Barchu
Barchu (/'bär cho͞o/ Lovásic: Lovasnárság [loʊ 'væʃ nɑː(r) sæɡ]), officially The Sovereign Republic of Barchu (Lovásic: Uralkodó Köztársaság Lovasnépém), often abbreviated SRB, is an independent, sovereign transcontinental nation located partly in Western Heberia and partly in Eastern Heremonia, on the northern shores of the Torrian Sea. Barchu is bordered by Rionnagan to the west and the Neander lands to the north, as well as by Tarundora and Capacyront to the east. The Gulf of Barchu to the south takes its name from the country.
Barchu covers an area of 1,812,585 sq. wmi. and is home to nearly 94 million inhabitants. The capital and largest city is Várokirályi (1980 pop. 9,733,415), a significant political, cultural and economic hub recognized as a leading global city. Other major urban areas include Csík, Devola, Mustrolácz and Zénekár.
Barchu is considered a major power among the nations of Telluria, and has the 9th largest economy by nominal GDP. As a substantial actor in several industrial and technological sectors, Barchu is Telluria’s 12th largest exporter and 19th largest importer of goods.
The country benefits from a high income economy with a very advanced standard of living, maintaining universal social security and health care systems, and providing tuition-free university education to its citizens.
Internationally recognized for its rich cultural heritage, Barchu has throughout its history made significant contributions to the arts, literature, music, sport, philosophy, science and technology.
Barchu’s current borders were established in 1915 by the Treaty of Toulais at the end of the Great Intercontinental War, at which time the weakened monarchy was formally abolished and the current state emerged.
Barchu is a member state of the See of the Holy Saints as well as founding member of the Council of Nations, serving on the Security Council twice: 1942 – 1958 and 1970 – 1978. Barchu is also a signatory state of the Tellurian Trade Treaty, the International Dispute Resolution Protocol, the General Accord on the Treatment of Prisoners and the Uniform Monetary Agreement.
History
Following centuries of habitation by successive groups of Barchine, Kiltic, Neander, Rowaion, Slavar, Marjai and Erdenlar tribes, the foundation of modern Barchu was laid in the late eighth century by the Lovasnép High Chief Családapa, who led seven Lovasnép tribes over the Cyrontine Mountains into the Barchurian Lowlands. His direct descendant Prince Leopold III was enthroned in 889, converting the country to a Sanctist Kingdom.
After the rise and fall of the Barchurian Empire, which at its peak in the Middle Age encompassed the Gulf of Barchu from Zorovia to the Mascotic Marshes and stretched north to the Boreal Sea, a second Kingdom arose from its remnants, only to be subjugated by the Qaghanate in the 19th century. Barchu re-emerged as an independent state in 1915 at the end of the Great Intercontinental War.
Dramatic climate change around 2,200 BCS caused rapid expansion of the vast marshlands to the south, resulting in massive migrations through the area. It was at this time that the ancestors of the Lovasnép moved into the region from the southeast. No scholarly consensus has emerged as to the original homeland of these proto-Lovasnép people. Despite the controversy concerning their genesis, there is near universal agreement that by 2,000 BCS the proto-Lovasnép were well established in settled communities among their more nomadic neighbors along the west bank of the Suprat River. They cultivated millet, wheat and other crops, brewed beer and bred animals – especially horses, cattle, goats and pigs, and over time became known as the Lovobas f’Olyokyözött (“Riders between the Rivers”).
The development of a separate Lovásic language began around 700 BCS with the withdrawal of the marshlands in the south, and the subsequent southward migration of the nomadic Uldic groups. By that time, Lovasnép settlements had spread as far west as the Subarat River, and they had begun to develop a separate divergent branch of the Podravo-Uldic language spoken by their former neighbors. The history of the ancient Lovasnép during the next fourteen hundred years is uncertain, and a fertile subject of scholarly debate, much of which focuses on the relationship between the Lovasnép and the Qaghanate of No’am, which began developing into a dominant power in the region during the early 6th century.
An alliance between the Lovasnép and the Gedimar in the late 730s CA is the first historical event recorded with certainty in connection with the Lovasnép people. According to a memorial stone erected on the west bank of the Subarat River in or before 738, the Gedimar and the “Lovoshni” agreed that there should thenceforth be no wars between them along its course, and that each would defend the other against outside threats.
Saint Bertin of the Cave, in his Chronical of Byzam-Hút, says that in the early 8th century the Lovasnép lived in “Luvodia” in the vicinity of the No’am, and supported the Qaghans in their wars “for seven years.” Pokőrni-Tás argues this suggests the Lovasnép were subjugated by the Qaghanate at that time. On the other hand, historian Szabados György has asserted the words prove the equal position of the Lovasnép relative to the No’am.
The Lovasnép were organized into tribes, each headed by a “Voivode” or warlord, who were in turn led by an elected “Gyulah,” or military chief. In addition to the military leadership of the Gyulah, the Lovasnép also elected a spiritual chief, known as the "Kéndeh" who ruled jointly with the Gyulah.
Lovasnép warriors developed a reputation as able horsemen and charioteers. But despite their military strength, they were no match for the combined Noamese and Penczek forces who invaded Luvodia from the north in 753. The survivors fled south to an area known as Etelköz, from which they were able to control the lands of the lower Pyrat Valley.
The chronicler known only as “Bölcsember C.” in his somewhat unreliable Tettek Lovasnépém (Deeds of the Lovasnép), written between 1199 – 1205, describes the attack as follows:
Legend holds that in the manner of their people, the seven chieftains solemnized their bond with a ceremony that has become known to history as the “Covenant of the Blood” or the “Blood Oath of the Voivodes” (Lovásic: Vérszerződés, lit. “Blood Contract”), whereby they cut their left forearms and let their blood flow together in a golden chalice. The Blood Oath is by tradition considered to be the first, unwritten constitution of the Lovasnép Nation.
