Castinean Empire

The Castinean Empire [Cast-in-E-an] was the post-kingdom period of the Castinean civilization. It was characterized by the formation of the Emperorship and a further expansion into international affairs, such as the Growth War. The Castinean Empire nearly tripled the size of the Kingdom, seizing land in what is modern day Manchester, Lancaster, Capitalis, Easton, Quebzec, Corscant, and the Eastern Republic. It's largest city was Castie City, located on the northern coast of Cape Castie. The Empire had a population of an estimated 75 million people by 1160.

The Castinean Empire is divided into three historical eras: The Age of Expansion, The Golden Age, and the Final Era. Lasting about 450 years, the Empire eventually collapsed under massive rebellion in its farther reaches, and the death of Arnold II. The Castinean Empire gave way to the modern Holish Lancaster States.

From 1000 to 1314, the Castinean Empire was the epicenter of culture, economy, and politics around the world. Virtually every nation traded with the Empire, and in return, the Empire sustained a massive naval network to defend these lanes. After their victory against the Emperials, the Castineans became the strongest military power, assisting in the creation of Quebzec, Corsair, LS, and the Eastern Empire. It also assisted in funding the Crocodilian Union. The success of the Empire held immortalize Castinean cultures and beliefs [Aram Philosophy] as a dominant center of political thought for hundreds of years. It also helped spread Holism as the main religion on Leatix. There were attempts in the post-EP war era by Holish Traditionalists to reinstate the Castinean Empire under the guise of the Holish Traditionalist Republic, modelling its government and cultural beliefs.

History
The Castinean Empire formed after the death of King Schroen in 864. Schroen was the last of the Joyan Royal family, as he never had an heir. For several weeks, chaos ensued until Jens Ferni, a general, proclaimed himself Emperor of Castie. He became Emperor Fernault IV, after the Fernault lines of kings from the early 500s.

Age of Expansion
From 864-1014, the Castinean Empire dedicated much of its military inexpanding their territory. With successful campaigns against the Northern Corsairs, the Castineans seized much of Lancaster and Manchester. To control this new growth, Proventeurs were put in power over large districts. Each district was divided into Entities, ruled by an Eustatis. All Eustatis had to convene annually with the Proventeur in the District capital in order to discuss problems with the region. Military forces stationed in these regions would generally recruit from the District and be commanded by the Proventeur. Rarely, the Emperor would partake in conflicts, rendering him the Supreme General. The Eustatis would serve as the officers.

In 911, Emperor Fernault VI ordered the first usage of the Castinean Navy outside of the north by authorizing an expedition to the south. The Castinean Navy, in hopes to expand trading ventures, circled around the Point of Origin several times and even exploring Emperial controlled Jemi. The presence of such a large naval force concerned the Emperials, rendering multiple treaties of peace and trade to form between the Empires.

In 969, shortly following the assassination of Emperor Fernault VIII, Emperor Neani II began to lose control of his eastern territories. Castie's foremost city, Lancaster City, was sacked and retaken by the Northern Corsairs due to a blundering military defeat by the Proventeur. For three years both civilizations fight in order to regain the city, resulting in the death of Neani when he led a doomed charge in 971.

Fernault X, Neani's son, quickly dealt with the Northern Corsairs at the Battle of Calswed, crowning his the epithet 'Warrior Emperor.' Fernault assists the Vikigs in the Growth War in the hopes it would push the Emperials out of Lancasteria. Between 977 and 1000, the two Empires engaged in total war, from Fundia to Corsair. With the brilliant tactics of General Erns Nicholas, the Emperials were defeated.

The Golden Age
The defeat of Emperalia led to an international power vacuum, which the Castinean filled. After the Growth War, Castie entered their Golden Age as they began to dominate world trade. Expeditions into the Manchestia Mountains led to the discovery of gold and huge iron deposits. Coupled with the extremely strong Castinean lumber, it allowed the Castineans to produce the necessary vessels to conduct trans-Buck Sea travel. It opened up faster trade routes with the Northern Fundimentals, greatly increasing the Empire's strength. In the 1050s, Castie assisted in gaining independence for the West Lancaster States by fighting off the Northern Fundimentals. This paid off as LS proved to be laden with resources, with were heavily exported to Castie.

