Nation/Valloria

Basis

The Federation of Valloria was founded thousands of years ago as an empire. The Empire was founded by wealthy exiles who had strong libertarian views, Valloria, at that time, was the art centre of the world. It's population bordered on 1 billion. It was a relatively small country, so every bit of landscape was developed on. Valloria imported everything, as it had long since used up it's natural resources. Centuries of exterior belligerence caused much hate from the international community. And so, the Vichellio family of Romoslavia bought a massive army with their vast wealth, and used it to assault Valloria.

Beginnings

Founded by exiled Dutch nobles in 566, the land was ideal for farming, agriculture, and logging, and mining. Valloria (based off of the family patriarch's name; Vallorï von Ströganov) flourished as a society in the following centuries. With tight business regulations, prices for everything were relatively low; thus creating a society that was well-fed and well-off in every way possible. The von Ströganov family maintained a state where people had a sensible mix of personal and economic freedoms, and could challenge the government. People could send what the Vallorians called 'Législåtrequor' legislative request mail to the Ministry where the change would effect, and the letters signed by the most people would be considered by the King. Most of the world wanted to live there. Some countries closed their borders so none of their citizens could escape to their supposed 'Promised Land'. Within 100 years, the newly dubbed Supreme Grand Vallorian Empire governed all of the surrounding lands, and also was the most cultured nation in the world.

The von Ströganov Family

In turbulent times of plague and disaster, the King's advisory council, headed by Vallorï von Ströganov, made a reckless decision that resulted in the death of the King as well as the majority of the Dutch peoples. This decision was fiercely conservative and was objected to by the Count von Ströganov, but the council outvoted him. Nonetheless, the newly crowned King Matthaüs II issued a royal decree that exiled the members of his father King Hügo IX's advisory council to uncharted lands in the Northeast, near Poland and Russia. This turned out to be a good thing, because without it the Vallorian Empire would not have been founded. The von Ströganov family successfully ruled Valloria for over 7 centuries until the Vicellio Conquest of 1294.

Rise to International Power

Due to it's popularity with world citizens, the population grew exponentially as rapid births and immigration quickly caused new cities to spring up all over. The Vallorians had to take over more land to fit in enough people. Surrounding countries were quickly annexed. The entire landscape became one massive city, with no end in sight. It became a very expensive place to live, but due to the amount of people and the jobs necessary in mining gold caused a low unemployment rate and high income. Taxes were relatively high, at 20% of income. Massive buildings were constructed in new, stronger styles to fit the amount of people. Roads were encased in massive arches. In the entire country, you could not find one unused plot of land. Mines were encased in buildings and apartments were build on the upper floors to accommodate the growing population, which reached 1 billion in 1048. As with every massive and rich country, the population became decadent. The country had fallen into routine. The government was sprawling and bureaucratic. Overindulgence was rampant. Valloria's wealth and greed became a vice. The government thought that it was invincible; and so the Vicellio family of nearby Rome decided to exploit that.

Vicellio Conquest and Further Cultural Downfall

The evil and greedy Proconsul of Romoslavia Septembrus Vicellio used his administrative power to quietly invade the outer reaches of the Vallorian Empire. He then became emboldened when he found out that the great Vallorian Army had been gutted by funding reductions and had no active duty officers. Proconsul Vicellio and his army ran through the streets of Valloria, shouting that the Vallorians were now under Vicellio rule. The King's Palace was taken by force as the Royal Guard and Imperial Garrison was slaughtered to make way for Proconsul Vicellio. Vicellio himself took the honor of decapitating the last King from the House of Ströganov. He nominated and inaugurated himself as the new Grand Imperator of Valloria, and forcibly introduced Latin as the new national language instead of Haigh Balloreian (Great (or High) Vallorian). Vicellio greatly limited the civil, economic, and political freedoms of the Vallorians, and now it was Valloria's turn to limit expatriation. The Bubonic Plague ran rampant through the tight confines of Valloria in 1348 to 1359, killing 1/2 of Valloria's 1.5 billion citizens. Nearly four centuries after the Great Oppression began with the Vicellio Conquest, the House of Romoslavia ended quite violently as the last descendant of the House of Ströganov became a figurehead of the rebellion. The Vicellio family had so evilly placed massive amounts of gunpowder under nearly every road and every house in the country. When it became apparent that the army could not hold back the People's Revolution in , the last Romoslavic Imperator, Emporer Lothræl IV decided to light the match, literally: he lit fire to the massive amount of gunpowder stored beneath the floorboards of every building in the nation.

The Great Destruction

Everything but the oldest buildings in Valloria were destroyed over the following hours. Nearly 5 million people survived, mostly liberals from a political prison in southern Valloria. Not much is known about this period, as all records were destroyed in a fire the following year.

Reformation and The Vallorian Federation

These liberals from the political prison created the first Vallorian Federation in 1693. After a civil war between the newly adorned citizens over what to do with the massive stores of gold under Vicellio's palace before the land was taken over, the second Vallorian Federation came into play. The citizens built a massive wall with a guard placed every 10 feet. Only the capital city was left, after the surrounding countries had taken most of the land previously owned by the Vallorians.

Modern Times

The population continues to grow steadily today, with a firm grasp on world politics and a still relatively small population.