Ultramer

The Oversea States of His Majesty Les États Ultramarins de Sa Majesté
1524–1808
Flag
Status	Oversea Dominion
Capital	Austremer
Government	Monarchy
Viceroy (1524 - 1697) King of Ainin (1697 - 1808)
• 1524 - 1551	Pierre de Lamarque
• 1777 - 1808	Mathieu IV
Historical era	Kingdom of Ainin
• Established	23 December 1524
• Revocation of the Treaty of Huimont	17 December 1808

Ultramer, (French : Les États Ultramarins de Sa Majesté) was the name given to all the continental dependencies of the Kingdom of Ainin and the overall administration put into place by the Monarchy to rule over them. It officialy started on Saturnalia 1524 with the creation of the Viceroyalty of Ultramer by Pierre de Lamarque, who was recognized first Viceroy of Ultramer by the Aininian king. At first, the term was used to speak of the Viceroyalty itself but also of the numerous duchies and states that conserved nominal autonomy for themselves. When these states were absorbed into the Viceroyalty, "Ultramer" was only in use to talk about the Viceroyalty and the Caconzicua Karazawi, the only native kingdom who still had to answer to the King of Ainin only. The Viceroyalty was then divided in 13 Governorates in 1697, which revolted in 1758, before being defeated and conquered by Karazawa in 1779. By the time of the Aininian Revolution, Ultramer was de-facto just another name for the Caconzicua Karazawi.

Ultamer developed highly regional divisions, reflecting the impact of climate, topography, indigenous populations, and mineral resources. Various regimes existed inside of it, with duchies and various estates existing alongisde Governorates and Captaincies, that is until the Reforms of 1697 which gave direct power to the Aininian King over 13 Governorates and one Kingdom (The Caconzicua Karazawi), greatly simplifying the Aininian Administration. But even if the growing threat of an all-powerful Viceroy had been dealt with, the Caconzi of Karazawa continued to rule over his own state with almost no interference from Ainin, even taking for himself the Governorates after their rebellion. By the time these events took place, the Kingdom of Ainin had been weakened by too many consecutive crisis, including the War of Twilight and a banking crisis in 1764, to react. The Caconzicua Karazawi would then use the Aininian Revolution and the Monarchy's unpaid debts to declare the Treaty of Huimont null and void, taking away from Mathieu IV the last lands over which he still had nominal authority.

History

Conquest of the Thlatoloyan

Main article: Karazawa § The Conquest

The Great Ride South

Main article: The Great Ride South

Economy

Ultramer's economy in the colonial period was based on resource extraction, on agriculture and ranching, and on trade, with manufacturing playing a minor role. In the immediate post-conquest period (1521–40), the dense indigenous and hierarchically organized peoples were a potential ready labor supply and producers of tribute goods. Conquerors built private fortunes less from the plunder of the brief period of conquest than from the labor and tribute and the acquisition of land in areas as they joined and merged with the local elites, translating that into long-term sustainable wealth.

The colonial landscape in Ultramer became a patchwork of different sized holdings, from entire Kingdoms (like the Caconzicua Karazawi and Duchies (Cirrus and Naquetie), to small holdings barely larger than a town. As the crown began limiting the Viceroy's powers to curbstomp the powers of a seigneurial class still largely independent from Ainin, the holdings and acquisitions of this same class were solidified to the point that, even with the end of the Viceroyalty and the transition to a number of smaller Governorates, a limited number of Ultramarines aristocratic families still controlled most of the lands and economy of the colonies.

Agriculture

Although pre-Ainin Ultramer produced surpluses of corn (maize) and other crops for tribute and subsistence use, Aininian began commercial agriculture, cultivating wheat, sugar, fruit trees, cattle ranching, and other activities.

As agrarian enterprises developed, acquiring title to land became important. Large-scale landed estates developed, needing both a small permanent labor force supplemented by temporary labor at peak times, such as planting and harvesting.

Cattle ranching need far less labor than agriculture, but did need sufficient grazing land for their herds to increase. As more Aininian settled in the northern areas which were already densely populated, the number of ranching enterprises declined and ranching was pushed south.