Great Aletia

Greater Aletian Empire Imperium Aletianorum Βασιλεία τών Αλετῖανόν
Flag
Motto:  "Per Aspera Ad Astra." "Δύναμη Χωρίς Τέλος."
Capital	Alexandria
Demonym(s)	Aletian, Imperial
Government	Legalist Monarchy
• Sovereign	Emperor Romanus I
• Chancellor	Athanasius Kallivas
Legislature	Imperial Senate
Establishment
• Constitution	5th March, 3361
Population
• 3452 census	523,891,742,148
Currency	Imperial Stater
Date format	(dd/mm/yyyy)

The Aletian Empire (Latin: Imperium Aletianorum, Greek: Βασιλεία τών Αλετιανόν), officially the Greater Aletian Empire, is a legalist monarchy located in the Inner Rim, close to the Galactic Core, in the Milky Way galaxy. Its capital and largest city is Alexandria, which is located on the north-western part of its homeworld, Laurentia III. The Aletian Empire consists of sixty two systems and two hundred and eighteen worlds, of which fifty two support large populations. The Aletian Empire is the most populous state in the Aletian cluster, with a population of over five hundred billion citizens. The Aletian Empire is also the largest political, economic, and military power in the Aletian cluster and a technological leader in many fields, including robotics, cybernetics, and nanotechnology. The Aletian Empire has developed a very high standard of living and comprehensive education, healthcare, and social protection systems. The Aletian Empire has also been the home of many influential scientists, artists, and inventors, and is known throughout the Aletian cluster for its cultural, political, and military history.

The history of Great Aletia began with the accidental settlement of the Aletian cluster in 2204. The unified colonial government collapsed in 2210, dividing the Aletians into competing city-states. Conflicts between the city-states led to the beginning of the Laurentian War in 2238. The unexpected emergence of the Arcadians in 2307 led to a ceasefire, culminating in the signing of the 2308 Treaty of Alexandria by Nicholas Kastellanos, First Consul of Alexandria, and Pelagius Kallivas, Grand Prince of Corinth. The Treaty led to the reunification of Laurentia and the establishment of the Aletian Republic under Andreas Nicolaides, the first President of Great Aletia. The next two centuries saw the development of Laurentia and the incorporation of the Arcadians. The Republic began the transition from a planetary to an interstellar power began in the 26th century. The Republic continued to expand over the next five centuries, colonising much of the Aletian cluster. However, the rapid development of the Republic, combined with its decentralised nature, fatally undermined it, leading to the collapse of the government.

In 3128, the Aletian Republic was invaded by the Visari, leading to the Great Visari War. The Visari enjoyed stunning success, overrunning much of the Republic, but were turned back in 3140. The Visari war devastated the Republic, with over two hundred million military personnel and twenty five billion civilians killed. In the aftermath of the Visari war, the Republic underwent significant reform, leading to the expansion of the Aletian armed forces and the strengthening of the presidency. The strengthening of the presidency restored the power of the government, but did little to address the social and political tensions that remained. The strengthening of the presidency worsened these tensions, leading to the permanent declaration of a state of emergency and the suspension of civil liberties in 3165. The assumption of dictatorial power by the presidency allowed the central government to gradually regain control over the Aletian cluster, but fatally undermined the Republic. As coups and civil wars became frequent, presidents increasingly began to rely on the Aletian armed forces to maintain control.

An attempted purge of the Nicolaides family by President Maximillian Angelos in 3360 led to the overthrow of the Republic by High Admiral Alexander Nicolaides. Following a year's rule as first consul, Alexander crowned himself emperor and established the Aletian Empire. Despite a long campaign, Alexander failed to secure the entirety of the Aletian cluster, leading to the establishment of the Sidonian Republic in 3365. An attempted invasion of Sidonia in 3372 ended in failure. The death of the Emperor in 3398 and the assumption of the Imperial Throne by his son, Dimitri, led to the warming of Aletian-Sidonian relations. The signing of the Treaty of Alexandria in 3410 formally ended the war, although the unexpected collapse of the Sidonian government in March, 3416, forced the Empire to respond. The sudden death of Dimitri in June, 3416, led to an attempted coup against his successor, Romanus, which temporarily disrupted preparations. Romanus put down the coup, then invaded Sidonia in May, 3417, annexing it to the Empire in June, 3418, following the signing of the Treaty of Heliopolis.