Under Emperor Aille, the longest serving leader in Leatixan history, the Empire quadrupled its riches by harnessing rivers of the north to power textile factories. Aille pushed for more expeditions, eventually forcing the Empire to war against the Corsairs in the Corsair War. A thirty year on and off conflict between Imperial forces, colonists, and Corsairs; the war saw the formation of Quebzec, Corsair, and the Eastern Empire. It also formed the Aille Border, which were maintained until Holish Republic.

The end to Corsair violence led to a massive migration out into the outer reaches of Castie, bring along industry and infrastructure. Between 1130-1201 the Lancastris and Capa Districts saw a massive increase in population and infrastructure growth.

Throughout the Golden Age, the Holi Church sent out thousands of priests to convert the Leatix to Holi. As Holi began to grow around Leatix, so did the church's power in the Empire. Emperor Aille's premier advisor was the Lunai [head of the church] and Richars III allowed the church to use government funds to build temples and even raise defense forces.

The Final Era
The death of Emperor Aille in 1201 resulted in his great-great grandsone, Richars, to become Emperor. Richars III was young and inexperienced, but he did reinforce Corsair peace with the formation of the Quebzec Republic in 1232. He also furthered ties with the CU, funding the nation out of an economic recession. This funding of sorts, however, greatly strained the Castinean treasury, reducing their army's spending ability.

When Richars III died in 1259, Arnold I rose to power. Arnold I was Richar's cousin and quickly became unpopular. He abandoned the Castinean Congress project Richars started, and reigned over the economic recession of 1264. Arnold I tried to fix the economy, mostly by forcing every citizen to have a job, or join the military. However, his attempts failed miserably. In 1299 when the annual crop yield tanked due to a major virus, the Emperor's Palace was stormed by starving Castineans. He was taken out of the Palace and murdered.

His murder placed his seventeen year old son, Arnold II. Traumatized by his father's death, Arnold wanted to suppress the growing reform movement in the Empire violently. When Capitalis rebels seized the Proventeur in 1304, Arnold went insane and ordered his army to march on the city. When his force was unable to take it, other rebellions cropped up around the Empire. For the next eight years, the Empire was in turmoil as Arnold II tried to retain power. In 1314, Lunai Pion X, his last political ally, turned on him and allowed the rebellion to enter Castie City. Arnold and the entire Royal family was publicly executed, marking the end of the Empire.

Geography and Demography
The Castinean Empire was the largest Empire for most of its reign, spanning just under 9.4 million square miles. At its peak in 1160, Castie controlled about 23% of the world's popuation at about 75 million. The predominant doctrine Empire was expansion. Although tentative at certain points in its history, most Emperors supported growth. Modelling themselves after the Emperial philosophy of "Forous et Ale" [Forward Are We], Castie constantly sought new lands.

The center of international trade, Castie had two main cities-- Castie City and Lancaster City. Castie City was its predominant outlet for sea trade, while Lancaster served as a Lancasteria based hub and a connector to the Corsairs. At its highest point, Castie City had about 32,000 ships in its harbor daily.

Languages
Unlike the Emperials, who reigned over a diverse population, the Castineans were quite homogeneous linguistically. Virtually every portion of the Empire spoke predominately Castinean. By the 1300s this had changed, with the introduction of a newer variant: Holis. All government documents were labelled in Castinean, and all universities were required to speak in only Castinean. Most Emperors were adamant in imposing Castinean to people under their rule, mostly because Corsair languages were considered inferior. However, in eastern Castie, it was not uncommon to hear Castineans speak in Nortack, the Northern Corsair language.

Highly educated Castineans did learn Emper, and most sailors did know Funda. In the Age of Expansion, a conservative version of Castinean [a relic of Old Castinean] was imposed for courts and government operations. By the end of Aille's reign, Middle Castinean was the predominant version. Middle Castinean was a lot more loose grammatically, heavily influenced by Funda. This would go on to become Holis, which was a fusion between Nortack and Middle Castinean.

