Uppland

Uppland
File:Flag Uppland.png
Status:	{{{status}}}
Capital:	Konungursbýur
Largest Cities:	{{{largecity}}}
Local Leadership Title:	King of Uppland
Local Government:	Absolute monarchy
Current leader:	King Noah
Language:	Storish, Valtian, Natspeak
Religion:	Caprine Ancient Ways
Animal:	{{{animal}}}
Motto:	Löngu Liðnar Stundir ("Long Long Ago")

File:Uppland Political Map2.png

The political map of the Kingdom of Uppland, with its Demesne of Uppland coloured in dark green and its Demesne of Opaeghia coloured in light green.

File:Uppland Terrain Map.png

The terrain map of the Kingdom of Uppland, displaying both of its constituent Demesnes, to wit: Uppland and Opaeghia.

Uppland was a polity existing within the Bovic Empire of the Natopian Nation that was composed of two Demesnes, Opaeghia and a Demesne which is also called Uppland. It is situated on the western shores of the continent which is known as Tapfer.

Uppland was a source of Vanic corruption in Natopia. It was disestablished during the Uppheaval as a result of King Noah attempting to introduce prima noctis laws against the wishes of everyone else in Natopia. Noah was thus exiled from Natopia, his titles connected to Uppland were revoked and suppressed and he was kicked out of the Waffel-Paine dynasty.

Etymology

In the Days of Valtia the inner parts of Tapfer were known as Upplǫnd 'the upper countries'. The first element is upp 'upper'. The last element is lǫnd, the plural form of 'land'.

History (this whole thing needs a rewrite)

Days of Valtia

Uppland came into being in the Days of Valtia as the Upplandish Marches when it was established by the decree of the Chieftains of Valtia from lands newly-conquered on hostile Anglo-Saxon petty kingdoms. The purpose of the Upplandish Marches was to serve as a buffer zone between Valtia's colony the Providence Plantations and the numerous hostile Anglo-Saxon petty kingdoms that surrounded the aforesaid Valtian colony. Unlike the Providence Plantations, which enjoyed considerable autonomy and extensive privileges, Uppland was governed by a Sysselmann who answered to the Chieftains of Valtia.

The Upplandish Marches became a portal to power for the Valtian elite since service in the area boosted one's profile and prestige. Its List of Sysselmanner and Rolls of Officials read like a Who's Who of Valtian politics and high society.

During the Days of Valtia another pivotal event took place which shaped the Upplandish Marches area to this very day: the arrival of the warrior queen Nofre-aten-tunen-et and her people, the Aiuedetlolb. Queen Nofre-aten-tunen-et had sided with Valtia during a brutal war with the Empire of Yamhigr'endost and they jointly had managed to fight the aforesaid empire into a for them humiliating stalemate for Yamhigr'endost was for since man can remember only used to crushing victories. This feat also boosted Valtia's prestige and from then on it was universally considered a Great Power. The Chieftains of Valtia and Queen Nofre-aten-tunen-et deemed it no longer safe for her and her people to remain in their lands, which were situated adjacent to the Empire of Yamhigr'endost, fearing brutal retaliation by as soon as Valtian troops would have moved out of the area. Thus, she agreed to be resettled in the northern part of the Upplandish Marches which nowadays constitutes the Demesne of Opaeghia. The presence of the Aiuedetlolb people is the reason why one can find piramids in Opaeghia and it is also due to their cultural influence that the sacred texts of the Vanafolk in Upplǫnd are written in hieroglyphs instead of runes.

Post-Valtian Wars and Anarchy

Subsequent to the destruction of Valtia the Upplandish Marches declared itself the independent Duchy of Uppland, just like its neighbour the Providence Plantations, and elected Birger Hlidbergsson of the House of Ar Merer their Duke. The fledging country quickly collapsed, however, after being overrun by the Anglo-Saxon petty kingdoms of Tapfer. Duke Birger was captured and hacked to pieces by an Anglo-Saxon warlord called Heorulf of Portheig and many leading Upplanders suffered a similar fate. Subsequently Uppland became a battleground bearing the brunt of the fighting and ravaging during the countless wars which took place between the Duchy of the Providence Plantations and the Anglo-Saxon petty kingdoms which wanted to conquer the Providence Plantations. When after centuries of fighting the Anglo-Saxon petty kingdoms finally, very grudgingly, accepted that the Providence Plantations would remain an independent country, things did not turn any better for Uppland. The area slid into anarchy, becoming a part of The Green and a hotbed of lawlessness. This situation persisted through the whole Age of Darkness well into the Second Viking Age.