Bölcsember C. describes the pact in the Tettek Lovasnépém as follows:
Émber III died without issue in 825, and was succeeded by his brother, Leopold, who ruled until 841. Leopold expanded and strengthened the nation’s military power, allowing the Lovasnép to conduct fierce raids deep into Heremonia, as far as the territory of modern Hunradia. Leopold’s armies successfully vanquished no fewer than three major Kiltic armies between 831 and 835, advancing westward to the foothills of the Wirbelsäule Mountains. The westward campaign was stopped only with the Lovasnép defeat at the hands of the Jarmenic King Otto II of Lechenmark at the battle of Waffenbrük in 836.
Leopold’s son, Ember IV, followed his father as Grand Prince and ruled the Lovasnép for 25 years. Ember IV established the first Barchurian naval force, commissioning four royal warships to protect the coast, and founding the Royal Port of Várokirályi in 852. His son, Leopold II, inherited the throne in 866, and was in turn succeeded by his son Leopold III.
In response to his petition for recognition by the Holy See, Leopold received the insignia of royalty from the senior prelate of the Western Church, Archcoarb Waldo II of Sancta Sedes. His Bull of 899 invested Leopold as “Arch-King of the Lovasnép Nation,” granted him the crown and the titles of King and Apostolic Legate (hence the traditional style of “Apostolic Majesty” reserved for Barchurian Kings), and conferred upon him the right to have relics of the saints carried before him, along with administrative authority over the monasteries and churches within his realm.
Among the royal insignia sent by Archcoarb Waldo was a golden crown, upon which he had set his blessing, which was used for King Leopold’s coronation on 31 Dusanmonat 899. That crown became “The Holy Crown of Barchu” (also known as the “Crown of Saint Leopold”) and embodied the constitutional continuity of Barchu’s statehood and the unity of the Lovasnép nation for over 1000 years.
In time, there developed around the Crown of Saint Leopold a rich mystical and legal doctrine, tying the physical crown itself to the constitution of the country and the freedoms enjoyed by its inhabitants. Stated briefly, the “Holy Crown Doctrine” asserts that (1) the ultimate power of the state (i.e. governance, legislation and adjudicature) physically resides in the Holy Crown, which itself alone enjoys all royal and legal prerogatives; (2) those who execute the powers of the state (i.e. the king, the voivodes, the nobility, the clergy, the freemen and, eventually, the serfs) unite in the Holy Crown, and the powers they wield emanate from the Holy Crown, exercised by them merely as its representatives; (3) the country’s territory belongs to and is held by the Holy Crown, and all rights of possession are derived from the Holy Crown; and (4) the Holy Crown embodies the anagogic connection between Telluria and Heaven.
Ancillary to the development of the “Holy Crown Doctrine,” there developed four very specific requirements for a legitimate coronation of a Lovasnép King: (1) Descent from the House of Almodozó, (2) Coronation with the Crown of Saint Leopold, (3) Coronation by the Archcoarb of Gomesztér, and (4) Coronation at the Cathedral of Gomesztér. With very few exceptions, every subsequent monarch of Barchu has met those requirements.
By 906, Leopold had consolidated his power and begun sweeping reforms to convert Barchu into a Western feudal state. The Lovásic language was replaced at court by the Middle High Kiltic tongue prevalent in Hermion, and the old, runic-like Glagolic alphabet was replaced by the Riadic alphabet common in the west. And he embarked upon a massive campaign of fortress building throughout the kingdom, erecting more than two hundred stone castles and fortifications during his long reign. Many notable Barchurian cities, including Csík, Győrpécs and Mustrolácz, can trace their origins to the villages that developed around King Leopold’s fortresses.
Leopold I established a broad network of 10 coarbic and 2 archcoarbic sees, and ordered the buildup of monasteries, churches and cathedrals. He was canonized shortly after his death in 931 and has been known since as “King Saint Leopold.” Under his sons Leopold II and Tódor I, Barchu continued to develop into a powerful kingdom.
Leopold II adopted a western administrative model for the new kingdom. The whole of the country was divided into counties, each under the governance of a royal official called a “Megvezét,” who represented the king’s authority, administered his subjects and collected the taxes that formed the national revenue. Each Megvezét maintained an armed force of freemen at his fortress headquarters.
His brother Tódor I extended Barchu’s frontier into Transcyrontia as far as the headwaters of the Subarat River, and invaded East Pithicasia in 948. Todor’s son, Tódor II, subdued the Neander tribes of the North in an extensive campaign between 952 and 958, only to be killed the following year when struck by lightning while returning to his royal capitol at Gomesztér. His brother Hubert continued the northern campaign, securing Lovasnép rule from the Gulf of Barchu to the Boreal Sea.
King Hubert consolidated the country’s territorial gains and extended the royal authority into the new lands. He divided Transcyrontia into two subject territories, installing his brother Béla as Archduke of Alsócyront and his nephew Tiborc as Archduke of Felsőcyront. In the west, he consolidated the Pithicasian estates of the Rowaion Barons into the Royal Province of Raionia, investing his son, Ákos, as Prince of Raionia. The wild lands of the north were placed under direct authority of the Holy Crown. For administrative purposes, the vast territory was separated into three provinces, Keletneander, Középneander and Távolneander, each administrated by a Lord Governor called a Kormányzó, who answered directly to the king.
In 971, Ákos I became King of the Lovasnép. During his reign, he conducted three major western campaigns. In 973 the Lovasnép invaded Hermion, seizing its northern provinces of Barantain and Tyronia along the Koubou River. From there Ákos and his army swept across the Hypanis River into the Velandrian plains, sacking Toulais and subjugating the Franki in Seachmonat 975. Ákos’ final western raid began in 979, when he led his armies south through Alamnia and Magh Erne, seizing the silver mines of Podo Rath from the Hermionic Crown the following summer. Suffering a fate eerily similar to his grandfather’s, Ákos was killed in 980 returning home to Gomesztér from his third successful war of conquest, the victim of snake bite.