Literature was written in Written Castinean, which was very different from the spoken word. It included a heavy emphasis on formulated sentences, contrasting the freer version of Middle Castinean.

Local Languages
While Middle Castinean was the main language spoken for most of the Empire, variants quickly developed throughout the far reaches. In Manchester, Middle Castinean was fused with the Corsair language of Ca'ank, rendering it far more accented and brash. Many documents and literature written in Manchester, even after the fall of the Empire, continued in the variation, eventually referred to as Castis. Other regions such as Eastis infused local Corsair languages as well, rendering almost forty different local variants.

In 1206, the Holi Church set out to catalogue these languages so they could teach their missionaries. Between 1206-1220 almost 4000 Middle Castinean variants were recorded and held in the Abasad Archive in Wernault Castie.

Society
The Empire took most of its social structure from the Castinean Kingdom, and was heavily influenced by the Holi Church. Throughout its reign, the Church received exorbitant amounts of funds to erect major temples and sanctuaries. The Church played an important role in the lives of Castineans, serving as a communal area for villages and cities. The Castie City Amawego, their Emperial Forum equivalent, was based around the Center Church of Castie. Most Emperors like this setup as it instilled a sense of 'Castineanism' and reinforced the importance the power of the Empire.

Social power generally laid in the hands of the Provos: wealthy landowners or government officials. Money was not seen as the source of status, but rather it would come once social status was achieved. Because of this, money did not prevent people from obtaining Provos level, rather it was the incredibly clique attitude of the Castinean elite. During the reign of Emperor Aille, his court was incredibly difficult to enter as he preferred nepotism of merit. This would be a major theme in most politics as only a few families truly controlled government. In Lancaster, for example, every Proventeur of the Empire was part of the same family, and would delegate tasks to family members first before others.

Below the Provos Class was the Helenis. Most Helenis were also landowners, but did not own extensive plots of land. Generally either farmers or merchants, the Helenis were the modern equivalent of a middle class. Helenis had the unique advantage over Provos as they were able to be voted into the Castinean Congress when it existed. While most generals and officers were part of the Provos, some famous Castinean leaders were born as Helenis.

The lowest class were called the Mansets, and generally consisted of the impoverished, diseased, disabled, and foreigners. While Fundamentals were generally accepted in Castinean society, Corsairs were not (at least in western Castie).

Women in Castie
Unlike Emperalia where women were essentially considered equal, Castinean women played a very small role in most affairs. They were considered citizens, but did not retain the same legal rights as men did. For the majority of the Empire's reign, women were unable to own land and could not take occupation. In the later stages of Emperor Aille's reign, women were granted the right to own land and take up jobs, although limited to textile and service jobs.

Women were permitted to engage in educational pursuits, prompting some of Castie's leading philosophers and scientists to be women. Erseti Vallenius, a philosopher who lived in the late 1000s, developed the Vallen philosophy, which would go on to form the modern form of the subject. Women were also able to serve as diplomats, some assisting in developing trade deals with the Northern Fundimentals. Saren Renstall helped redevelop relations with the Northern Fundimentals after Castie assisted LS in their revolution.

Slavery
Slavery was banned under the Castinean Kingdom and for much of the Empire's duration. However, between 970 and 1056, the ban was lifted as the Castineans were in need of manual labor to assist the war effort. The demand for cheap labor opened the Trans-Lancasteria Slave Trade, where Wednesdahns would frequently cross over and seize Callahan Corsairs to be brought back to Castie. By 1005, almost six million people in Castie were enslaved.

Once the Growth War ended, many of the Corsair slaves were used as a commodity, mostly being sold to the Northern Fundimentals. Throughout the 1020s and 1030s, the majority of Corsair slaves helped construct roadways and structures in the outer reaches, while assisting the military fight the Northern Corsairs.

