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Background[]
After the conquest of Hibernia and Caledonia by General Jacobus Zaragonus, who later became Emperor Jacobus, the trade networks between these areas came into question. The companies of Britannia chiefly Major Ferrum Britanniae, which was the largest Britannia Iron and Steel manufacturer, sought to give the Britannia government control of this network and to do this they would need a military post between all three provinces. The island of New Cyprus as it was then called was a perfect target and would prove not onnly a good source to control trade but also an impressive naval installation. The Britannia government it should be mentioned was almost entirely controlled by the Major Ferrum Company and their investments supported much of hte industries and politicians of that area.
In Caledonia and Hibernia their respective legislatures saw the way that Major Ferrum exchanged the good of the people with the good of their company. Many of the Major Ferrum leaders did not live in the Province of Britannia at all and most of the taxes levied in Britannia at this time were on the poor and not this large and wealthy company. The Caledonians and Hibernians were a simple people but they could see this and understood that the Province of Britannia was not free or glorious as it presented itself.
The Battle[]
The actual conflict on this island was not very impressive at first. It was led by Soletius Africanus, descendent of
The Island of New Cyprus circled in red.
Scipio Africanus, who lived in caledonia and lived there after he and Jacobus conquered it. He would gather strength with investments from both Hibernia and Caledonia and promised many of the men that were enlisted a land grant in these new Provinces. Hired by the Major Ferrum company was the General Lutetius Cimber who made a living off of managing the mines on the outskirts of Londinium. He was a General and had an army but it was not controlled by the government of Rome and instead operated under his rule independently. Lutetius Cimber was a tactics based man and had studied in the Military academies of Italia and Carthage. It is because of this that he was able to decimate the inexperienced men of Hibernia and Caledonia.
The Battle was an example of how divided the Empire was and General Jacobus, who became a Senator after the conquest of Calednia and Hibernia, remarked about how it proved the need for serious reform in the Empire. In response to this Jacobus and the Roman Legions moved in and put down both sides. The Island of New cyprus was untimately given to Britannia but there were serious changes in the aftermath. These would be the real definition of this battle and would be what is remembered in the future.
The Aftermath[]
Politically it was a victory for Britannia though the effects that Jacobus brought to the area would be effect it much more economically. The Major Ferrum Company was divided among its several leaders and ordered never to be reformed. This actually allowed each one of them to regulate the prices in a conference among themselves and make even more profits. Some of the mines were not given to any of these divisions though. Some were given to individuals which Jacobus wanted to reward for how they displayed their ability in the Battle to put down the two sides. These mines competed against the Major Ferrum offspring and their lower prices drove many of the iron and steel merchants to rush to them. The prices of the Major Ferrum mines fell slowly and the company known as Eboracum Chalybem Ferrum Magnum (or the Great York Iron & Steel Company) was beginning to take its place. The small individual offspring of Major Ferrum began to drift and the price of Steel (Chalybem) and Iron (Ferrum) in Britannia fell dramatically while the quality was improve as well.
In Caledonia and Hibernia the land grants to the soldiers of Soletius and Lutetius were legitimized and these several people would form their own steel manufacturers in these provinces. The Caledonians and Hibernians began to become one of the wealthier of the Provinces and Soletius and Lutetius went on with their lives. Jacobus, who was praised for his handling of the situation, became Emperor later in his life and it would be marked by many more achievements and effects that would change Rome drastically.