Vlissingemond

The United Republic of Vlissingemond Mama'a'oa (indigenous peoples)
Flag of Vlissingemond Flag
File:Work In Progress
Capital	New Taonalani
Largest city	Kapitaalhaven
Official languages	Dutch, Mama'aoan
Recognized languages	English, Yocatullic
Ethnic groups	57% Huipo/mixed-race, 20% indigenous, 16% White, 4% Coian, 3% Others
Demonym(s)	Vlissinger
Government	Semi-presidential republic
• President	Willem Koek
• Prime Minister	Māhoe Verwoolde
Legislature	Verengid Kamer
History
• Human habitation	c. 900 BCE
• Emeloord culture falls	350 CE
• First Sublustrian colonization	600 CE
• Ele'olea Confederacy	1050-1601 CE
• Xiaodongese expeditions	1100s CE
• First Warring States period	1205-1601 CE
• Hennish colonization	1685-1719 CE
• Estmerish colonization	1744-1886 CE
• War of the Arucian	1884-1885 CE
• Home Rule	1886-1957 CE
• Independence	1957- CE
Population
• 2018 estimate	16,500,000
GDP (nominal)	estimate
• Per capita	$17,525
Currency	Vlissinger guilder (VLG)
Driving side	right

The United Republic of Vlissingemond (Mama'a'oan: Mama'a'oa), usually referred to as Vlissingemond, is an island nation off the southwestern tip of Asteria Inferior.

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Ancient History

Human habitation is fairly recent on the island now known as Vlissingemond, first dating to around 900 BC. The origins of this first culture are unknown, but today it is known as the Emmeloord culture, named after the village where the first stone tools from the period were uncovered. The Emeloord people had stone tools, agriculture, and even a hieroglyphic writing system (although historians have been unable to translate it). The artifacts from this culture started to decline around 150 AD, disappearing entirely around 350 AD. The exact reasons are unclear, but anthropologists suggest a combination of environmental catastrophes and political turmoil and violence.

With the Emeloord culture gone from the island, a new people moved in to take their place: the Sublustrians. Coming from the islands to the west of Vlissingemond, the Sublustrians were a voyager people seeking new lands to settle. The first wave of settlers arrived in 600 AD from the region of Iwikuamo’o, fleeing dwindling resources on their home island. The Iwikuamo’o settlers named their new homeland ‘Mama'a'o’, meaning ‘distant green land’. Over time, other migrants from other regions of Sublustria came to Mama'a'o, creating a mixed culture with its own traditions and language.

Medieval History

Over time, the waves of Sublustrian colonizers joined together, culminating in 1050 AD with the creation a confederacy of all the nations on the island: the Ele'olea Confederacy, or the Bald Eagle Confederacy. The head of this confederacy was the Manunui, which subsequent Hennish colonizers translated as ‘Emperor’, but the term literally meant ‘great bird’. The Manunui was the head of the island, sharing power with a council of nobles and a class of priests. The Manunui held the power to receive foreign visitors and conduct foreign policy, authorize national construction projects like major temples, and lead religious rituals. The council of nobles usually handled day-to-day administrative matters like setting and collecting taxation, while the priestly council ran the temples and oversaw sacrifices (usually animal, but occasionally fallen warriors would be sacrificed after death).

However, the Confederacy in execution was more of a mixed bag, and its power varied. The early stages of the Confederacy were extremely powerful and centralized, with Confederacy-appointed governors ruling over all parts of the island. An island-wide currency based on shaped cowry shells with the Manunui’s symbol was introduced, and this new currency was used to pay a special bodyguard unit for each governor out of the Manunui’s treasury, ensuring the governors’ loyalty. Ruling from Taonalani in the center of the island, the Manunui had the loyalty of both the nobles and the priests, and were obeyed throughout Mama'a'o. This was helped by the fact that the Manunui was seen as a divine figure, descended from and protected by the sky god Wātea, and performing several religious that were key to the religious life of Mama'a'o.