The most powerful and wealthiest king of the Családapan dynasty was Ákos’ son, Bulcsú I, who, benefiting from the new wealth generated by the annexation of Podo Rath, disposed of the equivalent of 37 tonnes of pure silver a year during his reign, exceeding the income of the Qaghan of No’am (estimated at 23 tonnes) and more than double the diminished receipts of the Hermionic Crown.
Bulcsú continued the expansionist policies of his father and grandfather, completing the conquest of Tir n’Aerghid, Rossia and Zorovia. For the fierceness of his armies and his brutal subjugation of conquered people, King Bulcsú quickly became known as Vérbulcsú ("Blood-Bulcsú"). In addition to his wars of conquest, which expanded the country to its greatest extent, he also conducted plundering raids throughout the eastern Kiltic lands in the west as well as against the Noamese in the east.
King Vérbulcsú declared the establishment of the Barchurian Empire in 999, assuming the title “Emperor of Barchuria and King of Barchu and Velandria,” adopting the name of his former kingdom for the new empire, and renaming the kingdom with the demonym.
Emperor Vérbulcsú moved the capital of the Empire from Gomesztér to the new port city of Várokirályi in 1000. Gomesztér remained the official capital of the Kingdom of Barchu.
Upon the death of his brother Zsombor II in 1146, Emperor László II created the Duchy of Ősi-Barchu, comprised of approximately one-third of the lands of the Kingdom of Barchu, and installed his nephew, Csabalan, son of his brother Zsombor II, as the first Duke of Ősi-Barchu, in exchange for Csabalan’s relinquishing his claim to the Imperial Throne.
The Empire’s military and economic might declined as a result of the wars of succession waged between the Andrásian and the Mihályian branches of the royal family from 1319 until 1372.
The year 1328 proved to be even more contentious, with four claimants to the title of Emperor: András III, Ozsvát the Elder, and his sons Mihály and Ozsvát the Younger. Known as “The Year of the Four Emperors,” it began with the death of Emperor Resző without a male heir at the age of 41 in Dàmonat. His nephew, András III, son of the Twenty-Fourth Emperor, was hastily crowned by the Archcoarb in Gomesztér. He was quickly challenged by Béla V’s younger brother Ozsvát.
Before Ozsvát could raise an army to challenge András, though, he was captured by loyalist forces and held for treason, for which he was ultimately executed. His wife, Vilmena of Glüg, barely escaped with their two sons, two year old Mihály and one year old Ozsvát, fleeing north to Mustrolácz. Mihályian sympathizers then rallied their forces around the infant Mihály, but he too was captured along with his mother in late Achmonat, and brought back to Gomesztér. The Mihályians nevertheless continued to press their claim to the Imperial throne in the person of the younger Ozsvát, who remained in their foster care. By Elfmonat, the Mihályian insurrection had been crushed, and in Dreimonat 1333, Vilmena and her two young sons were executed for treason.
Despite the Compromise of 1372, which recognized Béla VI as the thirtieth Emperor and settled the Kingdom of Barchu upon András VI, political instability continued to grow and the Empire gradually began to lose territory.
When Béla VI died without an heir in 1377, the Andrásians once again took power, while technically honoring the 1372 agreement. Alpár, son of András IV by his second wife, Beatricse t’Este, and half-brother of András V, was crowned Emperor. Alpár ruled from 1377 to 1391, and attempted to restore stability to the government. But a drought in 1381 resulted in two years of famine, during which time Alpár was unable to import sufficient grain to feed his people.
This led to a peasant rebellion in 1384, resulting in further decline in agricultural output. Alpár …
On 11 Seachmonat 1420, 14 year old Emperor Thorben II was assassinated, presumably strangled by agents of his aunt, the Dowager Empress Éva Boglárka. In the face of an effort by the Dowager to claim the throne in her own right, a delegation of nobles brought the Imperial Regalia to Gomesztér and offered the Imperial throne to King András VII, offering to subjugate their territories to his suzerainty, in direct contradiction to the Compromise of 1372. András though, played the long game, choosing to honor the covenant of his father, and declined the offer, whereupon the Dowager did indeed assert her claim to the title Empress, and demanded that the symbols of Imperial authority be “returned” to her.
Neither King András nor the nobility would recognize her claim, appealing instead to the Archcoarb of Sancta Sedes to adjudicate the matter of the Imperial Succession. However, before Archcoarb Cyril III could decide the question, virtually every region of the Empire was in open armed rebellion against Éva Boglárka’s forces. Her army was ultimately defeated on 4 Achmonat 1423 at the Battle of Brujodobek, and with her defeat the Barchurian Empire finally collapsed. She spent the remainder of her days as a guest of the Poor Sisters of Saint Onge at their Convent in Ville de l’Onge in the Poitoumois region of Valandria.
After nearly 400 years, the Empire had disintegrated into multiple smaller states divided primarily upon ethnic, linguistic and nationalistic lines. The most powerful of the new states, both ruled by the house of Almodozó, were the Kingdoms of Barchu (which included Transcyrontia, Zorovia and what remained of the Northern Territories), ruled by András VII, and Velandria, ruled by his brother, Bendegúz I. The remaining territories degenerated into a patchwork of feudal estates and fiefdoms, with the Kingdom of Hermion reclaiming a large portion of its territory previously ceded to the Empire.
War of the Two Kings – 1626 – 1633
After his son, János V died without an heir in 1784, the Barchurian nobility arranged for the accession to the throne of his cousin, Prince Karlo VII of Zorovia, who was crowned King Károly II, in no small part because of his notorious weakness. During his reign the central government began to experience severe financial challenges, largely caused by the enlargement of feudal landholdings at the expense of the crown. The nobles also dismantled the national administrative systems that had become so successful under János V. Barchu’s defenses declined as border guards and castle garrisons went unpaid, fortresses fell into disrepair and initiatives to raise taxes to reinforce defenses were stifled by the nobility and landed elite. Barchu’s role on the international stage was neutralized, its political stability shaken and social progress ground to a halt.
