historical hetalia collective

like a city on a hill

These are the accompanying illustrations I have done for the @hetabang​ project. In this project writers and artists team up and create a collab. 

I partnered with the Talented @katemarley​

She wrote the fic “Fugue in A minor” Which can be read here:

AO3

We tackled the marriage of Spain and Austria when in 1520 Charles V becomes emperor of the Holy Roman Empire and the Habsburg house unites Spain and Austria. Below you canfind the illustration accompanied with a snipet of fic, but for the whole experience go to the AO3 page where fic and images are combined. 

A lot of historical research went into this on both our parts and all events, locations, clothing and furniture are painstakingly researched to reflect the time period. I hope you all will enjoy our work!

 “I need some moments alone with my consort, my partner.” Burgundy gave off an air of sovereignty as she spoke to her court who all accepted without question that this was business for the immortals to tend to. Roderich sighed in relief and let her steal him away into their bedroom.

 She was fussing at his outfit, straightening it and picking imaginary lint off the velvet before making him sit down on a chair in front of the dresser. She took a brush and took off his black beret to run it softly through his hair, obviously just to have something to do while they talked.

“Liefsteling, I think we should have a little chat before you and Antonio exchange rings.”

The priest produced a small dish on which Spain put a piece of gold, a piece of silver and a ring.

Roderich extended his hand meekly for Antonio to put on the ring, but then noticed something. The ring was of a German type. He wondered if this was Spain being thoughtful or him purchasing one at the last minute. Spain held up the ring and clicked it open to be two separate rings. To Roderich’s surprise, they were gimmel rings …

 Spain explained in a hushed voice: “Because we are both men, I felt I couldn’t just put a ring on you. We should both wear one. I liked these because of what they say.” He was referring to the words around the band, which he read out in horribly accented German: was Gott zusammen fueget soll der Mensch nicht schneiden. They were a purplish ruby and an emerald. Antonio carefully put the half with the emerald on Roderich’s left ring finger and then handed him the ruby to do the same. This was thoughtful of Antonio—had he come up with this himself or was this the council of Karl advising him? Austria was very aware of the new weight around his finger and his resolve to remain cold started to waver.  

“Augsburg.” Austria bowed on his part, anxious not to incline his head lower than she had. He could at least keep up appearances, if nothing else.

It was her who took his hand for the basse danse—almost imperceptible, but the transgression was there. She swept her eyes over the people that had gathered inside Aachen’s town hall: Most of them were members of the high nobility and imperial estates who wouldn’t have missed the opportunity to show themselves for Charles’s crowning and the establishment of the Austro-Spanish union alike. There were guests from other kingdoms, too, moving in the slow and elegant sequence of steps so characteristic for this dance. Not all of those people had come to Austria and Spain’s wedding ceremony itself.

Then a gentle, calloused hand cupped his chin and warm, slightly chapped lips captured his lower lip.

This really was no different to being with a woman, Austria thought involuntarily. At least so far.

Pairing: Velvet Pair, or Czechia/Slovakia Warning: Some bittersweetness, but nothing explicit. Summary: It’s said that if a couple kiss under a cherry tree on the first of May, their relationship will be a happy one. Czechia and Slovakia meet again under a cherry tree.

((OOC: This is a massive post I’ve been working on for over a year- it references Fiorenzo’s embroidered insignia from this post: X))

Fiorenzo: “I am so happy that you ask! Let me tell you all about the Compagnia Della Calze. The name means ‘company of the stockings/trousers’ because we wear special colourfull calze with the insignia of the compagnia we are a part of.”

“But I suppose the real question is “What exactly is the Compagina Della Calza?”. I’ll tell you. They are an organisation where all the rich young men of the city come together. The first compagnia was called the pavoni, the peacocks, but they were soon joined by Modesti, the Concordi, the Floridi and many many others. Because of my immortal condition, I’m sometimes part of one compagnia until it goes out of practice and then have to join another! There have been… between 30 and 40 over the years so!”

