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Margirhaedeyja
Timeline: The Kalmar Union
Subdivision of Álengiamark
Flag Coat of Arms
Flag Coat of Arms
Capital
(and largest city)
Kristjanaborg
Population 2,174,850 

Margirhaedeyja is the central Fylk of Álengiamark's five contiguous fylke. It borders Sudervik to the east and Unamiland to the south. Langaeyjar lies just to the south-east across the Austorass. It has international borders with Kanienmark, Six Nations and Aniyunwiya.

The population is 2,174,850 and the capital is Kristjanaborg.

History[]

Created for Queen Dogg's half-brother Karl, the earldom of Margirhaedeyja was almost immediately thrown into an attritional war with the Leifian hinterland and its 'Unami' inhabitants. Close association with the Earls of Quiripiland helped stop these attacks from penetrating too far into the Álengsk heartlands but their increasingly vocal calls for assistance from the rest of the Álengsk earls would often fall on deaf ears.

When Álengiamark was conquered by the armies of Aniyunwiya in the 13th century Margirhaedeyja and various related march-lands expanded their reach considerably to the west and north, however to maintain their hold on the land a vast number of castles and forts were built. It is not for nothing that the crest of Margirhaedeyja is a fortress. This castle-building (and general legacy of Aniyunwiyan government) left much of the area in a state of serfdom, a sharp contrast to the free farmers of Sudervik. This process secured the earls' manpower and taxation when in other parts of the country both burdens could be keenly disputed by the free farmers.

In 1754 during the fylk reforms of Queen Herridr I what was left of the earldoms of Margirhaedeyja and Quiripiland were united alongside all Royal Domain land directly west of the Kanien'gehaga River. Herridr I and the Althing were forced to apply far more pressure on the earls than had been used elsewhere in the country and the reform effectively stripped the Earl of Margirhaedeyja of much of his land and power. Though it would take several years for agreements with the remaining independent cities to be concluded the reforms to the area's government had immediate consequences. Land previously owned by the earls was freed by the new fylkthing and made available for free farming. This relieved pressure on the larger cities of the coast and allowed much of the tameable land of the interior to be parcelled up and farmed. The emancipation of the remaining serfs was completed by Herridr I's successor, Margrjet, although in practice the populace was now bonded to the district (answerable to the Fylkthing) rather than estates. This in turn would be abolished during Elin VIII's reign.

The mineral wealth of Margirhaedeyja would soon be exploited alongside its renewed agricultural potential with canals, and then railways, stretching westward from the Kanien'gehaga River to the coalfields of the hilly interior. The booming city of Kristjanaborg is tipped to be the largest city in non-Mexic Leifia within a few decades and it dominates the economy of Margirhaedeyja. Its wealthy families are now in the process of buying and renovating the multitude of castles around the area.

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