History of the Prudentian Empire
Timeline
As the Empire consolidated it's control in the differing areas of Aerigia, Joaoia and Sachsen and Dresden; material flow became much freer and cultural exchanges were highly accelerated. Mines in the interior of Joaoia and Sachsen Dresden churned out iron for shipbuilding plants in Aberdeen and Aden, and crude oil in the Veldt Badlands in the south of Sachsen-Dresden highly accelerated the Prudentian Empire Economy.
For the next 427 years, the Prudentian Empire basked in all it's prosperity and strength. Prudentian ships sailed the seas of the Heartland and brought trade and settlers to other areas of the Heartland, and natives of the different cultural groups banded together, although sometimes uneasily. The many colonies of Aberdeen was formed at that time, and the Aerigians claimed Gabbiani Islands in the Carribean.
There were some recorded instances of riots and uprisings, such as the River Springs rebellion in 1646 which caused at least 2000 deaths. There were also many political prisoners and exiles that attempted to overthrow the regional dukes in favor of a Republic System. Those who have failed fled to current day St. Ryanesia and set up their settlements in the wild lands. Warlords and local duchies still fought brief skirmishes over control of certain areas, but most were quelled by The High Aberdeen and the administration of Aden stepping in.
In order to facilitate trade, roads and railways were needed to augment ships traveling around the Prudentian continent. The raillines, in conjunction of the lines that run in the rest of the Prudentian Empire, mostly ran along the coasts until the late 1700's, when tunnels and bridges were built. The tunnels that run underneath Mount Tamaranch and Mount Parker were built much later, with goods crossing the mountains having to resort to sea travel.
Pan-Aerigian Culture gelled during this time, orchestral music from the different parts of Aerigia intermixed and produced contemporary producers of Aerigian orchestral music. Fencing and Duels were also popularized, brought in from the Eastern and Harberian cultures and was used in The Great Houses to settle disputes at a high level.
The Culinary Arts were especially famous in Aerigia during the reign of The Prudentian Empire. With Harberian influence, the Aerigians sampled seafood and prepared them in different ways and spices. With the different cultural groups, and the large variety of ingredients brought in from Prudentian Empire colonies because of trade created some of the best tasing recipes and dishes that were passed on until today.
Commerce and Trade became prominent in Aerigia. East Empire Trading Company was formed in 1721, and today still operates a Department Store chain in Aerigia. In addition, The Aden Union Shipping Company sailed the sea of The Heartland and beyond, and continues as a merchant service today.
The Great Houses
In order to effectively manage the vast Prudentian heartland and coast, High Aberdeen and The Imperial Court of Aden decided to divide the rule of the Empire to individual Great Houses, which controlled certain areas of the Empire.
The Great Houses, historicans argued, was a brought over from the feudal system, fitted to conform with a ruling monarchy. In a sense, the Great Houses acted like political parties jockeying for their interests, with House holdings spread throughout the Empire.
Throughout the history of the Empire, there were as many as 25 dominant Great-Houses, the most five dominant being: Tong, Kurok, Vanier, Lau and Redoran.
Most great houses took advantage of the Empire's lenient laws on employment to hire many immigrant, often slave labor. Slave labor worked in mines, plantations, farms and Great House holdings and were not effected by any laws of High Aberdeen, as a concession to help grow the economies of the northern parts of the Empire.
