History of Valkea

The history of Valkea starts with the retreat of the polar ice caps and the end of the last glacial period. The earliest known human inhabitants first arrived in what is now Valkea in around 9000 BC. They were hunter-gatherer societies that used stone tools and had diets of seafood and game. Agriculture was introduced to the area in 3000 BC, although the inland regions still relied on hunting and fishing for subsistence. The Valkean Bronze Age began approximately in 1500 BC and continued until around 700 BC, when waves of proto-Valkenic peoples arrived from what is now Varddi and settled much of Vinstria. These new peoples brought iron tools with them and started the Valkean Iron Age, which lasted until the 9th century AD with the arrival of Viking settlers.

The Vikings settled along the coasts of southern and western Valkea, forming the basis for consolidation and unification of the modern Valkean state in the early 12th century. At the time, Valkea consisted of what is now the southern part of the country, currently the provinces of Valkea Proper, Vikkland, and Järvimaa, as well as parts of Ostrothia. Valkea slowly expanded northwards and eastwards over the following centuries, conquering other Viking kingdoms and Valkenic tribal lands.

After winning several wars against its neighbors, including Nynorsk Ostlijord, Caledonia, Romberg, and the Empire of Exponent via its colony in Occidentes (now part of the Aurora Confederacy), Valkea emerged as a great power in Northern Lorecia. It reached its territorial zenith under Gustaf III in 1723, having annexed the territories of < name >, < name >, and < name > from Caledonia. However, Valkea would be defeated by Caledonia in the 1750s and forced to relinquish their territorial gains, as well as lose some border territories. The modern border between Valkea and Caledonia was formalized in the Treaty of Tuuvalo in 1867.

A combination of economic crises, government mismanagement, and rising discontent with the monarchy culminated with the Valkean Civil War from 1916 to 1923. Gustav VI and his family fled the country to Aswick in 1921, although forces loyal to the monarchy continued fighting for two more years. After the war, Valkea was declared as a republic, with the Kansallist Party emerging as the sole political force ruling over the country's politics. Under the Kansallists, Valkea underwent a period of rapid industrialization and modernization. However, this period was also marked by serious corruption and political repression, as well as forced cultural assimilation of Valkenic peoples like the Lumika and the Velgi. Valkea stayed neutral in both Great Astyrian Wars.

In the early 1970s, Valkea was hit hard by the 1971 Astyrian Recession. This exposed several weaknesses in the Kansallist system, which paved the way for the 1975 Valkean Revolution, replacing the Kansallist regime with a democratic republic. With the democratization of the country came a period of unprecedented economic prosperity in the 1980s and 1990s, which saw Valkea emerge as a major economic powerhouse in Astyria.

Kansallist Era

Main article: Kansallist Valkea