The Second Harimraj, colloquially known as Dhenijanraj, was the dominant political entity in Rahen from the 14th century up to the 16th century. It was headed by the Rajas residing in the Golden Palace of Dhenijansar assisted by the Grand Vizier of the Raj. It came into being when Ramapalar I ‘The Reunifier’ united the Dhenbasana plain and conquered most of the Ascension Peninsula, Rakhadesh, Dhugajir, Dhujat, and the southernmost parts of Shamakhad. Following the rule of Ramapalar’s grandson Shurapalar the Radiant, the Raj entered a long period of slow decline, and Dhenijanraj’s rule was frequently colored by disasters, internal division, and corruption in the bureaucratic architecture of the state. Several streaks of individual brilliance and good governance, such as that shown by the vizier Manava of the Bloody Claw or Hemantsen, the Last Raja, did much to reform and modernize the state and arrest its decline, but the death of Hemantsen and his sons in the First Battle of Ghamakrit led to the the dissolution of the Dhenijanraj in 1562, the overwhelming majority of its land falling into the hands of the victorious Jadd Empire.
History[]
Reunification[]
Ramapalar I rose to the throne of the Principality of Durasidheni in 1297. At that time, Durasidheni controlled most of the Rakhadesh plains and Inner Rahen thanks to the conquest of his father and grandfather. Ramapalar continued their ambition to revive the Harimraj by subjugating the primal harimari of the Ascension Peninsula, elephant lords of Dhugajir, and the people of Kharunyana delta and Dhujat. This conquest ended with the proclamation of the new Harimraj in 1312, albeit without much of the southern Rahen coast and most of Samakhad.
To better govern his new empire, Ramapalar founded the system of Prabhi and Senapti. Prabhis helped the Raja to collect taxes and govern locally while the Senapti were the more powerful lords capable of helping the Raja with soldiers in times of war. After 15 more years of rule Ramapalar I died and passed the throne to his son Ramapalar II of whom he shared his last 5 years of governance with.
The constant warfare before the reunification led to severe declines in population, leading to manpower shortages for both military and agricultural operations in Rahen. To alleviate this issue, most of the landlords began to import slaves from Sarhal to work their fields in cruel conditions. The ceasing of conflicts after the founding of Dhenijanraj led to several voices demanding better treatment or even abolishment of slavery. Ramapalar decided to not address the issue because of his personal stake on the much profitable plantation that filled his and the state coffers. This state of inaction breeds dissatisfaction among the slaves and sowed the seeds for possible slave revolt in the future.
Rise of Amtujsaat and the Bhuvauri Revolt[]
Ramapalar II was a headstrong and ambitious individual. Seeking to finish his father’s work, the young Raja set his sights on a final conquest of the southern cities of the Raghamideshi. The Southern cities were a collection of mercantile states united by common alliance especially to stop Dhenijanraj incursion into their territories. After a great victory in Shenral, Ramapalar II was unexpectedly killed in a small skirmish in 1333, leaving the Lotus Throne to his two years old son Shurapalar. Fearing a dissolution of the Raj and the return to constant warfare among the states, Senapti Goshar of the Golden Paw from Amtujsaat claimed regency for the Raja and took control of the situation. He negotiated peace with the southern cities and led the regency for Shurapalar, guiding the young Raja to become a great leader.
Despite constant concern over slave revolts, Shurapalar and Goshar continued the policy of inaction on the matter of slavery that their predecessors started. This matter came to a boiling point in 1355, when the slaves of the Kharunyana delta were united under a trio of charismatic leaders and rose up in what would become known as The Great Slave Revolt. The Bhuvauri (literally, “Free Land”) slave revolt was different from previous attempts at rebellion because of its sheer size and organization, and achieved incredible success. The revolt seized the great port city of Sramaya within the first few weeks of the rebellion and inspired many other slaves to rebel. With other revolts popping up across the Raj, the lords of Rahen finally took the threats seriously and began demanding immediate answers to the revolt. Goshar instructed the army of the Raj, led by Rabhidaraj and Endhuvi, to march towards Sramaya. Both forces met at Tanyatta and to the surprise of everyone, the slaves successfully repelled the Raja’s army. Shurapalar quickly sued for peace fearing the spread of the revolt into the Dhenbasana, focusing on quelling revolts in land still held by the Raheni lords.
