Chapter One: Gotham City
"What is Gotham City? Gotham City is Manhattan below Fourteenth Street at eleven minutes past midnight on the coldest night in November."
Anthony 'Tony' Stark, quoted in 1964
With those words, famous industrialist Tony Stark summed up the heart of Gotham's image to the rest of the country, a dark, forbidding place that few, if any, would willingly go to. It is a reputation that has stuck with Gotham throughout its history, when it was first founded by Dutch settlers as a small settlement in 1652. A prime haven for furs from beavers and other animals, the settlement was dubbed New Nijmegen after the oldest city in the Dutch Republic at the time with the intent of the colony providing an outlet for the new nation's economic hopes in the New World along with its other colonies.
These hopes were to be dashed in 1664 when British ships took control of all settlements between the Hudson and Delaware Rivers to settle their claim on the disputed territory. The new name was given to it after an English village which was renowned for its fools, the name perhaps being an insult against the still large Dutch population in the settlement at this time. Despite this dig against the settlement and its people, Gotham rose from strength to strength over the next century, its position as a sizeable island just south of where the Delaware River met the Atlantic Ocean meant that it was useful as a port for inbound ships heading towards either the mainland or further up the river.
Over the next century, Gotham flourished as a centre of trade in the British colonies, taking in immigrants from all of Europe who looked for a better, and richer, life. The notorious corruption that would come to plague Gotham was seen to start at this period as smuggling soon became rife. So successful was the city that goods that normally would have had a tariff placed upon them were rife in their cheapness in Gotham. The smuggler Jeremiah Cobblepot, born a lowly son of an inn keeper back in London, was the most successful of such smugglers and soon became one of the wealthiest men in Delaware. Settling down in Gotham, the Cobblepots would soon become notorious in Gotham for reasons which shall be explained later. For the time being though, Jeremiah remained in Gotham and built up his standing with his family soon becoming one of the new money families that influenced Gotham in the years to come.
As the eighteenth century went on with Gotham rising to prominence as a port city, the tensions between the colonies and England steadily grew over the roles of taxation. In the aftermath of the Seven Years War, Gotham had become one of the major support bases of greater representation in Delaware. Despite the greater influence the colony had and a muted support for the eventual Revolution, it was the Cobblepot family who proved instrumental in providing the push towards Revolution. Jeremiah Cobblepot III supported the Country party in Delaware after his attempts to gain respectability with representatives of the Crown were repeatedly snubbed due to his family's background.
Using his family's immense wealth and resources, Cobblepot helped publish pro-independence leaflets that stirred up support amongst the populace. He was joined in this by a local young firebrand attorney by the name of Darius Wayne who was a staunch supporter of independence. With Cobblepot's wealth and Wayne's commanding oratory, they were both able to build up support for independence in Gotham, both sharing a mutual love for the city despite the differences in character and background. Darius Wayne offered a stark contrast to Jeremiah Cobblepot as the young man who had pulled himself up from relative poverty to become a lawyer for local interests while retaining his honesty, a contrast indeed to the smuggler's grandson who joined a cause simply because he felt slighted.
When the Declaration of Independence was voted on and approved by the Colonial Assembly in July of 1776, Darius Wayne was instrumental in drumming up a regiment from the settlement. Receiving funding from Cobblepot, Wayne founded the 1st Regiment of Gotham, made up of 500 men also commonly known as 'Wayne's Walkers'. This regiment soon joined the main Continental Army and would fight hard during the conflict, Wayne himself fighting with distinction and bravery in many battles. Although Delaware was subject to British occupation throughout the conflict, Wayne's Walkers and the 'Delaware Blues' regiment built up a strong reputation for the state as a place that held strong and hardy people.
When the Revolution ended with a victory for the Revolutionaries, Wayne and the remains of his regiment returned to Gotham to a hero's welcome. This was in time for a new form of government to take place in Gotham with the office of Mayor being created to help lead the burgeoning town through this new period in American history. The council which was made up of several of Gotham's most influential men and looked to set the tone of this new age with strong leadership. Unsurprisingly, Darius Wayne ran for the office, promising a new and better era for Gotham.