The strong Ele'olea Confederacy period lasted until the 12th century, with the arrival of Xiaodongese expeditions. In addition to initiating trade and diplomatic relations, which made the Confederacy a nominal vassal of Xiaodong, the explorers introduced Satyism to the island. The populace was quick to convert, and the traditional priestly class either converted to Satyism or were displaced. In addition to religious shifts, such as the end of sacrifices, this new class of Satyist priests changed the power dynamics, as they sought more independence from the Manunui and the Confederacy’s central government. When Manunui Māhoe II died in 1205, he was succeeded by his three-year-old son Tamata V. This fractured the court, as the priests and the nobles struggled for control over the toddler monarch.

Warring States Period

In the midst of this instability, payments to the bodyguards fell behind, and the local governments picked up the slack. With the bodyguards now loyal to the governor instead of the Manunui, and with the royal court distracted, the governors asserted more autonomy. These governors became known as ‘naru’, meaning ‘jaguars’, due to both their power and the fact many of them had military backgrounds. Over the succeeding centuries, the royal court headed by the Manunui held nominal control over the island, and maintained an important religious role, but political power was held by the naru, who formed a hereditary class of warlords. The naru frequently each other, sometimes to expand their territory and influence, and sometimes in an attempt to reach for the ultimate prize: capturing the capital at Taonalani and declaring themselves Manunui.

One of these naru families was the warlike O'tumu; their family name is a contraction of a phrase meaning “one who knows chants”, referring both to the battle chants O'tumu soldiers performed before battle and the religious chants the O’tumu performed when paying homage to the war god Tulu. The first prominent member of the O'tumu was Hatuha'otu O'tumu. Born in 1509, Hatuha'otu was originally a retainer under the powerful warlord Tameanāna Matu'a, who was overlord of much of eastern Mama'a'oa. Through guile, strategy, and luck, Hatuha'otu broke away from the Matu'a and led his own clan to prominence, defeating their former allies and taking the eastern tip of the island as their base of power. In the 16th century, Hennish traders arrived in O’tumu lands, and the O’tumu opened up negotiations. The head of the O’tumu at the time, Tamatoa Mataʻuʻole (meaning ‘Tamatoa the Fearless’) O’tumu, realized the potential in working with these foreigners, as their money and gunpowder weaponry could help his relatively obscure state conquer the whole island. Before they could begin selling the O’tumu weapons, however, the Hennish demanded that Tamatoa convert to Amendism and try to convert his people as well. Tamatoa agreed, and he was baptized as Jan Mataʻuʻole Utomoi (using a Latinized version of his clan name).

With his new weapons, Jan started to conquer his neighbors. Piece by piece, Jan defeated and subjugated the other warlords on the island. In 1601, Jan Utomoi took Taonalani, and declared himself ta mō'ī (king) of the island. The last major obstacle to Jan I’s power was the Satyist priest class, but he managed to secure the loyalty of most of them by promising religious tolerance, while the remainder were massacred when Jan’s troops set on fire a fortified monastery where the dissenting priests were holding a meeting. From there, Jan set about restructuring his nation on Amendist Hennish lines, converting much of the population to Amendism, introducing Hennish customs, and even having himself and his nobility wear Hennish dress on certain occasions.

Early Modern History

However, while this cultural shift pleased their Hennish allies, the Hennish were less pleased by the ta mō'ī’s attempts to increase their own political power. To that end, Hennish traders provided small amounts of aid to regional governors in order to serve as a counterbalance to royal authority. In addition, while Jan I was very accommodating toward the Hennish and granted them free trade throughout his domain, subsequent ta mō'ī were less permissive, gradually cracking down on the Hennish’s trade rights and limiting where they could trade. Hennish anger began to increase. The final straw came in 1685, when ta mō'ī Adriaen II declared himself ta aupuni (emperor). The Hennish used this as a pretext to escalate the situation, claiming it was a statement of Mama'a'o being equal or even above the Hennish, and that such impudence from a state the Hennish considered to be little more than a vassal could not be tolerated. The Hennish increased their support and arms sales to the regional governors, while cutting off arms sales and trade to the royal government in Taonalani. With trade cut off the ta aupuni couldn’t afford to pay his soldiers and had to decrease the size of the army, and the lack of the latest weaponry put the royal military even further behind. Once again, the governors took advantage of the central government’s weakness to pursue their own ends. A new warring states period began.

