Difference between revisions of "History of Fortuna"

Revision as of 14:51, 24 January 2020

Prehistory

Ancient History

Archipelago Kingdoms(504-1028)

First Fortunan Empire (1028-1644)

Early Modern Period (1644-1857)

Modern Period

War Against Foreign Aggression (1961-1973)

The Toscanan-Emilian War (1960-1973), also known as the War Against Foreign Aggression, was a turning point that pushed the inhabitants of the archipelago towards isolation and saw the strengthening of national ideals. Conflicts first arose on October 14, 1959, when Toscanan naval ships apprehended an Emilian coast guard vessel for illegally crossing into Toscanan waters. The Emilian government strongly denied this and demanded the ship and its crew was returned. When Toscani continued to refuse the demands, Emili reacted by seizing all Toscanan vessels within their ports and placed a blockade on the Guiliano Strait. Tensions continued to rise, although peace talks were secretly being prepared to deescalate the situation. However, before talks could even begin tragedy struck on December 4 when angered mobs boarded a handful of Toscanan ships in Destino, vandalizing the vessels and beating the crews causing 11 deaths. Enraged by the murders and the lack of responsibility by the Emilian government, Toscanan naval forces opened fire on the Emilian ship leading to its sinking and 20 more deaths. For the next month, Emilian and Toscanan fought in small skirmishes until war was officially declared on January 1, 1960, by Emili. Immediately following the declaration of war, the Anconan government followed suit to stand with their ally Emili.

At first no large conflict began as none of them shared a land border, so time between January and March saw only further small skirmishes between the naval forces. In an unexpected turn however, Toscani made the first major move by invading Emili, immediately taking control of the Guiliano Strait and slowly began to push inland. Although caught off guard and at first outnumbered, the Emilian forces were able to bring the offensive to a complete stop. Fighting along the line became drawn-out leading to little gains on both sides for nearly five months.

Comparing the two forces, Emili had the upper hand as most of the conflict took place on their territory. Toscani on the other hand had to maintain control of the strait in order to continue shipping men and supplies to the front line, a feat which slowly became dire as the Emilian Navy and Anconan Navy outnumbered and at times outclassed the Toscanan fleet. In late August, Emili was able to gain the upper hand as their naval ships were able to break the Toscanan defense line at the Battle of Guiliano Strait, giving them enough of an advantage to extremely hinder Toscanan supply routes. This also saw a large push back on land at least until late 1960 as advances on both sides came to a halt. The war went into a stalemate for the next couple years as the Emili Navy and Anconan Navy gained control of the Fortunan waters. Then in early 1965, Emilian troops began a series of offenses which ultimately led to the last of the Toscanan forces being pushed off Emili.

Between 1965 and 1969 saw another stalemate as neither side was willing to stand down. Although Emili and Ancona gained complete naval control, Toscani was able to survive with international support. Most conflicts consisted of small raids by both sides against coastal villages along with the use of early stage short-range missiles used for daily bombardments by both sides. Keeping up morale was also becoming an issue on the Emili side as little gains were being made and a growing distrust of foreign powers, especially those that continued to support Toscani. To keep up morale, propaganda lectures and rallies regarding the importance of the war. The main purpose of these lectures was first specifically for the military, but soon spread out to where public rallies were held to boost public morale and encourage enlistment. Clarityism was also heavily supported and was used as a tool to unite the populaces of Emili and Ancona to a common goal of finishing the war.

The war took a sudden turn on April 9, 1969, after a successful Emilian raid on the port of Crest in northern Toscani. Upon realization they were going to be able to hold the port, Emilian and Anconan troops quickly flooded in giving the alliance a foothold on the island. Now on the offensive, the allied troops continued pushing the Toscanan troops south at a moderate pace. Toscani’s fate was sealed when in mid-1972 the citizens of Terine wrestled control of the city from Toscanan troops, allowing for Emilian forces to gain a southern foothold. The final nail in the coffin was when foreign support for Toscani dwindled to nothing, leaving the remaining Toscanan forces alone and feeling betrayed. Nearly a year later, the final pockets of Toscanan forces surrendered, officially ending the war on May 12, 1973. In total, the war took two million lives and left most of Toscani and western Emili in ashes.

