Duchy of Bruuckzell

The duchy of Bruuckzell is a central duchy in the Kingdom of Wermania. They are the seat of the capital of Wermania and their people were the ones who unified Gatish.

Earliest mention (-15.000)
The earliest mention of Bruuckzell was in -15.000, by an Ushenese administrator. At that time, Bruuckzell was a small near Fer-anck's River, which was called the Nagra river at the time.

Growing into an organised state (-11.500 to -10.000)
The Bruuckzellians organised themselves into a union of citystates near the Bay of Bruuckzell. Around this time they formed their religion, which was based around a goddess of the sea and of harvest. Their religion, culture and language were heavily influenced by the bigger Nagra kingdom to their East. Around this time, the language of Franconian began being spoken.

Population crisis and conflict (-10.000 to -9.000)
Due to overpopulation, Bruuckzellians left their homeland and crossed the Nagra River (Fe'-anck's river) and settled West and South. Here, they came into conflict with the Aclians, a people who formed a small kingdom on the trade route between East and West.. Westward Expansion (-7.500 to -7.000)

Between -7.500 and -7.000, Bruuckzellians settled to the West, making Bruuckzell expand to twice its size. Nagra, being interested in this small state sent an ambassador to keep an eye on them.

First, Second and Third Nagran War (-5.000 -3.000)
A war between Ushen and Nagra about taxation started in -5.000 and the Bruuckzellians saw opportunity. They gathered an army and attacked the relatively unprotected rear of Nagra, taking massive landgrabs. A peace was signed after this war, which was later referred to as the First Nagran War. Around -4.900, the goddess of the sea and harvest was joined by the god of war. The Second Nagran took place between -4.636 and -4.327 and saw another Ushen-Bruuckzellian victory. More coastline was grabbed by Bruuckzell, while Ushen's sphere of influence grew over Bruuckzell and Nagra. The Third Nagran War took place between -3.147 and -3.130. In this war, the Bruuckzellians fought a long and hard war against a Nagra that was weakened by famine and internal struggles. Bruuckzell demanded that they get all the remaning coastline, effectively making Nagra landlocked.

Westward Expansion (-2.950 to -2.000)
Bruuckzellian settlers were encouraged to move to the West more, since the population was increasing rapidly. Almost all of the Bay of Bruuckzell was now surrounded by Bruuckzellians. In -2.148, the Kingdom of Bruuckzell was proclaimed.

Fourth Nagran War (-1.013 to -1.002)
Once Ushen retreated back behind the Great Divide Mountains because of internal matters, Nagra once again rose to prominence, not having forgotten their humiliation by Bruuckzell. They consolidated power again in their old lands and took coastline back. Bruuckzell, who was not prepared, suffered defeat after defeat. In -1.002 they signed a peace treaty signing away some of the coastline, because Nagra was closing in on the Bruuckzellian capital.

Fifth Nagran War (-978 to -975)
After modernising their army, Bruuckzell crossed the Nagra river, pushing Nagra back and taking all their coastline. After peace was signed in -975, Bruuckzell was bigger than Nagra for the first time in their history.

Colonising beyond the Iron river (-900 to -800)
Bruuckzell crossed the Iron river to colonise even more land around the Bay of Bruuckzell. They were now one of the major players on the continent of Gratish.

Conquest of Ogror (-700 to -650)
When Ogror tried taking over the Bruuckzellian settlements, they were surprised that there was a trained army ready to counter their forces. Bruuckzell routed Ogror. After 50 years of campaigning along the coastline and in the desert, Bruuckzellian forces took over all of Ogror, effectively making Bruuckzell the biggest kingdom on Gratish by size.

Golden Bruuckzellian Age (-600 to -320)
From -650 to -550, Bruuckzell went on campaign to take over Chuacia, helped by Ogrorian elite troops. In -550, the Kingdom of Greater Bruuckzell was proclamied, and the royal house that had been reigning since -2.148, renamed itself from the House of Franconia to the House of Bruuckzell. The armies sent to conquer Aclium were victorious in -480. The troops conquering Aclium clashed with troops from the Empire of Crai Plea, that was already declining. After a long and bloody war, the Kingdom of Greater Bruuckzell was victorious. While the main army was out conquering Crai Plea, the homeland had a surpise attack from both Nagra and Esmijan. Nagra had been slowly taking over territory peacefully from Bruuckzell since -700, to fund the campaigns against Ogror, Chuacia ad Aclium. In -600, Nagra had reached the Nagra river once more, but they promised not to cross it. A small army was put to keep Nagra in check. Nagra however was fighting in the East, expanding its territories. What Bruuckzell didn't expect was a surprise attack by Esmijan in -550, which seperated the capital from the rest of Greater Bruuckzell. By -500, Esmijan had conquered even more land, all the way up to the Iron River. Greater Bruuckzell had successfully integreated Chuacia and Ogror already however, and an army of Ogrorian and Chuacian volunteers, together with Bruuckzellian peasants attacked Esmijan. Fifty years later, they began the slow push into Esmijan, which went back and forth a lot. It would take untill -340 before Esmjian formally surrendered. An army saw that there were islands to the south, and asked permission to take over these islands. It was permitted and, while taking advantage of a war between Sturg and Uplana, the army started taking the Goran Islands, and overtime they annexed more and more lands on these islands. By -310, Sturg and Uplana were fully colonised, and united into a single duchy. In -350, a young Fer-anck the Great, at the time just a prince, led the invasion of a small kingdom around Lake Edrad. The heretics at the lake put up a good fight, forcing Fer-anck to spend much of his life on conquest with Edrad. In -330, when Fer-anck was already a king, he had conquered all lands surrounding Lake Edrad and left his brother to clean up the area while he went to check on the Eastern front, where war had broken out. By -360, it was clear that Nagra supported Esmijan in their attack, and Bruuckzell invaded. By -340, the armies taking Nagra realised just how deep Nagra had pushed into Ushen, and saw an opportunity. They moved into Ushen, declaring war on the crumbling Empire. In the South, Bruuckzelling forces had been slowly taking land from Proclain since around -350 and had taken it without much of a problem by -330. It was in that fabled year, -330, that King Fer-anck earned his cognomen 'The Great'. He led the armies invading Ushen and took the City of the Jade Emperor, destabilising Ushen completely. He sent one of his generals north, to attack the dwarves, who also were at war with Ushen. Meanwhile back home, a Nagran noble rose up, declaring independence. After a decade, most of Ushen was under Bruuckzellian control, and it seemed as if victory was inevitable. King Fer-anck went south to check on his armies invading present-day Wugrary.

Becoming Wermania (-320 to -300)
King Fer-anck, leading his southern armies, got into contact with the people of present-day Wugrary. Before what would have been a battle, he met with the enemy leader, who enlightened king Fer-anck, showing him the way of God. King Fer-anck called off the battle and was baptised on the spot. (He did not just make a bargain for easy land, I swear) After he was baptised, the Oswea-Wugrarians surrendered to the king, seeing him as a true noble man and a servant of God. For the rest of his life, King Fer-anck promoted christianity and by -200, most of Western Wermania was christian, except a small part around Lake Edrad and Ogror. In -319, the Oswea-Wugrarians formally surrendered. Not being done with his conquest, king Fer-anck returned to finish off Ushen and Fuflaussaukita, making them duchies of Wermania in the year -300.

After having finished his conquests, an old king Fer-anck renamed his kingdom to Wermania, and kept the name Bruuckzell for only the capital.