History of Woodstead

The history of Woodstead traditionally dates back to settlement of the Woodsteasian Isles by the Claudiate peoples in the middle of the 3rd century AD. However, recent archaeological evidence suggests that human settlement in the Isles is much older.

Prehistory

Although it is commonly accepted that AD 230 marked the earliest form of migrations to the modern-day Woodsteasian Isles, archaeological evidence suggests that people lived across Woodstead up to 7,500 years ago. Several forts and mounds, protected by ARCHO show that modern humans were buried and lived in small tribes across the marshy northern peninsula of Teudallum, but not much else is known about their language. Rising sea levels and flooding across the marshes which now forms the Mederano Sea are said to have separated Teudallum and created the islands in around 6,500 BC.

Before the formation of the islands now known as the Woodsteasian Isles, the peninsula constantly flooded. A series of storms are said to have made the peninsula a tough series of swamps and dangerous fording operations, and so many waves of migrations have been thought to have resulted in deaths, injuries, disease, and finally a reluctance to venture into the peninsula.

Claudiate settlement

Main article: History of Oppidum

It is generally believed, from mainly archaeological studies, that Noviomagus Claudii, a civilisation where Oppidum is now located, was founded around AD 256 by migrants from Italy on the spit of land between the modern-day Arden Brook and Claudiate River. This was the so-called “new land of Claudius”, believed to be named after the leader of the migrant group, Titus Claudius, who was later overthrown in 298 in an attempt to establish a republican 'confederation of the Claudiates'.

This Claudian Confederation materialised in 302 when a democratic legislature, the Volos, was established. Each intergenerational household was given equal portions of land which was previously owned by the state. Noviomagus Claudii at this time was a thriving walled city, albeit plagued by overcrowding because the Confederation was fast running out of land to give to households.

Therefore, the Volos passed a motion to establish new developments outside of the city walls. The first port city was built to the west on the Basing River, a tributary of the Claudiate River, in 350. It developed into mainly a logistical hub for regional trade and supported a local agricultural community, the city becaming known as Avstralli. Avstralli also became the agricultural centre as households downsized in Noviomagus and and began to spread in the new city.

A further three fortified cities were constructed by the Claudiates thereafter :– Castranov at the source of the Basing River, north of Avstralli (c. 450); Dexter to the north of the original Claudiate settlement (c. 465); and the city of Urba later formed as the Claudiate administrative centre between the Arden Brook and Basing River on the Claudiate River in 1012.

At this point, Noviomagus Claudii was renamed Claudis. Claudis was built with a plan to make sure that it would be absolutely safe from attack. Therefore, one would have to breach at least four gates and travel for a few miles within enemy territory before even reaching any substantial assets; in hindsight, it seems that no other settling group, if there were any, even attempted to destroy the territories or breach the walls. Some parts of these walls and ancient cities which survived the 1703 Peninsula Wildfires can still be seen in the City District of Oppidum.

Argholeic settlement

In 1027, Arlethic migrants, known as the Argholes, came from the Nikolian territories part of the Argholeic religious movement. Argholes or Argholea was believed by some to be a deity and fortune teller in the form of a man known as Æadvært. Ridicule and disdain for Argholes in [Nikolia? Lorecia? GN?] led to their expulsion from XX, wherefrom they journeyed along the northern coast of Teudallum reaching YY and then making the journey across the Woodstead Strait to the Woodsteasian Isles. Along the way, the purported deity, Æadvært, died as he had foretold.

Arriving on the Woodsteasian Isles, the Argholeic people founded a settlement, the later city-state of Argholmarka, near Claudis. A temple was built to Æadvært alongside the Claudiate River, opposite Avstralli. No real contact was made between the two communities, mainly possibly due to the language barrier as the Argholes spoke a number of closely related and then mutually intelligible Arlethic languages and the Claudians a vulgar sort of Latin.

Despite initial coldness, Avstralli floated produce across the river with a small defensive army to donate to the new settlers in the harsh winter of 1028. A bridge to join the southern route out of Urba with the southern bank of the Claudiate River was completed with supplies from both states in 1104 and use of the port at Avstralli was later shared by Argholmarka. This port became the point in which the next waves of Argholeic followers passed through.

Overcrowding and need for more diverse natural resources led to a short era of exploration for Argholmarka leading to the discovery of Æadværtonia on the south coast of the main island. By 1163, it is thought that over 2.5 million people lived across the land according to a land survey. 700,000 of these were people in Claudis, whilst the rest lived in the wide network of Argholeic settlements.