Eventually, labor began to return back to Castie, and the need for cheap labor was being replaced by more efficient production methods. In 1056, Emperor Richars II, under pressure from the Lunai, banned slavery once more.

Freedmen
The almost 1.3 million Corsair slaves were now considered Freemen, a social rank slightly below the Mansets. Freedmen were granted limited Castinean rights and were encouraged to return to Corsair if possible. Many did not leave the Castinean outer reaches and instead formed tight communities throughout the region. Many of the towns maintained Callahan beliefs, something that the Castinean government would frequently try to suppress.

Overtime the social distinction of Freedman disappeared and most of these communities blended into the Empire. Several Senators and even one Proventeur did descend from these communities.

Effect on Culture
The enslavement of Corsairs helped instill the notion of their inferiority, and would go on to develop a racist tendency of the Empire. Most Corsairs inside the Empire tried to hide their ethnicity, some going as far as to claim they were actually Emper.

Government and Military
The government was divided into three major sectors: Imperial, District, Entities. The District established and maintained control of the Empire's vast borders, and would often overstep its boundaries and expand without the permission of the Emperor. After the District maintained order in an area, they would divide it into Entities, smaller areas headed by a Eustatis. The Eustatis would maintain local control and ensure taxes were levied and that the Castinean culture was instilled. While a common law was technically supposed to be followed, Eustatis were give de facto legal ability--allowing them to conduct tyrannical operations if they so desired. Many Eustatis were simply previously powerful families that the District took over.

Imperial
The Imperial Government was established in Castie City. Virtually all of its dominance was consolidated to the Emperor, and was then enforced by Consuls who would conduct daily tasks. Each Consul would be in charge of a certain element of the Empire, whether it was the treasury or army. When Emperor Fernault IV was crowned, the Aram Kingdom laws that governed the leader ceased to exist. This gave the Emperor near dictator capabilities.

The Emperor was guided by the Lunai and the Council of Attainers, who would meet frequently with him. The Council consisted mostly of relatives, or notable citizens. Other than the Council or the Consuls, the Emperor could not be met with unless under specific cases. Some Emperors broke this tradition, such as Emperor Aille, who frequently allowed regular citizens to hold session in his court. During religious events, the Emperor would preside along the Lunai.

For most of the Imperial's duration it only consisted of the Emperor and their staff. However, Richars III tried to implement a Castinean Congress, loosely based on the Emperial Senate and older Aram Senates. The Congress mostly consisted of Eustatis, but several Helenis did join. The Congress directly replaced the Consuls and would develp communities to help run the Empire. Arnold I abolished the Congress in 1264 and executed all 150 Congressmen, prompting a great swell of anti-Empire sentiment that would eventually lead to the downfall of the Empire.

District
Castie was divided into five Districts--Manchestis, Eastis, Castie, Lancastis, and Satas. Initially the military would enter the region and occupy it for a period of 2-5 years in order to sustain order. The military had no law obligation as the populace were not considered citizens. After this period of instilling obedience, the Imperial Government would sanction the approval of a District. The Emperor would select the Proventeur, a regional goverrnor, and would also decide on the capital. Once the District was formed, the military would conduct a massive census and clearly map out borders and possible areas of economic interest. They would also be assumed into the District itself, becoming District citizens. From that point onwards, the military force would begin the construction of basic infrastructure such as roads, aqueducts, and irrigation.

Unlike the Emperor, the Proventeur was far more accessible. The Proventeur court was required to record all complaints of the Eustatis and most Provos/Helenis peoples. Many Proventeurs would frequent festivals and religious events, and commonly meet with crowds. The Proventeur had a general staff of Consuls, like the Emperor, who would facilitate daily operations. Some Districts such as Lancastis had a Senate where any land-owning male could be elected into it. The Senate would conduct facilitate affairs such as taxation and civil order. On the judicial side, the Council of the Eustatis would conduct trials for affairs large scale affairs, such as treason.

Tax laws were not centralized, however each District had to cede a set amount of money to the Imperial Government annually. Consequently, each District had a varying taxation scheme. In several of the Districts, tax Consuls granted their staff the liberty to seize as much as they deemed necessary, thus exploiting large swaths of Castineans.

