Late Yophenthean Empire

The First Sack of Yophénthë, 840 AI marks the beginning of the Late Yophenthean Empire, 840 to 986, and ends with the Third Sack of Yophénthë with the pillaging and fire-bombing of the historic capital with an allied armada of Jaggudornish and Dewyddairsh sky tribes. Economic and ideological conflicts between the Empire and the Sky Peoples was likely the most powerful of stresses that battered and eventually overwhelmed the empire. Outlanders, human and humanlike, testing the vast frontiers of the empire, economic hardships, religious movements, the decline of the ruling Arathraciot class, and internal struggles for leadership all helped bring about the Fall of the Yophénthë and the Empire. Despite these changes, the Late Yophenthean Empire also saw expansion in the practice of Arathracianism, the founding and growth of some cities, and artistic accomplishments. The rulers of the period of roughly two hundred years that followed the Late Yophenthean Empire are known as the Yophenthean Successor States. The Arathracian religion underwent profound changes in organization and practices, ultimately surviving the violence and collapse, to be remain as the single largest religion in the Pallathantic Region today.

Government

The Dual Monarchy is characteristic of the Late Yophenthean Empire. The First Sack of Yophénthe brought about a transformation of the government. The leadership was divided into three parts, a religious high priest who was genuflected to and preserved the line of the ancient Arathraciots, the emperor, a figurehead who fulfilled the day-to-day court functions, received legates, and was himself of considerable Arathraciot blood, and finally a strong military leader who focused on the active defense of the empire. The high priest was kept continually on the island where he performed all the high ceremonies of the Arathracian Church. Even the Sun Emperor had to bow to him on very holy occasions. The Emperor maintained something of the lavish court of his predecessors during the High Yophenthean Empire. The senate was entrusted with ratifying the successors each of these persons. The military commander bowed to both of these figures, but had immense power. It was only his utmost reverence for the religion and divine origins of the Arathraciots that kept him from sweeping them out of their high and lofty stations.

Religious Movements

Several new religious movements arose during the Late Yophenthean Empire. Many of these were mystery cults with

One of the new faiths that came to test the legitimacy of the imperial religion was Incarnandism. Its beginnings in the second half of the eighth century did not have a remarkable effect on the empire, but sowed the seeds that saw many more converts in the ninth century. Incarnandists refused to worship the emperor and kneel before the image of the god Arathrax at the imperial courts of law. For these reasons and their belief in an all-powerful god who was to come and transform the universe, they were seen as especially subversive.

In order to increase the waning pre-eminence of the Arathracian religion, the high priest Cubhean issued the Edict of Culfarran in 867 which opened the Rites of Arathrax up fully to anyone, regardless of ancestry, who professed the tenets of the faith and came into submission to the Arathracian priesthood. The effects of this at the time were not as widespread as hoped, but scholars today believe that this was essential for the Yophenthean Arathracian Religion to become deeply enrooted in the Pallathantic.

In 867, Edict of Culfarran Errignomon

See Also

• Chronology of Asdar
• Early Yophenthean Empire
• Yophenthean Empire