Cotenshire
03-09-2006, 21:12
This thread concerns the society of Cotenshire, and is for those who want to know why my people do what they do. I am going to be adding more on to this as it comes to my mind, and questions are encouraged so I will know what needs more clarification. I will put a link to this page in my signature, and I may even turn it into a factbook thread later. So, without further ado...
A Brief Overview of Society in Cotenshire
The Salisbury Dynasty
Dukes of Cotenshire
1161-1187 Henry I "the Holy"
1187-1189 Richard I
1189-1237 Henry II
1237-1241 Henry III
1241-1281 Richard II
1281-1308 John I
1308-1314 Richard III
1314-1355 Stephen I
1355-1358 Edward I "the Great"
Kings of Cotenshire
1358-1373 Edward I "the Great"
1373-1419 Edward II
1419-1433 John II
1433-1441 Edward III
1441-1497 Stephen II
1497-1522 Henry IV
1522-1548 Tancred I "the Brute"
1548-1578 Edward IV
1578-1603 Tancred II
1603-1635 Henry V "the Pious"
1635-1637 Henry VI
1637-1659 John III "the Mad"
1659-1665 Humphrey I "the Heroic"
1665-1679 George I
1679-1685 Richard IV
1690-1720 Humphrey II
1720-1759 George II
1759-1780 Edward V
1780-1814 Richard V
1814-1843 William I
1843-1871 George III "the Androgynous"
1871-1893 Humphrey III
1893-1909 Edward VI
1909-1911 Richard VI "the Ill"
1911-1925 William II
1925-1931 (Interregnum)
1931-1965 William III
1965-1991 William IV
1991-present William V
Transportation
When methods of transportation are considered in Cotenshire, it is important to look at where the people live. For example, the cities in Cotenshire are very crowded, with families living in close quarters with each other. Businesses are mixed in to the residential areas, which means that all of the sustenance goods that the people need are easily within walking distance. If a city dweller does, for some reason, need to go somewhere far away from his home, but within the same city, most cities have extensive subway systems for them to utilize.
Private ownership of automobiles is very rare in Cotenshire, even among the rich. Far too expensive for the lower classes, impractical for the city dwelling middle class, and considered vulgar by the upper classes, the only wide usage of automobiles is for commercial shipping.
Among the lower classes, trains are the most common choice of public transportation. They are less expensive than automobiles or air travel, but they are still very costly even for the lower classes. Use of horse drawn wagons is very common among lower class farmers.
The favorite mode of transportation for the wealthy is air travel. Since air travel has still not taken off yet in Cotenshire like it has in other countries, commercial airlines do not exist. Instead, aircraft are privately owned. Helicopters are used for short trips, planes for longer ones. While some members of the upper classes hire pilots, many have learned how to fly their aircraft on their own. The prevalence of members of the upper classes in the field piloting aircraft is one of the reasons why being in the Air Force in Cotenshire is often compared to being a member of a cavalry regiment in medieval Europe.
Currency
Pound (£): Base unit
Shilling (s): 1/20 of a pound
Denier (d): 1/12 of a shilling or 1/240 of a pound
Mark (m): 2/3 of a pound
Gilder (ƒ): 1/5 of a denier, or 1/1200 of a pound
Krone (k): 3/16 of a pound
Lyrra (p): 4/19 of a shilling or 1/95 of a pound
Sports
The popularity of certain sports in Cotenshire are divided among the classes of society. Popular among the upper classes are sports such as falconry, hunting, polo, sailing, and horsemanship. A sport that is becoming increasingly popular now is aircraft racing, usually between nobles who own helicopters or planes. Among the middle and lower classes, the sports of football and hockey predominate. Neither of those sports are very recognizable to their real life counterparts. There are endless variations of these sports, and no real governing league exists to hammer out rules and regulations.
In Cotenshire, sports fans are known for their violent and unruly behavior. On average, 129 people are killed due to riots or fights that break out before, during, or after every football game. While it is usually only people in the lower classes that display this kind of behavior during sporting events, it is not uncommon for violence to erupt between members of hunts or players in polo games. These usually take the form of duels, since one’s performance in sports are seen to be intertwined with one’s honor.
One of the most infamous episodes of sports violence occurred during a football game between the Danish city of Rangerhus and the Norman city of Hasterleigh. The rivalry between these cities dates back to the very beginning of their existence, and there have been no less than 25 wars fought between them.
On the night before the game, a division of royal troops was called in to restore order after riots broke out between fans in Rangerhus (the city in which the game was being played) resulted in the deaths of over 2200 people. The next day, during the game, after the first few minutes of play, Rangerhus fans killed the guards and stormed the field, maiming every Hasterleigh player and fan that they could get their hands on. The heads of the killed were impaled on pikes and paraded around the city.
Only a week after the game, citizens of Hasterleigh attacked the city of Rangerhus in retaliation. The attacking army laid siege to Rangerhus, which held out valiantly despite numerous attempts made by the attackers to assault the walls of the town. Rangerhus was able to hold out so well because it was receiving supplies by ships that had come across the Ajaelland sound.
Forces from Hasterleigh were loaded on to boats and attempted to break into the harbor of Rangerhus, but the superior naval tactics and seamanship of the Rangerhusians enabled them to fight the attackers off. Militias from Rangerhus, with their knowledge of the surrounding land, were able to intercept and cut off fuel supplies to the Hasterleigh ships, which mainly consisted of motorboats and fishers.
Unable to penetrate the walls of the city, the Hasterleigh army broke off after four months and ravaged the surrounding countryside, burning every field they found. The starvation resulting from the field burning and economic collapse killed over 38,000 Rangerhusians.