Hennish and Flamian colonization

This period was quite short, however, lasting only a few decades. Reasoning that cutting out the middlemen in the form of the native rulers would lead to greater profits, the Hennish increased their intervention in the island, beginning a gradual takeover of the island. Over time, the various warlord states were conquered one-by-one, until the whole island was under Hennish colonial domination by 1713. This new colony was named Vlissingemond, meaning ‘bottle mouth’, due the large amounts of alcohol produced on the island, which soldiers posted to the island would frequently bottle and drink to the point of drunkenness.

One of the first things the Hennish did was establish a new capital that was more convenient for trade. On the southern coast of the island the city of Kapitaalhaven was established. At Kapitaalhaven, a new Hennish bureaucracy and state apparatus was set up, with Hennish settlers arriving to staff this new government. As this government expanded outwards and regional administrations were set up, these administrators spread outward too. Over time, Hennish and native islanders worked together, though with the Hennish occupying most positions of authority above the local level. There was also frequent intermarriage between the Hennish settlers and natives, creating a mixed population that is still the largest ethnic group in Vlissingemond. This mixed population had many of the same rights as the Hennish settlers, they were kept out of positions of major power due to having indigenous ancestry. In general, these mixed people, eventually to be called huipo, dominated local commerce and administration, while regional and overall colonial administration was controlled by the Hennish.

However, just as the Hennish were becoming established in their new colony, turmoil in the mother country changed the situation in the colony. First, in 1719, Hennehouwe was conquered by its Catholic neighbor Flamia, creating the Grand Duchy of Flamia. Catholic Flamia sought to control and convert Amendist Vlissingemond, and to this end, enacted laws that restricted Amendists’ rights and prohibited them from holding most government positions, even down to local offices. The goal was to convert the Amendist population to Catholicism, but this backfired spectacularly. In 1721, a broad revolt broke out, starting in Kapitaalhaven and spreading throughout the island. The colonial Flamian government and its few supporters were pushed to the eastern edge of the island, until they were forced to sue for peace in 1724. In the subsequent Bakendorp Agreement, the rebels agreed to return to the Flamian fold, and in exchange, all rebels were pardoned, the religious laws were repealed, and freedom of religion was recognized in Vlissingemond. This set a precedent that is still the basis of Vlissingemond’s freedom of religion tradition.

The Bakendorp Agreement also granted the Vlissingemond colony a great deal of autonomy, including the right to local assemblies, the right to petition, and the right for the local and regional legislatures to make their own laws and taxes (though the royal governor and his regional lieutenants could still overrule these laws). Overall, the Bakendorp Agreement and troubles in Euclea meant Flamian rule was fairly hands-off, and the colony was mostly allowed to govern itself.

Estmerish colonization

However, it didn’t take long for the political landscape to change again. In 1744, the Estmerish-Hennish Wars concluded with Estmere taking all of Hennehouwe’s colonies, including Vlissingemond. After the peace treaty was agreed to, the Estmerish Navy dispatches a fleet to assert control over their new colony of Vlissingemond. When they arrived at Kapitaalhaven, however, the colonial governor Willem van der Wal denied them permission to land, explaining they would only submit to Estmerish rule if they agreed to respect the Bakendorp Agreement. Rather than risking a rebellion by forcing his way in, the Estmerish commander decided to negotiate, and sent word to his superiors about the colonials’ demands. In early 1745, the Kapitaalhaven Pact formally reconfirmed the Bakendorp Agreement for Estmerish rule. In addition, the Estmerish maintained much of the old elites and hierarchy system. Officials like van der Wal were allowed to retain their positions, and while they were usually replaced by an official from Estmere when they stepped down, local administration and assemblies remained dominated by the mixed hierarchy that was already in control.