Peace Before the Storm[]
The loss of the Kharunyana delta to the Bhuvauri badly impacted the Raj’s economy and trading activity. Despite all of this setback, Shurapalar’s policy of not pursuing territorial gains allowed much of the land to recover and stabilize. Shurapalar became known as an excellent administrator, diplomat, and philosopher. His reign was also widely regarded as one of the best periods of the second Harimraj after that of his grandfather. His son and designated successor, Vasipalar, died before his father so the throne passed to his cousin, Golpalar I.
Golpalar I reign continued his cousin’s peace and prosperity inside the Raj. As a scholar himself, he became a great patron of arts and sciences, building observatories and funding the expansion of the Hall of Endless Debate. Golpalar’s interest in scholarly matters over his administrative duties led him to cede more of his responsibilities to the ministries. This culminated in the formalization of the Grand Vizier, previously a de facto position, as the Minister of War and Prime Minister to the Raja in the Edict of 1396. Corruption among the ministries and the vizier became more prominent as many Rajas became preoccupied with other things like wars, disasters, or just general lack of interest from the Raja toward administration.
Brothers' War and the Smothering Sickness[]
Amanapurna I followed Golpalar’s reign with the most tyrannical rule that Dhenijanraj ever seen in their history. He executed his critics, enacted high and burdensome taxes on his subjects, and started a war to reclaim Bhuvauri lands. The Dhujat prabhis had enough of his rule and declared his brother Dalapalar as the rightful Raja, starting the Brothers War. Amanapurna and his loyalist side won the bloody civil war and Dalapalar was captured before being tortured and executed. During his victory feast, however, Amanapurna I was poisoned, leaving both sides without valuable victories.
Amanapurna II succeeded his father and began the process of reconciliation by pardoning all of the rebelling lords. Amanapurna II also started efforts for the reconstruction of infrastructure, demobilizing most of the armies, and cutting taxes to relieve the burden of most people. His reign however ended with the Raj impacted by another disaster in the form of the Smothering Sickness, which claimed the lives of the Raja and his son Golpalar II, who reigned for only 18 days. The Smothering Sickness killed around 20 percent of the population of Rahen. The Lotus Throne eventually passed to Vijayswanath I, the third cousin of Amanapurna II. Vijayswanath was content to leave the administration to his vizier and ministries and focused on building fortifications along the Raj’s frontier and maintaining good relations with the Ruin Kingdoms. Without an heir, Vijayswanath passed the throne to his brother Indranayar after his death.
Wars of the Vizierate[]
See the dedicated page for the Wars of the Vizierate for complete chronicle of the event
Indranayar I the Idle gained his infamous title because of his refusal to engage in governing matters. His reign was marked with rampant corruption among the ministries and the lavish lifestyle of the Raja draining the state coffers that were filled by Vijayswanath. He delegated all of his duties to the men around him, chief of them the young Manava of the Bloody Claw, the Senapti of Rabhidaraj. When the sitting Amtujsaat vizier died in 1438, Indranayar appointed Manava to replace him in an unprecedented move that saw the Amtujsaat viziers relieved of their title for the first time in 50 years. The elevation of Rabhidaraj into the Vizierate festered resentment among Amtujsaat that reached its breaking point when Manava’s niece Indira was appointed as the first female Grand Vizier in 1478.