Entities
The smallest division of Castinean government were Entities, which were fragments of Districts. The average District consisted of 200-500 Entities, each controlled by a Eustatis. Eustatis were granted a wide range of freedoms to conduct their land as they saw fit, enabling many to be quite tyrannical and corrupt. Annually, Eustatis had to convene in their District capital where they were to list off issues of the region and attempt to find solutions. They were also required to serve as military officers if need be.

During Emperor Aille's reign, the Imperial Government tried to crackdown on the Entities freedom by imposing the Central Law, which were a series of basic requirements each Eustatis had to follow. Many Eustatis disagreed with the Law, seeing it as a move to terminate their power. In Eastis, about 50 Eustatis rebelled against the Proventeur and tried to secede from the Empire. Aille quickly suppressed it by storming the land with troops and killing the Eustatis. After the rebellion, Eustatis began to quickly lose their role in government as more Districts switched to Senates instead. By 1300, most Eustatis were confined to a traditional role, with the power of Entities handed over to Senators.

Military
The Castinean military was a professional force of men who were required to serve for a minimum of ten years. Most recruits entered District academies around the age of fifteen, serving until twenty-five. The Empire also maintained a strong reserve force, and even enforced a draft during larger conflicts such as the Growth War.

The Military was commanded by Proventeurs and Eustatis', not professional soldiers. While many political leaders were professional soldiers, it was encouraged the army was led by civilian rule.

The central role of the Castinean Army prior to the Growth War was to maintain peace in its territories and war off Northern Corsair attacks. Consequently, most of the army was located in the outer reaches and was rarely stationed near the Castie City. The Emperor did retain a personal guard of 10,000 troops, which were stationed just outside of the city. The Militiary was divided into three sections: the Navy, the Army, and the Conscript Army.

The Conscript Army consisted of about 500,000 troops during its height in 1004, and generally served to create roads and general infrastructure. During the Growth War, they served behind the frontlines, running and defending the supply chains. During occupation periods, the Conscripts would maintain order as military police and help develop vast networks of forts.Unlike the Army, the Conscript Army was commanded not by a Proventeur or Eustatis, but a professionals soldier called a Durnell. The majority of the Conscripts were not professional troops, rather volunteers who were trained for 6-12 months. They were divided into regiments, and were armed with a single long spear and waist sword. Very few Conscripts were trained to use a rifle, so rifle divisions hardly existed.

The Army, or the Castinean Garrison, was composed of almost 2.3 million professional soldiers during its height of 1004. It was responsible for all military operations and was the predominant opposition against the Emperials in the Growth War. Though commanded by Proventeurs, the Castinean Garrison was led by a foreign citizen during the Growth War. The Garrison was divided into 50 Armies of 46,000 men, with each Army having 200 divisions. Each Division was led by a Eustatis Colonel. During the Golden Age, the Armies were stationed along the border and throughout Castie. The Armies were under the control of the District, not directly to the Emperor. However, the Emperor did serve as Supreme Commander of the Garrison and was able to deploy an Army if he so desired. On multiple occasions, Emperors would relieve Proventeurs of their leadership and directly lead the Garrison.

The Navy was not controlled by Districts, but one of the Emperor's Consuls. It received far more independence than the Conscripts or the Garrison,and were consistenly considered as the most important part of the military. During the Growth War, the Castinean Navy had almost 6000 ships and about 650,000 men. It mostly ran supply lines from Castie to Crocodilia, but also engaged against the Emperial Navy in the Egg Islands and elsewhere. The Navy also protected riverways and would frequently patrol the Strait of Corsair. It was also the main diplomatic tool of most Emperors, who used its strength to give trade partners maritime protection. For most of its reign, Castie provided almost all international maritime routes naval protection, greatly increasing global trade.

Economy
The Castinean economy relied mostly on international trade, generally with the Northern Fundimentals and Corsairs. The Imperial Government facilitated in the development of 'zoning' projects where each District would specialize in a particular good and export.