United Kingdom of Sarovia and Reuss
Sarovia and Reuss | |
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 The flag of the United Kingdom of Sarovia and Reuss, ordered by Aros I. | |
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Government type: |
Absolute monarchy |
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Monarchy: |
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First monarch: |
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Final monarch: |
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Span: |
204 - 221 AS |
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Languages: |
High Sarovian & English only |
The United Kingdom of Sarovia and Reuss, more commonly known simply as the Saro-Reussian Kingdom, was a brief state that spanned for almost twenty Stefanic years and was the predecessor to the modern Sarovian nation state. It served as a feudal monarchy with very limited opportunities for social advancement, and only spoke the English dialect of High Sarovian as the Portuguese dialect was not fully formed yet. The Saro-Reussian Kingdom was plagued by a series of defeats in various wars and diplomatic situations, but was widely regarded as hosting some of the most advanced and fearsome warriors in Estos - the Advanced Force Operation Teams, which were in the eyes of the public commonly sold out by the elite and the monarchy which hindered their ability to wage war.
History[edit | edit source]
Name[edit | edit source]
The specific reason why the Kingdom was renamed from simply Reuss - the old name of the kingdom of the likes of Carolus IX Zor - is unknown. The original reason that surfaced during the reign of Constantine IV Mako at the time was that King Aros I, who was obsessed with his family's history, named it after Marshal Sarolus after mistaking him as a member of the Zor dynasty. This is most likely incorrect, due to the levels of obsession Aros I possessed, and was unlikely that he would make such a mistake. Another answer is that Aros emulated Sarolus' and Carolus IX's pilgrimmage to modern day Sarholm. When asked the name of this settlement, the citizens fearing for their lives if the city was pillaged, responded "Sarolus' city", which was shortened to Sars, to Sarovia, to Sarholm, and offered him their throne. Both theories are frowned upon in academic circles and while it is absolutely accepted that the Kingdom and subsequent Empire was named after Sars/Sarolus, it is unknown exactly when and why. The contemporary reasoning that Aros himself gave was that the city was a direct link to the past glory of Imperial York and Roisa.
Imperial York, Exile and Founding[edit | edit source]
After the fall of Imperial York, the Zor branch of the dynasty was all but erased. The grandfather of Carolus X Zor, Karl Zor, was the last remaining member of the dynasty. The family of Carolus IX and his descendants were killed in massacre at York, and the surviving women had remarried and changed names. During the reign of Carolus VIII Zor, he ordered his father to remarry a female descendant of the Zoar-Mako dynasty to keep peace between the two feuding families. This was also seen as a way to get his meddling father who wished for the crown himself out of court. This action singlehandedly saved the dynasty.
Karl and his family would live in various kingdoms, including the State which had tore his grandchildren with his first wife to death, but would finally settle in Bavaria, a nation of the Rhodes dyansty which granted them asylum. Months after the collapse of John II Zor, Karl's grandson from his second wife, Sherlocus, would wage a successful war for the throne of Bavaria, but would be poisoned shortly after, leading to a great Bavarian civil war. Foreign powers would intangle themselves and attempt to conquer Bavarian territory for themselves, and in exchange for intelligence, the Zor-Mako family fled further to Aurelia and sought refuge. The death of King Fessler I would lead to Constans Zor-Mako becoming Prince-Consort of Aurelia after he married Fessler's heir, Queen Sophia, but none of his sons would inherit the Kingdom of Aurelia. Powerful nobles forced the Queen to recognise her cousin Iohannes as her heir.
Constans and Sophia had three children, but only one survived to have a family of his own, Duke Charles of Aurelia, who married into the powerful Sorrel family to shore up his own position in the increasingly unstable Aurelia. When Aurelia fractioned, the son of Charles, Duke Johann of Aurelia, would hire mercenaries from the Sorrel family and with his own money and conquer Kiev, de jure a part of Aurelia but de facto independent and under Zor-Mako control. This duchy, renamed as the Duchy of Reuss to reconnect with old Zor-Mako history, would be the duchy Aros I would inherit and, upon the formal dissolution of Aurelia, raise status to the Kingdom of Reuss and subsequently the United Kingdom of Sarovia and Reuss.