Physical Map of Cotenshire from Satellite Images (http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/43609426/)
A Brief Overview of Society in Cotenshire
The Salisbury Dynasty
Dukes of Cotenshire
1161-1187 Henry I "the Holy"
1187-1189 Richard I
1189-1237 Henry II
1237-1241 Henry III
1241-1281 Richard II
1281-1308 John I
1308-1314 Richard III
1314-1355 Stephen I
1355-1358 Edward I "the Great"
Kings of Cotenshire
1358-1373 Edward I "the Great"
1373-1419 Edward II
1419-1433 John II
1433-1441 Edward III
1441-1497 Stephen II
1497-1522 Henry IV
1522-1548 Tancred I "the Brute"
1548-1578 Edward IV
1578-1603 Tancred II
1603-1635 Henry V "the Pious"
1635-1637 Henry VI
1637-1659 John III "the Mad"
1659-1665 Humphrey I "the Heroic"
1665-1679 George I
1679-1685 Richard IV
1690-1720 Humphrey II
1720-1759 George II
1759-1780 Edward V
1780-1814 Richard V
1814-1843 William I
1843-1871 George III "the Androgynous"
1871-1893 Humphrey III
1893-1909 Edward VI
1909-1911 Richard VI "the Ill"
1911-1925 William II
1925-1931 (Interregnum)
1931-1965 William III
1965-1991 William IV
1991-present William V
Transportation
When methods of transportation are considered in Cotenshire, it is important to look at where the people live. For example, the cities in Cotenshire are very crowded, with families living in close quarters with each other. Businesses are mixed in to the residential areas, which means that all of the sustenance goods that the people need are easily within walking distance. If a city dweller does, for some reason, need to go somewhere far away from his home, but within the same city, most cities have extensive subway systems for them to utilize.
Private ownership of automobiles is very rare in Cotenshire, even among the rich. Far too expensive for the lower classes, impractical for the city dwelling middle class, and considered vulgar by the upper classes, the only wide usage of automobiles is for commercial shipping.
Among the lower classes, trains are the most common choice of public transportation. They are less expensive than automobiles or air travel, but they are still very costly even for the lower classes. Use of horse drawn wagons is very common among lower class farmers.
The favorite mode of transportation for the wealthy is air travel. Since air travel has still not taken off yet in Cotenshire like it has in other countries, commercial airlines do not exist. Instead, aircraft are privately owned. Helicopters are used for short trips, planes for longer ones. While some members of the upper classes hire pilots, many have learned how to fly their aircraft on their own. The prevalence of members of the upper classes in the field piloting aircraft is one of the reasons why being in the Air Force in Cotenshire is often compared to being a member of a cavalry regiment in medieval Europe.
Currency
Pound (£): Base unit
Shilling (s): 1/20 of a pound
Denier (d): 1/12 of a shilling or 1/240 of a pound
Mark (m): 2/3 of a pound
Gilder (ƒ): 1/5 of a denier, or 1/1200 of a pound
Krone (k): 3/16 of a pound
Lyrra (p): 4/19 of a shilling or 1/95 of a pound
Sports
The popularity of certain sports in Cotenshire are divided among the classes of society. Popular among the upper classes are sports such as falconry, hunting, polo, sailing, and horsemanship. A sport that is becoming increasingly popular now is aircraft racing, usually between nobles who own helicopters or planes. Among the middle and lower classes, the sports of football and hockey predominate. Neither of those sports are very recognizable to their real life counterparts. There are endless variations of these sports, and no real governing league exists to hammer out rules and regulations.
In Cotenshire, sports fans are known for their violent and unruly behavior. On average, 129 people are killed due to riots or fights that break out before, during, or after every football game. While it is usually only people in the lower classes that display this kind of behavior during sporting events, it is not uncommon for violence to erupt between members of hunts or players in polo games. These usually take the form of duels, since one’s performance in sports are seen to be intertwined with one’s honor.
One of the most infamous episodes of sports violence occurred during a football game between the Danish city of Rangerhus and the Norman city of Hasterleigh. The rivalry between these cities dates back to the very beginning of their existence, and there have been no less than 25 wars fought between them.
On the night before the game, a division of royal troops was called in to restore order after riots broke out between fans in Rangerhus (the city in which the game was being played) resulted in the deaths of over 2200 people. The next day, during the game, after the first few minutes of play, Rangerhus fans killed the guards and stormed the field, maiming every Hasterleigh player and fan that they could get their hands on. The heads of the killed were impaled on pikes and paraded around the city.
Only a week after the game, citizens of Hasterleigh attacked the city of Rangerhus in retaliation. The attacking army laid siege to Rangerhus, which held out valiantly despite numerous attempts made by the attackers to assault the walls of the town. Rangerhus was able to hold out so well because it was receiving supplies by ships that had come across the Ajaelland sound.
Forces from Hasterleigh were loaded on to boats and attempted to break into the harbor of Rangerhus, but the superior naval tactics and seamanship of the Rangerhusians enabled them to fight the attackers off. Militias from Rangerhus, with their knowledge of the surrounding land, were able to intercept and cut off fuel supplies to the Hasterleigh ships, which mainly consisted of motorboats and fishers.
Unable to penetrate the walls of the city, the Hasterleigh army broke off after four months and ravaged the surrounding countryside, burning every field they found. The starvation resulting from the field burning and economic collapse killed over 38,000 Rangerhusians.
Physical Map of Cotenshire from Satellite Images (http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/43609426/)