Nova Victoria

Nova Victoria Nova Victoria Coastal Zone
Flag Coat of Arms
Capital	Nova Victoria
Largest cities	Nova Victoria
Anthem
Demonym
- Adjective
Area
- Ranked
Population	est. 2,495,000 1730 AN
- Ranked
Governor	Lord Takeshi Yuuki III 6th Duke of Nova Victoria
Abbreviation	NVR

Nova Victoria is a small, self-governed territory belonging to the Imperial Federation and nominally part of the constituent country of Ralgon. The city-territory is located on the north end of Cibola, opposite the coast of Drag'os. The city proper is located on a peninsula of of the mainland's northern coast, with the metropolitan area extending past its nominal borders on the mainland. It is the second most populous city in Cibolan Ralgon, after Yixing. Nova Victoria is unique in the Imperial Federation that, while belonging to a constituent country and adjacent to much larger Ralgonese holdings, it nonetheless enjoys independent home rule due to its strategic and historic importance within the empire. The territory is one of two that hold direct representation in the Imperial Senate, the other being Greater Beihagh.

The city was originally named after a certain queen Victoria of Holmes (later the Brettish Isles), both of which had been under Batavian rule. Records of its early rule are lost to time, but it was under Batavian rule and occupied by Southbatavia/Jingdao from 1526 AN to 1602 AN, after which it was passed through a succession of different polities before the present-day Imperial Federation assumed control over the area in 1689 AN. Whether through fortune or design, the city also retained its name despite being re-founded multiple times by completely different occupying powers. It has remained under continuous Ralgonese rule since, but remains a melting pot of many cultures, traditions, and peoples. It sits near the center of the present-day constituent country of Ralgon and is now one of the Imperial Federation's most strategically important cities.

Order was restored by incoming joint Ralgon-Jingdao-Bassarid-Barbary military forces during the late 1680's AN after the collapse of Arcadian rule, during the 1685 crises that saw the sudden demise of the Franco-Batavian Empire, Stormark, and near-collapse of the Holy Ralgon Empire. Having watched nearly the entirely of Cibola wrecked by decades of disasters such as the Alexandrian Flu of 1652 AN and massive continent-wide Temporal Haemorrhaging. Thus, the retention of the city's name was deemed as its own form of justice, after the allied force found to their utter surprise was not only still extant, but still prosperous and densely populated despite its near-complete anarchy.

These events also led to the city's later occupation by Ralgonese forces, and subsequent annexation by their allies as a part of the larger Cibolan Reconquista campaign. Upon the collapse of the Barbarian Republic in 1689 AN, the city was occupied again and annexed by the Holy Ralgon Empire. The city was already a strategic major city by the Ralgonese War of Succession and served as the capital of Imperial Federation held territory on mainland Cibola until 1715 AN, when the region was re-integrated under Ralgonese rule. The territory became effectively self-governing as Imperial Federation rule slowly cemented within the mainland Cibola region until the 1740's AN, after which its home-rule status was a reality in all but name.

The city-territory's boundaries were gradually adjusted in line with its growing urban center until 1756 AN. In that year, it was uniquely singled out and granted near-complete home rule during the reorganization of the Imperial Federation into more manageable constituent countries, their provinces, and autonomous territories. The city's standalone strength, unique cultural and industrial profile, strong economy, many natural harbors, and profusely abundant marine allow it to be a net contributor of both economic output and foodstuffs -- unique for a territory of such small size. In short, Nova Victoria enjoys a unique level of homegrown strength, along with a central geographic and cultural location within the much-expanded Ralgon, especially compared to the one that had first occupied it nearly seven decades earlier in 1689 AN.

History

Early History (before 1615 AN)

The area belonging to present-day Nova Victoria originally belonged to the region Southbatavia (Jingdao in later years). Active occupation of this area by Batavia as the region's overlord lasted from 1526 AN to c. 1592 AN, when the area declared independence. Consistent records before this period are nonexistent, possibly due to a case of Temporal Haemorrhaging affecting Cibola -- a common phenomenon in various portions of the continent between 1400 AN and 1700 AN. What is clearly known is that the region was invaded and subsequently occupied after a military invasion by Batavia in 1526 AN. It was renamed Southbatavia at some point after these events.