First War[]
The First War of the Vizierate began in 1481 as a result of a succession crisis after the sudden death of Raja Indrapalar I. The rightful heir to the throne, Ramapalar III was deemed illegitimate by Amtujsaat after he continued Indira’s service as the Grand Vizier. Rumor began to spread that both of them were involved in a romantic relationship and that Indira conspired to murder the previous Raja to gain a more pliable man on the throne.
Amtujsaat and their allies, the traditionalist faction Golden Banner, met the Vizier’s army at Janandana, personally led by the Vizier Indira herself. Before the vizier could join their allies Pasiragha’s line, Amtujsaat catches her armies and kills the vizier. Rabhidaraj army was soon routed after her death and the battle was won by Amtujsaat. Amtujsaat later occupied the Golden Palace of Dhenijansar and deposed Ramapalar III in favor of his younger and more pliable twin brother Acay. Ramapalar was able to escape capture however and fled to Pasiragha, where Rabhidaraj and their allies regrouped under the leadership of the new Vizier Naranyar III. After the death of Indira, Shushuri of the Bloody Claw from Keyattordha and her husband Mahipalar of Babhagama declared war against Amtujsaat and brought their nations into Rabhidaraj ranks. The reinforced Green faction went on to win the battle at Nabukh in 1487, killing Raja Acay in the process. This victory ended the first war and ensured the continued reign of Ramapalar III and Rabhidaraj Vizierate.
Suhan's Praxis and the Second War[]
Amidst the chaos of the war, Guru Suhan began decrying rotten practices in Rahen, such as slavery, patriarchal society, and rigid caste system. His teaching, known as Suhan’s Praxis, began to spread from the Hall of Endless Debate to various prabhis and senaptis of the Raj. This religious tension sparked the second war of the Vizierate, as Praxist lords rallied behind Rabhidaraj which was more tolerant to the practice while conservative lords took side wth Amtujsaat. The second war saw the rise of Kitir of the Iron Stripes from Parusahan Saya, who led the Golds in battles. The war ended inconclusively with Ramapalar III trying his best to maintain the peace by balancing favors among the two sides.
Final War[]
The tenuous peace shattered in 1495 with the assassination of Ramapalar III. Kitir revealed that he fathers two sons from his marriage with Aysha of the Lotus Claw, the daughter of Acay I. He then pressed his sons’ claim to the throne against Vijayswanath II who succeeded his father and enlisted the help of his Gold allies. The Golds successfully deposed Vijayswanath II in 1498, placing the 6 years old Golpalar II of the Iron Stripes as the first Iron Rajas and restored Amtujsaat Vizierate. Rabhidaraj continued the fighting but was finally defeated in 1505, ending the 24 years of conflict in the Raj.
The weakened Raj received several blows from the outside during this period, such as the incursion of the Jaddari Legion and Bhuvauri into Raghamideshi coast. The latest in the series of disasters came when the Command invaded the Raj at Pordhatti in 1507, seizing most of Dhugajir resulting in the fall of Tiltaghar and Pordhatti Senapti and the loss of Tughayasa. The 24 years old Golpalar died of dysentery in 1516, leaving the Lotus Throne for his brother, Hemantsen I of the Iron Stripes.
Reign of Raja Hemantsen I and Rani Jira[]
Hemantsen was faced with a gargantuan task to restore the wartorn and corrupt Raj and prepare them against outside threats of Jaddari Legion, the Command, and Bhuvauri. He began enacting a series of reforms such as the modernization of the armies under the terms of the new Sashtabari Codex, disempowerment of the Vizier, and the reform of the ministries. He also elevated three new Senaptis of Tujgal, Amtujsaat, and Banjisbid to replace the two senaptis lost in the Command campaign and Rabaghekur who fell during the Bhuvauri incursion to the southern coast. Alongside him in his every move was his beloved wife Jira of the Enlightened Star. Jira was involved in many of the administrative and agricultural reforms that his husband implemented. Jira was also patron of the arts and of the Cerulean Campus of Durajaghan, marking her legacy in the advancement of Dhenijanraj culture and society.