Creation of the Fortunan Confederation

Now under full control of Toscani, the alliance in placed a new, more favorable government which in turn made the island into a puppet state. The war placed a heavy toll on the archipelago, especially on Toscani which had the most collateral damage and casualties. The next major step was the creation of the Fortunan Confederation mainly to serve as a defensive and economic alliance. The remaining nobility and state leaders wanted to keep their sovereignty, so the alliance was purposefully created to be weak in nature. The only central institution of the confederation was the Federal Council; however, it had no power to enforce and decision created. The three states, with exception for Toscani in certain extents, remained fully sovereign and even continued upkeeping their own militaries separately. To further solidify the legitimacy of the alliance, the Federal Council set up Roderick Verdi, Duke of Vinizia, as emperor to represent as head of state, but his power was limited and he only merely served as a cultural icon.

The Purification Period (1973-1979)

Known as the Purification Period in Fortuna, this was a time period between 1973 and 1979 where the states of Fortuna targeted certain species, religious, and political groups.In order to create a sense of unity, the Fortunan states pushed to place blame of the war due to foreign influence. The idea that the conflict was created to deteriorate Fortunan culture and ideals was quickly accepted by the populace with Emili and Ancona heavily hateful of outside powers for keeping the war going and Toscani having grown distrustful after feeling betrayed.

The first step to strengthen national unity was with the passage of the Nationalist Act of 1973 on July 21, which officially banned socialist and communist parties, leading to the arrests of over 4,000 individuals. Then on November 2, 1973, inspired by the growing hate of foreign powers and increasing nationalism among the states, the Federal Council signed into law the Fortunan Purification Act which allowed for the arrest and deportation of individuals who were considered non-Fortunan, the demolishing of un-Fortunan buildings and sites, and gave law enforcement the right to arrest and detain anyone they believed was an enemy of the state. The main purpose of the act was to purposely allow for the targeting of non-Fortunan communities in an effort to push foreign influence out of the region. Anyone considered a potential danger to Fortunan nationality were rounded up and forced to leave the islands without their consent. The majority were sent to the mainland, however others found shelter in the Medium Islands. Supported by a growing Claritist community, the Clarity Protections Act was passed in 1975 allowing for the targeting and later banning of non-Claritist religions, leaving Clarityism as the sole national religion.

Speciesism was also on the rise during this time and many minority groups were targeted, specifically Nekos due to their relation to the Caliphate. Vulpines also faced a level of discrimination, but the majority of the vulpine community were allowed to stay due to their support during the war and their entwined history within Fortuna.

By the end of the decade, more than 500,000 individuals were arrested with more than half of them deported out of the archipelago and more than 500 significant buildings were demolished. In the early 1960s, around 20% of the population were Muslim or Christian. By the end of the 1970s, that number dropped down to less than 1%. An estimated 70,650 people were killed during this time period, many due to mass slaughter of villages which the government still denies to this day.

Rise of the Unitary Nationalist Party

Following the end of the War of Aggression, Fortuna fell into instability with the states losing control of chunks of the archipelago to crime gangs and rebel militant groups. In the mid 1970s, the Confederation began campaigns to retake the islands. However, due to a lack of a central government and the reliance of the states' personal military, the campaigns were a slow process that lasted into the late 1980s.

With the war still fresh in many Fortunans' minds and annoyance with the current ruling government, the want of a more unified nation under a strong government increased. The idea was headed by the Unitary Nationalist Party (UNP), a fascist political party whose goal was to unite the islands under one government and bring Fortuna back to its roots. Their popularity slowly began to rise within the Fortunan population, peaking in the early 1990s after prominent UNP members in the military were able to defeat infamous militant groups with ease. One of these members was a young officer named Tristano Lyone, a soldier in the Emili military who gained immense popularity for his victories. As the campaigns to retake the islands came to an end in 1989, Lyone moved away from the army and looked towards politics.

