Apollonian Republic
| Apollonian Republic of Shireroth's East Kildarian Republic of the East | |||
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| Motto: Birthplace of Modern Civilisation | |||
| Anthem: Kildare Above All | |||
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| Map versions | As part of Shireroth: 1.5.0 - 15.4.6, as A.R.S.E.: 15.4.7-Present. | ||
| Capital | Blackrock Nua (military HQ)
Apollo City (Senatorial city) | ||
| Largest city | Apollo City, Blackrock Nua, Treesia City, Curagh, Jacia | ||
| Official language(s) | Official language: English Other languages: | ||
| Official religion(s) | |||
| Demonym | Apollonian / Kildarian | ||
| - Adjective | Apollonian / Kildarian | ||
| Government | Authoritarian single-party military dictatorship | ||
| - Caudillo of the ARSE | Trajan Myksos | ||
| - Legislature | Seanad | ||
| Establishment | Annexed as part of Shireroth: 513 ASC (30th December 2000) Independent from Shireroth: | ||
| Area | NA | ||
| Population | 450,254,369 | ||
| Active population | NA | ||
| Currency | Kala | ||
| Calendar | |||
| Time zone(s) | |||
| Mains electricity | |||
| Driving side | |||
| Track gauge | |||
| National website | NA | ||
| National forum | Forum | ||
| National animal | Two-headed Eagle | ||
| National food | Safir wings with cabbage | ||
| National drink | Antyan wine | ||
| National tree | Lumina | ||
| Abbreviation | A.R.S.E. | ||
The Apollonian Republic of Shireroth's East, abbreviated to A.R.S.E.[1], also known as Kildare, is an independent nation which was founded by the Kildarian National Movement after the Augesbury Murder and the outbreak of the Revolution of 5552. It declared independence from Shireroth in 5552 ASC [2] and received its independence when the Landsraad approved the Kildari Independence Act of 5555 ASC [3].
The Apollonian Republic is probably one of the most diverse places on Micras, thanks to its ancient history: the lands of the Republic once covered several states which was the Apollo Sector, which in its end days united in the Union of Apollo States. It was Kaiser Gaelen I of Shireroth who, in 513 ASC, conquered the lands, made the former nations into counties and replaced the old Union with a Duchy. It was ruled by the Dutch (Duke), a title dating back from a writing error in its early days as an Duchy. Now governance lies in the hands of the Caudillo.
It is sometimes referred to as the Birthplace of Modern Civilisation, as its lands hosted several famous Apollonian nations which shaped the current micronational world with laying the foundation for nations like Shireroth and organisations like the MCS.
Etymology
The Apollonian Republic thanks its name to both the continent and its heritage. For a long period of time (more than 5,000 ASC years) the lands that nowadays make up the country were a part of Shireroth under the name Kildare. That name is still frequently used by its citizens, just like it is not uncommon for them to refer to themselves as Kildari.
The usage of Apollonian and Apollonian Republic was a deliberate choice of the National Movement to start fresh, while keeping ties with its (ancient) history. Ironically, with exception of the short-lived Union of Apollo States, the Apollonian nations were divided, while the Apollonian Republic has become a very centralised state.
Old-fashioned citizens sometimes keep talking about the Eastern Empire (a reference to when it was part of Shireroth). Nowadays the full name still refers to this: Apollonian Republic of Shireroth's East.
History
- See: History of Kildare for details from before the unification of Kildare.
Conquest of the Eastern Countries (498 - 705 ASC)
When Kaiser Gaelen I of Shireroth successfully defeated the armies of the defunct Union of Apollo States, the land that would form Kildare, in 513 ASC after a nine year long campaign. The lands had at that time already seen anarchy for over 20 years and welcomed - in most cases - the stability that the Imperial Republic brought. The infamous UAS Riots (498 ASC), which had led to an increased instability, soon showed the weaknesses of the Union of Apollo States. In this chaotic time, legends talk about a man called Ozymandias the Great, who stood up and reunited the northern part of Kildare under his rule. His attempts of reuniting south and north, however, failed because of his early death in 502 ASC. His legacy was of short duration, as the north once more collapsed into anarchy.
It was not until all cities at the coast had fallen in 513 ASC, that the Kildari understood that they were powerless against the superior numbers of the Kaiser. A short-lived attempt to unite under the banners of the old Union failed miserably and lead to the total destruction of the Blackrockian and Audente militias.
The annexation was followed by a period of colonisation, in which thousands of people from the West sought a new home in the East, which had vast forests and land. The new religion which was brought to the East, Cedrism, lead to religious strife between mainly the Soloralists (supported by the Dutch) and Cedrists (who had the support of the Kaiser). The integration of Kildare into the Imperial Republic seemed, in long terms, the end of internal strife and succeeded where the UAS had failed: in uniting the countries (now Counties) under one banner.