The newly reformed Raj armies met their first test in the second Dhujat War of 1531. The Raj declared war on the Command that was distracted by their prolonged Bianfang campaign in the east. The Raj army proved capable and pushed the Command out of eastern Dhugajir. Fearing an offensive from the Jaddari, Hemantsen decided to not press his advantage and secured a favorable position against the Command. The Command returned the favor by starting the third Dhujat War in 1535. Despite some early victories, the Command is still fatigued by the Bianfang Campaign and the organization of the new Dragon Command. With great decision making by the Raja and his generals, the Raj was able to reclaim eastern Dhugajir, a lot of Dhujat lands, and western Sarisung.
Downfall[]
The death of Rani Jira in 1555 slowed down most of the progress that Hemantsen made. He lost most of his passion in life, and his subjects began to plot among themselves once again. When the Jaddari invaded the Raj in 1559, the Raj army moved to block them in the bloody pass of Shenral. The Prabhi of Ghundagar used this opportunity to incite peasant rebellions along the Dhenbasana river as a part of their plan to seize the position of Senapti. The Raj army was forced to abandon Shenral to put down the rebellion after the peasant successfully captured Sardipadhin. This allowed Jaddari to pass through and put Rayavashapal to siege.
With the fall of Rayavashapal and the Pasiragha Senapti in 1561, the Raja was forced to appoint Ghundagar as senapti to replace their ranks. Despite their success, Ghundagar’s action weakened the Raj who were set to meet the Jaddari armies at Ghamakrit in 1562. Rabhidaraj Senapti who were supposed to hold the Raj right flank abandoned their position and left them vulnerable for an attack by the mighty Jaddari cavalry. The Raj army was slaughtered and Raja Hemantsen died in the ensuing bloodbath. With the loss at Ghamakrit, the Raj was dissolved with Amtujsaat, Parus Panasur, and Umdaj swore fealty to the Senapti of Tujgal, who formed the Kingdom of Vanrahar.
Politics[]
Raja[]
See also: List of Harimraja
The second Harimraj was ruled by the Rajas who sat on the Golden Palace of Dhenijansar. The Rajas traced their lineage back to the Lotus Claw of Durasidheni with the Iron Stripes claim of lineage coming from Aysha, wife of Kitir of the Iron Stripes and daughter of Acay I of the Lotus Claw. The Rajas was sometimes also referred to as the Lotus Throne.
Grand Vizier[]
The office of Grand Vizier of the Raj was established to help the Rajas in the daily ruling of the realm with the Edict of 1396. Despite the appointment of the Grand Vizier being a prerogative right of the Raja, most of them just appoint the blood successor of the former vizier with Indranayar appointment of Manava being the exception. The Amtujsaat Senapti held the position of Grand Vizier from 1333 to 1438 and from 1498 to 1562 for a total of 169 years and Rabhidaraj held it for 60 years between 1438 to 1498.
Senapti and Prabhi[]
The feudal system of Senapti and Prabhi was created to ease the governance of the diverse Raj. The Prabhis were responsible for local governance and to collect taxes while the Senaptis were responsible for the defense of the Raj. There existed eight senaptis at any given time, with the senaptis on the onset of the Wars of the Vizierate listed below:
- Rabhidaraj Senapti, Grand Vizier of the Raj
- Babhagama Senapti
- Endhuvi Senapti
- Parusad Bhola Senapti
- Pasiragha Senapti
- Pordhatti Senapti
- Rabaghekur Senapti
- Tiltaghar Senapti
With the collapse of some of the senapti during the wars against outside powers after the Vizierate wars, the following states were elevated to the position of Senapti:
- Amtujsaat Senapti, replacing Pordhatti
- Banjisbid Senapti, replacing Tiltaghar
- Tujgal Senapti, replacing Rabaghekur
- Ghundagar Senapti, replacing Pasiragha during second Jaddari invasion of the Raj