Duchy of Sheringhamshire

The Duchy of Sheringhamshire is ruled - as the name suggests - by a duke, a duke of House Black to be precise. The Black's are former vassals of the old House Shering, that rebelled, took over the duchy and massacred the remaining members of House Shering. The duke is aided in their rule by their spouse and their Castellan (a form of advisor). Duke's and duchess' have less control of their land as they once did, with the King and Parliament having absolute authority over them, however, they still have direct authority over much of their realm.

When the Leudran's first landed on the island of Altesland, the other great houses were none too happy with serving House Weston, who had oft been thought of as the least noble of the houses (with it being the most recent to have been founded at the time, and by a simple fisherman turned knight no less) and so they all set off into these new lands to found their own nations. Lord Hugh Shering took his people and four other families (House Schmidt, House Ludendorf, House Geller and House von Cardst) north towards the Frozen Sea. There they settled and established the city of Sheringham. For eight centuries the Sherings ruled, constantly staving off invasions from Ostenshire. However, as time went on House Shering became ever weaker and their heirs ever more incapable (as incest was a common thing within the family). This all climaxed when the duchy lost near on three-quaters of their army in the Battle of Kade's Ford. Their most powerful vassal and closest advisors, House Black were none too impressed with their liege lords, seeing them as incapable, incestuous monstrosities. And so Count Cade Black declared a rebellion. One House von Cardst remained by the side of the king, and so the rebellion was a swift success. When House Black's forces stormed the dukes palace, they rounded up all of House Shering and tore through them with crossbow bolts. Cade Black's son Godfrey, was crowned Duke as his father had died during the Siege of Shering. This led to two hundred years of prosperity for the duchy, as unlike House Shering, who were old-fashioned and conservative, House Black were very open to revolutionizing their duchy, with the recent cultural shift taking place in Ostenshire making its way quickly through Sheringhamshire as well. This has in turn allowed them to expand their territory and influence within Altesland, becoming close allies with House Weston of Ostenshire.