León Monarchy

United Lands of the Kingdoms of Agnia, Bacalia, Green Fulvania, Oestgagium, Quarto, Vestun, Serro, and Yellow Fulvania, the Patriarchates of Mavona and Portobuffolé, and the Crowns of the Holy Mavonan Empire León Monarchy
Flag of the House of Vischium, used as a flag of the united León Monarchy (top) Flag of the House of Khakmadoy (bottom left) Flag of the House of Santa Bárbara (bottom right)
Government	Constitutional composite monarchy
• Emperor-King (Khakmadoy government)	NAME TBD
• Chair of the Imperial Cabinet (Khakmadoy government)	NAME TBD
• Patriarch of Mavona (Khakmadoy government)	NAME TBD
• Patriarch of Portobuffolé (Khakmadoy government)	NAME TBD
• Emperor-King (Santa Bárbara government)	NAME TBD
• Chair of the Imperial Cabinet (Santa Bárbara government)	NAME TBD
• Patriarch of Mavona (Santa Bárbara government)	NAME TBD
• Patriarch of Portobuffolé (Santa Bárbara government)	NAME TBD
Legislature	11 national legislatures
Establishment
• Mavonan Empire established	50
• Mavonan Empire partition	4something
• Christian Middle Mavonan Emperor	5something
• Holy Mavonan Emperor crowned	25 December 800
• XXX becomes Holy Mavonan Emperor	1469
• Eastern Union established	1472
• Union between Holy Mavonan Empire and Eastern Union	17something
• Congress of Mavona	1809
• León succession wars begin	1912
Area
• Total	4,486,876 km2 (1,732,393 sq mi)
• Water (%)	37.8%
Population
• 2022 estimate	302,569,540
• Density	1/km2 (2.6/sq mi)

The United Lands of the Kingdoms of Agnia, Bacalia, Green Fulvania, Oestgagium, Quarto, Vestun, Serro, and Yellow Fulvania, the Patriarchates of Mavona and Portobuffolé, and the Crowns of the Holy Mavonan Empire, commonly known as the León Monarchy, was a country made up of nine constituent kingdoms and the Holy Mavonan Empire, located in Stratea and ruled by the House of León. It is bordered by Pätschlàn in the north, Gagium in the northeast, XXX to the southwest, and the XXX ocean to the south. The country has a population of 183 million and a land area of XXX square kilometers. The León Monarchy has been fighting a civil war since 1912 between the House of Khakmadoy and House of Santa Bárbara, two cadet branches of the León Dynasty, who both claim to be the sole rulers of the territory.

History

Early history

Archeological evidence shows the first settlements in the territory of the modern-day León Monarchy appeared in 20000 BCE. The first people likely crossed to Stratea from Abos by a land bridge that existed during the last ice age. A second theory suggests that people crossed the straight by boat. The reason for the first crossings is unknown. A second wave of migration happened around 2000 to 1500 BCE. The new group replaced many of the natives, and with them brought languages distantly related to ones spoken in Abos. Agriculture was independently developed circa 10000 BCE, either on the coast of the Tenific Ocean or along the Latum, and spread throughout Stratea.

Mavonan Empire

Mavona was founded circa 700 BCE as a direct democratic city but later turned into an oligarchic republic. The city gradually expanded

The Mavonan conquest of Provitia in modern day Gagium began in 1 CE, and it was followed by the Mavonan conquest of Pätschlàn which lasted four decades. These conquests drained the Mavonan Empire's treasury, causing a lack of public services and increased unrest. Soldiers began to be paid by their commanders rather than the Mavnonan treasury, which changed their loyalties.

At its height of power, the Mavonan Empire stretched from the Lama Mountains and Gulf of Atily to XXX.

In 154, the Masidrian Collapse occurred, which was the beginning of the end for the Mavonan Empire. The next two and a half centuries saw a series of factors, including disease, economic problems, and invasions from groups like the XXX and XXX, lead to the empire's slow decline. The emperors became increasingly less powerful as local leaders gained more power. In 394, Emperor XXX declared that the empire would split in in five following his death. Lower Mavona was in the northeastern part around modern day Gagium and ruled by NAME in CITY, Upper Mavona was in the southwest and ruled by NAME in CITY, and the middle third was ruled by NAME in Mavona. EMPEROR1 died in 402. Despite Middle Mavona being the wealthiest and most populous of the five, it was the first to fall when Emperor XXX was killed in the Battle of XXX in 483 and a successor was not appointed.