By doing so however, Wayne set himself up against Jeremiah Cobblepot III who saw himself as the natural leader of Gotham. This break between the former allies was bitter and would lead to a family feud that would last generations. A bitter election was contested throughout 1784 with Wayne trying to keep his integrity intact while Cobblepot was more than happy to besmirch his opponent's military record through utter slander. On the day of the election itself, people intending to vote for Wayne found themselves accosted by gangs of Cobblepot's hired thugs who made sure only people who voted for him made it to the ballot.
The election ended with a landslide in favour of Cobblepot and was the first major political corruption that would inflict Gotham over the generations to come. For many, it was the point where the Rubicon had been crossed as money and influence had overrode the voice of the people and justice. Corruption was now the name of the game as Cobblepot assumed office and appointed his cronies to various places of power and influence, assuring his domination of the rising city.
Wayne was forced to abstain from politics but returned to his law practice, refusing to leave Gotham despite his humiliation and fought for the interests of the common people as best he could. As he did this, corruption sank into the very political life of Gotham to the extent that it became ingrained into the city's very fabric. The election of 1784 set the tone of Gotham itself for the next century and a half as political corruption became a simple fact of life in the city, slow and insidious in its take-over.
Despite the setbacks he had personally suffered, Darius Wayne managed to build a steady law practice in the city and through the generations, it would be the Wayne family who would attempt to counter the city's corruption over the years as an extension to their feud against the Cobblepots but could do little to stem the tide. Unable to live in the city itself as he suffered from constant harassment, Darius Wayne used his growing fortune to purchase extensive property in Gotham County which he then converted into a Manor for his family to live in.
As the decades rolled by and the nation changed, Gotham changed with it, steadily growing richer and more decadent as Civil War became a growing threat. The debate over slavery finally impacted upon Gotham as it was one of the major stopping off points of the Underground Railroad. Darius Wayne's investments into property helped in this regard as the caves that were found around his property on Gotham County's coast served well as hiding places for escaped slaves before being sent north into Canada.
The growth of Gotham as a trading port would be vital for the Union when war did break out, Gotham City being one of the major trading stations that would see vital gunpowder supplies enter the country. Confederate sympathisers in the city actually tried to cut this supply line off with a concentrated attack on the ports. The uprising (Sometimes referred to 'The Battle of Gotham Heights') was put down in quick order by the Union commander in the city at the time, Colonel Nathan Cobblepot. Using his well-placed connections and a few handy bribes, Cobblepot managed to get his achievements listed as a heroic defence of one of the Union's most strategic locations when really, it was more a case of putting down a riot. Despite the shortness of the riot, enough damage was done to the government buildings that a general overhaul was called for. In stepped famous neo-Gothic architect Carlos Addams whose work would go onto redefine Gotham, giving it its signature intimidating look. Addams himself stayed in the city and his family would settle there, eccentricity and love for the Gothic style passing through the generations to the point where the Addams family became infamous for it.
After the war ended, Gotham (Officially becoming a city in 1886) continued to flourish economically, but remained steeped in political corruption. The first signs of organised crime were spotted around this period with the Italian immigrant communities in particular giving rise to notorious Black Hand gangs. From the end of the Civil War to the beginning of the twentieth century, crime in Gotham was slowly being brought under control by the strong Italian presence in the city although violence between the various families was rife.
It wasn't until 1904 that the tension between the various crime families came to a head and burst into an explosive gang war that consumed the immigrant communities of Gotham for six years. As truces were made and broken, men and women brutally killed and blood was being openly spilt onto the streets, the elite of Gotham City happily ignored the problem, reasoning that it was only the poor and immigrants who were being affected by the violence so they needn't worry. Only a small group spoke out for social reform, including various members of the Wayne family. But they were all roundly ignored despite their best efforts and the battles in the streets continued.