Eventually the clergy of the Temple of Argholmarka and the Volos of Claudis voted to unite and declare the entire main island as the Union of Wodested in 1193. A multicultural republic, some world scholars came to begin the exchange of language between the broken Latin of the Claudiates and the several Arlethic language of Argholmarka. The regional languages became mostly a mix of Outer Arlethic tongues such as Old Anglic and Old Erebian and Latin, retrospectively known as Proto-Erlish

In 1193, the Volos and Temple both gave power to a new legislative, Vilshus to rule over this new Union of Wodested. Hamlets, localities, and villages began to elect a vilsmann for life, which resulted in the first paid legislative members. This later evolved in to each vilsmann having power and essentially ownership of the land under their representation, though they often were related to their citizens and tended to still uphold a degree of egalitarianism.

Transition to monarchy

The Union of Wodested was becoming a nation of pride. In 1640 the Vilshus unanimously decided that the Union could do more as a unitary monarchy as some leaders believed that the population was too critical, and were also concerned at the lack of social order from the weak form of social hierarchy. It was agreed that the heir to a vilsmann with the most valuable assets in their constituency would be given power as the ruling monarch and protector of the Argholeic faith. Edelstavn Bjernsyn was the vilsmann who represented the most valuable vil- Yledh. His daughter Rosiin Stavnsdorti became the Queen of Wodested in 1641 when the Vilshus renounced its legitimacy- though every vilsmann retained rights to rule their vil. Rosiin married Ruadjann Knudsyn and later had a daughter, Princess Ettajbet (Henrika Lisbet Yledhskona). This would begin the short lived three-generations of what is known as the Ileysian House .

Prince Erlen was born to Queen Ettajbet and Eirik Henrogsyn, the vilsmann of Port Sussex, in 1687. At gatherings, Erlen was known for his rudeness and brash mannerisms which the people liked. As Argholeism subsided within the masses, Erlen was revered as a divine figure; and even those who never before liked the idea of monarchy identified with Erlen. Public fascination was focused on him, especially when Erlen fled Iustitia Palace in Oppidum temporarily in 1708 after his coronation. Upon his return, he returned to demand that the Argholeic Temple would bless his union with Deyn Griffin. Griffin was the owner of the only cooperative and estate, Astyrian Atlantic Enterprise (AAE), on the continent of Nyasott. In 1709, Deyn was granted the title as Prince Consort, but died in 1712. In honour, Erlen announced a national day of mourning and appointed new governors to begin a large colonisation exercise on Nyasott in tribute. This is what is now referred to as the Erlenic Empire.

Erlenic Empire

Main article: Erlenic Empire

Prince Deyn's AAE claim was incorporated on the day of Deyn's burial in 1713 and a fleet of ships sailed westward to Ijarnesyl, as per the agreement between Erlen and Deyn. Firstly, the Navy landed in present-day Aegeudt, Nyasott to initiate the foundation of the Erlenic Empire's first new claims, Osterra and Beinai. This became the beginning of a 300-year Erlenic Empire. Given that Erlen had no children and had expressed his disinterest in finding a queen, the King appointed governors and divided the Kingdom of Wodested in to two separate nations still under the Empire: Libetta and Wodested. Meanwhile, Erlen's personal childhood friend, Leomads Simiensyn, promised to uphold the colonisation as Emperor immediately, with each of his four children obtaining titles as monarchs; Erlen communicated this deal with his entourage and the family became the new Imperial Family, based in Woodstead. In 1714, Erlen bowed out as King of Wodested and Emperor: Leomads became Emperor of the Erlenic Rule, whilst his children received titles as follows: King Stavn I Lusvig of Wodested, Queen Ana I Karolina of Libetta, Queen Sjan I Aife of Beinai, and King Deyn I Eurfal of Osterra.

Cities across modern-day Woodstead became powerhouses of the Erlenic Empire. Oppidum was the Imperial Capital of the Erlenic Union, capital of the Erlenic Kingdom of Wodested, and of Insular Wodested. As King of Wodested, Stavn ordered his militiary to be ruthless with help from the military might of Libetta when taking the first steps in to Teudallum in 1740. During this period of Empire, Wodested was becoming affluent, and many of newly socially mobile moved out for clerical and academic work in the new colonies. Oppidum, Iley, and Woldland in particular became highly industrialised areas as Astyrian nations brought new research and knowledge of modernised technology to the Kingdom and the Empire at large.

In 1872, a restructure of the Empire as whole by Olavea II Carlotta led to the Kingdom of Wodested becoming the single Kingdom in the Erlenic Empire- former colonies and kingdoms became territories under the Kingdom. The notion of Wodested as singular founder of the Empire was reinterpreted as the ruling entity over others rather than four equal kingdoms and their colonies. A protectorate, Ektoret Lands, was founded for reparations for the indigenous peoples who were enslaved and oppressed by the Empire.

In 1920, Emperor ----- took the throne, but abstained from conception and, against the wishes of his entourage, announced a public vote for the reinstatement of representative democracy for the first time since 1641. In 1922, the Emperor delegated his power to an elected house to help transition from absolute monarchy to a democratic confederation.

Republic of Woodstead (2013–2015)

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