Fiorenzo: “Well- but what do these mysterious organized young boys do then? Well! We organize parties of course! The famous Carnaval, my annual marriage to the sea, marriage parties for our older members or for visiting royalty, we do it all! We talk to all the officials, get permissions, hire palaces- nothing is too wild”

Fiorenzo: “We’ll organize dances, banquets, horserides but my favorites are the theatre shows, we’ll hire actors but sometimes we also perform ourselves! High theatre like an eclogue, but also low theatre like a farse. My favorite is a good momoria. But it doesn’t end there!”  

Fiorenzo: “We also organize all sorts of maritime activities! An example is the Ragata storica, A race for the gondoliers.”

Fiorenzo: “But, I suppose that in the end, the main purpose of the Compagnia is… ‘to keep the city cheery’… and the city appreciates it. Our immortal lives are often heavy burdens, our choices not free, and we can’t afford to risk love. Safe from the love of our citizens. I firmly believe, that every moment we can, we should drink, we should laugh, kiss fair ladies and be merry! We live long but we can die in the blink of an eye. Forget all the pain- DANCE WITH ME!”

Want to learn more about the compagnia della calza? Check out these sources:

Academic:

X (Eng) X (It) X (Fra)

Popular:

Day 05: Build

Ambrosius: “long story short, I have rights to secular land and can appoint secular rulers. ALSO I can appoint bishops and you don’t.”

Karl: “I knew you were going to make it into an investiture thing. I KNEW it!!!”

Karl: “hey… wait a second.  

He fudges the numbers a little….

the ‘Donation of Constantine’ is a document forged in the middle of the 8th century. It recounts a story in which emperor Constantine is a staunch persecutor of Christians. Pope Sylvester and his followers flee into the mountains to be safe from the persecution. In punishment for his cruelty God strikes emperor Constantine with both Lepra AND Measles. The great Roman king is dying and his ‘court magicians’ tell him to bathe in the blood of a Thousand babies. On his way to the bathhouse Constantine takes pity on all the crying mothers and gives the command that they should get their babies back + an extra gift for the trouble and that he’d rather die from his super lepra than have all these babies die for it. That night both saint Peter and saint Paul appear to him and say that that was a pretty cool thing to do and a pretty christian decision and that he should go see pope Sylvester in the mountains. Pope Sylvester came down to Constantine and baptised him, curing him of his diseases. Constantie confessed all his sins and in gratitute gives to the pope: The city of Rome, because it’s so important to the church, a LOT of land, supremacy over the sees (A large centre of bishop power) of Antioch, Alexandria, Constantinople, Jeruzalem and ALL the worlds churches, administrative rights to all churches in the western empire,AND most importantly the imperial palace and all regions of the western empire, allowing the pope to apoint secular rulers.

Thus papal states was born! And Rome loved him so so so much- and gave him everything! And he was the favorite son ever! And they were so close! Much closer than Rome and that asshole Byzantium in the east. And so on, and so on. 

……….. No surprise that was a forgery.

Want to know more? Check these links:

“Gues who England? It’s your worst nightmare!”

For decades Denmark-Norway and the Dutch republic were in a theoretical alliance but in the middle of the seventeenth century it finally came to fruition. The Dutch aided the Danish against Sweden during the battle of the Sound in 1658, and now in return they have come to aid the republic in revenge against England in the second Anglo-Dutch war 1665 – 1667. 

pacific siblings circa ‘43: expanding the Alfred and Matt sibling dynamic to include Aus and NZ? let’s just say i’ve fallen headlong down this pit. 

It’s during the fourteenth year of Victoria’s reign and at the Great Exhibition of 1851 that she first meets her eldest brother. She and Jack had been restless, fidgeting in the formal European dress Father had stuffed them into. Alfred was less a brother than a few blurred memories amidst the bizarre smells and sights of London; a glint of blonde hair, a boisterous laugh and  total lack of deference towards Arthur. Not dead yet eh, old man? He’d become a little more real with the Great War, but remained distant. Unlike Matt, who’d been mired in the horror with them from the start, always a watchful presence by their side, eyes grim as he firmly crammed his extra rations into their hands.