In 1806, the weakened and aging Károly was forced to plead for the assistance of the nobility to help put down a major peasant rebellion led by Fáklya Mihály. The resulting degradation of law and order paved the way for Noamese ambitions to acquire Barchurian territory. In 1813 the strongest Barchurian fortress in Transcyrontia, Keleterőd, fell to Noamese forces, and in 1818 the Barchurian army was crushed at the Battle of Legyőzött. The young King Tódor IV of Barchu and Zorovia, only son of Károly and his third wife, Anna of Sympa-Renard, died in the battle along with the leader of the Barchurian army, Archcoarb Pál György of Gomesztér.
After their decisive victory over the Barchurian army in 1818, Noamese forces conquered large parts of the Kingdom of Barchu and continued their expansion until 1826. This period was characterized by political chaos, during which a divided Barchurian nobility elected two kings simultaneously. One side united behind Fergus M’Heugh, Prince of Covania and great-great-grandson of King János II. The other supported Szántó Viktor, Voivode of Északnyugati. Armed conflict between the rival monarchs further weakened the country.
With the razing of Gomesztér and Várokirályi in 1826, the conquest of Barchu was complete. Fergus of Covania was killed and his army vanquished, and Szántó Viktor fled with his family and court first to Ferns and later to Sancta Sedes, establishing a government in exile there.
Lands of the Crown of Saint Leopold /
From 1826 until 1913, the land and people of Barchu were ruled from Samlazaz, fully absorbed into the Qaghanate as the Province of Anslavia. Barchu’s annexation was not recognized by most nations of Heremonia, where Barchu was depicted on maps as the “Lands of the Crown of Saint Leopold.” Although the western nations continued to recognize the Royal Government in Exile, it was the Voivodes who, having remained behind after the conquest, assumed effective governance of the people.
Supression of the Faith [1830 – present]
Outbreak of the Great Intercontinental War [1908]
The Lovásic nobility opposed the efforts of the Heremonian Powers to impose liberal democratic principles upon the country, and in reaction formed the ultra-right-wing New Homeland Party Új Haza Párt (ÚHP or “Hazi Party”), led by the brilliant and charismatic Attila Bartós.
Taking advantage of the country’s weak political institutions, and appealing to long suppressed nationalistic impulses, the ÚHP won a large legislative majority in the elections of 1915, and as a result Attila Bartós became Chancellor of Barchu. In the following months, the Hazi Party used a process termed Összehangolás (co-ordination) to bring all aspects of Barchurian life under control of the party.
All civilian organizations, including agricultural groups, volunteer organizations, sports clubs and trade unions had their leadership replaced with Hazi sympathizers or party members. By 1916 virtually the only organizations not controlled by the ÚHP were the newly formed National Defense Force and the churches.
By 1919 party membership was compulsory for all civil service officials, and the Hazi Party began employing an extensive propaganda campaign to develop a cult of personality around Bartos.
Vas Miklós Square
Hudek Tamás Square
After the rise and fall of the Barchurian Empire, which at its peak in the Middle Age encompassed the Gulf of Barchu from Zorovia to the Mascotic Marshes and stretched north to the Boreal Sea, a second Kingdom arose from its remnants, only to be subjugated by the Qaghanate in the 19th century. Barchu re-emerged as an independent state in 1915 at the end of the Great Intercontinental War.
Early History
According to noted Lovasnép historian and linguist Pokőrni-Tás Mátyás, the people of Barchu are first specifically identified inhabiting the Podravian midlands, on the high rolling plains between the Pyrat and the Suprat Rivers in present day Noam. Archeological research suggests the earliest inhabitants of that area were nomadic Neolithic hunter-gatherers who arrived in the 4th millennium BCS. By 3,000 BCS they had overspread the region, living in pit-houses, using decorated clay vessels and developing a separate Proto-Podravo-Uldic language.Dramatic climate change around 2,200 BCS caused rapid expansion of the vast marshlands to the south, resulting in massive migrations through the area. It was at this time that the ancestors of the Lovasnép moved into the region from the southeast. No scholarly consensus has emerged as to the original homeland of these proto-Lovasnép people. Despite the controversy concerning their genesis, there is near universal agreement that by 2,000 BCS the proto-Lovasnép were well established in settled communities among their more nomadic neighbors along the west bank of the Suprat River. They cultivated millet, wheat and other crops, brewed beer and bred animals – especially horses, cattle, goats and pigs, and over time became known as the Lovobas f’Olyokyözött (“Riders between the Rivers”).
The development of a separate Lovásic language began around 700 BCS with the withdrawal of the marshlands in the south, and the subsequent southward migration of the nomadic Uldic groups. By that time, Lovasnép settlements had spread as far west as the Subarat River, and they had begun to develop a separate divergent branch of the Podravo-Uldic language spoken by their former neighbors. The history of the ancient Lovasnép during the next fourteen hundred years is uncertain, and a fertile subject of scholarly debate, much of which focuses on the relationship between the Lovasnép and the Qaghanate of No’am, which began developing into a dominant power in the region during the early 6th century.
An alliance between the Lovasnép and the Gedimar in the late 730s CA is the first historical event recorded with certainty in connection with the Lovasnép people. According to a memorial stone erected on the west bank of the Subarat River in or before 738, the Gedimar and the “Lovoshni” agreed that there should thenceforth be no wars between them along its course, and that each would defend the other against outside threats.
