House of Hohenzollern

The House of Hohenzollern is a noble family and fief rulers of the Southeastern Elwynn Forests. They're thought to have their roots in the Kingdom of Alterac before settlement of current lands.

The noble House is known for their radical anti-theist stance against all faiths of Azeroth, as well as their distance from the political movements of the House of Nobles, preferring to focus on their own lands.

The Hohenzollerns were put into a temporary spotlight when on 618 K.C., Lord Duglias Hohenzollern III declared himself Emperor of the Hohenzollern State, in doing so completely severing ties with the Kingdom of Stormwind and creating a sovereign state. Both the State and uprising were put down six months later by a treaty between the Kingdom and the Hohenzollerns.

Lord Dunwell's Founding and Reign, the Era of Expansion
Around 470 K.C., Lord Dunwell Joseph Hohenzollern I (Then Dunwell Hohen-Revenold) founded his manor on the frontier of Southeast Elwynn. The founding was modest and Dunwell only ruled land comparable to the size of a Baronet's, consisting only one-eighth of the land the Hohenzollerns now control.

He was granted peerage on 478 K.C. by then King William Wrynn of Stormwind, and gifted the small counties of Southeastern Elwynn (Gloson, Reven, Ridgepoint, Forsonland, Greenveil, Bayreuth) to the now Lord Dunwell, expanding his lands to the present borders it is now.

Through high taxes and vigorous land management, Lord Dunwell's wealth expanded vastly. By the time of his death in 513 K.C., he was one of the most wealthy and powerful nobles in the region.

Sir Kuefur's Reign, the Era of Tensions
With the passing of Lord Dunwell, his first born son, Sir Kuefur Hohenzollern II, went in quickly to take the reins. Due to paperwork issues and succession claims by his brother, Kuefur was unable to become 'Lord Hohenzollern', though this was resolved as the brothers agreed on House rules of succession. It is unknown why Kuefur kept the prefix 'Sir' after the resolution.

Founding of the Hohenzollern Militia
Before Kuefur's reign, the Hohenzollern lands relied on smaller, Hohenzollern sponsored vigilante groups and occasional patrols by the guards to uphold the King's and Hohenzollern law in the land. As expected, this was ineffective and major drain on resources as the various vigilante groups demanded more and more money.

Kuefur both acknowledged and acted upon this. After a few years of tax collecting, buying supplies, and training, a milita of five hundred was officially made on the date of 13 December, 519 K.C.

The militia itself was regarded as one of the most advanced and disciplined military bodies in Elwynn by Stormwind Officers. This was attributed to Kuefur's high sense of personal and professional discipline, as well as his morals towards military advancement over the sword-and-shield tradition.

The militia continued to expand to replace the roles of the traditional vigilante groups and going as far to render the guards of Stormwind obsolete.

Clergy Conflicts and Excommunication
It was only a matter of time until Kuefur's anti-theist stance came to butt heads with the local clergy. In 522 K.C., the sudden demand of a church tithe caused Kuefur to banish most priests and clergy from his lands.

In response, the clergy swiftly excommunicated the rebellious lord and his House. Though in the end, this was a folly. Mostly due to the fact that Kuefur, or House Hohenzollern, had no standing interest in the clergy. Legend has it that the esteemed lord held a dinner as he received the letter, then cheering in delight.

This excommunication was never lifted, and is said to last to this present day.

Tensions with Stormwind
After the excommunication, there began murmurings that King Eadred Wrynn would remove Hohenzollern peerage, as well as return Southeast Elwynn to the various smaller lords and county system it had before it was gifted Lord Dunwell.

In response, Kuefur personally invited King Eadred to tour his lands as well as sporting the militia he had created. Though the King's exact report and words were lost to history, second hand reports stated that the King was "In minor shock" by the time he returned. Not only did the King let the Hohenzollerns keep their peerage and land, he granted them more independence by pull most Stormwind magistrates out of his lands. Whether or not this was by the request of Kuefur is unknown.

Hohenzollern Isolationism
From 523 K.C. onward, the Hohenzollerns grew more and more inward, focusing only on the management of their lands and resources. During this period was a time of economic growth and spiritual stagnation for the people under Hohenzollern rule. Many simply accepted Kuefur's iron fist when it came to law and enforcement, seeing as their lives were improving far faster then their neighbors of Eastvale to the north.

Lord Duglias' Reign, the Era of Gunfire
When the long reign of Sir Kuefur finally came to an end in 579 K.C., his nephew, Duglias Hohenzollern III, inherited the lands and position as Lord of the Southeastern Forests. Though he was not the first in line to inherit these items, Kuefur's siblings were already old, and he was the only male heir.