Imperial County of Opaeghia

Uppland entered the Annals of Natopian History when the Cape Cran Bay region was annexed by the aforesaid Caprine Country in the year 1545 to extend its writ, and therefore also its sphere of influence, to the west coast of the Tapferite continent. The newly-acquired territory in the Cape Cran Bay region was made into a colony called the Imperial County of Opaeghia and was to be a possession of the Sovereign Natopian Emperor, independent of the Duchies of Natopia. The colony was named after legendary Natopian founder Nett Opaegh, who is said to have been born in the area; on Nettivity Island to be precise. As Sovereign Natopian Emperor Nathan was at the time the senior descendant of the founder of Natopia, His Imperial Majesty would hold the title of Count of Opaeghia. The government of the colony was conducted by the government of the Imperial Barony of Ziegeland, which was at the time vested in the Sovereign Natopian Emperor.

Tapfer Æterna and Cape Cran Bay Colony

In the year 1569 the Imperial County of Opaeghia was disestablished by the decree of the God Bous Himself and Opaeghia's territory was joined together by Him with the lands of the Demesne of Ferien, which were composed of the the island of Ferien as well as the Fort Silver peninsula, into a single Demesne called Tapfer Æterna. One year later in 1570 Bous conferred by His decree the status of County-Palatine upon the Demesne of Tapfer Æterna. The Cape Cran Bay region was put under the administration of the Saint Andre Trading Company with the status of colony in 1598 when the aforesaid company, which in earlier days was known as the South Apollonia Trading Company, was chartered in the self-same year under the name of Saint Andre Trading Company.

The Saint Andre Trading Company continued to administer the Cape Cran Bay colony as well as the other Natopian-held colonies mentioned in its Charter, to wit: Port Taroof, Port St. Andre, Farpoint Islands, and Cape Oleslaad until the year 1615 when it was disvested of its colonial duties by Act of the Frenzy, the Caprine Country's legislature. Cape Cran Bay was by the self-same Act of the Frenzy added to the Thalassa Territory.

Part of the Thalassa Territory

Prelude to the Tapfer Conference

In the meanwhile had Natopia over the many decades which had passed since the acquisition of the Cape Cran Bay area managed to acquire more and more lands on West Tapfer which from the year 1609 onwards, in accordance with the provisions of the Caprine Code, all were added to the Thalassa Territory. The acquired lands included areas which thousands of years ago had been part of the Upplandish Marches. As the Caprine Country moved deeper and deeper into the western part of the Tapferite continent the lawlessness in The Green in central-west Tapfer became an increasing concern for the Imperial Government of Natopia. It felt that it would be best to tackle the issues by cooperating with the other Great Powers on Tapfer: the Empire of the Alexandrians and the High Realm of Stormark. This was, however, easier said than done because relations with those two countries, while ancient friends of Natopia in nigh mythical times, had broken down decades ago. Owing to the tireless efforts of Chancellor Christophos Eucalyptos, launched in 1609, the Lands of the Caprine Throne managed to rekindle its friendly relations with Alexandria, resulting in the Treaty of Geneva.

It was around the same time that the thaw concerning diplomatic relations with Stormark set in, causing the High Realm to appoint the Lady Sigrdrífa the Priestess its Ambassador to Natopia in 1610 after a period of silent behind-the-scenes diplomacy. The big breakthrough in Storish-Natopian relations, however, came in the year 1615 with the political masterstroke by the Emperor Nathaniel of Natopia of appointing the Lady Esther Ayreon-Kalirion, who was His Most Bovic Majesty's aunt, as the Caprine Country's Ambassador to Stormark.

Lady Esther's tenure as Natopian Ambassador to the Lands of the Longships Throne was a smashing success. With her charm, wit, intelligence, sophistication and elegance, she quickly succeeded in winning over the Storish People and Imperial Government leading to Storish-Natopian relations returning to their cordiality of the days of yore, with the Lady Esther ending up married with the Storjarl Hallbjörn, the son of the High King of Stormark, in the year 1616 and giving birth to the twin boys Thorstein Noah and Audun Joel later that year. In both Natopia and Stormark, the newborns were widely regarded as the embodiment of the finally restored peace and friendship between the two Tapfer Powers. The most important achievement of the Lady Esther's very succesful ambassadorship was the concluding of the Treaty of Cooperation and Friendship between the Bovic Tapferite Empire of the Natopian Nation and the High Realm of Stormark in which Stormark and Natopia agreed to subjugate and pacify the lawless corridor existing between the Storish Jarldom which is known as the Duchy of Port Chloe and the Providence Plantations and Natopia's Thalassa Territory. The area had in ancient times belonged to the Upplandish Marches and contained the age-old city of Þårvik. In accordance with the provisions of the aforesaid treaty the corridor area was divided equally between Natopia and Stormark, with the new clear and demarcated border between the aforementioned countries running right through the city of Þårvik. The border became known as the Þårvik Line and it represents a milestone achievement in Storish-Natopian relations.