Saint Bertin of the Cave, in his Chronical of Byzam-Hút, says that in the early 8th century the Lovasnép lived in “Luvodia” in the vicinity of the No’am, and supported the Qaghans in their wars “for seven years.” Pokőrni-Tás argues this suggests the Lovasnép were subjugated by the Qaghanate at that time. On the other hand, historian Szabados György has asserted the words prove the equal position of the Lovasnép relative to the No’am.
The Lovasnép were organized into tribes, each headed by a “Voivode” or warlord, who were in turn led by an elected “Gyulah,” or military chief. In addition to the military leadership of the Gyulah, the Lovasnép also elected a spiritual chief, known as the "Kéndeh" who ruled jointly with the Gyulah.
Lovasnép warriors developed a reputation as able horsemen and charioteers. But despite their military strength, they were no match for the combined Noamese and Penczek forces who invaded Luvodia from the north in 753. The survivors fled south to an area known as Etelköz, from which they were able to control the lands of the lower Pyrat Valley.
The chronicler known only as “Bölcsember C.” in his somewhat unreliable Tettek Lovasnépém (Deeds of the Lovasnép), written between 1199 – 1205, describes the attack as follows:
"And at that time the Gedmari betrayed the Lovasnép, and allowed the Pancak army to pass through them, and make war on the Lovasnép, and take their women and their cattle. And so the tribes of the Lovasnép were driven out of Lovoda and went down to where the rivers run together, which is called Etelköz."
– Bölcsember C.: Tettek Lovasnépém
The Héttörznép 772 - 795
On 21 Uganmonat 772, the chieftains of the seven tribes of the Lovasnép – Omsála of the Eujenő, Elöd of the Kérlő, Ond of the Keczilő, Ka’ond of the Kürt-Gárpá, Tas of the Huba, Családapa of the Nágyék and Höto of the Tacdján – came together in a great conference on the Plain of Etelköz at the confluence of the Pyrat and the Suprat rivers. There they formed a confederation called the “Héttörznép” (“Seven Tribes Nation”), electing Családapa as their “Fővoivode.” or High Chief, combining the ancient offices of Gyulah and Kéndeh in one man for the first time. It is presumed by modern historians that the seven tribes of the Héttörznép were comprised of some 108 clans, most of which have survived into modern times.Legend holds that in the manner of their people, the seven chieftains solemnized their bond with a ceremony that has become known to history as the “Covenant of the Blood” or the “Blood Oath of the Voivodes” (Lovásic: Vérszerződés, lit. “Blood Contract”), whereby they cut their left forearms and let their blood flow together in a golden chalice. The Blood Oath is by tradition considered to be the first, unwritten constitution of the Lovasnép Nation.
Bölcsember C. describes the pact in the Tettek Lovasnépém as follows:
“And thus they vowed first – that as long as their descendants shall live, their High Chief shall always be of the lineage of Családapa. And thus they vowed second – that all wealth acquired by them must between them be divided. And thus they vowed third – that having chosen the house of Családapa as their rulers by their own will, they and their descendants shall always be included in the ruling council and bear the country’s offices. And thus they vowed fourth – that should anyone of their descendants ever be disloyal to the ruler or incite disagreement between the ruler and his folk, then he should have his blood spilt. And thus they vowed finally – that if a descendant of Családapa, or of any of them, would violate these vows, he should be forever cursed.”Joined by the Kabongh, a group of rebellious subjects of the Qaghan who sought protection among the Lovasnép, they regularly raided the neighboring tribes, forcing them to pay tribute and seizing prisoners to be sold into slavery in No’am. But a new Penczek invasion in 781 compelled the Seven Tribes, led by Családapa, to leave Etelköz, cross the Cyrontine Mountains and settle in the Barchurian Lowlands in the 780s.
– Bölcsember C.: Tettek Lovasnépém
The Grand Principality of Barchuria 795 – 899
Upon the death of Családapa in 794, his son Émber became High Chief of the Lovasnép, and the following year the conquest of Barchuria was "legitimized" when Samsam al-Dawla, Qaghan of No’am, recognized Émber son of Családapa as Grand Prince of the Lovasnép and ruler of Anslavia (i.e. Barchuria) in the Fatwah of 795, which asserted Noamese authority over the new lands of the Lovasnép. Émber ruled as Grand Prince until his death in 807, and was succeeded by his son Émber II, who ruled until 823. During the reign of Ember II, the country began its transformation from a loose federation of semi-nomadic tribes to a stable, well-functioning state. Upon his death in 823, he was succeeded by his son, Émber III.Émber III died without issue in 825, and was succeeded by his brother, Leopold, who ruled until 841. Leopold expanded and strengthened the nation’s military power, allowing the Lovasnép to conduct fierce raids deep into Heremonia, as far as the territory of modern Hunradia. Leopold’s armies successfully vanquished no fewer than three major Kiltic armies between 831 and 835, advancing westward to the foothills of the Wirbelsäule Mountains. The westward campaign was stopped only with the Lovasnép defeat at the hands of the Jarmenic King Otto II of Lechenmark at the battle of Waffenbrük in 836.
Leopold’s son, Ember IV, followed his father as Grand Prince and ruled the Lovasnép for 25 years. Ember IV established the first Barchurian naval force, commissioning four royal warships to protect the coast, and founding the Royal Port of Várokirályi in 852. His son, Leopold II, inherited the throne in 866, and was in turn succeeded by his son Leopold III.
Kingdom of the Lovasnép 899 – 999
Leopold III became Grand Prince in 889, defeating his father’s brother, Émber the Pretender, who also claimed the throne. Prince Leopold had converted from pagan Cromism to the Sanctist faith in 877, and during his reign the country was transformed from an Eastern pagan Principality into a Western Sanctist Apostolic Kingdom.In response to his petition for recognition by the Holy See, Leopold received the insignia of royalty from the senior prelate of the Western Church, Archcoarb Waldo II of Sancta Sedes. His Bull of 899 invested Leopold as “Arch-King of the Lovasnép Nation,” granted him the crown and the titles of King and Apostolic Legate (hence the traditional style of “Apostolic Majesty” reserved for Barchurian Kings), and conferred upon him the right to have relics of the saints carried before him, along with administrative authority over the monasteries and churches within his realm.