Despite resistance, the Ku Emperor became a puppet of the new Batavian overlords, his reign lasting from 1539 AN to 1583 AN, during which the Southbatavian region (as it then became known) remained solidly under Batavian control. Records indicate that the strength of this occupation gradually weakened under the posthumously named Haman Emperor, whose own reign over the Jing peoples in the region lasted until c. 1587 AN, or 4635 ASC, and his successor the posthumously named Mengjiang Emperor, whose own rule concluded in 1592 AN, or 4479 ASC on the local calendar. The region declared independence as either Southbatavia (later naming itself Jingdao) under the Kaiming Emperor c. 1592 AN, or c. 4779 ASC in the local calendar.

Overall, records during Batavian rule are themselves scant, but what little is known is that the area near Nova Victoria and Cibolan Ralgon as a whole saw the gradual formation of latter-day Jingdao during that time. This formation lasted during the half-century Batavian occupation in the 1500's AN, followed by Southbatavia's brief independence within Cibola that lasted for another quarter-century AN.

Southbatavia's full self-governance and independence within Cibola over the local area lasted from c.1587 AN to 1610 AN, after which its evacuation from the region had been both total and complete. Self-governance was done under the posthumously named Haman Emperor and Mengjiang Emperor lasted between 1583 AN amd 1592 AN, or between 4521 ASC 4779 ASC on the local calendar of the time.

The region had transformed into Jingdao after declaring independence under the brief first reign of the Kaiming Emperor c. 1592 AN, or c. 4779 ASC in the local calendar. He reigned again until 1597 AN, or 4955 ASC. The newly established Jingdao lasted until the reign of the Ci Emperor, also known as Sisera, who definitively ended the occupation in 1602 AN, or c. 5100 ASC. Under her rule, the long period of direct Jing influence in the region abruptly ended with the evacuation of all civilized peoples from northern Cibola from 1602 AN. The end to this long period came about from calamitous events surrounding the Ci Emperor's battles with "evil spirits," according to Jing contemporary records.

Rollin the Conqueror ended the Jingdaoese diaspora after his conquest of Kildare, leading to the eventual establishment of the Great Jing in 1623 AN. This gave the momentum for the scattered Jing under the reign of the Feixing Emperor to move to present-day Kildare. Exact events of this move are lost to history, but the MCS recorded the final completion of this transition on their official map on 5490 ASC, or during 1610 AN. The final presence of the Jing in Cibola decisively ended in 1613 AN with the abandonment of [[Zijincheng, after which the region was neglected for a further 70 years, during which the area was once again badly affected by Temporal Haemorrhaging.

Foundation under Batavia-Cibola

The city grew into the most important port city of Batavian-Cibola. Politically, the city was from time to time an independent region or part of the Grand Duchy of Nederburg. When the city became part of South Batavia, it remained the most important port for the gold trade.

Alexandria and Arcadia

The city was briefly on the map under the flag of Jingdao, until the area was abandoned. The city was also briefly under the flag of Alexandria afterwards until 1652 AN, when it completely collapsed due to the Alexandrian Flu. The city was effectively abandoned until its occupation by Arcadia in c. 1667 AN, when it lost much of its population due to disease and conflict.

For about thirty years, the city was part of Arcadia as a crown dependency. The city grew to 24,000 inhabitants, mostly living on the coast around the harbour. The city is currently bordered by the green, but the future expectation for the "reconquista" (recapture) of Batavian-Cibola hopes to grow into the bustling city of before. Having been occupied by the Franco-Batavian Empire through its dominion of Arcadia, the city and its environs were deserted in the wake of their respective collapse in 1685 AN. During the succeeding four years, the city rapidly developed on its own, its population swelling to unprecedented numbers and infrastructure growing on its own. It is suspected that its extreme population growth was not entirely natural, and instead partially due to unknown temporal phenomena that compelled the city and its environs to rely entirely on its own resources to thrive.

Cibolan Reconquista Period (1680-1689)

The city was occupied in late 1686 AN by the Holy Ralgon Empire, which was growing desperate to relocate refugees in the wake of its own major crisis during the preceding year. Occupation efforts are mostly conducted under the banner of the Cibolan Reconquista, a part of a joint Jingdao-Ralgon-Bassarid area to bring order and stability to the region, in response to growing presence of Raspur Pact nations on the continent and the rise of the Barbarian state.

As part of negotiations between the Ralgons and their allies, they only held the city briefly before turning political control over to their allies in Barbary in late 1686, while retaining points of strategic interest from which they intended to use to launch further expeditions into former Storish territory off the coast of mainland Cibola, as well as onto the Cibolan coast proper at a later point. Later occupation by Byalia, however, dashed such hopes and later efforts to conquer the mainland were redirected elsewhere. Meanwhile, the city's population continued to grow explosively due to a huge number of emigres from Drag'os and elsewhere, and its abundant economic and natural resources despite its condensed area.