The Tapfer Conference

The excellent diplomatic relations between the Twenty-Six Jarldoms and the Lands of the Caprine Throne continued after the Lady Esther's very untimely death, she was murdered in Haraldsborg in 1618 by disgruntled slave traders from the Longships Islands, and aforesaid relations led to ever increasing cooperation between countries in many fields such as military affairs, law enforcement, tourism, education, science and trade. Time seemed ripe for the by the Imperial Natopian Government so much desired multilateral approach of Tapfer's issues.

In the year 1617 therefore the Imperial Government of Natopia invited its Storish and Alexandrian counterparts to join the Lands of the Caprine Throne in a conference to discuss matters of geography, borders, resources, multi- and bilateral projects as well as all mutual concerns and issues on Tapfer. The conference was later, in the year 1619, joined by Jingdao after the country had in the same year annexed Penguin Island, an island off the south coast of Tapfer, as well as Dødningeknip, a small enclave on the aforementioned shore. It was held in the Grand Empire Hotel in the city of Frenzyville, the capital of the Thalassa Territory. The conference would become as the Tapfer Conference and was quite the lengthy affair commencing in 1617 lasting to the year 1625 and resulted in the concluding of the Tapfer Continental Organization and Standardization Treaty. During the course of the Tapfer Conference, in the year 1620 to be precise, agreement was reached by the parties to the conference on the so-called Partition of Tapfer which entailed the annexation of all Green Lands on Tapfer by Alexandria, Stormark, and Natopia and the distribution of those lands among the aforesaid parties. The Partition of Tapfer allowed Stormark to add a large chunk of the former Upplandish Marches as well as the defunct Anglo-Saxon petty kingdoms of Wessex and Exeter to its Duchy of Port Chloe and the Providence Plantations. Likewise could Natopia adjoin a sizable swathe of the former Upplǫnd to Thalassa, which in early 1619 had ceased to be a Territory and had, by means of an Act of the Frenzy, been admitted, in its entirety, into the Empire as a full and equal Demesne. The lands annexed by the Caprine Country through the Partition of Tapfer nowadays constitute the whole of the Demesne of Uppland and the bulk of the Opaeghian southlands.

Separation of Uppland and Opaeghia from Thalassa

In time it appeared to the Imperial Government of Natopia that the Demesne of Thalassa had become too large and therefore unwieldy and the notion arose to break the aforesaid subdivision up. It was decided to disjoin the south western portion of the Thalassian Demesne, roughly the area south of the Chancellorport-Frenzyville Line. From those lands two new territorial entities would be created: Uppland and Opaeghia. The former would be a free and full Demesne, the latter would for the time being a be a Subdemesne of Thalassa. Opaeghia had been chosen by the Imperial Natopian Government because it had once been - as the Imperial County of Opaeghia, the County-Palatine of Tapfer Æterna, and the Cape Cran Bay colony - an entity in its own right and was now restored, albeit with larger land holdings. Uppland was envisioned to become an important Demesne due to its geo-cultural location in the heart of the Tapferite Continent and its strong historic ties with the Storish Jarldom which is known as the Duchy of Port Chloe and the Providence Plantations. And thus passed the Frenzy legislation to the aforesaid effect in the year 1632 causing Uppland and Opaeghia to come into being (again).

Konungstekja of King Noah

Immediately after the Frenzy had passed the Act that created the Demesne of Uppland, the area's Chieftains and prominent Udallers called a Kjósathing, an ancient Electoral Assembly which had met anymore since the disastrous days in the aftermath of the destruction of Valtia when the the Upplandish Marches declared itself the independent Duchy of Uppland and elected Birger Hlidbergsson of the House of Ar Merer their Duke, to, in accordance with the provisions of the Caprine Code, establish their Demesne government. Meeting at the Tingvöll for the first time in thousands of years, it was first fairly quickly decided by the Kjósathing that their Demesne would be a Kingdom. The second Order of Business was the selection and acclamation of the King of Uppland, which took a bit more time to decide upon. Months went by in which a plethora of candidates were considered, and rejected. At the time it seemed that the discussions would last forever. To break the deadlock the High Priestess of the Sanctuary of Xydur, the senior Temple of the Caprine Ancient Ways which is nowadays known as the Temple of the Falcon and the Lioness, was asked by the Law Speaker of the Kjósathing to obtain the advice of Yggdrasil. When Her Eminent Highness returned to the Tingvöll from her visit to the mighty World Tree she told that Yggdrasil had very cryptically advised her that they should take as their king "the rindle ruler who was born in the water temple and is wed to the desert duchess and the mountain maiden". She furthermore advised the Kjósathing that she had come to the conclusion that the World tree was talking about King Noah of Elwynn, because he rules the Land between the Rivers, was born in the Temple of the Lakes, at Haraldsborg, and married to the Grand Duchess Noor of Goldshire as well as the Goddess Elwynn. Udallers and Chieftains alike were awed by the Yggdrasils words of words of wisdom of the World Tree. King Noah was fine choice indeed. As foster-son of the Emperor of the Natopians, grandson of the High King of Stormark, and grand nephew of the Emperor of the Alexandrians, he had family ties with all the major Tapfer Powers and therefore was the best political insurance policy they could wish for. Having been fostered at the Imperial Court at Lindström, Noah had also been prepared very well for rulership.

