Madison Isles
| |
|
| |
| Total Area: | 242,000 km² |
| Area of major landmass: | 180,000 km² |
| Population: | Unknown |
| Date founded: | 2001 |
| Countries: | Calbion, Benacian Union |
| Dependencies: | N/A |
| Languages: | Calbic, Britannic Istvanistani, Madison Isle Batavian |
| Largest Cities: | Baskerville, Montfort |
The Madison Isles, also known as the Brettish Isles, are a small archipelago in the east of Micras. Politically, it is split between the Brettish Isles, a autonomous state in full personal union with Calbion, and the Benacian Union, which occupies three Western islands.
Origins and Etymology
The Madison Isles were added in Series Three along with the rest of the Eastern Hemisphere. Like most Eastern Hemisphere islands, they are named after a famous past micronationalist - in this case, Ben Madison, former king of Talossa. With Madison's reputation, their name is hardly something to be proud of. Oddly, on the first few maps including the Isles, only two islands exist. The others seem to have been added by Delvenus, in a flagrant contradiction of usual MCS rules.
Geography
The islands are located slightly to the south of the northern ice cap, in the Great Western Sea between the continents of Keltia and Benacia. The island group consists of one large island with six smaller islands or islets visible on the map of Micras.
History
The first occupant of these isles was Delvenus, a fanatically neutral state nevertheless usually considered a puppet of Shireroth. Because of its neutrality (cynics would say because of its subservience to Shireroth) it was the second location to be used by the MCS as a base in the days before the Society had its own forum, and is still very much associated with its role as a center of cartography. Delvenus was gone by Series Eight; Aryez briefly colonized it in Series Nine. The islands then become home to New Britannia for an extended period, during which time they were referred to as the Britannic Home Islands. The Britannic period of the islands' history features prominently in the history of the South Sea Islands.
The influential House of de Montfort originated in the southern town of Montfort during the 15th century. After a return to barbarism, the islands were briefly part of Batavia, under the leadership of Duke Petrus Vröml. In 1603, the islands became independent as the Brettish Isles a seafaring nation that used the islands as a base to create a colonial empire. After an association with Calbion, the Brettish Isles slowly declined and the islands fell into disarray again, becoming a field of war for the powers seeking to establish dominance in the Great Western Sea. After occupation by the Benacian Union, Hurmu and Batavia, the majority of the islands is currently under the control of Calbion.
