The Libertines

The Free Republic of the Libertines
Flag
Motto: "Unity, Freedom, Equality"
Anthem: "The Song of the Libertine"
Map of the Libertines Map of the Libertines
Capital	Freeport
Recognised national languages	Albian
Recognised regional languages	Marianan Creole, Geesee
Demonym(s)	Libertine
Government	Semi-Presidential Republic
• President	Michelangelo Masters
• Prime Minister	Toni Cain
Legislature	Libertine Congress
• Upper house	Senate
• Lower house	House of Representatives
Establishment
• Erisian Colonisation	1540s
• Vailleux Colonisation of Mariana	1609
• Alban Colonisation	1765
• Libertine Revolution	1830
• Establishment of the Free Republic of the Libertines	1844
• Establishment of the National State of the Libertines	1935
• Restoration of the Free Republic of the Libertines	1939
Population
• Estimate	30,000,000
• 2017 census	27,812,520
Currency	Libertine Dollar (LD)
Date format	mm ˘ dd ˘ yyyy
Driving side	right
Internet TLD	.lib

The Libertines, also known as the Free Republic of the Libertines, is a country located in eastern Arcadia. Divided into five states, the Libertines is approximately ... square kilometres in size, and is comprised of around 30,000,000 Libertine citizens. The Libertines is bordered by Hochland to the southeast, the Fraternal States of Augusta to the south, and the Federal Union of Arcadia to the west and northwest. The capital of the Libertines is Freeport.

The Libertines were originally inhabited before Erisian colonisation by indigenous Arcadians such as Sugeree, Croatoan, Chalakee, Yuchi, and Chowanoke peoples. Erisians first arrived in the area in the 1540s, and had begun to create several small settlements and trading posts. By the late 1600s Vailleux had taken control of the region, forming it into the colony of Mariana, named after the Vailleux Queen Maria d'Arba. It was in the first years of the 18th century that the first Maurians would arrive as slaves, and over the next century they would comprise a majority of the population. After the Nine Years War, the region came under Alban domination in 1765, taking control of the formerly Vailleux settlements, and dividing the region into two separate colonies, Mariana and Pleasantia.

In the midst of the Arcadian War of 1828 between Arcadia and Alba, a slave by the name of Cyrus Clay sparked a revolt in Mariana in 1830, beginning the Libertine Revolution. Clay's forces allied with Arcadian soldiers who were in the process of invading the region, offering aid in exchange for the training of Clay's men to act as a more organised force. The success of these forces at the end of the War of 1829 in 1833 saw the territories of Mariana and Pleasantia given to the survivors of Clay's Revolt, which were renamed to Liberty and Freedland and proclaimed as independent republics. The next year, in 1834, the two republics merged into the Provisional Republic of the Libertines as a response to the withdrawal of Arcadian troops from the region, officially ending the Libertine Revolution. The provisional Freedmen's Council, a directorate made of several representatives, governed the Libertines until the establishment of the Free Republic of the Libertines in its first election in 1840. Close relations with Arcadia allowed the Libertine economy to gain a head start, and philanthropists from across the Western world invested money in educational programmes and Libertine institutions. Efforts to industrialise the country throughout the 1860s and 1870s, especially the creation of a nationalised rail network along with a boom in the textile industry, ensured that the Libertines would not be reliant on an agrarian economy.

Relations with the newly independent Federated States of Augusta to the south however, remained near-hostile, especially as Augusta continued to practise the enslavement of Maurian-Arcadians on plantations. Tensions between the Libertines and Augusta such as the Jones Affair in 1860 would continue over the rest of the 19th century, ultimately leading to the War of 1899. The War, costly to both Augusta and the Libertines, ended in an Arcadian-mandated ceasefire and peace treaty in 1902, which led to deep dissatisfaction in both Augusta and the Libertines. In 1932 a Libertine ultranationalist by the name of Noah Stonewall was elected president, and in 1935 Stonewall disbanded the government with the help of his loyalist paramilitary forces and announced the creation of the National State of the Libertines, in which he would serve as dictator. Stonewall's government was deposed in 1939 through an Arcadian intervention and the Free Republic of the Libertines was restored. Relations with Augusta would improve, especially after the Bluefields Accords of 1979.

