction of the dime, of the taille, or of other taxes on salt and iron.
All these reforms were fully in place after the end of the Rebellion, and they were followed by new institutions. Batab, mutuleses officials, became mayors in all towns with a market controlled by the Nuk Nahob. these markets became the center of Batalib, the basic administrative divisions of the Mutulese system. Batabob were elected by the Ch’ob (assemblies) of merchants, whom also elected judges and other “public” servants. Some Batalib had no Ch’ob, despite having a marketplace, because of their small size. These Batalib were generally not elected then, but nominated by the Batab of the nearest Ch’ob. These administrators, from whom other batabs were dependent, became known as Halach Winik.
To control and register the activities of the Ch’obob, and to report directly to the K’uhul Ajaw, the Divine Throne sent Yajawob to serve as final judges and arbiters in case of problems, with the power to veto the elected Batabob or laws passed by the Ch’obob if required, and generally acting as the supervisor of Benaajab.
Mutuleses dependencies
Benaajab
Nadipatha was considered the jewel of the Mutul's possessions around the Vespanian Sea. During the expeditions of Akutze Selenecha, Benaajab was rediscovered by the Oxidentalese who established trading ports and enclaves in the large coastal cities. Indigo, especially, was of interest to the Mutulese who quickly grew in number and prominence as they sold firearms and other machined goods to the native aristocrats. Several noble houses went bankrupt stockpiling goods from Mutul which, though rare when first introduced, quickly lost their value as the volume of Trans-Makrian trade increased. In order to settle debts, great families were sometimes forced to surrender their karēra, their right to collect taxes for a set period. The K'uhul Ajaw sent colonial ministers to administrate the collection of taxes and to broaden the Mutulese trade network with the establishment of inland trade posts, roads, and other infrastructure. The Monarch ultimately fell under the sway of these powerful governors and, after an unsuccessful and violent attempt to expel the Mutulese, de jure power was officially passed to a Mutulese governor.
Kaihei Islands
When Tsurushima abandoned the Open Gate policy, the Mutul expanded its operations in the Kaihei Islands, alongside many other Belisarians and Oxidentale competitors. But through capitulations and various legations they obtained by collaborating with local lords, batabob were sent to represent the Mutuleses interests in the archipelago, and through marriages with the aristocracy and noble clans, exclaves under the K'uhul Ajaw symbolic authority were created. Among these important exclaves were Juwon peten, where the Ochk'ak fleet produced its famous Djong, and Hoxi peten which was an important tradehub for all spices cultivated in the archipelago.
The Mutuleses supported the development of the culture of spices, tea, and other cash crops in the Kaihei Islands, but also of sylviculture as the Kaihei ports became the seat of power of the important Ochk'ak fleet whom built itself on the back of the Tsurushiman fleets abandoned after the closure of their country, and became an important way for the Tsurushiman clans, who established themselves in Kaihei or in Sinhai at the height of their empire, to maintain their powers by becoming officers in the new Mutulese marine.
Legation in Tsurushima
After the start of the Closed Gate Policy, the Mutuleses were the last foreigners tolerated inside the Archipelago, and only in one location : the port of Sakurajima. More specifically, in what was nicknamed the Mutulese Legation, located on an island link to the rest of the city by a single bridge, guarded on both sides.
the island was, administratively, part of the city. The 11 local Tsurushiman families who owned the land received an annual rent from the Nuk Nahob operating in the Legation. It contained houses for the Mutuleses, warehouses, and accommodation for both Mutuleses and Japanese officials. Numerous merchants supplied goods and catering, and about 100 interpreters served. While the island was under the strict surveilance of the Shogun, who had a Supervisor in Sakurajima, the day to day administration of the port was left to the council of the Nuk Nahob's representatives, who elected their own Batab, the equivalent of a mayor.
Despite the financial burden of maintaining the isolated outpost on Dejima, the trade with Japan was very profitable for the Dutch, initially yielding profits of 50% or more. The legation proved very profitable up until the First Republic, which saw the end of the Closed Gate Policy and the re-opening of the archipelago to all foreigners.