The Mavonan Empire left a lasting legacy in the Stratean continent. It was among the most powerful states in the world at its time and one of the largest to ever exist in Stratea. Symbolism from the empire was adopted by many countries in Stratea, and the Mavonan code became the basis for many legal systems. Many later rulers, including Pascal Vaugrenet and the House of León, viewed themselves as successors to the Mavonan Empire.

Early Middle Ages

Though the later Mavonan emperors had little power, the collapse of Middle Mavona brought shockwaves and devastation to the region. Technological progress was set back centuries as local rulers fought each other. These included Fulvianus and Quarto, the founders of the Fulvanian and Quartan kingdoms respectively. Internal conflicts also existed in Upper Mavona as emperors had little power over local rulers. Accius Senilis Marcus, also known as Marcus the Unready, was a soldier in Middle Mavona who was given land around the modern-day County of León in 523. His descendants were known as the Marcian clan, the ancestors of the León Dynasty.

In 497 the Umitaku Trade was established. According to tradition, Harōshirukare first crossed the Abos-Stratea Straight and then travelled east and south along the Stratean coast, possibly reaching Mavona or further. The Trade introduced goods such as silk and spices to Stratea, and facilitated the spread of ideas between both sides. Coastal cities like Mavona saw a revival. Christianity was also introduced to Stratea through the Umitaku Trade. The first missionaries may have arrived as early as 500. In 511, Count Marcus Atilius Bruscius of Portobuffolé, later christened as Joseph, became the first ruler to convert to Christianity after being convinced by Saint David and winning the Battle of Portobuffolé. Saint David became the first Patriarch of Portobuffolé. Christianity began to spread slowly among rulers in Upper and Middle Mavona. In 555, Job I became the first Patriarch of Mavona.

In 572, Christian rulers in Upper Mavona elected David III of Portobuffolé as the emperor of Upper Mavona. This brought them into conflict with Pagan rulers. The Christian emperors eventually prevailed, conquering large parts of Upper and Middle Mavona. Peter the Great, previously the Count of Amares, was elected in 782 and within two decades he conquered more land than any of his predecessors, including Mavona in early 800. By the time he was elected, the Christian states acted more like a single cohesive state than the loose alliance it was two centuries before. Peter the Great further reformed the internal structure, including establishing the Root duchies as a top-level administrative division over the empire's many duchies, counties, and bishoprics. One of these was the Duchy of Temria, given to Charles from the House of León. Mavona and some surrounding land was given to Patriarch John IV in mid-800, to be held by the Patriarch of Mavona. John IV crowned Peter the Great as Emperor of All Mavonans on Christmas day in 800, establishing the Holy Mavonan Empire.

The main adversaries of the early Holy Mavonan Empire were the Stegtu and Vigars. The Vigars were closely related to the Caputians and Ovist Caputians from the Gulf of Atily. Starting the early 8th century, they raided and conquered much of the Stratean coast, reaching up to modern day Pätschlàn. Their raids ended when rulers converted to Christianity in the early to mid 11th century. The origin of the Stegtu is less clear, but they likely emerged from the Lama Mountains in the early 8th century then migrated east, settling in modern-day Bacalia. They raided much of northeastern Stratea, from Middle Mavona to modern day Gagium and Pätschlàn, until defeated by Emperor Peter IV at the Battle of Cartigliano in 975. The raids of both groups coincided with the rise of feudalism in Stratea.

The Holy Mavonan Empire became the most powerful state in Stratea since the fall of the Mavonan Empire. The Emperor's power began to decline in 943 when a conflict broke out between the Emperor and Patriarchs over the appointment of bishops, known as the Investiture Controversy. The emperors lost support of many of their vassals, who rebelled and attempted to install a new emperor. The conflict came to an end when Guy I overthrew Peter V in 1007 and signed the Concordat of 1007 with the Patriarchs. This event ended nearly three centuries of Amares rule. The Holy Mavonan Empire remained intact but Guy continued to put down rebellions for the rest of his reign.

High and Late Middle Ages

Two decades after their defeat at Cartigliano, the Stegtu began to convert to Christianity. St. John, a younger sone of the chief of the Domgjoni tribe, converted to Christianity in 987 and united all Stegtu tribes under his rule. He was crowned king of Bacalia by Patriarch John VII on Christmas day in 1000. Taking advantage of internal conflicts in the Holy Mavonan Empire, John II invaded the empire in 1038. He was driven back at the Battle of Salera in 1041, but Emperor Henry I died of wounds from the battle only three months after the war ended, ending the brief rule of the House of Vitolés, and beginning a succession crisis between the House of Battigola and House of Pescaramo. It ended with the Holy Mavonan Diet of 1153 over a century later.

