Gallasia (Ebrary)

Province of Gallasia
Flag
Anthem:
[[File:|250px]] Map of Gallasia
Capital	Vugo
Official languages	Ebrarese, Gallasian
Ethnic groups	Gallasians, Ebrarians, Vorsts, Aurivizh, Others
Religion	Christianity (Ebraricism)
Demonym(s)	Gallasian
Government
•     Governor-President	Jacobo Greixo
Legislature	Provincial Assembly
Autonomous province of Ebrary
• Kingdom of Gallasia	c. 650 CE
• Ebrarian Conquest of Gallasia	1126-1129
• Autonomous Provinces Act	1986
Population
• Estimate	623,000
Currency	Ebro (EBR; ∉)
Date format	dd-mm-yyyy
Driving side	right

Gallasia (Ebrarese: Gallasia; Gallasian: Fwedsma), officially the Province of Gallasia, is a landlocked autonomous province in western Ebrary bordering other countries in the west and north and the province of Aberna in the south and east. The Autonomous Provinces Act of 1986 devolves certain powers to the province of Gallasia which are not devolved to other provinces. Gallasia consists of six counties, and its capital and most populous city is Vugo. Gallasia is the second least populated province of Ebrary.

Gallasia is the homeland of the Gallasian people, a Geltic people group native to the area encompassing the Province of Gallasia as well as parts of the province of Aberna. Approximately 78% of the population of Gallasia were classified as Gallasians in the 2020 Ebrarian Census. Most of the rest of the population are Ebrarians. Religiously, the majority of the population of Gallasia adheres to Ebraricism, but the Orthodox Church is the fastest growing denomination in the province.

The primary sector of the economy of Gallasia is dominated by coal mining in the Gallasian mountains. Gallasia is the most impoverished province in terms of median household income in Ebrary.

The history of Gallasia has its origins in the Christianization of the Geltic peoples in Ebrary after the establishment of Aroman settlements in the 5th century AD. By the middle of the 6th century, Christian Geltic Kings had established the Kingdom of Gallasia centered around the modern province of Gallasia. The original kingdom encompassed what is now termed "Greater Gallasia", and area encompassing the modern province of Gallasia as well as large portions of Aberna and small areas of neighboring countries. Most of these lands in Ebrary to this day have a large Gallasian presence. The Kingdom of Gallasia was conquered in 1129 by the Kingdom of Ebrary, ending centuries of independence.

In the modern era, Gallasia is the center of terrorist activities by separatist groups, most notably the Gallasian Independence Army and the Gallasian Wildcats. The Gallasian capital Vugo has been placed under martial law twice by the national government in the last decade to deal with terrorist attacks.

History

Displacement of the Old Ebrarians

The area now known as Gallasia was originally inhabited by pagan Geltic peoples, however after the settlement of Ebrary by Aroman settlers many of the Geltic Old Ebrarians from further east were displaced and migrated to Gallasia beginning in the late 6th century. These Old Ebrarians or Ebraro-Gelts brought with them the Christian faith, causing conflict with the existing pagan tribes. The Christians conquered and forcibly converted the existing population, using technology and modes of fighting emulated from the Aromans they had fled from. A number of petty kingdoms and lordships were established, but the Christian Gelts were disunified and the tribes they had subjugated still in many cases adhered to pagan beliefs.

Kingdom of Gallasia

Gallasia was united in c. 650 by King Alann the Great, who conquered or otherwise pacified the warring petty kings and lords of the area. Gallasia was, from its foundation, a Christian kingdom with loyalties to the Bishop of Ceres. However, the peasantry was still in many respects pagan and persisted in these beliefs for approximately two centuries after the foundation of the Kingdom. The historic Kingdom of Gallasia extended well beyond the borders of the current Ebrarian province of the same name, including the coastline, southern, and central portions of modern Aberna province (which to this day have large Gallasian populations).

From 705-716 the "Grand Pagan Host", an army of nomadic Nordic peoples, conquered Geltic tribes bordering Gallasia and established a polity which would become known as the Kingdom of Vorstland. The Gallasian Kingdom repelled an invasion by the Grand Pagan Host in 718, stopping the further expansion of the Vorsts into Geltic lands.

Demographics

The province of Gallasia has a population of approximately 630,000 people (2020), with the largest percent of the population emigrating of any Ebrarian province.

Ethnicity

Being the homeland of the Gallasian people, approximately 78% (2020 estimate) of the province are ethnic Gallasians, with the majority of the rest of the population being ethnic Ebrarian. While Gallasia is the homeland of the Gallasian people, the majority of Gallasians in Ebrary do not live in the province. A notable minority of Aurivizht people live on the border with Aurivizh.

Language

Ebrarese and Gallasian are co-official in the autonomous province. Gallasian is a Geltic language spoken widely by the ethnic Gallasian people. It is believed to be primarily descended from the language of the Ebraro-Gelts, with heavy input from other Geltic languages as well as the Ebrarese language. As much as 80% of those whom identify as ethnic Gallasians in the province of Gallasia are fluent in the Gallasian language. However, spoken Gallasian is on the decline both within and outside the province.

Gallasio-Ebrarese is the Gallasian dialect of Ebrarese, which includes words derived from Gallasian and influences from Gallasian grammar.

The Aurivizh language is also spoken among the Aurivizht minority in Gallasia, largely centered on the border with Aurivizh. This language is recognized as a minority language, with speakers able to receive some government forms and services in this language in areas with a significant population of Aurivizh speakers.