The Libertines today are a semi-presidential republic, and is described as a liberal democracy, ranking highly in areas of quality of life, of education, and of economic freedom. However, the Libertines also retains capital punishment, has fairly high rates of incarceration, and corruption, while below the world average, is not insignificant. The Libertines possess a rich cultural heritage, in particular that of Mauro-Arcadian culture, and is a major tourist destination in Arcadia. Libertine music, has become popular worldwide since the 1950s, has had a significant impact on popular music. This is especially true for the genres of jazz, rhythm, blues, rock, Catflap, snap, and hip-hop, which all have their origins at least partially or entirely from the Libertines.

History

The Libertine Revolution

Beginning in 1830, Albion was in dire need of troops to supplement their war effort. Out of desperation, many looked to the slaves that existed across Mauria and Pleasantia. But efforts to press them into service were complicated by the fact that most slave owners in the region were infuriated at what was seen as government overreach, the military wanting to seize what slave owners viewed as their rightful property and to place them on the frontlines with little compensation. As a result, troops would be stretched even further thin, hampering the war effort further. Many slaves used the opportunity of the war to try to escape their cruel bondage, hoping to flee north through the frontlines into Arcadia. One such slave escape of fifty men took place on the 14th of March 1831, led by a slave by the name of Cyrus Clay. Cyrus Clay called himself a preacher, despite having been born into slavery, being taught to read and write from a young age. Clay was a fantastic orator, able to use his knowledge of the Bible to deliver righteous words and passions to his fellow slaves, leading them to escape. Not long after their escape, they were able to salvage weapons and supplies from nearby property. Clay delivered his intention to fight for a nation of "freedmen", and made clear his plan to join Arcadian forces in the hope they would create an independent nation of former slaves in the region. Cyrus Clay and his troops went from plantation to plantation, attacking and liberating slaves. Soon his group swelled to over two hundred. He communicated with other groups of escaped slaves, managing to co-ordinate raids and fend off attacks. After two months, Clay received news of a small contingent of Arcadian soldiers led by General William Barnard who had been hiding out in the nearby bayous, known by the nickname of 'Barnard's Bandits'. Crucially, Barnard offered refuge and protection to escaped slaves in return for helping them return to Arcadian lines. Clay and his men, despite being mostly armed with axes, hatchets, swords, and farm tools, with only a small number of stolen muskets and shotguns between them, decided to go and seek them out. Several days later Clay and his men stumbled upon an Arcadian patrol. When asked to identify himself and his men, Clay spoke "Cyrus Clay, child of God, preacher among brothers, and shepherd of this flock of free souls. I believe Sir, we are here to reinforce you." Despite being hungry and cold, General Barnard and his men welcomed Clay, sharing what few supplies they had. Clay and Barnard proposed an alliance. The Arcadians were free to join them on their crusade for a free independent state made of former slaves, and they would be fed and treated like equals. In return they would contribute their guns and their knowledge to train Clay's forces and other groups of escaped slaves for the unavoidable upcoming struggle.

A depiction of the fortunate meeting of Cyrus Clay and an Arcadian sentry.