The following two ages were a weird period for the Kildari: while they started working together, the nation of Jasonia had become the big enemy and threat to Shirerithian supremacy. For the first in years, the conquered Kildari stood against their former Apollonian brethren.
The war that resulted in the destruction of Jasonia, led to a mass immigration from Jasonians into New Jasonia (however, several Jasonians choose to go live in Tapfer).
Kildarian Plague and downfall of society (705 - 2700 ASC)
The terrible fire which destroyed the Hallucigrad Library made it almost impossible to have much information about the ages after the Shirerithian-Jasonian War. Historians, saddened by the loss of knowledge, describe this as the Lost ages (from around 705 ASC till 2580 ASC).
In 2580 ASC Kildare was hit by a devastating plague which spread from the Raynor Isles to the other Eastern Counties. Where the plague arrived, death followed soon, and the population sharply declined. Within ten years, the illness had reached the western shores of Kildare, and 1/5th of the population had already died.
Drastic countermeasures were taken to avoid more deaths: travelling between Counties became illegal and Melangia even went into isolation in 2601 ASC (there would be no contact for over 400 years). The Temple of Ryvenna, seen as a holy place in Kildarian minds, would be closed to avoid that the plague would be brought with visitors.
In 2631 ASC the plague had cost 1/3rd of the population. The rulers of Hallucigrad lost in those dark days not only their library, but also their heir. The Dukes of Kildare remained ruling the lands in theory, but because of the restrictions to travel, their power didn't reach further than their own estates.
In 2700 ASC the plague came very abruptly to an end and production once again began to increase slowly. It would, however, take till 3004 ASC that a man from Shirekeep, Ionas I, took the Throne and brought an end to the de facto independence of the local Counts. The plague, which had been over for more than 400 years, had still left its marks, and the Dutch began with his own attempts to reuniting the Counties.
Revival of religion
From 2750 ASC the East began to see, for the first time since the end of the plague, an increase of immigrants. Hundreds, and later thousands, of immigrants from Dutchspeaking nations, like Batavia (and later South Batavia) immigrated to Kildare. They not only brought with them the manpower to establish new farming communities throughout the Empire, but also a new religion: Catologism. The introduction of that new faith would, over the course of time spread to other population groups. Once the assimilation between other Kildari and Batavians began, Catologism very slowly started to replace Soloralism as dominant religion.
It would take until around 5100 ASC, that the Ducal Court would mainly exist of Catologian servants. And it would take until the reign of Taodosius I, 40 years later, that Soloralist temples were requisitioned and granted to the Catologian Church.
End of the Dark Ages and centralisation attempts (3004 - 3428 ASC)
- See: Gong Li Rebellion
While Catologism slowly started spreading through the lands, the reign of Dutch Ionas I Win'Eth brought forth political and cultural changes. The Dutch, who had lived at the Imperial Court of the West in his youth had seen how a more centralised political system had its benefits. His big dream, reuniting Audentior with Kildare, was in that time difficult if he hadn't the military and financial support of the other nobles.
To achieve his goal, he introduced in 3031 ASC a new Ducal Government and the Seanad (the first council to rule over a Shirerithian Duchy) in which representatives of the Barons were seated. The autonomy of the Counts was slowly reduced over time and his successes made Ionas think that he was all-powerful. This seemed to be his first big mistake when he tried to take away the County of Gong Li out of the influence sphere of Baron Andreas the Wise to add it to his own Barony of Antya.
Andreas the Wise was enraged by the Dutch' actions and went into rebellion, later known as the Great Kildarian Civil War or Gong Li Rebellion. Many nobles, angry or scared for the powers of the Dutch, rallied behind Andreas' forces. It would take till 3352 ASC, during an armistice, that the Dutch used his own large armies (who were already mobilised) to establish a Kildarian presence in Audentior. The seat of the Seanad moved to Apollo City, while for traditional reasons, the seat of the Dutch remained in Blackrock Nua.
Soon after Ionas' crusade, the civil war was recommenced. It would take till Ionas' death in 3428 ASC, to end the fighting. He was succeeded, on request of the Seanad, by his biggest opponent, Andreas the Wise, who was proclaimed Dutch Andreas I.
Age of Industrialisation (4557 - 5141 ASC)
The Fifth millennium saw a revival of industrial efforts throughout the Kildarian Empire. The construction of the Zygus Qamil, also called the Eastern Wall, during the reign of Dutch William I as a defence against potential enemies from the east, brought a long period of peace in the Eastern Empire. With no longer having to deal with the threats at their borders, counties like Dalmacija and Kitanus Fields started to prosper now the Count could use his/her troops to guard the roads against bandits. Those border provinces became more and more interesting as a living place at the end of the Fourth millennium, just like investors became more and more interested in its riches.
