Grand Duchy of Moscow (Principia Moderni III Map Game)

Grand Duchy of Moscow
Russian: *Великое Княжество Московское*
Translit: *Velikoye Knyazhestvo Moskovskoye*
Muscovy
Timeline: Principia Moderni III (Map Game)
OTL equivalent: Grand Duchy of Moscow
Grand Duchy of Moscow Russian: Великое Княжество Московское; Translit: Velikoye Knyazhestvo Moskovskoye; MuscovyTimeline: Principia Moderni III (Map Game) ; OTL equivalent: Grand Duchy of Moscow
Flag	Coat of arms
	Motto: ; Russian: Съ нами Богъ! ; Translit: S nami Bog! ; English: God is With us!;
	Green: Territory of the Grand Duchy of Moscow.; Light Green: Vassals or states of high influence of the Grand Duchy of Moscow.;
Capital; (and largest city)	Moscow
Official languages	East Slavic; Russian; Ruthenian;
Regional languages	Greek; Romanian; Lithuanian; Hungarian; Mongolian; Polish;
Ethnic groups	Russians; Ukrainians; Ruthenians; Lithuanians; Romanians;
Demonym	Muscovite
Government	Absolute Monarchy; Tsarist Autocracy;
Establishment	1283
Population
Currency	Ducat ; Zolotnik ;

The Grand Duchy of Moscow (Russian: Великое Княжество Московское, Velikoye Knyazhestvo Moskovskoye) or Grand Principality of Moscow (also known in English simply as Muscovy) is a medieval state of the Rus' and Far-Eastern Europe. Known for it's revolution against the Polish Lithuanian Union shortly after the beginning of the 15th century. With support from the Teutonic Order (Now Prussia) and a large portion of the Holy Roman Empire, it has annexed half of East Slavic Lithuania, and has a created a vassal previously known as Ukraine. By the year 1405, the Grand Duchy of Moscow has doubled it's territory, but at the price of it's vassals of the Principality of Ustyug which was acquired by the 1420s and the Republic of Pskov. Although, previously being a backwater state within Eastern Europe and home to the Metropolitan and the Curia of the Eastern Orthodox Church, it has prevailed through tough wars and exponentially reunited with their East Slavic and Orthodox brethren in the Rus' by the end of the beginning of the 15th century.

History[]

Origin[]

Following the Mongol Invasion of the Rus' in the late 13th century, the nation of the Kiev Rus' was unprepared, ripped apart by the hordes of soldiers that pillaged the region. When the century old Mongol Empire has collapsed due to the death of Toghan Temür Khan, the empire split, into five partitions. Due to this large shattering of an empire, many conquered states declared independence, leaving many cultures disunited, ravaged by the prime successors of the Mongol Empire. Paying tribute, weak, and feeble, Moscow was at first a small trading outpost for the Duchy of Vladimir-Suzdal, hidden in the woods, with access to the Baltic and the Black Sea through various rivers that cut through the region. As trade grew more common in the central region of Moscow, the city state began to grow, acquiring prime influence and power in the Rus'. Although still paying tribute and being pillaged by the Golden Horde, Moscow has prevailed and survived the harsh treatments of it's nearby neighbors. Eventually, it has absorbed its neighboring states, including Vladimir Suzdal, the first signs of the nation erecting as a dominant power in the far-east.

Politics[]

Governance[]

The Grand Duchy of Moscow is considered an absolute monarchy and a tsarists autocracy, due to the authority of the Grand Duke over the controlled region of the Rus'. Although living in a strict totalitarian state where crime is deemed as unholy by most, it is hardened together through national and religious unity for the defense of the nation's sovereignty and people. Since the principal foundings of the Grand Duchy of Moscow, the House of Rurik is the current royal family, who lives in a palace deep inside the walls of the Moscow Kremlin in luxury.

Foreign Relations[]

At first hated by most of central and eastern Europe, Muscovy has reset relations with many states across the continent after the destruction and separation of the large Polish-Lithuanian Union. This has resulted in the improvement of relations among many states, including the Archduchy of Austria, the Novgorod Republic, the Kingdom of Bohemia, and the Teutonic order that was soon renamed as the Kingdom of Prussia shortly after the war with Poland. With relations anew, trade agreements, alliances, and other pieces of diplomacy were extended. Directly after the Muscovite Crusade which many like to name it as, Muscovy has remained allied with the Novgorod Republic, the Kingdom of Prussia, the Romanian states, and the Pskov Republic. Traders from across the European continent, travel across the nation despite the harsh terrain and weather for rare goods exclusive to the far-east. Nations such as the Crown of Castille, the Kingdom of France, and the Republic of Venice have endorsed trade in the region in order to profit.

Grand Dukes[]

House of Rurikovich

Vasily I (1389 - 1425)
Dmitri II (1425 - 1460)
Vasily III (1460 - 1488)

Ivan III (1488 - 1555)
- Vasily IV (1520 - 1603)
  - Irina (1548 - 1633) - Casimir Szczuka III of Poland-Lithuania
    - Sigismund (1576 - 1661)
- Feodor (1524 - 1602)
  - Michael (1563 - 1638)
    - Ivan IV (1588 - 1668
      - Feodor I (1611 - 1693)
        Peter I (1640 - 1728)
        
        Ivan (1644 - 1715)
        Boris I (1669 - 1744)

Boris I (1669 - 1744)
- Peter II (1693 - Present)
  - Alexander (1720 - Present)
- Sophia (1698 - Present)
- Catherine (1700 - Present)

Military[]

The military of the Grand Duchy remains at approximately 80,000. It is also divided among the ground army and the navy. With an abundance of metals such as steel and iron, the demand for weapons and armor is virtually non-existent. Weapons and emplacements such as crossbows, bardiches, ballistas, onagers, and gulyay-gorods form the Muscovite military as a modern fighting machine.

The Imperial Muscovite Navy manages at least 60 ships, many of these are large Koch boats, Cogs, and Shitikis. All are equipped with small amounts of hand cannons, and a frontal mounted ballista.

Geography[]

The Grand Duchy of Moscow is the third largest nation in Europe, behind Novgorod, and the Golden Horde. Natural resources are an abundance to the large amounts of ore deposits within the Rus'.

Topography[]

Large numbers of rivers within the nation, allow fresh water to travel into the nation, making water an abundant resource the Grand Duchy.

With a border facing the Ural mountains, thousands of miners rally to the far-east in order to excavate resources such as steel, iron, and gold. Although only a sliver of the Urals are owned by the Grand Duchy of Moscow, miners excavate hundreds of tons of raw materials every annually.

The nation's capital, the city of Moscow, sits 495 feet above sea level.

Climate[]

Climate of the Rus' has been notorious for millennium, with harsh below freezing temperatures. Many newcomers to the Rus' are displeased by the vigorous winters.

Biodiversity[]

Large amounts of different unique species lie in the Rus', such as the brown bear which is only seen in the Rus' and the Carpathian region. The Rus' has the largest forests of Europe, known as "The Lungs of Europe" for their vast density and supplement of oxygen to the portion of the earth.

Economy[]

The large market economy of Muscovy contains a vast and abundant field of natural resources and materials, particularly metals and agricultural products. Greater political stability and larger domestic consumption bolstered the Grand Duchy's economy due to the Muscovite Crusade.