Unitary Nationalist Party Takeover (1990-2000)

By 1990, the UNP held almost half of the seats in all three federal bodies: 45% in Emili, 47% in Ancona, and 38% in Toscani. The UNP's main goal was to gain full control of all three governments and then unite under one strong central body. Even with barely half of the seats in the chambers, the UNP began working to set up Fortuna to be easily taken over in the up coming years such as replacing leadership roles of prominent organizations with UNP sympathizers and party members. Still, they needed someone to rally around and that came in the form of Tristano Lyone.

Following his entrance into politics, Lyone took advantage of his military background, popularity, and charisma to lead many UNP rallies where he gained even more notoriety for his inspiring speeches. As he slowly gained more and more followers, he also slowly began to rise up in the ranks of the UNP. Seeing an opportunity with this young, charismatic speaker, UNP leaders convinced Lyone to run for Prime Minister of Emili in the 1996 Grand Elections. With a majority vote of 52.5%, Lyone won the seat of Prime Minister of Emili and was the youngest person in Fortunan history to become a head of state at the age of 27. In Ancona, Bernard Leon, another prominent UNP member, became Prime Minister of Ancona with a majority vote of 53%. The party also gained a majority of the seats in the legislative branch of the three federal bodies with over half in all: 75% in Emili, 80% in Ancona, and 66% in Toscani.

With control of the executive branches in Emili and Ancona, and control of a majority of the seats in all three legislative branches, the party's next goal was to bring all three states under one centralized government, but first they needed something for Fortunans to come together for or against. On July 26, 1997, Edward Vicino, a prominent UNP member, was assassinated by a radical loyalist. During this time, tensions were high between the centralist faction, those who wished for a strong central government, and the loyalist faction, those who supported state sovereignty which mainly consisted of the nobility and upper class. Seeing an advantage with the death of Edward Vicino, the UNP saw this as an opportunity to wrestle the last amount of power from the loyalist faction. Tristano Lyone publicly announced that this as the start of a loyalist takeover and ordered for the targeting and arrest of known loyalists within Emili for treason, he was soon followed suit by the governments of Ancona and Toscani. The main target was the State Independence Party with over 4,000 known members were detained. Loyalists and sympathizers across the nation were attacked by UNP-led rioters who caused immense damage and casualties. By the end of August, over 15,000 individuals were arrested due to their background and an estimated 539 deaths were caused. On September 8, the Confederation passed the Political Protections Act which banned any political parties that were deemed "anti-Fortunan" or those who promoted a non-centralized government such as the State Independence Party, removing any rivals that the UNP had in one blow. Although this led to the abolishment of many noble families, a few that remained supporters of the UNP have continued to exist to present day.

During his term as prime minister, Lyone traversed the islands of Fortuna to hold rallies to promote a united country under a central and powerful government, gaining more and more followers as he went on. It was during this time that he began to gain popularity among the Claritist community who began seeing him as the "Chosen One," a prophesied leader who was said to be the one who would be successful in uniting Fortuna. This idea slowly grew until it was believed by a majority of Claritists within the region. Seeing another opportunity, prominent UNP leaders in the early months of 1997 made statements declaring Lyone as the Chosen One, setting him up to be the leader of Fortuna once fully united. On September 16, 1997, in one of his rallies Tristano Lyone himself declared he was the chosen leader and that it will be he who will unite the islands once again.

Finally on August 25, 1998, with full control of the government, Tristano Lyone held a referendum within Emili asking citizens if the Fortunan Confederation should be abolished in placed with a more centralized government. By a landslide, a majority of Emilians by a vote of 98% voted for the end of the Confederation. The next day, Lyone declared that Emili will leave the Confederation and abolish the Emili government to form the Second Fortunan Empire (SFE), centralized in the city of Destino. Not wanting to be left behind, the state of Ancona declared that they too will be leaving the Confederation and abolish their government to join under the government of the SFE. As the only state left in the Confederation and pressured by it's fellow states, Toscani did likewise and on March 11, 1999, all three states were finally under one centralized government, officially forming the Second Fortunan Empire.

