Editing Alappuzha district (section)

===Feudal principalities during the medieval period===
The southern regions of the modern-day Alappuzha district once formed part of the erstwhile "kingdom of [[Odanad]]" (also known as the "kingdom of [[Kayamkulam]]" or known by the name "Onattukara"), which was later invaded by the [[Travancore|Travancorean forces]] in the year 1746.<ref name="feudal states in early 18th century Kerala">{{cite book|last1=Sreedhara Menon|first1=A.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FAlXPgAACAAJ&q=%E0%B4%95%E0%B5%87%E0%B4%B0%E0%B4%B3+%E0%B4%9A%E0%B4%B0%E0%B4%BF%E0%B4%A4%E0%B5%8D%E0%B4%B0%E0%B4%82|title=''Kerala Charitram''|date=January 2007|publisher=DC Books|isbn=9788126415885|edition=2007|location=Kottayam|access-date=10 June 2022|language=ml}}</ref> It was a branch of the ancient [[Ay kingdom]].<ref name="feudal states in early 18th century Kerala"/> It was also known as the ''Chirava Swaroopam'', where the word ''Chirava'' derives from the combination of two [[Malayalam]] words, ''Cheru'' and ''Aayi'', which means "a smaller branch of the [[Ay kingdom]]".<ref name="feudal states in early 18th century Kerala"/> It included some parts of the modern-day [[List of taluks of Kerala|Taluks]] of [[Chengannur]], [[Mavelikara]], [[Karthikappally]], and [[Karunagappally]].<ref name="feudal states in early 18th century Kerala"/>

The northernmost region of the district, which curresponds to the present-day Taluk of [[Cherthala]], was ruled by the "Kingdom of Karappuram" prior to the 1762 treaty that was signed between the kingdom of [[Travancore]] and the [[Kingdom of Cochin]].<ref name="feudal states in early 18th century Kerala"/> Karappuram was a tributary of the [[Kingdom of Cochin]] until 1762 when it was handed over to the kingdom of [[Travancore]]. The headquarters of the "Madathingal branch" of the [[Cochin Royal family]] was situated at Madathinkara in Karappuram.<ref name="feudal states in early 18th century Kerala"/>

South of Karappuram lied the "Chempakassery kingdom" which was also known by the name the "Kingdom of [[Purakkad]]" prior to the [[Travancore|Travancorean conquest]] of 1746.<ref name="feudal states in early 18th century Kerala"/> The kingdom of Chempakassery included the modern-day Taluks of [[Ambalappuzha]] and [[Kuttanad]]. The monarch of Chempakassery was known by the title "Chempakassery Deva Narayanan".<ref name="feudal states in early 18th century Kerala"/> [[Melpathur Narayana Bhattathiri]] and [[Kunchan Nambiar]], who originally hailed from the [[South Malabar]] region, were court poets of the Chempakassery kingdom at times.<ref name="feudal states in early 18th century Kerala"/>

[[Karthikappally]] was a small [[Feudalism|feudal kingdom]] that lied between the feudal kingdoms of [[Odanad]] and Chempakassery until the Travancorean invasion of the mid-18th century CE, which curresponds to the modern-day Taluk of Karthikappally.<ref name="feudal states in early 18th century Kerala"/> The southernmost portion of the district had been once part of the erstwhile feudal kingdom of [[Karunagappalli|Karunagappally]], which had been subordinate to the ''Chirava Swaroopam'' ([[Kayamkulam]]) at times.<ref name="feudal states in early 18th century Kerala"/>