This arrogance and callous treatment of human life would allow the rise to a single crime family to become dominant in Gotham's underworld. Having wiped out all other serious contenders, the new ruler of Gotham's crime syndicates was first generation immigrant named Vincent Falcone. His rise to the top was marked with a brutality that even Gotham had rarely seen before with the massacre of the rival Maroni family standing out. Twenty members of the Maroni crime syndicate were killed in one night in several precision attacks. The head of the family, Luigi Maroni, fled to Chicago while only his illegitimate son Salvatore Maroni remaining in the city, eventually becoming part of the Falcone crime family.
His position secured as head of Gotham's most powerful crime family, Vincent Falcone built up his image as a legitimate businessman whilst using the heavily corrupt political background of Gotham to his advantage. Vincent Falcone died in 1920 with the Falcone family now cemented as a powerful force in Gotham. His son, Carmine Falcone, continued his father's work as he pushed for greater power and control over Gotham, backing a mayoral candidate that was in his pocket. This finally brought about the attention of Gotham's established elite who finally had to acknowledge that the corruption that they had so endorsed was now allowing someone else to take control.
Led by the aging Nathaniel Cobblepot, the old elite of Gotham attempted to stop Carmine's encroachment into their power but years of mob warfare made the resistance sent by the elite of Gotham look like mere child's play. Disrupting all attempts by the opposition to build up strong support for their candidate, the chosen puppet of the Falcone family Arthur Reeves (Up until this point a minor lackey on the Falcone's law team) was elected Mayor with an overwhelming majority in late 1920.
Now with a new major power in town, the Falcone family branched out, being able to even control the police force with Reeves planting men known to be corrupt into positions of power. Gotham's ruling class proved to be nothing if not pragmatic and consequently turned to the Falcones as one of their own, welcoming the family in with open arms. Only a select few continued to resist the Falcone emergence into the power structure of Gotham, the Waynes and Cobblepots actually working together on one issue for the first time since the Civil War.
This alliance would be short lived as Nathaniel Cobblepot died due to heart issues in early 1921, leaving his family to trim sails and survive without him. The only voices that spoke out against the encroaching influence of the mob were those of Thomas and Martha Wayne, two of the city's most eminent voices for reform. Thomas Wayne was a trained doctor whose practice went from the lowest born of Gotham to the highest families while also being the CEO of Wayne Enterprises, the city's largest employer. His wife, Martha, was also a strong presence in the meetings of political groups that called for reform and greater honesty in politics.
For the next two years, the Waynes proved to be the strongest voice against the rampant corruption, ignoring the constant threats against them by Falcone representatives to stop in their actions. In time, the Waynes proved to be the only voice many in Gotham that spoke for those left behind by the system to dwell in squalor. Everything they said antagonised the Falcone family further with even their stance against Prohibition making them an enemy for Carmine Falcone who was enjoying the profits the law allowed him to reap.
The pressure on the Falcone started to build through the efforts of Thomas and Martha Wayne who spoke out against corruption at every turn, using what influence they could to build a better Gotham. This would all tragically end on the night of the 26th June, 1923 when Thomas and Martha Wayne left a local cinema where they had taken their eight year old son to see a showing of Zorro. While walking through the (At the time) affluent Park Row, the Wayne family was accosted by a mugger which resulted in Thomas and Martha Wayne being shot and killed in front of their child.
The crime sent shockwaves throughout Gotham which resulted in a city wide manhunt for the man who had committed the crime. There was no success in the search however and the murderer escaped unpunished. This was the breaking point for many in Gotham as many spoke of how, if justice could be denied to the Waynes, what chance was there for them? All attempts to reform Gotham collapsed soon after the deaths of these two citizens and a sense of despair washed over the city.
From that point on, Gotham was a mob city. Nothing happened without the say so of Carmine Falcone and his organisation and the mob ruled over Gotham with an iron fist. For sixteen years, Carmine Falcone and his cronies feasted upon the riches of Gotham with the elite standing by his side, asking for patronage from the supposed King of Gotham. The cracks in the foundation of Falcone's control would start to show however when, on May 10th 1939, a burglary was interrupted by a 'masked man'. Although a low key event, it was the beginning of what was to come.