The Hohenzollern Army
On the 60th anniversary of the Hohenzollern militia's, Duglias announced the restructuring and upgrading of the original militia into an official army under the banner of Hohenzollern and the Crown of Stormwind.

On the 14th of December, 581 K.C., the newly structured and rearmed militia was officially mandated. At the time, one thousand men had fighting positions within the army, and there were over just about two thousand men and women altogether within the Hohenzollern Army.

In a show of good will and power to the Crown, Duglias invited the feeble and aging King Adamant Wrynn III to showcase his advanced army. On this visit, Duglias presented the '1st Hohenzollern Company', eighty elite infantrymen, as a gift to Stormwind's Army for their conquests abroad.

The army as a whole stayed under complete Hohenzollern control until it's dissolution in 618 K.C., after the Hohenzollern Rebellion.

The Hopeless Defense of Hohenzollern Lands
On 593 K.C., the First Orcish Invasion of Human Kingdom came upon the lands of Hohenzollern. Though the Hohenzollern army numbered three thousand and had the most advanced military technology and strategy, the sheer number and savagery of the Orcish Horde soon dislodged the Hohenzollern Army and put both civilians and military on the run. By the time the Hohenzollern Army reached Stormwind, half the force remained.

As for the Hohenzollern House itself, Duglias and most members of the House reached Stormwind's safety

Involvement in the Second War
After the sacking of Stormwind City in 596 K.C., the Hohenzollern House and Army went into exodus along with the many refugees of the Kingdom of Stormwind. After establishing a temporary base in the Arathi Highlands, the Hohenzollern Army fought alongside the Grand Alliance to push the Orcish Horde back.

Many Marshals noted the prowess and resolve of the Hohenzollern soldiers, as well the complex strategies used against the Horde during the Alliance Offensive. One Marshal was noted as saying: "Lord Duglias is a Lord to respect. Especially when his own soldiers take the blunt of a fight willingly."

The Return Home
On 599 K.C., Lord Duglias returned to his former lands to find it scorched and pillaged. Upon the return to the former site of the Hohenzollern Manor, he vowed that invaders would never cross into his lands without the complete and utter destrustion of the Hohenzollern influence.

Shortly afterwards, he hired craftsmen, workers, peasents, and farmers to regrow and rebuild the pillaged lands. He offered payment in the form of land, coin, and protection amid tough times.

By the time of 613 K.C., the Hohenzollern lands were green and filled with growing trees, as well as a growing and happy populace loyal to their Hohenzollern caretakers.

Radical Domestic Policies
Though outwardly, Duglias was kind and loyal to the Crown of Stormwind, within his own lands, he slandered the Kingdom's actions and policies, alienating the people under Hohenzollern rule. Along with these traitorous words against the kingdom, he introduced and banished many things that even Kuefur left alone.

Banning of Public Worship
On 603 K.C., in honor of Sir Kuefur's stance and decree on religion and clergy, Lord Duglias declared an all out ban on public worship of any faith, especially those of the Holy Light.

While the decree was met with external and internal resistence, only two clergy members were executed on the grounds of not following the Lord's decree. Much of civilian populace shrugged off the decree, resorting to private and secret worship or outright disbelief in the Light altogether.

Forced Conscription
In an effort to rebuild his army and ensure stability throughout his lands, Lord Duglias announced on 605 K.C., that all non-landing owning men would be subject to manatory six month service within the Hohenzollern Army.

The decree was met with heavy outcry by many peseants and even resulted in a brief decrease in population for a moment of time.

Though after the fog of outcry was lifted, the conscription actually provided a new level of stability to the region and bred loyalty into the hearts of the Hohenzollern populace.

Greater Hohenzollern Anonymity
As dark times were looming over the Kingdom in 617 K.C., with Bolvar Fordragon's regency came Lord Duglias' pursuit of greater anonymity from seemingly failing Stormwind Kingdom. In this time, he established an independent court to unhold his laws and decrees, as well as a so-called 'Hohenzollern Senate', a set bench of officers from the Hohenzollern army, major land owners, and Hohenzollern noblemen to draw and enforce laws on behalf of Lord Duglias. Such a senate had no real power, and was merely a show of power at Stormwind's House of Nobles, a gesture for things to come.

The Hohenzollern Rebellion
On 16 June 618 K.C., Lord Duglias, having lost complete faith in the regency's rule as well as seeing himself the only rightful high ruler of his lands, declared his lands sovereign from the Kingdom of Stormwind and himself the unchallenged Ruler of his lands. He threatened all who would challenged this claim, sending a dire threat to the Kingdom if they chose to intervene.

