Quirinal Empire

The Quirinal Empire was a Gallish civilisation that emerged in the tenth century BU. It expanded to become one of the largest empires in history, with an estimated 50 million inhabitants and covering some 2.5 million square miles at its height.

Early history (964-318 BU)
The Quirinal Empire was founded when the archons of the city-state of Quirinum begin to forcibly unite the villages of Gallias under their control. The traditional date given for this by historians is 964 BU because the Quirinal conquest of the neighbouring city of Vella is the earliest verifiable event in this phase of expansion. That said, the process probably started earlier and it certainly continued for many years.

Victory at the Battle of Lake Reglum in 873 BU gave Quirinum undisputed control of Gallias and from there they expanded throughout central Evora, completing the conquests of Diutir and Ispalis in 767 and 641 respectively.

Around 500 BU, the Quirinal Empire made their first forays into Angeltir. This signalled both a shift in their ambition – moving out of the heartland of their empire – but also in foreign policy. The Quirinal Empire began to rely on regents to control more distant territory, relieving the Quirinal people themselves from the cost and burden of power while still benefitting from the wealth of new conquests.

Pacem Quirinalum
By 318 BU, the Quirinal Empire had reached the height of its power, controlling Gallias, Ispalis, Diutir, Angeltir, the Shell Islands, the Ausonian Peninsula, the Marches of Suisland and even sending forays into Jangala.

An era of peace (the “Pacem Quirinalum”) began in Evora and was maintained for almost two centuries. In this period, art and science reached their peak. Quirinal glass, for example, was perfected in 318, the Lodestar was built at Nentirum (modern day Fallcrest) in 292 and orichalc was used widely, even for the most mundane of purposes. The legendary siege dust, which fed the Quirinal armies for centuries, had been created even earlier than this period.

This period of peace and cultural development began to decline towards the end of the second century BU as the imperial administration lost its ability to manage an empire-wide economy, mainly because of the dynastic ambitions of a few high-ranking families.

End of the empire
The period of 150-50 BU was characterised by almost continual civil war and there were no less than 28 emperors in that time not to mention a dozen or so other claimants who carved off their own territories within the empire for various periods of time. The string of minor revolts in Angeltir in 102-99 BU is often cited as a typical example of the tension between the edge of the empire and its centre that existed at this time.

However, it is the appearance of the Sibyl of Amari in Gallias in 45 BU that is usually taken as the definitive moment when the end of the Quirinal Empire was all but inevitable. Historians and theologians alike argue that her teachings enhanced existing social, economic and political discontent, in turn hastening the fall of the Quirinal Empire.

In 12 BU, the Emperor Romalo Agathasium (then aged 101) moved the capital of the empire from its traditional location at Quirinum in Gallias to the more-defensible Guelmo in Ispalis. Within weeks of this move, it became public knowledge that the priests of the Quirinal deity Ornathum could longer cast spells or use granted powers. Moreover, Agathasium died without heirs or a clear successor, leaving the crumbling empire in the hands of a group of archons who were ill-equipped to deal with the task. These events caused a spiritual crisis in the relatively few remaining imperial loyalists and there was little resistance to the mounting wave of separatist movements and demands for regional autonomy.

The Council of Guelmo was held in 1 BU to finally settle the question of the Quirinal Empire. The empire was formally dissolved into separate countries. Gallias, Diutir and Ispalis, united by history, culture, language and a shared faith in the new god, Amari, immediately formed the Three Kingdoms at the Council. Other states, such as Ausonia and Angeltir, asserted their independence.

In 32 AU, the name of the ancient capital of Quirinum was changed to Charinton reflecting the vulgar pronunciation which had now become standard in central Evora. The traditional calendar system of the Quirinal Empire was officially replaced by the new Unification calendar in 36 AU. Despite these moves away from Quirinal culture, the legacy of the empire endures in many social, political and legal elements of modern society. The Convocation of Prudents in Charinton (48 AU), for example, affirmed the continued relevance and authority of the Lexa Quirinala as a way of regulating international relations.