In 4557 ASC a wealthy traders' family which had for long been owner of several gold mines in Dalmacija, established the first major multinational in Northern Kildare: Heimat Industries. With the profits from the goldmines, there were major investments in the new factories and not long thereafter the first products were presented to the public: ammunition, steel products and several kinds of armaments and ships.
In several other parts, new industries began growing, leading to the creation of a new labour class which flocked together in the cities. This again led to labour unrest, which led on its turn to countermeasures taken by the nobility to keep - with success - people in their birth place. The conservative Kildari heard of the miserable conditions of unemployed in the cities, which strengthened many of them in their convictions that industrial progress could only be negative for the East.
The Apollonian Coup d'état (5141 - 5252 ASC)
- See: Garllic War
The time of peace and stability came to an abrupt end when the Eastern Empire was invaded by the Garllic Empire. The Zygus Qamil, which once had been the pride of the Kildarian defences, had suffered from the lack of good maintenance and quickly crumbled in the first hours of the invasion.
While city after city fell in hands of the enemy, a coup d'état found place in Apollo City (5141 ASC). Coincidentally with the invasion, a small group of Myxosean Guards under leadership of Taodosius overran the Seanad and imprisoned Dutchess Ignatia I. The swift coup, supported by the Apollonian elite, was a success, as almost no noble tried to complain. In the meantime the war in Kitanus Fields went from bad to worse: more than 45,000 soldiers of the Kildarian Defence Forces were slaughtered during the Battle of Lamantia (5147 ASC).
After fifty years of warfare against the Garllic king, Tetris, the Eastern Empire had still not reached a victory over the invaders. Several requests for military assistance to other Imperial States and the Imperial Court in the West fell into deaf ears. To strengthen the weakened Kildare and break the stalemate, Taodosius invited the Tegong to help the Kildari. Reforms were introduced and new weapons were produced to replace the old fashioned, out-of-date weapon gear. The death of both Dutch Taodosius and king Tetris in 5230 ASC definitely ended hostile actions and the new Dutchess, Sophia Myksos, and the new king, Corridon, agreed upon a truce.
Sophian Era (5230 - 5435 ASC)
Conflict with the States (5252 - 5267 ASC)
However, conflict wasn't over yet. While the Garllic threat had disappeared and Garllics and Kildari were rebuilding Kitanus Fields side by side, a new threat loomed at the horizon. The influence of the Tegong in the military and at the Eastern Court had angered several rulers of other States. They saw this as a meddling of Jingdao in Kildarian affairs and even declared that Sophia was unfit to rule. Also a conflict arose over the Treaty of Mahapur, which annexed Aryasht into Shireroth but put Kildarian Norfolk into a condominium with Aryashti Norfolk. The treaty was seen as illegal in Kildare as no approval was granted by Kildare for such an action, which heightened tensions even more.
In 5252 ASC Sophia Myksos appointed Jezza Rasmus, Count of Tè Gōng Li, to the position of Count of Norfolk, ensuring the loyalty of the nobility on those isles. Vrteti, an official whose loyalty lied in Aryasht, declared himself to rule the County and announced that he would not follow the laws of Kildare. Swift military action, however, squealed all possible resistance of Aryashti spies in Kildarian Norfolk. The conflict was, however, far from over.
It wasn't until both sides came to an agreement, after almost going to war against each other, to split Norfolk: Tymaria City and Ashk Darya went to Kildare, while the other isles went to Aryasht. The Treaty of Norfolk not only ended the hostilities, but also strengthened the ties between the two eastern states, as it was agreed that both the Dutchess of Kildare and Prince of Aryasht would marry each other.
Semisan Conflict
The marriage agreement immediately proved important with the rise of Semisa II to the Mango Throne. Her illegal attempts in 5266 ASC to force Sophia to abdicate - together with a banishment - led to an immediate refusal of both eastern States to recognise the Imperial Decrees made at the Court.
Semisa eventually made place for Kaiser Trantor IV, who also proved to be disastrous for the relations between West and East. In the Eastern States there slowly grew disgust and contempt towards the Court in Shirekeep. The notorious Kildarian historian Claudius Gel'Mur noted in one of his works:
"From all Kaisers, those two were the worst to have ever sit on the Mango Throne that was once admired throughout both the Realm and the world. Those two their utter ignorance towards not only tradition, but also the laws, made the East come dangerously close to a schism that could have split the Imperial Republic forever."
It was not until the ascension of Trantors successor, Kaiser Mo'll I, in 5323 ASC, that the Kildari once again started trusting their Benacian brethren. The Joyous Entry in Apollo City in 5330 ASC quickly developed into a national feast with several bystanders noticing that the Kaiser was touched by the gestures of the Kildarian people.
