The Gran Viatge

The Shores of the New Wurld

The Grand Voyage (Iverican: Gran Viatge) refers to a period in Iberic history between 1590 A.D and 1650 A.D. It is of widely considered the event which began the Iberic Diaspora. Prompted by the Malcisma, an event which led to the collapse of the Iberic Empire, the Gran Viatge is a series of events taking place within a decades-long voyage which is believed to be responsible for the shaping of the early-modern Iberic worldview. The Viatge events take place across several different splinter fleets- each with its own series of epochs and turning points. One of the best known accounts centre around the voyage of Deiargon's Fleet- the first Iberic fleet to settle in the Argis and the fleet which prompted the Iberic colonisation of western Alharu and Argis. Deiargon's Fleet was lead by a young naval captain and Hidalgo, Esteban Deiargon, a leader who would eventually become Gran Almirante of the Iberic Armada, navigator, explorer, and Iverican national hero.

The Gran Viatge's context is set by the sudden and violent peasant uprisings that began at the close of the 16th century A.D. The Gran Viatge's demographics were largely set by the trend of the popular revolts- a generally anti-monarchist, anti-church, anti-Stillian, anti-Tacalan, and anti-Leonid trend permeated the period. Thus, majority of the exodites were composed of nobility, royalty, religious notables, and the middle and upper classes of the more monarchist Iberic nations; the Tacalans, the Stillians, and the Leonids.

A popular misconception exists that the Gran Viatge is solely composed of a single continuous voyage of a thousand ships. In actuality, the sheer number of accounts by record-keepers of the various splinter fleets shows that the Gran Viatge was more of a sequence of refugee and colonist waves that vary in route, period, and composition. While the earliest fleets formed began their journey in the 1590's, the waves of Iberics coming to the New Wurld from Europa and Marenesia would continue to rise steadily until plateauing and steadily falling in the mid 17th century.

The semi-historical epic Cantor per Gran Viatge (Anglish: Song for the Grand Voyage) is central in the Iberic cultural consciousness. It is believed to have contributed to the formation of culutral characteristics, literary ideas, aesthetic theories, political ideologies, and folk legend.

Timeline

(Anno Domini)

• 1590-1593 Following economic attrition suffered at the close of the Crusades, the Iberic Empire enters a period known as the "Malcisma"; demarcated by the first of many peasant revolts around the five kingdoms.
• 1592 As the imperial government collapses, coastal cities begin an exodus. Majority of the exodite population is Tacalan, Stillian, and Leonid.
• 1593 Several waves of naval and civilian vessels form exodus fleets.
  • Ships of the Iberic Armada attempt to secure sanctuary or passage around Southern Europa. Much of this effort is fruitless. Unable to return, the detachment musters to escort civilian galleons to the eastern coast of Europa.
  • The Tacolic Church musters a collection of Salvian merchantmen and Iberic galleons to evacuate civilians and Iberic literature, artwork, and artefacts. Inevitably, much of the Iberic canon of art is left behind in favour of taking passengers.
  • Hidalgos of varying station evacuate their households and resources. Many of these smaller formations fall prey to pirates or opportunistic navies around southern Europa.
  • Tradesmen Guilds with connections to the Hidalgo class fund exploratory missions while attempting to secure political position in the fracturing empire.
  • Holy Orders such as the Knights of Saint James the Greater sponsor ships containing poorer monks, churchmen, and peasants unable to pay their way aboard other fleets. Many of the Knights choose to remain in Iberia with only a small number suriving to restart the order in the New Wurld
• 1594 While many of the ships attempted to stay together for safety, storms, raids, and general confusion splinter the host into several fleets.
  • Deiargon's Fleet: Comprised much of the Imperial Armada but was forced to take the longest and most harrowing route to the New Wurld- eastward through the North Oriental. The first to arrive in the New Wurld in 1620, Deiargon's Fleet suffered the most casualties but enabled the remaining Iberic fleets to reunite after securing a colony in Providencia.
  • The Church Fleet: Assisted and escorted by Salvians, militant holy orders, and Tacolic knights around southern Europa, the fleet arrived mostly intact at the shores of Salvia- where they remained until Deiargon's messengers sent word of the new colony in 1623.
  • The Crown Prince's Fleet: Separated by a storm from Deiargon's fleet made up of an estimated 4 Galleons and 9 Caravels. Was last sighted in the Rosario Sea by Orionese merchantmen and never sighted again. The disappearance of the Crown Prince's Fleet initiated a number of false sightings and later; futile expeditions and archaeological ventures of varying output.
  • The Fleet of Saint James: Wandered the Southern Adlantic; likely due to a navigator's error. Unable to find safe harbour, created a settlement in (AREA).
• 1595 Deiargon's Fleet is able to find sanctuary in (NATION).
• 1598 Deiargon's Fleet is unable to secure sanctuary from eastern Europan kingdoms. Growing desperate, the fleet settles by force in the southeastern tip of Wendland. In the process, the fleet becomes separated from the Crown Prince's Fleet. At Wendland, the fleet repairs, recuperates, and stockpiles resources for a crossing of the Oriental Ocean.
• 1600-1605 Deiargon makes multiple attempts to find a route with favourable winds. Using maps purchased from oriental merchantment, Deiargon attempts to set a course that both catches westerlies and meets islands from which to draw supply. Ultimately it takes nearly 5 years and a large loss of manpower and ships before Deiargon's ships navigate into a route with a consistent and strong westerly wind.
• 1605 Deiargon's Fleet is blown off course and is becalmed as the ships stray too far north from their route. Deiargon is forced to land in the islands now known as Las Islas Ultramares. The islands offer few resources but manages to be servicable as a wintering harbour. As an easterly wind picks up the following year, Deiargon's Fleet is able to double back southeast and catch a westerly wind.
• 1607 Deiargon's ships are found to be in poor condition as shipworm, layers of barnacle, and the wearing away of tallow and oakum take their toll. Unable to proceed safely, Deiargon makes the decision to head into Thalassa to find an island from which to draw timber and supplies from.
• 1609 Deiargon's Fleet arrives western Alharu. Finding much of the coast barren or otherwise too occupied to settle, the ships begin a meandering voyage up the Horn of Alharu. Weary from the voyage, Deiargon is forced to take a slower pace to allow for frequent overland expeditions and shore liberties- much for the sake of dwindling morale.
• 1616 Deiargon attempts to start a colony in northwestern Alharu but finds that frequent raids by natives and outbreaks of disease from local conditions are too hard on the weakened crews. After close to 4 years of persisting, Deiargon resolved to abandon the colony.
• 1620 Deiargon makes landfall in Providencia, in what will later be called the Iberic Peninsula. While the conditions are favourable, the Fleet encounters Narvic natives whose reactions to the colonists vary from extremely hostile to reluctantly enterprising.

Historiography

It should be noted that the primary sources for the larger fleets of the Gran Viatge are all written accounts from Iberic churchmen, noblemen, ship's recordkeepers, and scholars. Contrasting accounts taken by merchantmen or local literates that observed the Viatge fleets in passing make up less than a tenth of the historical record. Many of the above sources; Iberic or foreign, often contain large gaps where records are destroyed or lost. While many of the Iberic writers had access to accurate dating- as this was well kept by ship officers- some accounts contain dating or sequential discrepancies likely from a mistaken perception of time or location.

While majority of the records are agreed upon to be reliable at least in terms of the existence of events or individuals, many details are considered debatable or unconfirmed by professional historians in contemporary Iberic scholarship.

The Intreimor National Archive maintains the most complete collection of digistised accounts of the Gran Viatge.