By 1832, Cyrus Clay, temporarily appointed a captain in the Arcadian army by General Barnard, embarked upon a successful campaign to liberate the surrounding area. They seized farms for food, houses for shelter and built barricades to fortify their positions. Arcadian forces were astounded by the prowess of Clay's men, having opened a gaping hole in the Augustan heartland. General Horatio Lee Oliver was sent out with 20,000 men to reinforce Clay's uprising and all others in the region. Albion's forces, on the verge of disintegration, had few troops to stop Clay's rebellion. By the end of that year, Arcadian forces and liberated slave armies had seized control over the entirety of Mariana and Pleasantia, with desertions and catastrophic defeats collapsing Augustan lines. Clay's revolt was the very large straw that broke the metaphorical camel’s back. With the help of Barnard's survivors, Clay's forces, and other roving bands of slaves united to fight a bloody guerrilla war against all who would stand in the way of their emancipation. As Arcadian troops and Libertine militias took more land from Albionian-Augustan troops, a proclamation was sent out by Arcadian President James McClintock, stating that the territories of Mariana and Pleasantia would be liberated and given to the survivors of Cyrus Clay's rising as independent nations. Shortly after this proclamation, hundreds of educated Mauro-Arcadian lawyers, merchants, and politicians flooded into these newly liberated territories, setting up political organisations and aiding in rebuilding efforts in anticipation of the area's independence. Many were encouraged by the Arcadian government, who had seen in the independence of these territories a solution to the problem of educated Mauro-Arcadians who had been advocating for political and social change.

An Augustan woodcutting dating from the Libertine Revolution depicting the "horrid massacres" of the plantation owners and their families by former slaves

By early 1833, Albion's forces in the region were practically non-existent. Albion's colony of Augusta was legislating for secession, breaking away early that year and declaring itself an independent nation. Due to playing a crucial role in Arcadian success in the war, as well as to act as a friendly state in the future, the colonies of Mariana and Pleasantia were given to the forces of these slave revolts. By the terms of the peace deal, all slaves in Albion's Arcadian territory were to be freed, transferred to Arcadian authorities and transported to the newly established republics of Liberty and Freedland. The Fraternal States of Augusta, which had declared itself independent just before the peace treaty was signed, was therefore exempt from liberating their slaves.

The first meeting of the Freedmen's Council, who led the Libertines from 1834 to 1840.

The two states following the Augustan withdrawal were far from the safe havens they were proclaimed to be. Several key problems presented themselves. In many cities, the news of independence was met with rioting and racial violence. Plantation owners and their families were harassed, attacked, and ultimately driven out of the country to Augusta or overseas to Albion. Some, rather than leave, fled to isolated areas to become guerrillas, awaiting a hypothetical Augustan reconquest that would restore their position. White citizens who were sympathetic to the slavers were also driven out at gunpoint. This resistance was soon dealt with by the Libertine militias, as well as Arcadian soldiers themselves, who worked to guarantee the violence did not spread to working class white citizens. Some of these white citizens became active members of the new order, recognising that independence would lead to increased social and economic mobility for them as well. White Arcadian abolitionists, such as Hanson Lewis, also settled in the newly liberated republics.

Despite the security afforded by Arcadian troops in the most urbanised areas of Liberty and Freedland, there was still a large power vacuum in most of the countryside. These rural areas became self-managed by former slaves who set up their own communities and townships. Others became the domain of militia leaders who found their power unchecked, some becoming defacto warlords in their own right. Some of these warlords, including Captain Harry Coffee, Quamana Sam, and Cyrus Clay himself, were able to negotiate with the newly established governments and became politicians and figures of authority in the new governments. Others, such as the infamous bandit Black Jack Cuddjoe, were hunted down and arrested. Additionally, the problems of refugees and ongoing hunger had to be dealt with. By the terms of the peace deal, all slaves in Mariana and Pleasantia were to be freed, transferred to Arcadian authorities and then transported to the newly established republics of Liberty and Freedland. Even though many Augustan plantation owners refused to give away their slaves, or cheated the system by assigning them to plantations further south, many newly freed and escaped slaves had found themselves in Libertine territory with no homes and few belongings. Because many farms were left unplanted from the turmoil, there was no guarantee of a reliable food supply. As a result nearly a thousand newly freed slaves and their families died of hunger or exposure during the harsh winter of 1833-1834.

