Eichsfeld (The Kalmar Union)

The County of Eichsfeld, Eichsfeld, is a small constitutional monarchy in central Europe. It is a member state of the HRE. It borders Bruswick-Woffenbuttel, Brunswick, Stolberg, Mulhausen and Hesse-Kassel. The population around 90,000 and the capital is Heiligenstadt.

The Head of State is Count Bernhard.

The official language is German.

The currency is the Hesse-Kassel Taler (HKT)

History
First mentioned in 897, Eichsfeld fell under the rule of the Archbishops of Mainz and was listed as one of their possessions in 1022.

It would remain a fief of Mainz until the First Schmalkaldic War when it was violently and definitively separated off. It had already embraced Lutheranism and its monasteries plundered during the Peasant's War. Eichsfeld was subsequently secularized and handed to a cadet branch of the Hesse dynasty, also as a reward for the family's efforts during the war.

During the Fifty Years War Eichsfeld was almost utterly depopulated thanks to multiple invasions and plundering from Kalmar Union, Svealandic and Imperial troops. For a time it was absorbed by Hesse-Kassel but regained its independence in 1704. Immigration from the Rhineland, and Lutheran Francia too, helped rebuild its shattered towns, even with the momentary blip of being occupied during the Woffenbuttel War.

Eichsfeld is sometimes regarded as the geographical centre of Germany and in many ways is representative of much of it. It remains largely rural with modest industry in the towns.

Government
Eichsfeld is governed by a small single-chambered Diet with elections held every six years.

The current Head of State is Count Bernhard and his Chancellor is Frederick Sannemüller.