Among the royal insignia sent by Archcoarb Waldo was a golden crown, upon which he had set his blessing, which was used for King Leopold’s coronation on 31 Dusanmonat 899. That crown became “The Holy Crown of Barchu” (also known as the “Crown of Saint Leopold”) and embodied the constitutional continuity of Barchu’s statehood and the unity of the Lovasnép nation for over 1000 years.
In time, there developed around the Crown of Saint Leopold a rich mystical and legal doctrine, tying the physical crown itself to the constitution of the country and the freedoms enjoyed by its inhabitants. Stated briefly, the “Holy Crown Doctrine” asserts that (1) the ultimate power of the state (i.e. governance, legislation and adjudicature) physically resides in the Holy Crown, which itself alone enjoys all royal and legal prerogatives; (2) those who execute the powers of the state (i.e. the king, the voivodes, the nobility, the clergy, the freemen and, eventually, the serfs) unite in the Holy Crown, and the powers they wield emanate from the Holy Crown, exercised by them merely as its representatives; (3) the country’s territory belongs to and is held by the Holy Crown, and all rights of possession are derived from the Holy Crown; and (4) the Holy Crown embodies the anagogic connection between Telluria and Heaven.
Ancillary to the development of the “Holy Crown Doctrine,” there developed four very specific requirements for a legitimate coronation of a Lovasnép King: (1) Descent from the House of Almodozó, (2) Coronation with the Crown of Saint Leopold, (3) Coronation by the Archcoarb of Gomesztér, and (4) Coronation at the Cathedral of Gomesztér. With very few exceptions, every subsequent monarch of Barchu has met those requirements.
By 906, Leopold had consolidated his power and begun sweeping reforms to convert Barchu into a Western feudal state. The Lovásic language was replaced at court by the Middle High Kiltic tongue prevalent in Hermion, and the old, runic-like Glagolic alphabet was replaced by the Riadic alphabet common in the west. And he embarked upon a massive campaign of fortress building throughout the kingdom, erecting more than two hundred stone castles and fortifications during his long reign. Many notable Barchurian cities, including Csík, Győrpécs and Mustrolácz, can trace their origins to the villages that developed around King Leopold’s fortresses.
Leopold I established a broad network of 10 coarbic and 2 archcoarbic sees, and ordered the buildup of monasteries, churches and cathedrals. He was canonized shortly after his death in 931 and has been known since as “King Saint Leopold.” Under his sons Leopold II and Tódor I, Barchu continued to develop into a powerful kingdom.
Leopold II adopted a western administrative model for the new kingdom. The whole of the country was divided into counties, each under the governance of a royal official called a “Megvezét,” who represented the king’s authority, administered his subjects and collected the taxes that formed the national revenue. Each Megvezét maintained an armed force of freemen at his fortress headquarters.
His brother Tódor I extended Barchu’s frontier into Transcyrontia as far as the headwaters of the Subarat River, and invaded East Pithicasia in 948. Todor’s son, Tódor II, subdued the Neander tribes of the North in an extensive campaign between 952 and 958, only to be killed the following year when struck by lightning while returning to his royal capitol at Gomesztér. His brother Hubert continued the northern campaign, securing Lovasnép rule from the Gulf of Barchu to the Boreal Sea.
King Hubert consolidated the country’s territorial gains and extended the royal authority into the new lands. He divided Transcyrontia into two subject territories, installing his brother Béla as Archduke of Alsócyront and his nephew Tiborc as Archduke of Felsőcyront. In the west, he consolidated the Pithicasian estates of the Rowaion Barons into the Royal Province of Raionia, investing his son, Ákos, as Prince of Raionia. The wild lands of the north were placed under direct authority of the Holy Crown. For administrative purposes, the vast territory was separated into three provinces, Keletneander, Középneander and Távolneander, each administrated by a Lord Governor called a Kormányzó, who answered directly to the king.
In 971, Ákos I became King of the Lovasnép. During his reign, he conducted three major western campaigns. In 973 the Lovasnép invaded Hermion, seizing its northern provinces of Barantain and Tyronia along the Koubou River. From there Ákos and his army swept across the Hypanis River into the Velandrian plains, sacking Toulais and subjugating the Franki in Seachmonat 975. Ákos’ final western raid began in 979, when he led his armies south through Alamnia and Magh Erne, seizing the silver mines of Podo Rath from the Hermionic Crown the following summer. Suffering a fate eerily similar to his grandfather’s, Ákos was killed in 980 returning home to Gomesztér from his third successful war of conquest, the victim of snake bite.
The most powerful and wealthiest king of the Családapan dynasty was Ákos’ son, Bulcsú I, who, benefiting from the new wealth generated by the annexation of Podo Rath, disposed of the equivalent of 37 tonnes of pure silver a year during his reign, exceeding the income of the Qaghan of No’am (estimated at 23 tonnes) and more than double the diminished receipts of the Hermionic Crown.
Bulcsú continued the expansionist policies of his father and grandfather, completing the conquest of Tir n’Aerghid, Rossia and Zorovia. For the fierceness of his armies and his brutal subjugation of conquered people, King Bulcsú quickly became known as Vérbulcsú ("Blood-Bulcsú"). In addition to his wars of conquest, which expanded the country to its greatest extent, he also conducted plundering raids throughout the eastern Kiltic lands in the west as well as against the Noamese in the east.
