Thursday, February 5, 2009

The Birth of an Imagi-Nation

What follows is the earliest history of the Duchy of Hefeweizenbach.

Hefeweizenbach is part of Greater Bierbauen and in the earliest references it is mentioned as the primary hub of commerce in the larger county of Unterfrappén. Sometime around 1031, Goodenfreud, duke of Unterfrappén, builds a castle on the site. It was destroyed by the emperor's troops when Goodenfreud’s son Goodenfreud the Unhinged rebelled in 1054. He returned to favor and was made duke of Unterfrappén in 1065, and rebuilt castle Hefeweizenbach. He was succeeded as duke by his son Gilbert the Crooked Nose. In 1083, Cube de Bouillon, son of Comte de Boulogne and Gouda of Ardenne, and nephew of Gilbert, inherited the duchy of Unterfrappén. He left no direct heirs upon his death in 1113, and his only brother, Dersquere, died later in 1126. A collateral heir, Lugar, count of Spielmachen, seized Hefeweizenbach in 1128. Bishopric of Dunkelberg retook Hefeweizenbach by force in 1141 following some form of land contract dispute dating back before Lugar, and the emperor confirmed the Dunkelberg rights to Hefeweizenbach in 1155.

Some time during the tumultuous Thirty Years War, Hefeweizenbach became its own ducal rank state within Unterfrappén as the influence of the Bishopric had greatly suffered during this time.

In subsequent study, more recent events in the history of Hefeweizenbach will be examined, including the ongoing animosity with the Principality of Fleisch-Spätzlestadt and the possibility of open conflict with the Grand Duchy of Erdbeerefelder.