The Mutuleses traded mostly in silk, cotton, chocolate, and sugar. Also, deer pelts and shark skin were transported to Tsurushima from Kahei, as well as books, scientific instruments and many other rarities. In return, the Mutuleses traders bought Tsurushiman copper, silver, camphor, porcelain, lacquer ware and rice. To this was added the personal transactions of the Nuk Nahob's employees which was an important source of income for them and their Tsurushiman counterparts.
Presence in Tarsas
After the Treaty of Chak'te II, Mutuleses traders received permissions from the Tarsan Emperor Aristophanes IV to settle in the Port of Saint John Ogaios, in Aenonesos, along with four other cities on both side of the Ozeros Sea. The old port found a new life with the activity of the Mutuleses, with many warehouses, houses, offices, and various infrastructures being built to support the growth of exchanges. While Aristophanes moved away the capital from Aenonesos to Astérianatolis, he granted a Charter to the Nuk Nahob of St Ogaios Port, turning the quarter into a Free-trade area for the Mutuleses, recognized the Batab elected by the Ogaios Ch'ob as Praetor Geitonia, and while public show of the Mutulese faith was still banned, private Temples were allowed for construction, and so was one public K'uhul Nah. Similar charters were granted to the other four Mutuleses ports.
While the Emperor couldn't collect taxes on trades between Tarsas and the Vespasian Ocean, an annual rent was payed by the Nuk Nahob operating in Tarsas, plus the regular gifts offered to the throne and Mutuleses bankers helped finance the construction of infrastructures all thourough the Empire. Mutuleses continued to play an important role in the economy of the Empire until the end of their presence in the Vespasian Ocean.
Market System
<imgur thumb="yes" w="250" comment="A modern Mutulese market in the Chaam region, which still looks like Benaajabi marketplaces. ">BZXAWg5.jpg</imgur>
The Mutulese system in Benaajab was based around a network of marketplaces of various size. At marketplaces, nearby farmers, artisans, and producers would come to sell their products. Mutuleses marketplaces provided with multiple services, such as scribes to seal agreements between two parties, banks to lend money, and various judges and civil servants. However, not all marketplaces were equals. The smallest markets were where farmers would sell flax, cotton, cereals, and other raw materials, to “medium range traders”. These traders would then go and sell said products to larger markets, such as Kumar, were they would be bought by “Long rang traders”, generally Mutuleses aristocrats, but sometime also Tarsans traders. The medium range traders would then return to the smaller markets and sell back the various kind of products they bought.
The reforms introduced by the Mutuleses while at first helped the farmers and workers of Benaajab, notably the taxes reforms, the end of unpaid days of work, and the agrarian reforms, they ended up favoring the merchant class the most. Inter-markets exchanges became dependent on a specific class of caravaners, the medium range traders, whom made good use of the disparition of border taxes and new infrastructures built by the Nuk Nahob, such as the Sacbeob and the canals. Rivers were the main way to transport goods under the Mutulese system, and extensive use of it was made. Medium range traders were mostly of Benaajabi ancestry, but the Long range traders and administrators of the country all came from Mutuleses families. The Nuk Nahob also had only Mutuleses traders for members, which meant all legislative powers were in the hand of a tiny ethnics minority.
Judiciary System
Justice was in the hand of the Batabob. the Batabil division system was done so all settlements were at worse three days of foot away from the nearest marketplace, were a Batab could be found to solve dispute. In the smaller, less dense Batabil, the Batab himself served as judge. In denser Batabil, Judges would be in charge of the courts and hearings. Sometime, in the truly large markets, a judge would be specialized : in trade dispute, in murder cases, and so on. In cities with a Ch’ob, the Halach Winik’s choice in judge could be vetoed by the assembled Nuk Nah.
After the First Bandhaseka, the Mutuleses published mutliple codes of laws. Notably the Slavery Code, which clarified the rights and duties of both slaves and slave-owners. There was also a Penal code and a Civil code. All marketplaces tribunals possessed at least one copy of all the code of laws, and everyone could come and read them freely, and if they couldn’t read, ask for a literate person to read it for them for free.