Spengwald
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Federal Republic of Spengwald Åvestu Lovıkósyo Sımfenðéqıs Spandavaltıs (ÅLSS), 𑁱𑀯𑁃𑀲𑀢𑀼 𑀮𑁅𑀯𑀻𑀓𑁅𑀁𑀲𑀬𑁅 𑀲𑀿𑀪𑁃𑀦𑀥𑁃𑀁𑀶𑀺𑀲 𑀲𑀧𑁆𑀦𑀤𑁆𑀯𑁆𑀮𑀢𑀺𑀲 (𑁱𑀮𑀲𑀲) (Spengwalden) Capital: Nevehraɋdya
Population: 10,886,316 (2021) Motto: "Sıveneyıhteqıtéx Qelčımnımós, Feqıvexıteqıtéx Insemčımnımós", "𑀲𑀺𑀯𑁃𑀦𑁃𑀬𑀹𑀢𑁃𑀶𑀺𑀢𑁃𑀁𑀷 𑀶𑁃𑀮𑀙𑀿𑀦𑀺𑀫𑁅𑀁𑀲 𑁉 𑀪𑁃𑀶𑀺𑀯𑁃𑀷𑀺𑀢𑁃𑀶𑀺𑀢𑁃𑀁𑀷 𑀎𑀲𑁃𑀫𑀙𑀿𑀦𑀺𑀫𑁅𑀁𑀲" (Freedom for All, Favor Towards None)" Anthem: "Åstırfís Levkıpevǧesohom Septım, 𑁱𑀲𑀢𑀾𑀪𑀻𑀁𑀲 𑀮𑁃𑀯𑀓𑀺𑀧𑁃𑀯𑀖𑁃𑀲𑁅𑀳𑁅𑀫 𑀲𑁃𑀧𑀢𑀿 (By the Seven-Pointed Stars)" |
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Spengwald (Spengwalden: Spandavaltı, 𑀲𑀧𑁆𑀦𑀤𑁆𑀯𑁆𑀮𑀢𑀺), officially the Federal Republic of Spengwald (Spengwalden: Åvestu Lovıkósyo Sımfenðéqıs Spandavaltıs (ÅLSS), 𑁱𑀯𑁃𑀲𑀢𑀼 𑀮𑁅𑀯𑀻𑀓𑁅𑀁𑀲𑀬𑁅 𑀲𑀿𑀪𑁃𑀦𑀥𑁃𑀁𑀶𑀺𑀲 𑀲𑀧𑁆𑀦𑀤𑁆𑀯𑁆𑀮𑀢𑀺𑀲 (𑁱𑀮𑀲𑀲)), is a country located in north central Antarephia. It borders Geare to the north, AN125 to the northwest and west, AN105 to the south, and the ocean to the east. The largest city is Nevehraɋdya, also known as New Ratya, located on the mid-east coast. Its largest deep sea port is Xoɋsprevctorıs, located on a narrow peninsula near the border with AN105. Spengwald is a federal republic with a unicameral legislature that elects a Presidium from amongst its members to serve as a collective head of state. The Spengwalden constitution guarantees a great deal of freedom to its citizens and a great deal of autonomy to its 35 constituent cantons. Freedom of speech, assembly, worship, and petition are among the basic rights specifically enumerated in the constitution. The constitution also demands that Spengwald maintain neutrality in foreign affairs; accordingly, it has not joined the Antarephan Coalition, nor is it likely to anytime soon.
History
Ancient and Medieval Times
The three main cultural regions of what is now Spengwald were the coastal lowlands, inhabited by a seafaring, trading people known as Endiharians (Ånðérısos, 𑁱𑀦𑀥𑁃𑀁𑀭𑀺𑀲𑁅𑀲); the mountains, inhabited by a more insular group known as Waldens (Valþısos, 𑀯𑁆𑀮𑀝𑀺𑀲𑁅𑀲), and the western deserts, inhabited by a nomadic pastoral people called Sikrakhiri (ẞıⱨrâꝗi, 𑀱𑀺𑀜𑀭𑀸𑀡𑀻). Lacking written records, the origins of these three groups is difficult to pin down, but archaeological evidence tells us that they were more or less in their historic areas by the dawn of the Common Era. The Endiharians grouped themselves into independent city-states situated on the seashore and on major rivers. The Waldens developed into a group of petty kingdoms under rulers known as the Walden Lords. The history of the pre-Incursion Sikrakhiri is poorly understood; they may not even have been a single ethnic group, but rather some kind of grand confederation of unrelated tribes.