Ralgon Rule (1689-1706)

When the first Cibolan Reconquista effort failed in 1689 following Barbary's collapse, the Ralgons launched their own Ralgon Reconquista with the stated goal of picking up where the first campaign left off. Their first move was to annex the city and develop it into a port worthy of the name, so that naval expeditions could take place elsewhere, as Frigga Island was now closed to the possibility of annexation for any purpose, due to Byalia's occupation of the island and opposing coastline on the continent.

The city's activity significantly picked up in 1690, as the Ralgons were bent on ensuring their first new territory in several years -- and proof that they were still a force to be reckoned with -- stabilized and thrived under their rule. The former military governor, General Takeshi Yuuki, was re-installed as the civilian governor after his honorable retirement from the Army. Under his leadership, the city has once again begun expanding while a fresh influx of Ralgon citizens across the straits have begun arriving to settle this new world of theirs.

However, the military's long stall at the front lines contributed to the city's relative decline in the early 1690's AN. Beginning in 1695, however, fortunes began to slowly turn for the city. The renewed efforts by the mainland's stabilized (if woefully reduced) military forces had succeeded in reclaiming many of the country's ancestral territories after having lost control of the frontier to a residual (and aggressive) native dragon population. To the south, the city of Yixing managed to forge a path to the coast, forging new links with the otherwise beleaguered city.

The city's naval facilities continued to grow alongside its heavy industries, which were partly sourced from the remnants of former Barbary, Arcadia, and Jingdaoese assets on Cibola outside of Zijincheng. Additionally, the city's education, public infrastructure, and other popular assets were experiencing a period of growth not seen since Arcadia ruled over the city almost a decade prior. Because of this, the city served as an excellent hub of Ralgonese power projection onto the Continent as they moved in to now-unoccupied areas that were opened by years of constant warfare against native and other hostile elements.

The pro-Drae'ar faction led by Draeg'ar IX lost the territory, along with all of their remaining gains in the frontier from 1675, to the rebellion by the Adrestians during the Ralgon War of Succession in 1706 AN, after years of military decline in the country's navy. The city defected to Adrestian control shortly into the war due to a massive Royal Adestian Navy presence in the city. Although a portion of the city's population was temporarily displaced during the war, the town roared back to life due to the presence of heavy industry needed for the war effort, as Adrestian forces were ill equipped for a prolonged land campaign into mainland Cibola, a problem also encountered by their Ralgonese counterparts during the Reconquista era.

The city remained geographically isolated until 1715 AN when the Ralgonese and Valoran regions of northern Cibola were mostly re-integrated into the Imperial Federation. Nonetheless, it prospered due to its strategic location, rapidly growing population, relocation of major industries to the city, and abundance of marine resources.

Imperial Federation Rule (1706 AN - present)

Early Rule

The city came under the administration of the Imperial Federation of Adrestia and Drag'os in 1706 AN, following the city's rapid capitulation due to massive Adrestian might and a Ralgonese garrison divided in its loyalties. No resistance was met until Adrestian forces encountered Valoran resistance beyond the city-region's heartlands. Multiple institutes and universities were founded to educate the formerly derelict town's population to take advantage of the massive industrial apparatus present, although Adrestian military efforts met the same inconclusive results as Ralgon. After the initial stages of the war, the city returned to its status as a trading depot between the now enlarged Ralgonese controlled empire, nearby Sanaman Cibola, and Calbion's holdings in mainland Cibola. The town's continued status as a freeport also meant that Ralgonese loyalists from the war era were, once again, able to unite with their families after a fashion, leading to a more rapid growth of the city into a major regional hub, and the effective capital of the Imperial Federation's scant holdings on the mainland, as the government at that time held few illusions of its ability to unilaterally bring down the regional governments and effect a conquest against the then-united Holy Ralgon State of Valora, now hemmed in to the south between closed neighbors.

The city continued to serve as both the economic and political capital of the entire Cibolan holdings of the Imperial Federation until the Conquest of Valora in 1715 AN. After the conquest and partition of the region with the Mondosphere, the political capital for the mainland Cibola holdings would move to Yixing, displacing the Valoran government that had fled to Korzan and formed South Valora in the following years, under Mondo's auspices.

Home Rule (1756 - present)

This article or section is a work in progress. The information below may be incomplete, outdated, or subject to change.

Companies and Organizations

• Arvidsudde Digital Systems
• Baicha Heavy Vehicle Industries
• Baicha Institute for Technology
• Groenfort Trailers
• University of Adrestia at Nova Victoria
• University of Nova Victoria
• HQ-Metall