In this new government, Tristano Lyone had set himself up to be the new head of state and take on the title of High Commander. However, he still had a handful of rivals who too wished to become head of state. So to solidify his rule, Lyone invaded the Imperial Fortunan City, the city where the emperor resided and the only place who showed no loyalty to the UNP, and personally executed the emperor in public for treason. While this was taking place, Lyone had his rivals and top officials in the government arrested or assassinated. This chaotic period is known as the "Lyone's Purge" and led to the death and imprisonment of hundreds of individuals. With no one left to challenge him (with exception of Bernard Leon who escaped to the Medium Islands), Tristano Lyone publicly pronounced himself as absolute ruler of Fortuna as High Commander on May 17, 1999. Thus began the Second Fortunan Empire under the rule of a fascist dictatorship.

Second Fortunan Empire (2000-Present Day)

Following the rise to power of Tristano Lyone, he declared the 10 Year Plan, a period to allow him and the UNP time to reshape the nation and make it independent from the rest of the world. In doing so, Lyone closed the nation from outside interaction. During this period, Lyone first worked on insuring the one-party state will prevail for years to come by setting the government up with many of his loyal followers. His next step was a complete update of the military, believing that Fortuna's military lacked far behind the rest of the world, especially compared to it's neighbors. This update included the purchasing new weapons and military equipment, while at the same time placing loyal followers in command of this new army. However, this closing of the nation did negatively effect the nation economically, but Lyone believed it was necessary for Fortuna become an autarky. By 2010, the plan was unsuccessful in a way as the economy dropped drastically. However, this did allow for the UNP time to gain full control of international communication, limiting internet and phone access. The closed borders, limited communication, and economic drop also benefited the government by forcing the population to become reliant on them, growing Lyone's strength over Fortuna drastically. By 2010, the Fortunan government slowly began reopening it's borders, allowing for international trade and movement. This sudden change quickly boosted Fortuna's economy, but now it was under full control of the government. Fortunans were still not allowed to leave the islands with few exceptions.

Following their return to the international community, Fortuna set to work to grow its influence within the region and better its reputation with other nations. The most prominent action that Fortuna did was with the annexation of the Medium Islands in 2012. During this year long campaign, Fortuna was able to secure all islands between them and the nation of Eridani Theta, giving them control to more shipping lanes, fishing spots, and oil reserves. The campaign did not go without bloodshed though, especially on Linaro Island where the remnants of Lyone's opponents were residing and the Telga Islands where protests broke out which to soldiers firing upon the protesters, now known as the "Telga Massacre." By the time the violence started slowing down, the Fortunan government started "Fortunification" of the local people. By 2016, the whole Medium Islands were successfully annexed and it's people were completely absorbed into Fortunan society.

On November 1, 2017, The former nation of Eridani Theta broke apart following the decision of the Eridani Thetan 2017 Referendum. Following years living under a dictatorship and the unending growth of both speciesism and Fortunan nationalism, the southern provinces of Eridani Theta decided to break away and unite into the Fortunan Empire. The remnants joined together and formed the Republic of Ambravia, a small, vulpine majority nation. Fortunan troops quickly moved into the newly claimed territory to secure strategic positions and cities. This received some backlash from the populace that opposed Fortuna, especially from Eridani Thetan loyalists and vulpine extremists. Skirmishes continue to be reported to take place between Fortunan forces, Ambravian forces, and Eridani Thetan loyalists. Much of the conflict is currently focused around the city of Equilara, the former capital of Eridani Theta, which is held by the Eridani Thetan loyalists as both Fortunan and Ambravian troops try to claim the city before the other. On December 6, 2017, representatives from both Fortuna and Ambravia came together to sign the Slens Agreement which solidified Fortuna's claim in Eridani Theta.