Aquitaine
Overview of Aquitaine
Aquitaine is a land of wealth as well as deep economic disparity. Its internal rivalries are wrapped in a layer of pageantry and civility that belie the tensions beneath.King Charles VI is the head of state and enjoys the wide support of his nobility. However he and his nobility are disconnected from the realities of the poverty that the lower classes suffer from. This contrast between the rich and the poor is completely lost on the upper echelon's of society. One need only leave the main streets of the capital of Lutetia to find abject poverty, starvation and overcrowding around them.
At the same time the nobility rules with the moral authority supported by the Pepinian sect of the Church of the Deorum Hominis . This is a sort of love hate relationship as the priesthood has a simultaneous rivalry for the best lands, and dominion over the poverty stricken serfs of the land. High Priest Caladeaux, the head of the sect, likes to have a manipulative finger on the pulse of the court and has subverted the Queen, not just to his own political ends, but into his bedchamber as well.
Deep Poverty
The average person in Aquitaine lives in abject poverty. Life in the cities has a good deal of food insecurity, and the countryside can be just as bad. One of the reasons for this is the deep taxes that they pay. While in most countries complaining about taxes is a pastime, the people of Aquitaine pay taxes both to the nobility and a non-negotiable tithe to the Pepinian Clergy. These steep taxes are carried out for almost every little aspect of their lives, from a millers tax to a the run of the mill toll roads.Major Regions and Cities
Lutetia
The capital of Aquitaine is one of the largest cities of the Western Kingdoms, its beauty and architecture is renowned. Its major thoroughfares are kept clean, and holidays and pageantry are something people travel for weeks to be a part of. It also has an extensive catacomb system that is sometimes used by the criminal element.Lugdunum
The city of Lugdunum is one of the largest trading centers of Aquitaine. Physically it sits on the convergence of two rivers, as well as a perfect trade center for goods coming out of the dwarven and gnomish holdings in the Alps. This makes it a banking hub as well as a convergence of metallurgy and other gnomish and dwarvish products. It is also militarily important as it is strategically placed near the Alliance of Lombardia with whom they have had territorial disputes in the past.Massilia
This major maritime center on the Mediterranean is the second largest city in Aquitaine. It is a center of both shipping as well as ship building capacity. The fleet there is maintained to ensure security against the Empire of the Phoinix and secure trade throughout the Mediterranean.Lotharingia
The last country to become part of Aquitaine several hundred years ago, the region of Lotharingia is where most of the elven population of Aquitaine reside in several enclaves across the region. They pride themselves on forestry (even in the face of lumber shortages across the Western Kingdoms) and and ties with the natural communities. They have a strong sense of regional identity and speak both Frankish and germanic, but language is not a high priority to this regional identity.Public Agenda
Regardless of the faction, Aquitaine is highly interested in the seemingly unlimited natural resources of Atlantica and the Western Archipelagos
History
The History of Aquitaine extends back to the Remen empire. Aquitaine was one of the original signatories of the Aequam Divisionem at the end of the Remen Empire, though much smaller at the time.
Demography and Population
The Population of Aquitaine contains all of the major ancestries of the Western Kingdoms, and by tradition passed from the Remen Empire, does not discriminate between them.
Constituent Populations by the latest census:
81% Human 8% Elven 5% Gnomish 3% Dwarven 2% Halfling 1% Other
Territories
Aquitaine claims the Archipel de Charles, and several other islands in the Western Ocean.
Military
Aquitaine is a world power, thus it's armies and navies are on as powerful as other world powers.
The Kings Guard (known as the Garde des rois ) is famed for its skill with the new gunpowder technology, as well as with the rapier. While they are the personal guard of the King, they are lent out often to high ranking noblemen and advisors, both as body guards as well as personal tasks
The Kings Guard (known as the Garde des rois ) is famed for its skill with the new gunpowder technology, as well as with the rapier. While they are the personal guard of the King, they are lent out often to high ranking noblemen and advisors, both as body guards as well as personal tasks
Religion
While the dominant religion is that of Deorum Hominis , there is discontent between the Pepinian and Eleutherian sects. Those who worship in the Pepinian church distrust Eleutherians as outsiders, and sometimes the rumors of what they "really" do leads to violence or other kinds of oppression. This leads the Eleutherians to be distrustful of the Pepinians as well, hiding their beliefs in order to fit in better.
Foreign Relations
Aquitaine is currently at war with Saxony
Type
Geopolitical, Kingdom
Capital
Head of State
Government System
Monarchy, Absolute
Power Structure
Feudal state
Economic System
Traditional
Currency
Livre, a coinage similar in weight to other Western Kingdoms
Major Exports
Wine, Brandy, manufactured goods.
Major Imports
Lumber and unrefined wood is in need specifically for naval construction.
Almost any raw material is also in demand.
Almost any raw material is also in demand.
Judicial Body
Appointed by the Crown, often with influence of the Pepinian clergy.
Official State Religion
Official Languages
Neighboring Nations
Related Ethnicities
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