Montfort

Montfort is an administrative province of the Union of Acronian Kingdoms, comprising the Montfort peninsula and surrounding islands. It is the northernmost province in the Acronian Union, and the second largest in population at over 30 million inhabitants, behind Arcadia. Comprising six departments, Montfort's capital city has historically been Nantignes, although it has since been superseded in size by Defense, both the largest city by population in Acronia and Atlas. One of the 16 primordial states of Acronius, Montfort evolved as an agriculture-based province throughout the majority of its history, before abruptly transformed into one of Acronia's premier urban hubs with the completion of the city of Defense in 1946.

Nicknamed le Berceau de nos parrains (: Cradle of our Forefathers), Montfort owes much of its culture and identity to its one of its predecessors, the Kingdom of Montfort, and its ruling house, House Montfort. Adopted at its establishment, the province's motto, Les derniers à rester debout (: The last ones standing), is an homage to the Kingdom of Montfort's emergence as sole victors of the War of Seven States, after which the same very phrase was frequently employed as a slogan of the House and a sort of unofficial motto of the Kingdom. Much of the province's establishment process itself was overseen and set in motion by Maxence Montfort, himself a descendant of the royal house.

History
Although the province itself was established shortly after the inauguration of the Free Union of Acronius in 1904, the historical area of Montfort is one of the most historically-significant regions of Acronius. First traces of civilization can be traced back to the 7th century BC, although the area remained sparsely populated throughout much of prehistory, largely due to its harsh, cold climate. Largely isolated from contact with the rest of Acronius, Montfort's first influx in population came in the 1st century, when explorers from House Mistral from the historical area of Mistralie settled modern-day Point-du-Hoche, where they founded the town of the same name in 23 AD.

Exploration of the surrounding area continued throughout the century and the region remained a sort of colony of Mistralie, but the outbreak of the War of Seven States led to infighting within House Mistral, which eventually led to the Mistralian expatriates in Montfort to break away from their homeland, forming a nation of their own. Johannes I, a former House Mistral member, was proclaimed the first king of the Kingdom of Montfort, and Point-du-Hoche was proclaimed the capital city. Although it initially took no part in the War of Seven States, the Kingdom would become the newest target of the Gournesian Empire's expansion efforts, as well as an attempted re-conquest by Mistralie, both of which ended unsuccessfully.

The Gournesian Empire's conquest efforts eventually backfired, and the state found itself entangled in a two-front war against the Montfortians to the north and the Kingdom of Bruges to the east. After its collapse, Montfort and Bruges' forces confronted each other in battle over the ruins of Daujaille, the former Gournesian capital. However, the outnumbered Montfortian troops were not only able to force a stalemate in Daujaille, but also rediverted their reinforcements around Daujaille and sent them on an offensive straight into Gournesia's heartland, assaulting