Barchurian Empire 999 – 1420
Having defeated the Heberian tribes of Transcyrontia, and conquered the Rowaion, the Erdini, the Aerghid, Rossians and Zorovians in the west and subjugated the Franki and the Neander of the north, by 980 the territories ruled by the Kingdom of the Lovasnép stretched from Hermion in the west to No’am in the east, and from the equator to the Boreal Sea.King Vérbulcsú declared the establishment of the Barchurian Empire in 999, assuming the title “Emperor of Barchuria and King of Barchu and Velandria,” adopting the name of his former kingdom for the new empire, and renaming the kingdom with the demonym.
Emperor Vérbulcsú moved the capital of the Empire from Gomesztér to the new port city of Várokirályi in 1000. Gomesztér remained the official capital of the Kingdom of Barchu.
Upon the death of his brother Zsombor II in 1146, Emperor László II created the Duchy of Ősi-Barchu, comprised of approximately one-third of the lands of the Kingdom of Barchu, and installed his nephew, Csabalan, son of his brother Zsombor II, as the first Duke of Ősi-Barchu, in exchange for Csabalan’s relinquishing his claim to the Imperial Throne.
The Empire’s military and economic might declined as a result of the wars of succession waged between the Andrásian and the Mihályian branches of the royal family from 1319 until 1372.
The year 1328 proved to be even more contentious, with four claimants to the title of Emperor: András III, Ozsvát the Elder, and his sons Mihály and Ozsvát the Younger. Known as “The Year of the Four Emperors,” it began with the death of Emperor Resző without a male heir at the age of 41 in Dàmonat. His nephew, András III, son of the Twenty-Fourth Emperor, was hastily crowned by the Archcoarb in Gomesztér. He was quickly challenged by Béla V’s younger brother Ozsvát.
Before Ozsvát could raise an army to challenge András, though, he was captured by loyalist forces and held for treason, for which he was ultimately executed. His wife, Vilmena of Glüg, barely escaped with their two sons, two year old Mihály and one year old Ozsvát, fleeing north to Mustrolácz. Mihályian sympathizers then rallied their forces around the infant Mihály, but he too was captured along with his mother in late Achmonat, and brought back to Gomesztér. The Mihályians nevertheless continued to press their claim to the Imperial throne in the person of the younger Ozsvát, who remained in their foster care. By Elfmonat, the Mihályian insurrection had been crushed, and in Dreimonat 1333, Vilmena and her two young sons were executed for treason.
Despite the Compromise of 1372, which recognized Béla VI as the thirtieth Emperor and settled the Kingdom of Barchu upon András VI, political instability continued to grow and the Empire gradually began to lose territory.
When Béla VI died without an heir in 1377, the Andrásians once again took power, while technically honoring the 1372 agreement. Alpár, son of András IV by his second wife, Beatricse t’Este, and half-brother of András V, was crowned Emperor. Alpár ruled from 1377 to 1391, and attempted to restore stability to the government. But a drought in 1381 resulted in two years of famine, during which time Alpár was unable to import sufficient grain to feed his people.
This led to a peasant rebellion in 1384, resulting in further decline in agricultural output. Alpár …
On 11 Seachmonat 1420, 14 year old Emperor Thorben II was assassinated, presumably strangled by agents of his aunt, the Dowager Empress Éva Boglárka. In the face of an effort by the Dowager to claim the throne in her own right, a delegation of nobles brought the Imperial Regalia to Gomesztér and offered the Imperial throne to King András VII, offering to subjugate their territories to his suzerainty, in direct contradiction to the Compromise of 1372. András though, played the long game, choosing to honor the covenant of his father, and declined the offer, whereupon the Dowager did indeed assert her claim to the title Empress, and demanded that the symbols of Imperial authority be “returned” to her.
Neither King András nor the nobility would recognize her claim, appealing instead to the Archcoarb of Sancta Sedes to adjudicate the matter of the Imperial Succession. However, before Archcoarb Cyril III could decide the question, virtually every region of the Empire was in open armed rebellion against Éva Boglárka’s forces. Her army was ultimately defeated on 4 Achmonat 1423 at the Battle of Brujodobek, and with her defeat the Barchurian Empire finally collapsed. She spent the remainder of her days as a guest of the Poor Sisters of Saint Onge at their Convent in Ville de l’Onge in the Poitoumois region of Valandria.
After nearly 400 years, the Empire had disintegrated into multiple smaller states divided primarily upon ethnic, linguistic and nationalistic lines. The most powerful of the new states, both ruled by the house of Almodozó, were the Kingdoms of Barchu (which included Transcyrontia, Zorovia and what remained of the Northern Territories), ruled by András VII, and Velandria, ruled by his brother, Bendegúz I. The remaining territories degenerated into a patchwork of feudal estates and fiefdoms, with the Kingdom of Hermion reclaiming a large portion of its territory previously ceded to the Empire.
Kingdom of Barchu 1372 – 1826 (Second Kingdom)
After the fall of the Barchurian Empire, ...War of the Two Kings – 1626 – 1633
Modern History
Events of the late 18th and early 19th centuries created conditions that would lead to a loss of independence unforeseen by contemporary observers and policy makers. Besides internal conflicts, the Barchurian state was gravely threatened by the expanding Noamese Empire directly to the east. By 1750 Noam had become Telluria’s largest political state, and fielded the largest and most powerful military force ever seen to the time. Nevertheless, the Barchurian nobility remained oblivious to the threat, focusing instead on the challenges to their privileges resulting from the political reforms instituted by King János IV.After his son, János V died without an heir in 1784, the Barchurian nobility arranged for the accession to the throne of his cousin, Prince Karlo VII of Zorovia, who was crowned King Károly II, in no small part because of his notorious weakness. During his reign the central government began to experience severe financial challenges, largely caused by the enlargement of feudal landholdings at the expense of the crown. The nobles also dismantled the national administrative systems that had become so successful under János V. Barchu’s defenses declined as border guards and castle garrisons went unpaid, fortresses fell into disrepair and initiatives to raise taxes to reinforce defenses were stifled by the nobility and landed elite. Barchu’s role on the international stage was neutralized, its political stability shaken and social progress ground to a halt.