Many mocked and laugh at this claim, seeing Duglias as a nobleman who has lost a few screws in his head. An understandable judgement, as the claim was said to be pulled a few days later at the behest of Janette Hohenzollern, Duglias' daughter.

Though on 24 June 618 K.C., the Ridgepoint Tower was laid siege to, a show of force by the Hohenzollern Army and a message that their sovereignty was either to be respected or completely crushed. On the 26th of June, the tower fell to Hohenzollern forces, with the casualties numbering dozens for Stormwind.

From that day onwards, fighting between Stormwind armsmen and Hohenzollern soldiers continued on for six months with no gains on either side being made.

On 21 December 618 K.C., faced with low supplies and lowered morale, Lord Duglias surrendered to the Stormwind Army. On the next day, the surrender was finalized in a document known as the 'Winter Viel's Treaty'.

Aftermath
Though the document was long, it could easily be described as a humiliation to the House that fended off the might of Stormwind. Among it's terms included that all Hohenzollern statues of government be disbanded, as well the Hohenzollern Army. All Hohenzollern land was to be taken by Stormwind and returned to the county system of over a hundred years ago.

Though humiliated, the members of the House of Hohenzollern faced no trials of treason or execution, as per an agreement of the treaty.

Era of Anarchy
Between 21 December 618 K.C. and 12 March 622 K.C., the House of Hohenzollern was reduced to ten acres of land surrounding their manor. The manor itself was burned by Lord Duglias' order, due to shame.

Hohenzollern Diaspora
Many House of Hohenzollern members moved away from Southeastern Elwynn in favor of better pastures. Some charged their names and moved to major cities to work as craftsmen. Lord Duglias and the immediate family moved to a quiet, large apartment within the Mage Quarter, one of the few Hohenzollern members that kept their last names. By the time of 12 March 622 K.C., the House included only seven members.

Assassinations and Disappearances
During this time, many of those who were involved with the House of Hohenzollern or the uprising associated with them were killed or simply disappeared. Lord Duglias and his Marshals were among those killed. The whispered suspects of the killings were either SI:7 or Stormwind nationalists.

The Transfer of Power and the Named Heiress
After Lord Duglias' death in 26 December 621 K.C., his daughter, Janette, took up his peerage and title and became Lady Janette Hohenzollern IV. With this came the quick establishment of a line of heirs to the Hohenzollern seat, with the heiress apparent being Heida Hohenzollern, Janette's niece.

The Lobby for the Return of Hohenzollern Lands
Since the death of Lord Duglias, the newfound Lady Janette took it upon herself to restore Hohenzollern rule to their former lands. Though the proposals were met obvious resistance, the conflicts around Azeroth began to make the demand for soldiers go up. Seeing this, Janette offered to raise her own militia to take the place of the occupying Stormwind Army at her own expense.

The Verdt Agreement
On 12 March 622 K.C., the House of Nobles agreed to restore a portion of the former Hohenzollern County. The Barony of Hohenzollern was created, the northern border now straddling the edge of the County of Eastvale. The Agreement stated that the House of Hohenzollern could not sponsor for then one thousand troops or revive any of the under statures of government prior to 618 K.C., besides a small magistrate court.

Lady Janette's Reign, the Era of Reconstruction
With the House restored, Janette rebuilt a more modest manor on the site of the former one. With Janette's reign came one of reconstruction and innovation.

The Reestablishment of Hohenzollern Law
With a swift hand, Lady Janette quickly nationalized the local farms and business under Hohenzollern ownership, as well as reestablishing the Hohenzollern judical court.

The changes were met with surprising praise from the commoners reentering Hohenzollern rule, having saw the brief occupation by the Kingdom of Stormwind as nothing more then that: a military occupation.

Rebuilding the Hohenzollern Army
On 29 March 622 K.C, Lady Janette officially reinstated the Hohenzollern Army, with over nine hundred members rejoining from times past. With this announcement came understandable concern, to cull this, Lady Janette pleadged help to the Stormwind Military with her military might.

Banning of Public Worship; Renewal of a Decree
As a long stand tradition, Worship of the Light has always been forbidden within lands of Hohenzollern rule. Under Lady Janette, this rule was not scrapped, and reentered into the books of Hohenzollern soon after the refounding of the Barony.

Hohenzollern College of Higher Learning
On 6 January 623 K.C. WIP

Lady Heida's Reign, the Era of Uncertainty
WIP