Algazi League
þinaqor Algoðí Algazi League |
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| Administrative centers | Yazurum, Farigh | |||
| Lingua Franca | Middle Algaz | |||
| Type | Trade bloc, economic union, military alliance | |||
| Membership | ||||
| Establishment | 1503 | |||
The Algazi League (Middle Algaz: Sınaghor Algozi, Algaz: Sınaghar Algazi) was a confederation of city-states in Western Ekuosia established in 1503. Named for the Algaz language spoken by the regional elite, the League was formed in response to the expansion of the Kauzic Empire. The growth of the League's membership contributed to it's economic expansion, becoming a major power in the global economy in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. The increasing integration of the Algazi League culminated in its formal unification at the 1724 Congress of Eyadhan, establishing the Algazi Union.
History
Background
The decline of the Hafsighi Kingdom after 903 weakened the monarchy and encouraged the accumulation of power by nobles and governors; most Hafsighi cities were largely autonomous by the start of the eleventh century, with aristocrats and bureaucrats alike eager to expand their control. The oubreak of civil war between 1078 and 1094 led to widespread upheaval and instability across the former Hafsighi territories and the surrounding region. While peripheral cities such as Mırad and Adhar had broken away in the previous century, the breakdown of the last remnants of central authority led to the kingdom's complete disintegration, with all of the kingdom's major cities fully independent by 1094.
Though largely spared the catastrophic destruction around Hafsigh itself and the Lake Wadan region, the newly-formed city-states were nonetheless rocked by territorial disputes and internal political turmoil. While most of the original Hafsighi governors initially assumed control of their cities, most were overthrown by coalitions of noble families, who in turn began to fight among themselves for dominance. By the mid-twelfth century, however, these aristocratic conflicts had largely given way to tentative power-sharing agreements, which developed into the oligarchical and republican systems that came to characterize the Algazi world.
The stabilization of the region in the second half of the twelfth century led to the gradual renewal of trade. Aristocratic families, hesitant to break their fragile political agreements, monopolized trade and invested heavily in local industries in a bid to out-compete each other economically. Establishing trade posts throughout Western Ekuosia, Algazi merchant families built substantial mercantile networks that encouraged financial innovations. Much of the earliest recorded banking activity took place in Algaz-speaking city-states, with the first bank established in 1218 by the Paveyk family in Beghım, with branches in Letpahat, Tagra, Alesia and Agotasa. The oldest known insurance contracts also date from this period, predominantly from the cities of Mırad, Yazurum, and Nawaz.
Kauzic Wars
Formation of the Algazi League
Expansion and Integration
Congress of Eyadhan and Unification
Organization
Economy
The mainstays of the Algazi League's economy were trade and banking, with mercantile and financial networks extending across Ekuosia and down the west coast of Baredina, as well as Southern Miraria and portions of Northeast Boroso. Though the Algazi home region is relatively resource-poor, it was nonetheless a significant producer of several high-value raw materials, particularly textiles and salt. The coastal and northern regions also exported grains and fruits. Manufactured goods, particularly luxuries, ultimately comprised the largest and most valuable share of Algazi exports. While ships, carved ivory, and furniture relied on imported raw materials, others, such as alcohol, perfumes, dyes, and glassware were produced with largely domestic resources, facilitated by the League's policy of internal free trade.
The Algazi League's economic position was already vulnerable by the time of unification in 1724. The proliferation of joint-stock companies allowed foreign competitors access to capital that rivaled that accumulated by the Algazi merchant houses, who were averse to the idea of allowing even partial ownership to pass outside of familial control. While the Algazi League had been a pioneer of the commodities market, it was largely left behind by the increasing importance of stock. The absence of non-dynastic capital and investment was also a key factor, along with the conservatism of Great Families and lack of technological innovation, in the failure of the Algazi Union to industrialize.