Lordship of Beaufort
Structure
The Lordship answers to the Konts of Angers, the current Dugs of Anjev.
The Lords of Beaufort hold their seat in Lakewatch and generally serve as the primary landowner for the region, with minor gentry and nobility serving as long-term tenants or lords of small manors and fiefs.
Culture
The Lordship prides itself on its peaceful, pastoral nature, largely spared from the historical turmoil that often roils Anjev and the Liger Valley. The presence of the fortress discourages raids and direct attacks, while the presence of more lucrative targets results in Viking attacks passing over the region. Despite this reputation of pacifism and tranquility, Beaufort has produced its fair share of legendary fighters.
Boules is popular in the region, with a dedicated public square set aside for the game near the market hall.
Public Agenda
Beaufort is uniquely situated to serve as a political chess piece. It is a small sovereignty, far removed from economic or military relevance. It does not control any particularly notable resources or trade routes, does not sit on any particularly contentious borders or strategic military positions, and does not hold any particular social clout attached to the title. And yet, it is located in the lush Liger Valley, well positioned along the river and in close proximity to both Per-Ys and major economic hubs. It holds one of the Royal Salt Granaries and a small, reliable agricultural industry in a picturesque valley.
As a result of this easy to manage holding, prime location and strategic irrelevance, Beaufort has been used as a appanage, a dowery or a political reward in the machinations of more powerful nobles controlling the favour and fortune of underlings and allies. Beaufort has been central to the fates of Akitania, Anjev, Gallia and Logres, exchanged for treaties or buying off minor nuisances.
Beaufort is a prize for the loyal, but not the ambitious. Few who hold its seat push for high risk or reward, and the region has a reputation as a picture of pastoral tranquility, a grand castle on the edge of a lake. Despite this, it has produced its fair share of notable warriors, such as Dame Ailin du Lac, Champion of the Knights of Maidenhead was born in this Lordship, as was Vivienne du Lac-Beaufort, of the Dragons of Dreger.
Assets
The Royal Salt Granary is located in Lakewatch, one of 1 such structures that controls the salt trade in Gallia and its vassals, bringing in both royal influence and a healthy income for its managers, the Lords of Beaufort.
History
For centuries, a lakeside motte-and-bailey castle overlooked the valley in which the Lordship sits. Around 900 SI, Fulk "The Black" III, Count of Anjev, launched a massive project to upgrade the castle to defend the region from Cenomannie, building the maze of tightly wound streets at the base of the hill to support the larger fortress.
In 1100 SI, the region was part of the Dower of Isabelle of Eculisna during her marriage to Albian Queen, Jeanne Sans Terre.
Demography and Population
Territories
The Lordship of Beaufort is a centered around a simple hilltop keep overlooking a lake.
Beaufort is located in the North of the County of Angers, bordering Cenomannie to the North. Kastell-Gontier takes up the entirety of its Western border, while smaller divisions, from South to East are taken up by the County of Angers, the Lordship of Précigné and the Lordship of La Fleche.
Alternative Names
Lakewatch
Founders
Government System
Monarchy, Absolute
Power Structure
Feudal state
Economic System
Mixed economy
Gazetteer
The most prominent landmark is Kastell-Beaufort, located on a hill overlooking the lake. The fortress, also called the Tower of the Eight, is a simple stone castle with a distinctive octagonal keep. At the base of the castle hill is Lakewatch, the primary town of the region, supporting a large market hall and shops in front of a large church.
A large convent of Sisters of the Black Order is located to the East, near the border of the Lordship of La Fleche.
Currency
Major Exports
Salt
Major Imports
Salt
Parent Organization
Location
Neighboring Nations
Related Ethnicities
Comments