The Falkenstein Empire
Introduction
The Falkenstein Empire was an elective monarchy which held authority over the city-states of Falkenstein. It oversaw the largest period of expansion in Falkenstein's human history.History
The Falkenstein Empire has its roots in military cooperation pacts between the major city-states of Falkenstein. Venturing into the frontier was risky and costly for individual cities, so they banded together to form group task forces of soldiers, mercenaries, and adventurers to venture into the wilds, establish outposts, and hunt beasts which were terrorizing the cities.
In 505 DR, the major houses of Falkenstein, primarily the merchant nobility but also other political and social leaders, convened to formalize their cooperation. They established an elective monarchy which had the power to tax trade, establish a military, and appoint political leaders in each of the city-states. After each Emperor's death or abdication, the aristocracy of Falkenstein would again join together to choose a new leader from among their ranks. This ensured that political power was really held by the most influential families of the continent.
Disbandment
The major cause of the Empire's dissolution was the increased concentration of power in the hands of a small handful of noble families. Almost without fail, new emperors would be elected from one of these families, and would prioritize the interests of their home city far beyond the needs of a greater empire. This caused other city-states, especially those on the frontier, to chafe under the high taxes and low support they were receiving.
In the years leading up to the Empire's dissolution, the merchant nobility clashed with the growing influence of the Imperial Legion. The Legion had gained significant notoriety and respect for its efforts to push back the frontier and establish strong defenses around the city-states of Falkenstein. The Legion's commanders had also begun to get involved in political affairs, stressing the need for the Emperor to spend more resources protecting the frontier and fewer on enriching his own city.
After the death of the last Emperor in 1016, these conflicts came to a head. Several of the frontier city-states threatened to break away from the empire if they were not represented in the next election, and with them would go the rich natural resources of the interior. The Legion advocated for inviting a new noble line from the Sword Coast of Faerûn to establish a hereditary monarchy which would, as they argued, better serve the needs of the whole. Eventually, it was agreed that the Empire would dissolve, and each city-state returned to self-governance for the first time in over 500 years.
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