In 1806, the weakened and aging Károly was forced to plead for the assistance of the nobility to help put down a major peasant rebellion led by Fáklya Mihály. The resulting degradation of law and order paved the way for Noamese ambitions to acquire Barchurian territory. In 1813 the strongest Barchurian fortress in Transcyrontia, Keleterőd, fell to Noamese forces, and in 1818 the Barchurian army was crushed at the Battle of Legyőzött. The young King Tódor IV of Barchu and Zorovia, only son of Károly and his third wife, Anna of Sympa-Renard, died in the battle along with the leader of the Barchurian army, Archcoarb Pál György of Gomesztér.
After their decisive victory over the Barchurian army in 1818, Noamese forces conquered large parts of the Kingdom of Barchu and continued their expansion until 1826. This period was characterized by political chaos, during which a divided Barchurian nobility elected two kings simultaneously. One side united behind Fergus M’Heugh, Prince of Covania and great-great-grandson of King János II. The other supported Szántó Viktor, Voivode of Északnyugati. Armed conflict between the rival monarchs further weakened the country.
With the razing of Gomesztér and Várokirályi in 1826, the conquest of Barchu was complete. Fergus of Covania was killed and his army vanquished, and Szántó Viktor fled with his family and court first to Ferns and later to Sancta Sedes, establishing a government in exile there.
Lands of the Crown of Saint Leopold /
Province of Anslavia (Part of Noam) 1826 – 1913
From 1826 until 1913, the land and people of Barchu were ruled from Samlazaz, fully absorbed into the Qaghanate as the Province of Anslavia. Barchu’s annexation was not recognized by most nations of Heremonia, where Barchu was depicted on maps as the “Lands of the Crown of Saint Leopold.” Although the western nations continued to recognize the Royal Government in Exile, it was the Voivodes who, having remained behind after the conquest, assumed effective governance of the people.
Supression of the Faith [1830 – present]
Outbreak of the Great Intercontinental War [1908]
Republic of Barchu 1913 – 1915
The city of Várokirályi was liberated on 11 Dàmonat 1913, and in Naoimonat of that year the United Heremonian Powers formally abolished the monarchy and established an interim government called the “Republic of Barchu.” The following month, elections were held in the liberated areas of the old kingdom, and the rebuilding of a state infrastructure was begun. The Republic of Barchu was formally recognized by the world community within the provisions of the Treaty of Toulais signed in 1915, with a new round of elections scheduled for the fall of 1915.The Lovásic nobility opposed the efforts of the Heremonian Powers to impose liberal democratic principles upon the country, and in reaction formed the ultra-right-wing New Homeland Party Új Haza Párt (ÚHP or “Hazi Party”), led by the brilliant and charismatic Attila Bartós.
Taking advantage of the country’s weak political institutions, and appealing to long suppressed nationalistic impulses, the ÚHP won a large legislative majority in the elections of 1915, and as a result Attila Bartós became Chancellor of Barchu. In the following months, the Hazi Party used a process termed Összehangolás (co-ordination) to bring all aspects of Barchurian life under control of the party.
All civilian organizations, including agricultural groups, volunteer organizations, sports clubs and trade unions had their leadership replaced with Hazi sympathizers or party members. By 1916 virtually the only organizations not controlled by the ÚHP were the newly formed National Defense Force and the churches.
The Sovereign Republic of Barchu 1916 – Present
In 1916, Bartos ordered the last of the liberating Heremonian forces out of the country, and declared the establishment of the “Sovereign Republic of Barchu.” Under the new Hazi Constitution, Bartos ruled Barchu autocratically by asserting the Vezető Elv (Leader Principle), which called for absolute obedience of all subordinates. Top officials reported to Bartos, but they had considerable autonomy. They were expected to take the initiative in promoting policies and actions in line with the goals of the Hazi Party. Rank in the party was not determined by elections; rather, positions were filled through appointment by those of higher rank. Bartos’ government was less a coordinated cooperating body than a disorganized collection of factions led by members of the party elite who struggled to amass power and gain his favor.By 1919 party membership was compulsory for all civil service officials, and the Hazi Party began employing an extensive propaganda campaign to develop a cult of personality around Bartos.
Vas Miklós Square
Hudek Tamás Square
The Sovereign Republic of Barchu
Uralkodó Köztársaság Lovasnépém (Lovásic)
NATION STATE
National Flag of Barchu
National Motto:
National Anthem:
“Blood of the Cup”
“Vér Kupam”
“Hymn of the Lovasnép”
“Hymnusz Lovasnépém”
Capital & Largest City:
Várokirályi
Official Languages:
Pantellurian
Ethnic Groups:
86.2% Lovasnép
8.8% Rionnan
Major Religions:
62% Sanctist
23% No Religion
Government:
Unitary One Party Fascist
Totalitarian Dictatorship
- Supreme Leader:
Totalitarian Dictatorship
Kóbor Axel
- Designated Successor:
Sovány Adorján
Legislature:
Önkormányzat Titok
- President:
Sovány Adorján
- Secretary :
Swango Kazimír
Formation:
- Blood Oath:
- Blood Oath:
21 Uganmonat 772
- Héttörznép:
772 – 795
- Grand Principality
795 – 899
- Kingdom of the Lovasnép
899 – 999
- Barchurian Empire
999 – 1393
- Kingdom of Barchu
1395 – 1826
- Noamese Occupation
1826 – 1913
- Republic of Barchu
1913 – 1915
- Enabling Act of 1916
15 Dreimonat 1916
Area:
1,775,668 sq. wmi.
Population:
93,915,557 (1980 census)
Density:
52.89 / wmi2
GDP:
Type
Geopolitical, Country
Demonym
Barchurian (country), Lovasnép (people)
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