c. 1100 - 1150 C.E. - The Sikrakhiri Incursions
The ancestors of the Sikrakhiri peoples traded with the Waldens and Endiharians, but had little other involvement with them. Around 1100, for reasons that remain obscure, the previously scattered Sikrakhiri tribes united under a single banner led by a charismatic leader, and invaded the mountains and plains to their east, overthrowing all of the Walden Lords and most of the Endiharian city-states, bringing them under a single Sikrakhiri ruler. But when their charismatic ruler died, his successors were not able to maintain their grip on their conquered lands, and the Sikrakhiri empire fractured back into a similar patchwork of petty kingdoms and city-states as before. Many of these states threw off their Sikrakhiri rulers and restored their previous political systems, others retained their Sikrakhiri rulers who assimilated to the cultures of their subjects over time. In spite of their failure at empire-building, the Sikrakhiri tribes now had ties to the Walden kingdoms and Endiharian city-states that they never had before, and Sikrakhiri culture now had a much greater influence on that of the mountains and coastal lowlands.
1150 - 1350 C.E. - The Ascendancy of the Dual Suzerainty
The previously obscure Walden rulers of Old Numerula, forced from their lands by the Sikrakhiri incursions, establish a new Numerulan Kingdom in a depopulated mountain valley about 100 miles to the south of their old capital. The area proves to be rich in minerals and timber, and the Numerulan Kings grow wealthy and powerful. Meanwhile, the equally obscure Endiharian city-state of Ratya was passed over by the Sikrakhiri. Unscathed by war, it becomes the main trading post and port on the coast, and prospers. These two new powers find themselves jostling for control of trade routes and resources, but recognizing that another war wasn't in either of their interests, they decide to unite instead, and the Dual Suzerainty of Numerula-Ratya is born. The resulting state is powerful, but is more mercantile than expansionist, preferring to subdue rival kingdoms at the negotiating table rather than the battlefield. The more ruthless of its neighbors are able to play the Dual Suzerains off of each other, and thus prevent Numerula-Ratya from accumulating too much power.
1350 - 1400 C.E. - Consolidation
The suzerains of Numerula-Ratya, through canny alliances and intermarriages, have maintained close bonds with almost every monarchy, town, and tribe on both sides of the mountains. When the Suzerain of Ratya dies without a clear successor, the Dual Suzerainty comes under the direct control of Numerula for the first time, and without the counterbalance of the Ratyan suzerain, the Numerulans begin to assert authority over neighboring states. Within fifty years of the succession crisis, most of the lands that comprise modern Spengwald recognize the Numerulan suzerain as King of Kings, and the Numerulan Imperium is inaugurated, marking the foundation of what would evolve into the modern Spengwalden state.
1400 - 1775 C.E. - The Numerulan Imperium
The Emperors reign over a diverse and fractious empire. The Emperors rule their empire as their forebears built it: through carefully crafting a balance of power among the Imperium's squabbling constituent states and wealthy families. As the centuries progressed, power shifted away from the smaller states, which were steadily absorbed by their larger neighbors, or by the Emperors' own domains. By 375 BP, the Imperium functioned as a single unitary state with the Emperors as absolute rulers.
1775 - 1839 C.E. - Ingrean incursions
Ingrea, having colonized neighboring Geare, began looking to expand their Antarephian dominions. The Numerulan Imperium was able to resist direct colonization, but was unable to prevent the Ingreans from exerting influence on its soil. In a particularly humiliating concession, the Emperor was forced to accept a treaty that guaranteed the Imperium's existing borders at the cost of an official recognition of Ingrean spheres of influence, opening several ports to duty-free Ingrean trade, and relinquishing the title of "Emperor". The former Numerulan Emperor, now the mere King of Spengwald, became a figurehead to a succession of Ingrean "ambassadors" until Geare's independence, at which point Ingrea's continued unofficial occupation was no longer sustainable. It was also during this time that the nation picked up the name of "Spengwald" by which it is known to most of the world, this being a poor Anglicization/Ingreanization of "Spandavaltı".
1839 - 1862 C.E. - The restored Imperium
The Emperors reclaim their title, but they find themselves substantially weakened. They grow crueler and more tyrannical in desperate attempts to maintain control of their empire, ultimately provoking civil unrest, armed rebellion, and finally...
1862 - 1868 C.E. - The Spengwalden Revolution
A bloody popular uprising overthrows the weakened Imperium. The Revolution can best be understood as a reaction against the excesses of the Restored Imperium: where the Imperium was autocratic, the Republic would be democratic; where the Imperium was centralized, the Republic would be decentralized, and where the Imperium had formerly borne the name "Spengwald" as a mark of shame and weakness, the Republic would adopt it as a mark of pride. The Articles of Federation with its Declaration of the Rights of the Citizen remains in force up to this day.
The Great War
Spengwald presumably remains neutral, unless one side or another attacks it.