Jacian Federation
The new path under Dutchess Sophia Myksos was illustrated by the recognition of the Jacian Federation as a County. The Jacian Federation was a pact between five of the most important trading cities on the Kildari coast. This pact had existed for ages and lead to a lot of wealth for the cities, causing the merchants of the Federation to become among the richest and powerful of Micras (or at least the Imperial Republic, as they had the tendency to exaggerate according to some of the other merchants). In the 53th century ASC, this resulted in Sophia Myxos granting the Federation of cities the status of a separated County, granting them a direct representation into the Seanad.
Aeneas Malak was swiftly elected as Count of the Federation and this new alignment between the Duchal throne and the merchants of the Federation was thought to benefit both parties excessively. This, on its turn, led to rumours of an upcoming large (perhaps military) project for which the Dutchal Court could use the financial support of the growing merchant classes. It wasn't until the Flavian Era that it became clear that this was not simply a rumour, but the truth.
Flavian Era (5435 ASC - present)
With the death of his mother in 5435 ASC, Flavius Myksos took charge of the Eastern Empire. Being sent to Shirekeep with Kaiser Mo'll I to learn about the Western part of the Imperial Republic, he had enjoyed education from both western and eastern scholars. Thanks to his father, who was a former prince of Aryasht he even learned some basic stuff about that State too, which contributed to his later attempts in befriending the other eastern state (which both his grandfather as mother had looked down upon).
With the death of Kaiser in 5416 ASC, he travelled back to Apollo City and became more and more convinced about how he could restore the Pearl of the East as the greatest city of the world. Having seen how the Prefect of Shirekeep had successfully restored his own city after the Cabbage War (which had laid the Shirerithian capital into ruins), he wanted the same kind of restoration in Kildare. To his advisers he would have said:
"If the westerners can restore an ancient capital [Shirekeep] into glory with some bricks and mortar once more, than we can restore our City and empire with our people!"
With the energy of a young monarch, he restored the Seanad into its former glory by presenting several new ideas and law proposals (including a new constitution, as the former dated back from before the coup d'état but had never been replaced by a new one). Flavius envisioned that Seanad would receive once again the role to become the main centre of politics, even while the Dutch retained his absolute powers. He was, without doubts, inspired by the Landsraad in this action and at the same time saw it as a way to expand his control over the more influential nobility.
In practice, the reforms were meant as a prestige project: the Seanad as a rubber stamp institution had to become once again a prestigious institution. For this, Flavius announced that - as catologism had become the state religion - that the institution would not only have the power again to change the law, it would also play a religious role in e.g. deifying deceased Kaisers or Dukes into the pantheon.
Reign of Titus
Republican Era
Revolution of 5552
Government and politics
Head of State
Departments of the State
Council of Mils
Seanad
Foreign relations and Military
Foreign policies
The foreign policies of the Apollonian Republic vary from nation to nation. It's main directive under the National Movement has been bringing stability and peace to the Apollonian continent. While being a military republic, the Republic is surprisingly in favour of peaceful solutions and chose to avoid a too aggressive foreign policy which could lead to war. The reasoning behind this is that the National Movement considers consolidating its power as more important and war could needlessly strain the organisation (the military) on which the ruling class bases its power on.
Even the Jingdaoese officials are surprisingly peaceful-minded according to certain sources in the government:
"It is remarkable and surprising to see the descendants from one of the most war hungry races [being the Jingdaoese] that ever wandered Micras talk about peaceful negotiations. You would almost think that they have nothing else than good intentions. However, thorough observations of their behaviour and actions indicate that they have merely changed their way of handling things: were they once used guns, they now preach in favour of conferences and meetings between state leaders. Meetings which - of course - will end in favour of the Apollonian Republic."—Gallio Minucius, 'Letter from a clerk to his colleague', 5567 ASC
This approach in which the administration sought to preserve the balance of power in Apollonia didn't always proof effective: in 5576 ASC the River Warrior War with Senya is an exception erupted. With Shireroth - the former overlord - the A.R.S.E. keeps no official relations, but observation shows that Shirerithians are not treated as enemies when visiting the Apollonian Republic. This could be partially thanks to Kaiser Redquill's successful negotiations in favour of a relatively peaceful independence (ignoring the internal strife [4]).
Evolution of the Military
Civil Service
Branches
National Protection Army
Kildarian Defence Forces
National Gendarmes
Culture
National Symbols
Religion
Sports
Economy
Geography
Landmarks
Subdivisions
See also
References
- ^ Not an accidental choice of name.
- ^ Declaration of Independence by Trajan Myksos, Dant of the National Protection Army [1]
- ^ Landsraad discussion in Shireroth, with formal approval and signature of Kaiser Redquill in 5569 ASC [2]
- ^ All government sources - from both sides - confirm that military intervention from Shirerithian side was almost non-existing, with exception of supporting humanitarian actions.
