Lonenberg (city)

Lonenberg.png
Coat of Arms of Lonenberg.png Coat of Arms Logo of Lonenberg.png City Logo
Nickname: tbc
Motto: tbc
[[File:|250px|Regional location of Lonenberg.png|frameless]]
National Map	Regional Map
[[File:|250px|Picture of Lonenberg.png|frameless]]
photograph:to follow
Country	Royal Kingdom of Gotzborg
Duchy	Lonenberg
City Charter	tbc
Official language(s)	English
Demonym	Lonenberger
Government
- Type	Unitary authority
- Body	Lonenberg City Council
Area	Coming Soon
Postcode(s)	tbc
Abbreviation
City website
forum

Lonenberg (commonly known as Lonenberg City) is the capital city of the Royal Kingdom of Gotzborg and the seat of government of the Archducy of Lonenberg. It is one of the largest cities in Gotzborg, with a population of approximately 1.6 million. It is the focal point of the micronation's social, cultural and governmental activity.

History

It is estimated that Lonenberg was first settled by tribal peoples in the 6th century due to its position on the confluence of the Ardel and Landro rivers. By the 10th century, the lands north from Lonenberg to the mountains were given to the Archenfels Family who were minor nobles within the Grand Empire. At this time, the lands of Lonenberg were known as the Margraf of Bergreich. As the Grand Empire lay over the northern mountains, Lonenberg was effectively one of the Frontier Marches intended to provide a buffer zone and protection to the Empire’s southern border. Lonenberg itself was not originally chosen as the seat of the Archenfels fief, but Lonenberg was the southernmost bastion and the first that would need to be taken by an aggressor intent on attacking the Empire.

Starting in the mid 1100’s, Lonenberg was built up as a walled and fortified city, its two concentric rings surrounding the City’s core, which lay north of the confluence. By the middle of the eleventh century is when old writings first refer to Lonenberg as a city and by 1193 the city became the seat of the Margraffen.

As the city grew somewhat as a conduit between the Plains Baronies of the southwest and the Independent Duchies of the southeast to the Grand Empire, Lonenberg became a stopping point on the trade routes over the mountains north. By 1230 the Emperor granted Lonenberg the rights of a full city and along with this came the right to tax within the city in addition to the formation of official guild halls and trade markets. Lonenberg grew during this period due to its importance as the most southern city of the Grand Empire.

In 1424 the overall importance of Bergreich had declined, the threats to the Grand Empire were not coming from the south anymore and the general decay of the Emperor’s power and authority had begun to decline. 1493 saw the last Margraffen Archenfels pass away without an heir and Bergreich passed to the Reichlau Family, who quickly consolidated power in the region and not wanting its capital to fall to the predations of surrounding fiefs, expanded southward to the borders known today. The change of the Margraf from Bergreich to Lonenberg occurred in 1516 and was the first of many issues which brought Lonenberg into conflict with the Empire.

Politicking and court intrigue were the name of the game over the next 80 years as the dark times of the middle ages saw the rise and fall of many an Imperial Archduke, Minister, Marshal and even Emperor. Margraffen Geothar Reichlau, can be considered a master at this intrigue and although he spent many years managing affairs in the Empire, he constructed the first iteration of Lonenberg Palace and re-designed some of the boulevards and streets leading out from the Plaza as a means to impress his fellow Margraffs and Imperial visitors. Geothar’s machinations culminated in Lonenberg being raised to a Grand Duchy in 1564.

Lonenberg suffered and weathered major attacks upon its walls in 1535 and 1675 and stopped a major invasion from the Grand Empire at its gates in 1694.

By the late 16th century the City continued to play increasingly greater roles in continental politics as the dark ages shrunk away. Lonenberg City was one of the more politically powerful Imperial fiefs even though participation in the Empire’s activities were non-existent. Many of the surrounding Frontier Marches, the Empire’s hold over them as well loosened over the decades had turned them into an autonomous group of ‘Robber Kingdoms’ and they operated for many years preying upon trade and their surrounding fiefs.

At the opening of the 17th Century, the lands of Lonenberg and the Robber Kingdoms, the Mountain Marches to the southwest and the Coastal Marks to the southeast had found themselves surrounded on three sides by the Grand Empire, Novan States and the Kingdom of Anthelion. Rising tensions between the three big nations finally broke in 1606 and the battlegrounds became the fiefs, marks and counties (over most of what is modern Gotzborg).

Lonenberg hosted a peace conference in 1695 after the defeat of the Grand Empire’s forces intent on reclaiming their petulant Frontier Marches, however after their loss, the Grand Empire could not effectively bring Lonenberg back into their fold. It still took until 1700 before the last of the conflicts ended throughout the continent.

The 1703 signing of the Dundam Agreement between the Seven Nations further solidified Lonenberg as a leader of the Seven and the growth of the city’s trade and cultural aspects ballooned. War however was never far away and the Dundam agreement again wakened the big nations against what they rightly saw as the coalescing of a new state and the looming change to the balance of power would significantly alter their own powers in the region.

The Grand Empire staged another attempt at taking Lonenberg City again in 1704 however a bitter winter and a difficult passage over the mountains had significantly weakened their army enough that they were easily defeated before reaching the walls of the City.

1705 brought the end of the war and in 1706, Lonenberg City hosted the crowning of its first King, Charles I, effectively bringing the city into its Royal Age.

Lonenberg City was declared capital of the new Royal Kingdom and continued to play a major role in continental politics, including hosting the 1821 Lonenberg Royal Congress and the 1843 Gotzborg Industrial Fair. The city remained capital of the Royal Kingdom after the King became Archduke of Reichlau, foregoing immense pressure to reassign the capital to Reichstadt. The city remained throughout the 19th century a centre for classical music, art and museums.

During the latter half of the 19th century, the city re-developed the former fortifications surrounding what had become the ‘Old City’ into boulevards and a series of circular roads which united the Old City from the New City.