Bhalaene & Ghieste

[Thelandrin]

No one has ever explained how two duchies could each be so small and so close to each other, when the others are all widely spaced and have (or used to have) lots of provinces. Bhalaene and Ghieste seem to have had about 10 or 11 between them, about half the number of any of the other original duchies. Does anyone know why this might be?

[Dcolby]

Perhaps the other nations around the Ill fated duchies also gobbled up tiny parts, say a province each. That might account for the disparity. And even give an eager Ghoere a thin excuse for a war of reclaimation.

[AndrewTall]

If the land was good settling close together wouldn't have been a problem, while growth could then have been externally constrained.

More cynically, maybe both simply sucked up big time to Roele to ensure they got the prestigous titles - I very much doubt that the 12 duchies mapped exactly from 12 ancient groups from Aduria whatever the official histories say - alternatively if they were always that size, Roele may have had to give either neither of them the title or both of them and wanted to contain Diemed/etc by making them of equal rank to him.

Plus of course, population is the power determinant, and both appear to have been heavily settled compared to some of the geographically larger duchies.

[vota dc]

Cariele even with the lost provinces is quite small for a duchy: 5 provinces + half Puinol.
Maybe Bhalaene had the northern of Roesone (while Abbatour to Aerenwe and the rest to Diemed) it make sense,but is wrong since Bellam was under Aerenwe.
About Ghieste I think it was mainly a trade duchy like the current Cariele or Endier.

[Arawn76]

They may be nominal land grants not related to the value of the attached title. Perhaps the dukes of Bhalaene & Ghieste held positions in the Anuirean court.

It was not I believe an uncommon practice to grant great authority, such as command of the army or navy, to relatively weak nobles.