New Hesperidesia
Viceroyalty of New Hesperidesia Viceregnum di Nova Hesperidesia | |
|---|---|
| 1563–1771 | |
 Imperial Coat of Arms
| |
| Status | Colony of Exponent |
| Capital | Telora (to 1741) Hamionacae (1741-1771) |
| Common languages | Latin |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
| Emperor of Exponent | |
• 1544-1572 | Tiberius III (first) |
• 1752-1771 | Marius Augustus I (last) |
| Viceroy | |
• 1564–1582 | Alexandrus Barbaccus (first) |
• 1766–1771 | Laurentius Clarunius (last) |
| Legislature | Sovereign Council |
| Historical era | Exponential Colonial Era |
| 14 July 1563 | |
• Disestablished | 12 September 1771 |
| Today part of |  Aurora Confederacy Aquitayne Aswick |
New Hesperidesia (Latin: Nova Hesperidesia) was the area in northern Lorecia colonized by Exponent during a period beginning with the establishment of trade posts on Castineos in 1563 and ending with the sale of the area to the Aurora Confederacy in 1771. The territory was divided into colonies, each with its own administration centered around either Lake Hai'lu'kai (known at the time as Lacus Tiberius) or Telora. The viceory, for his part, resided in Aquitayne, and only very rarely travelled to the far off Occidentes Province.
Early Exploration and Settlement
Aquitanius
The first outpost on Castineos were established in 1563 by Exponential merchants and explorers Marius Aemilianus and Caelius Camillus. In July of that year, their first post was established, and in time this grew to have more and more of a political and economic hold over the entire island. The post benefitted not only from trade going from Hesperidesia into Aquitayne, but also from its position as a way station for Imperial vessels moving north or to other parts of the Empire.
After decades of prosperous trade, the merchants on Castineos sent word to the Emperor that trouble seemed to be brewing within the noble houses of Aquitayne, and that it might be possible to expand their holdings, potnentially even taking the entire territory for themselves. Seeing this, the Emperor agreed and delivered significant backing in the form of money, arms, and at times even soldiers to support the House of Kon'rei. The war between the noble houses became known as the War of the Pretenders, and lasted six long bloody years. By the end of it, however, the Imperial supported House of Kon'rei was victorious, and a puppet regime was established. With months of this, the first Imperial viceroy was en route to Telora, and nearly 90 years of Imperial dominion in the region began.
Occidentes
Around 1567, the Paradisian adventurer Rufus Septimus Tullius convinced Emperor Tiberius III to commission an expedition to explore Western Astyria. In January of the following year, Tullius set sail from Alexandria, crossing the Mare Ferum on a small caravel with 50 men. After exploring the coast of present-day Noordenstaat, he headed north, eventually anchoring in the mouth of the ??.
The first Hesperidesian to discover the site of present-day Katowicze, he plated a cross on the ground on July 14 and named the land Occidentes. Shortly afterwards, he was named the first consul of the new colony, and additional men and supplies were sent from the empire to reinforce the new claims.
Exponential fishing fleets continued to sail to the West Lorecian coast and into Lake Hai'lu'kai, making alliances with many of the natives, which made settling the territory much easier. Exponential merchants soon realized the region was also full of valuable fur-bearing animals, and that a large profit could be made from their sale, and even more colonists began to set foot on foreign shores, eager to make their fortune in the new land.
Missions
The Catholic Church, which quickly established itself as the dominant force in New Hesperidesia, wanted to establish a utopian Christian community in the colony, with particular interest in Occidentes. In 1603, they sponsored a group of settlers, led by Octavius Marulius, who founded Villa-di-Maria, on the northernmost portion of Lake Hai'lu'kai. Throughout the rest of the century, missionaries pushed further into the region, spreading away from the lake, and converting a number of natives.