Along with all this, there still was the threat of Augustan troops invading once Arcadian troops had withdrawn from Liberty and Freedland, especially as they still considered the territories to be a part of their own nation. The timing was difficult; information delivered to the governments of both Liberty and Freedland by Arcadian General Horatio Lee Oliver stated Arcadia's intent to withdraw from the republics within two years, amid domestic demands to demobilise. Both President-Executive William Brownstone of Liberty and President-Executive Benjamin Priest of Freedland soon recognised that to survive, both republics had to unite into a single nation. After months of negotiation, the Republic of Freedland and the Republic of Liberty officially merged to become the Provisional Republic of the Libertines on the 2 January 1834, ending the Libertine Revolution.

19th Century

Four Weeks' War

File:ThreeWeeksWarAdvance.jpg

A map detailing the advance of the Augustan army by the 16th of September, before the Battle of Bluefield.

Fears of Augustan invasion would be proven correct. Six months after the Arcadian withdrawal, on the 7th of September 1836, soldiers of the Fraternal States of Augusta streamed across the border, seizing border outposts and fortifying positions, where they met heavy resistance from Libertine soldiers. The Augustan justification of the war, stated by President Hanson, was to "restore order to the provinces of Mariana and Pleasantia, illegally severed from Augusta; which have succumbed into a state of black anarchy that risks spreading banditry and insurrection." There was a clear emphasis to destroy the newly formed nation, as the Libertines were seen as a threat to the institution of slavery within Augusta itself. Though the Libertines had expected that Augusta would attack and seek to destroy the nascent republic as soon as Arcadia withdrew their forces, the speed of the Augustan attack took the Libertine government by surprise. By the 10th of September, the towns of Harpersboro and Liberty Hill had been captured and were subject to looting, and Libertine forces were forced to withdraw from much of Chalakee. However, the Augustan advance, led by the Army of Midland under the command General Sidney Wells, faced several immediate problems that ground their advance to a halt by the 12th. The first problem was that Augustan troops were fundamentally undersupplied and underequipped, a problem that plagued the newly formed nation since the War of 1828. There was a strong hope that the Augustan army would be able to scavenge supplies along the way, especially as it was believed that Libertine troops would retreat and leave behind stockpiles of ammunition and weapons.

The already poor situation of Augustan supplies were made worse by Libertine militias which had quickly been raised and then engaged in guerrilla fighting. These militias, which had experience in fighting in the Chalakee Mountains during the Revolution only several years ago, were able to effectively harass and disrupt the Augustan supply line. Additionally, heavy rain and floods between the 10th and 12th swept away many of the mountain trails through the Chalakee Mountains, worsening the situation. At the Battle of Bluefield on the 16th, the Augustans were dealt their first major defeat by Libertine troops under the command of Generals Baptiste Andry and Harry Coffee. This was followed by the Battle of Mt Pound on the 19th and the Battle of Fruit Hill on the 20th, which forced Augustan soldiers back to the gains made on the first few days. Several days later, this was followed by the Battle of Harpersboro on the 23rd, where brutal hand to hand fighting for the town forced Augustan troops to flee further towards the border. In the aftermath of Harpersboro, Libertine militias were able to pick off and capture hundreds of retreating Augustans with great effectiveness, and General Sidney Wells was fatally shot by a Libertine sniper on the morning of the 24th. Augustan forces, demoralised and panicked, retreated back to the border by the 25th.

Sam Jones, radical abolitionist, whose attempt to spark a large slave rebellion in Augusta in 1860 nearly led to war between the Libertines and Augusta yet again.

While Libertine citizens were jubilant at these victories, feeling secure in the Libertines' future, Augustan politicians were outraged. Rumours of torture and mutilation by Libertine troops, and the capture of hundreds of soldiers sparked resentment to the campaign. Among many others, the lead opponent to the war was Senator Joseph Cannady of New Ostend. In a speech on the 23rd of September, Senator Cannady decried the inability of the government to "protect their soldiers from the cruel tortures of the blacks", and spoke publicly on ending the war, stating that "I'd rather our boys protect our institutions here than be scalped on some cursed mountain." On the 3rd of October 1836, 26 days after the campaign had begun, a ceasefire was signed, officially ending conflict; there would continue to be sporadic but low level border conflicts over the next decade until the Augustan government recognised the independence of the Libertines in 1870.

