Grand Duke of Bayport

With the sudden influx of trade and prosperity that swelled Bayport from a sleepy coastal town into the largest city of the Free North, there was an increase in the number of nobles and titles in the area. The surge in population led to a land rush in the valleys and river pathways within 100 miles of the city. Many of these squatters were aging adventurers and marginally successful traders who wished to take advantage of the unclaimed land in order to legitimize their social status and set themselves up as minor feudal lords. This brought a number of clashes in the region as land claims argued over what property belonged to which lord, and overlapping claims tried to manage the most desirable regions. In an effort to bring this chaos under control, the leaders of Bayport established the Grand Duchy of Bayport, claiming sovereignty over all lands within 200 miles of the coast from the Elven Downs on the south shore to the furthest reaches of the uncharted fjords of the north. Within this territory, they parceled out duchies to major landholders who were willing to pay what amounted to a licensing fee. These duchies were split into 20-50 square mile regions, mostly fronting the coast and running inland, with larger blocks and more valuable coastline distributed to particularly favorites of the leaders of Bayport. This involved a degree of cronyism, but mostly served to show how easily patronage could be purchased. While imperfect as a remedy to the immediate problem, the solution came with the authority of the city managers, and the weight of the merchants and traders reliant on Bayport for their sustenance, and was quickly accepted as the status quo. With the establishment of the Grand Duchy of Bayport and its subordinate Duchies, a process was set up to allow for grievances to be heard and adjudicated, but perhaps more importantly, to allow for further division and distribution of titles. The immediate area around Bayport was largely settled already, and though the disputes continued for nearly a decade, they became much less disruptive as acceptance of the new system took hold. For the largely unsettled areas of the northern fjords, the Grand Duchy held interest on all lands, and allowed only small duchies to be given out as petitioned for by local interests. By retaining nominal control of all these areas, Bayport invalidated any local skirmishes that arose between feuding lords claiming the same area, and by maintaining a restrictive application process for new partitions, they assured that any new duchies would meet with the approval of the merchant trade, and only conferred authority to those loyal to the interests of Bayport. Many of the small fishing and trading outposts on the fjords lacked enough people or money to apply for legal legitimacy, and operated as free towns within the framework of the Grand Duchy. They were largely self-sustaining, and perfectly content to manage their own affairs without interference with anyone. The last decade has seen the growth of a new brand of noble as familiarity with the Grand Duchy system has taught aspiring lords to profit within the system. A good example of this is Duke Enik of Velsbjord. After earning a great deal of money and intimidating local authority as a pirate around Velsbjord, Enik decided to legitimize his concerns by applying for a duchy. His story of hereditary authority and respect in the town was largely invented, but his coin was very real, and his assurances that he could quell the piracy of goods coming out of Velsbjord were very attractive. What Duke Enik realized was that by legitimizing his claim to the town, he could control all aspects of tariff on goods shipped through the port, and give himself a laundering station far from the watchful eyes of Bayport. They had no interest in local concerns as long as all their fees were current, and as legal authority in the town, Enik controlled what was allowed or not. In addition, as a titled Duke of Velsbjord, Enik was granted a favorable trading status with other duchies through Bayport, and also given a coveted seat on the Council of Merchants in Bayport that regulated trade with the Grand Duchy and among other regions. Duke Enik succeeded in his purchase of a Duchy, and largely quit Velsbjord and the northern regions to profit off his position on the Council of Merchants in the city. This has been a growing movement that has led to the creation of many small duchies along the fjords and northern expanses, and the growth of a new wing within the Council of Merchants that threatens the free trade that led to the rapid growth of the city over the last sixty years. These threats to trade have begun making leaders of other port cities and the inland cities of Waynesburg and Dassal nervous, bringing the increased attention of their armies and leaders.