Full of hope the members of the Kjósathing send a delegation to Elwynn's Capital, the Kingly City of Eliria, where they withall due pomp and circumstance invited Noah to become the King of Uppland. To the utmost of their delight, he accepted and so he stood a couple of days later at the Tingvöll before the Kjósathing for his Konungstekja while the aforesaid ancient Electoral Assembly issued the following Proclamation:

We, the Jarls and Principal Udallers of Quality of Uppland in our Realm's Kjósathing assembled, do now hereby, after lengthy and thorough deliberations, with one Voice and Consent of Tongue and Heart, publish and proclaim, that we, subject to the provisions of the Caprine Code, take as Our only lawful and rightful King, Liege Lord, Ruler and Autocrat His Imperial-Born Highness Thorstein Noah Ayreon-Kalirion ibn al-Majeed bin Sathrati af Ettlingum Freyu, Prince of Natopia, Count of Storborg, and so forth: To whom we do acknowledge all Faith and constant Obedience, with all hearty and humble Affection, Beseeching the Lords and Ladies Divine, by whom Monarchs do Reign, to Bless the Imperial Prince Thorstein Noah Ayreon-Kalirion ibn al-Majeed bin Sathrati af Ettlingum Freyu with long and happy Years to Reign over us.

Given at the Tingvöll this Twelfth Day of Month Qinamu of the Year 1633 corresponding to the Eleventh Day of the Month Noatun in the Fifteenth Year of the Second Viking Age, and in the first year of His Viking Majesty's Reign! Leve Konungen!

Kingdom of Uppland

In the year 1637 the Kingdom of Uppland came into being as result of package of Demesne reform legislation which was passed by the Frenzy. The Act of the Frenzy in question caused a fundamental shift in the Imperial-Demesne relationship, from thenceforth requiring that in the event of the establishment of a local government is established by local consensus, the structure of the Demesne's new government is to be be submitted to the Emperor for approval by assent. Should the Emperor decline to grant his his assent to a Demesne's proposed government, however, the residents of such Demesne have the legal right to petition the Frenzy directly for its approval of the proposed Demesnial structure of government by means of a Resolution. It also abolished the Subdemesnes, but that was in practice a change in nomenclature only since Demesnes with Subdemesnes were merely being replaced with Demesne unions. The Act aforesaid also allowed for Demesnes to group together on more equal terms without giving up the protections offered to Demesnes, such as the ability to send representatives to the Frenzy.

The Kingdom of Uppland was created by the aforementioned reform legislation through the joining of the Demesne of Uppland with the Demesne of Opaeghia. This was welcomed with utter delight by the populations of both Demesnes given the numerous historical and cultural ties between those subdivisions, as well as the dream they had harbored from ancient times: being united again in a single entity, just like in the days of the Upplandish Marches.

Uppheaval

The Uppheaval occurred in 1663, when several Natopian demesnes, under the control of Thorstein Noah, entered into a state of inactivity as defined in the Caprine Code. The Imperial Chancellery duly initiated protective actions to keep the demesnes from falling into further anarchy. Sudden and unexpected political revolutions took place simultaneously in Uppland and Opaeghia. Uppland was entirely overturned and replaced by the demesne of Massat, while Opaeghia threw off its Vanic culture and its heretofore repressed Christian population took power. The political revolutions in the demesnes were, to the surprise of some, supported by the Emperor, who granted Assent to the new governments of Massat and Opaeghia, effectively removing the House of Ettlingar-Freyu from power and dissolving the Palatine Kingdom of Uppland.

The government of the Palatine Kingdom sued for restoration of its power in Natopia's Supreme Court, but the case has not progressed, being overtaken in any event by revisions to the Caprine Code.

The area is now governed by the West Tapfer Federation.