Patriarch Luke I and two duchies on the Holy Mavonan Empire's eastern border, Quarto and Temria-Serro, declared independence in 1052, beginning the Three Kingdoms Rebellion. The latter was created following the partition of Temria between the two sons of Charles VI in 969. The duchies were supported by Bacalia. The allies defeated imperial forces in the Battle of Villaveria in 1054, forcing Emperor John III to recognize their independence. John III was forced to abdicate the imperial throne less than one year later. The two duchies, elevated to kingdoms by Luke I, and Bacalia, then began the Middle Mavonan Crusade against neighboring Pagan rulers. Temria-Serro was the most successful in the early crusade, conquering much of the coast and reaching the borders of modern day Gagium, but following the death of King Charles in 1111 it was split into three new kingdoms, Agnia, Serro, and Vestun.

The power of the Holy Mavonan Emperor and root duchies continued to decline from the 11th century. Bishoprics, minor nobility, and city-states grew in power. Some of these city-states, especially around Lake Maniaga and the Calarum and Latum rivers, grew wealthy from trade. Many were part of the Latum League, formed in the late 11th century and lead by Pozzoleone, a city on the coast of Lake Maniaga and the Latum. The Latum League became a dominant force in Holy Mavonan politics and rivalled the power of much of the nobility and Patriarchs. The 11th to 14th centuries also saw continued power struggles between the Patriarchs and Holy Mavonan Emperor, named the Early Holy Mavonan Wars to distinguish them from later conflicts. The wars saw rulers within the Holy Mavonan Empire split in their support, with rulers that grew wealthy from trade such as the Latum League backing the Patriarchs, while rulers that relied on agriculture backed the Emperor.

By the end of the 13th century the Middle Mavonan Crusade was largely complete, and eight Christian kingdoms existed in what was Middle Mavona, now known as the eastern kingdoms. These kingdoms fought wars with each other, but faced a looming threat from the Holy Mavonan Empire to the west, Kingdom of Pätschlàn to the north, and Kingdom of Gagium to the northeast. These were the reason for the marriage between John V and Elizabeth in 1307, uniting Bacalia with Green Fulvania under the House of Domgjoni, creating the Northern Crown. Their son, John I, married Catherine in 1337, uniting the kingdoms with Yellow Fulvania. This union was short lived, ending when John died at the Battle of Beteta three years later. Phillip I, the new king of Northern Crown, inherited Quarto after the death of Robert II in 1346. Oestgagium and Vestun were under a personal union known as the Southern Crown since 1232, led by the House of Vestun, a cadet branch of the León Dynasty. Serro was inherited by the Southern Crown after the death of the childless Charles IV in 1293.

Catherine married Alfonso III, then the heir to the throne of the Southern Crown, in 1342. Phillip believed Yellow Fulvania still belonged to the Northern Crown. When Alfonso became king of the Southern Crown in 1353 and incorporated Yellow Fulvania into the crown, Phillip declared war, beginning the eighty year long Yellow Fulvanian War. The war was briefly interrupted in 1360 with the arrival of the Umitaku plague. The plague killed an estimated one third to one half of the Stratean population and marked the beginning of the decline of feudalism. The Yellow Fulvanian War continued, evolving into a power struggle between the Houses of Domgjoni and Vestun. It ended in a Southern Crown victory in 1433, after leading to significant military innovations as well as the decline of feudalism and rise of modern nation-states.

Early modern period

The end of the Middle Ages was marked with the Mavonan Renaissance in the 15th and 16th centuries. This period saw a renewed interest in the culture and achievements of the Mavonan Empire and other ancient civilizations. Art and science began to flourish in all Stratean territories, especially in the Calarum, Latum, and Lake Maniaga city-states. The printing press, invented in the 1440s by Ignacio Mario Di Gioia, further increased the spread of information.

In 1489, Salomè de Urdaneta, a Maniagan explorer employed by Serro, became the first to cross the Tenific Ocean, and reached Lohicamia. This began the age of exploration and colonization. The Furbish Islands were discovered in 1519 and first settled by Serro in 1570. Agnia, Gagium, and Serro established colonies around the world but mainly in the Furbish Islands. The Furbish colonies were mainly plantations using slave labor to grow cash crops such as coffee, cotton, spices, and sugar. Wealth from the new colonies and trade routes lead to the decline of the Umitaku Trade and the Holy Mavonan city-states.