Senator Joseph Cannady defended accusations of defeatism by maintaining his belief in more military funding; he would often end his speeches in the Augustan senate with the phrase "I hope by god that at the end of this year we shall recover the territories lost to the blacks", a practise that he would continue until his death in 1858.

Slave Raids and the Jones Affair

Sam Jones believed that God himself had ordained him to bring an end to slavery in Augusta. Jones was, despite his reputation for violence in the Stone Plantation Massacre, employed on behalf of the Libertines, using Libertine and Arcadian finance and arms to continue Freedom Raids in an attempt to free the remaining people held against their will in the Fraternal States of Augusta. This association was to be denied at all costs. His goal rested upon a radical scheme, the establishment of an 'Underground Freedom Pass-Way' that would create a highway for escaped slaves, stretching through the Chalakee Mountains and into the heart of Augusta. This would drain Augusta of slaves, Jones and his backers believed, who would then travel north into Augusta or northeast directly into the Libertines. However, Jones secretly took on a much more dangerous task, seeking to spark a slave rebellion that stretched across the entirety of Augusta. To light this spark, all he and his followers would need would be to attack an armoury, steal weapons, and distribute them across to local plantations. Then, he hoped, enough slaves would be armed to hold off any attempts to crush this rebellion, and then with Libertine backing, enough revolts would occur in Augusta that they would be forced to end slavery.

On the 7th of September 1859, Sam Jones, his brother, and several of his sons gathered a militia of around 20 men, arming themselves with Arcadian weapons given by Libertine funding. His plan was simple. En route to Pyrgos, New Ostend, they would liberate as many enslaved people as possible, arming those willing to accompany them and together raid the armoury in Pyrgos. When the armoury was breached they’d loot as many weapons as they could carry, burn the rest of the stockpile and escape on horseback with the newly freed men and their plunder. However, the plan did not go as intended. When the armoury doors were breached the local Pyrgian militia descended upon Jones' men and under the orders of Jones seven of the freed slaves and two of his sons bolted for the safety of the border. The rest stayed with Jones and vowed to fight. In a long and protracted battle all were killed, including Sam Jones, who set alight the munitions stored inside when the Augustan militia stormed the inner rooms of the armoury. The resulting explosion and fire claimed the lives of dozens. In the weeks after his death, Jones' sons would circulate a pamphlet written by Sam Jones in the event of his quest's failure.

Despite being widely seen as a terrorist and a murderer in the Fraternal States of Augusta, Sam Jones was widely mourned as a hero in the Libertines. Both in Arcadia and in the Libertines, Jones took on a second life as he became immortalised in the folk song "Sam Jones' Body". Despite lyrics varying wildly from place to place, they all proclaim at the end that "his soul is fighting on!" When it became clear that Jones was aided and financed by the Libertine government, outrage poured through the Fraternal States of Augusta. There were open calls for war to be declared against the Free Republic of the Libertines. Several Augustan senators and politicians stated their belief that their backing of Jones in his quest was nothing more than an attempt to destroy the Fraternal States from within. Riots broke out within the Fraternal States with many slaves lynched, as many Augustan citizens feared that slaves would soon rebel and take up Sam Jones' name. Ultimately these efforts would be stopped by the Fraternal States themselves, pressured by slaveowners to prevent damage to what they saw as their property, as well as from diplomatic overtures from Arcadia, who did not want to see a war in their backyard. The Libertines was quiet throughout the whole affair, maintaining an almost complete lack of communication with the Fraternal States that would continue for decades to come.

Industrialisation

An election poster for Francis W. Johnson's election campaign, 1876.

Politics and Government

Military

Main article: Armed Forces of the Libertines