Etymology

Origin

Aletia derives from the ancient Arcadian term Aleti-Anei, the common name of the Aletian cluster. In the Laurentian dialect of Arcadian, aleti translates to shining, while in the Abyssian dialect, it translates to bright. In both dialects, anei translates to jewel. Aleti-Anei, therefore, translates to Shining Jewel or Bright Jewel, depending on the dialect. It is noted by astronomers that, when viewed from Laurentia, the Aletian cluster appears as a bright streak across the sky, much like the Milky Way. The adoption of Aleti-Anei to refer to the cluster is thought to have occurred early in Arcadian history, in the bronze age or Neolithic. The use of the term predominates in Arcadian mythology, and representations have been found on monuments theorised to have been built before the foundation of the Arcadian Empire and the development of interstellar flight. Stone obelisks, stamped with Aliti-Ani, an archaic form of Aleti-Anei, discovered at a temple complex near Alexandria, may constitute the earliest use of the term, although the exact date is a matter of debate.

Aletian (Arcadian: Aleti-Anet) was not used as an ethnic or cultural term by the Arcadians, although it was commonly used as a political and a religious term. In the political sphere, "Aletians" (Arcadian: Aleti-Aneti) were members of a political movement which sought to maintain Arcadian domination over the Aletian cluster. Aleti-Anei was frequently used on monuments by Aletianist leaders to represent Arcadian domination of the Aletian cluster, and attack the positions of their confederate rivals, who sought to decentralise the Arcadian Empire. In the religious sphere, Aletians were worshippers of Mother Aletia (Arcadian: Viseki Aleti-Anei), a central part of the Arcadian pantheon, who represented life, nature, marriage, fertility - a role broadly similar to the Egyptian Isis. Coins, jewellery, and statues bearing the image of the goddess Mother Aletia, crowned with a solar halo, dressed in royal regalia, and stamped with Aleti-Anei, are common finds at Arcadian archaeological sites, both secular and religious, and attest to the popularity of the term in Arcadian society.

Official

The official name of Aletia is given in the preamble of the Imperial Charter as the Greater Aletian Empire. This is translated into both Latin and Greek as the Empire of the Aletians (Latin: Imperium Aletianorum, Greek: Βασιλεία τών Αλετιανόν), and is often shortened to simply Great Aletia (Latin: Maior Aletia, Greek: Μεγάλη Αλετῖα). Aletia was adopted as the official name for the reunified Laurentian state following the signing of the 2308 Treaty of Alexandria. Although Laurentia was the first human colonised world in the Aletian cluster, its people did not identify as Laurentian (Latin: Laurentianus, Greek: Λαυρεντίανος). The fracturing of the government in the aftermath of the colonisation of Laurentia led to the development of competing city-states, each of which had its own identity. Friction between the city-states, combined with a need for natural resources, ultimately led to the Laurentian War, a repeat of which the new state was keen to avoid. Following reunification, the government sought to erase these identities and unify the population into a coherent whole.

As part of the 2308 Treaty of Alexandria, a naming commission was established, and multiple suggestions were given, the most popular of which was Great Laurentia (Latin: Maior Laurentia, Greek: Μεγάλη Λαυρεντία). However, Andreas Nicolaides, the inaugural President of Great Aletia, refused to name the new state after Laurentia, so as to avoid tying it too closely to it and pre-empt the rise of system-based ethnic identities. Instead, President Nicolaides chose to name the state after the Aletian cluster, control over which he viewed as the manifest destiny of the Aletian people, an ideology similar to the Arcadian Aletianist philosophy, of which he was undoubtedly aware. The endorsement of the president's choice by an assembly of Arcadian tribes was a significant boon to his campaign. The president's choice was ultimately confirmed in the Republic Charter, published in 2309, which formally named the state the Aletian Republic (Latin: Res Publica Aletiana, Greek: Πολιτεία τῶν Αλετανόν) and its people the Aletians (Latin: Aletiani, Greek: Αλετῖανοι).

Military

Main article: Aletian Armed Forces