Paul II, previously the duke of Temria, was elected Holy Mavonan Emperor in 1469, becoming the first member of the León Dynasty to hold the position. No other family would hold the position after the Leóns. Three years later, Joan and Guy I married, uniting the Northern and Southern Crowns under the House of Vestun, in what became known as the Eastern Union. Agnia, the Eastern Union, and the Holy Mavonan Empire were all ruled by members of the León Dynasty, but Agnia resisted all attempts to unify with the former two and allied with Gagium instead. The León Holy Mavonan Emperors attempted to reform the Empire to increase the Emperor's power, which was opposed by many vassals, as well as neighboring countries who believed a powerful Holy Mavonan Empire will upset the balance of power in the region. This began the Holy Mavonan Wars, which lasted from the late 15th to the end of the 17th centuries and saw mixed successes on both sides.

King Tomas IV of Agnia died without an heir in the Battle of Coria in 1632, during Holy Mavonan War of 1630-1643. Tomas V, the new ruler, was assassinated three months later. Guy V of the Eastern Union declared himself as the new king and invaded Agnia, which turned into the new focus of the war. It ended with a defeat of a combined Agnian-Gagian force at the Battle of Salto in 1643. The last of the Holy Mavonan Wars, the Temrian War, began in 1682 with the death of Emperor Paul VI without an heir. The new emperor, Charles V from the León House of Vischium, revoked many privileges given to Temria, which caused the nobility to revolt. After some initial failures, Holy Mavonan armies employed a scorched earth campaign in 1693 that devastated much of the landscape. Many Temrians fled to Saint Sienia that year. The war continued ended with a Holy Mavonan victory 1717, and the Holy Mavonan Emperor emerged more powerful than before, while the Patriarchate of Mavona became a vassal state of the Eastern Union. The Temrian War was the first war where battles took place in colonies, and Serro lost much of their Furbish possessions.

The 17th and 18th centuries were marked with many Stratean rulers increasing their power over their subjects. In the Eastern Union, Guy V and Guy VI built large palaces in all eight kingdoms and made nobles live there, while hiring the nobles to spy on each other. The Holy Mavonan Emperors were less successful in their attempts to increase power. In 1749 Charles IV of the Eastern Union died childless and designated Henry III, the next in line for Holy Mavonan Emperor, as his heir. This began the Eastern Union Succession War between the León Dynasty's empire and surrounding countries. The Leóns emerged victorious in 1758, but Serro lost half of their remaining Furbish territory.

Vaugric Wars and Pax Leóna

When the Gagian Revolution began in 1800, XXX of Pätschlàn and Emperor XXX declared war. Armies were sent from the eastern kingdoms and all states in the Holy Mavonan Empire. Allied forces saw some successes until defeated by Pascal Vaugrenet, who became emperor of Gagium. The subsequent Treaty of XXX resulted in a Status quo ante bellum and a truce. The truce ended in 1804 when Vaugrenet began the Vaugric Wars with his invasion of the León Monarchy. After several defeats on the battlefield, León soldiers and civilians began a bloody guerilla campaign against Vaugrenet's forces. Taking advantage of the chaos, the Agnian, Gagian, and Serran Furbish Islands declared independence in early 1805. Vaugrenet was defeated in 1809 and the Gagian monarchy was restored.

In the Congress of Mavona, the León Monarchy was reorganized into a more centralized state. The eastern crowns were reorganized into eight kingdoms. The Holy Mavonan Empire became much more centralized, with the root duchies being reestablished as top-level administrative divisions. The Empire, the eight eastern kingdoms, and the Patriarchates of Mavona and Portobuffolé, became constituent countries in a new real union ruled by the León Dynasty in Mavona. The kingdoms formed a customs union and shared some institutions such as a common foreign affairs policy and military, but were otherwise independent. The Leóns originally tried to make an absolutist state similar to the one of Guy V and Guy VI, but the Revolution of 1835 forced them to grant some concessions to the people, such as elected parliaments in all constituent countries, though laws still varied between them.

The next century saw the León Dynasty reach its height of power and a period of peace known as Pax Leóna. Though they lost their colonies in the Furbish Islands, the industrial revolution increased their economic power significantly.

Succession crisis, First Great War, and collapse

Main article: León Monarchy succession wars

Peter VIII became the last ruler to rule the united León Monarchy. He was assassinated by Liri, Barazi, Vëllazëri, a Stegtu nationalist organization, in 1912. As much of his family died in the Lousada latrine disaster a year earlier, his death left no clear heir to the throne.