The Vosti Empire (Kresi: Vostijsko Carstvo) was a vast, multi-ethnic federal monarchy that dominated the southwestern region of the continent from the mid-15th century until its collapse in 1918.
For nearly five centuries, the Empire served as the hegemonic power over the lands that now constitute the Divine Republic of Kresimiria, Boskenmark, and the Republic of Kaskiv. Ruled from the capital city of Vost (located in modern Boskenmark), the Empire was characterized by its decentralized “Duchy System,” which allowed significant local autonomy to its constituent ethnic groups while maintaining a unified foreign policy and military.
The Empire’s dissolution in November 1918, precipitated by economic exhaustion and the rise of ethnic nationalism, created a power vacuum that directly triggered the Kresimirian Unification War. In modern Kresimirian political discourse, the Empire is viewed through a polarized lens: the state-sanctioned history of Blue Dawn refers to it as the “Prison of Nations,” while some intellectuals in Polograd and Dubica view the Imperial era with nostalgia as a time of economic unity and open borders.
History
Foundation and Expansion (1450–1600)
The Empire rose from the city-state of Vost following the fragmentation of the medieval Kingdom of Kresimiria after the death of King Kresimir IV. Through a combination of dynastic marriage and military conquest, the Vosti dynasty gradually absorbed the warring Kresimirian principalities to the north and the Bosken tribes to the west.
The Religious Settlement (17th Century)
The Empire’s longevity is often attributed to the Imperial Edict of Tolerance (1642). During a period of religious wars, the Emperor granted protected status to both the Sanctian Church (dominant in the northern Kresimirian duchies like Sinj and Severnivaraje) and the Pravoslavic Faith (dominant in the southern Bosken lands like Moraviskameja).
- Legacy: While this policy maintained peace for centuries, it entrenched the geographic and religious divide that would later fuel the Kresimir-Bosken conflict.
The 19th Century Stagnation
By the mid-1800s, the Empire was failing to industrialize at the pace of its northern neighbor, the Kingdom of Kruhlstutt. The central government in Vost became increasingly indebted.
- The Intellectual Awakening: Despite economic decline, this period saw a flourishing of culture. Institutions like Karlovac University (founded 1885) and the University of Dubica (founded 1839) were chartered to train a new civil service, inadvertently creating the intellectual class that would eventually dismantle the Empire.
Government and Administration
The Empire operated as a “Patchwork Federation.”
- The Duchies: The territory of modern Kresimiria was divided into semi-autonomous regions (e.g., the Grand Duchy of Sinj, the Margravate of the North). Local aristocrats collected taxes and administered justice, paying tribute to Vost.
- The Imperial Army: The one unifying institution. Officers like Dominik Loncar were trained in mixed regiments, fostering a sense of professional loyalty that transcended ethnicity—until the final collapse.
Economy
The Empire maintained a single currency, the Vosti Imperial Mark, and a tariff-free zone known as the “Imperial Common Market.”
- Interdependence: The grain from Ravna Skrad fed the capital in Vost, while the coal from Bistrica fueled the imperial navy.
- Collapse: The breakup of this integrated economy in 1918 caused immediate famine and hyperinflation.
The Collapse (1918)
The collapse was triggered by the Continental War (1914–1918). Although the Vosti Empire attempted to remain neutral, economic blockades and internal unrest pushed it to the breaking point.
- The October Abdication: In October 1918, widespread mutinies broke out in the southern garrisons.
- The November Dissolution: On November 12, 1918, the last High Imperator abdicated.
The collapse was immediate and chaotic. In the north, the Revolutionary People’s Council seized power in Sinj, declaring an independent Kresimirian state. In the south, the Eastern Pravoslavic Confederacy formed to secure union with the emerging state of Boskenmark, sparking the civil war.
Legacy
- Architecture: Many of Kresimiria’s most impressive buildings, including the Grand Library of Polograd and the Old Town of Karlovac, date from the Vosti era.
- Politics: The Imperial Heritage Party, a fringe political group, advocates for a return to the federal monarchy model, though they have never won a seat in the Assembly.