Modern History

War of the Arucian and Aftermath

For over 100 years, Vlissingemond was a loyal colony to Estmere, providing sandalwood, fish, and iron ore to the mother country in exchange for a degree of autonomy. However, in 1883, the War of the Arucian broke out. What started as a dispute between Gaullica and the Asteria Superior countries of Marirana and Vilcasuamanas escalated into a wider conflict when a secret treaty led to Vlissingemond’s fellow Estmerish colony of Nuvania entering the war on the side of Gaullica. Vlissingemond was not bound by this treaty, and Estmere as a whole did not enter the war right away, but Vlissingemond and Nuvania had enjoyed close relations and were strong trade partners, leading some Vlissinger leaders to feel an obligation to help their fellow colony. The topic of war raged through the local assemblies, and petitions and delegations both for and against war were presented to colonial governor John Blyth. Finally, in early 1884, Blyth issued an official declaration of war against Vilcasuamanas.

Preparations for war quickly began. As the Kapitaalhaven Pact forbade Vlissingemond from establishing its own navy, merchant vessels were outfitted into transport ships and warships. A force of 5,000 troops and 8 artillery pieces were gathered and shipped to Vilcasuamanas to assist in Nuvania’s war effort. However, the Vlissinger forces only saw one battle and a couple of skirmishes before peace was declared and the war ended. By war’s end, Vlissingemond had lost 560 men from both battle and disease. While not as large of a contribution as other nations, Vlissingers expressed a sense of pride in helping their friend Nuvania and their mother country Estmere, and felt they should be rewarded. Governor Blyth led this effort, petitioning the Estmerish Parliament for Home Rule and even personally speaking before the Parliament on the issue. In 1886, Estmere agreed, and the already semi-autonomous Vlissingemond became fully autonomous. Upon the granting of Home Rule, Blyth resigned as royal governor so he could run for a seat in Vlissingemond’s first colony-wide legislature, the Verenigd Kamer (‘United Chamber’ in Hennish), or ‘Kamer’ for short. Blyth not only won, but shortly after his election, was elected the first Prime Minister of Vlissingemond by his fellow legislators.

Home Rule and the Great War

Blyth’s main priority was building a sense of national identity out of a colony that was largely characterized by local and regional sentiments. To do this, Blyth cultivated a sense of ‘Vlissingness’ that incorporated indigenous peoples, the old Hennish establishment, the new Estmerish elite, the growing population of Coian immigrants, and the mixed race ‘huipo’ (the latter of whom were now the largest ethnic group on the island). Blyth appealed to Vlissingemond’s history, both before and after its colonization, and used national heroes from both eras to identity what it truly meant to be ‘Vlissinger’. To Blyth, Vlissingemond was a diverse land that could incorporate multiples peoples around the values of inclusion, openness, and bravery. Blyth and his vision would form the basis of one of Vlissingemond’s two major parties that still exist today, the Groene Alliantie (‘Green Alliance’).

However, not all embraced this inclusive vision. On the other side of the aisle, Tameaitaita Zwart promoted a national vision focused mostly on the huipo and the people of Euclean descent. Zwart and his followers spoke highly of both Hennish and Estmerish colonialism as a civilizing force, and looked down on the pre-colonial Mama’a’oan society. Zwart’s Vlissingemond was a neutral and isolationist nation, which could only be strengthened from within instead of from without. Zwart and his followers formed Vlissingemond’s other major party, the Rode Unie (‘Red Union’). Due to this color-coding, the two parties and their various iterations throughout Vlissinger history are commonly known simply as the Greens and the Reds respectively.

The rest of 19th century was relatively quiet for Vlissingemond. Blyth passed away in 1899, followed by Zwart in 1912, leading to their followers taking the reins of political leadership in the colony. The early 20th century saw intense debates over Vlissingemond’s role in the world as war seemed to loom on the horizon, but ultimately, the Red government of Pieter van der Steege kept Vlissingemond out of the Great War. However, despite his public statements to the contrary, van der Steege's government was not completely neutral in the conflict. In 1928, van der Steege reached a secret government with Nuvania and the Entente, agreeing to sell them food, iron, and steel at preferential prices in exchange for Vlissingemond's neutrality being respected. Van der Steege and his conservative government also sympathized with the rightist and anti-communist Entente, but hesitated to join the war as he felt he wouldn't have enough support from the Opposition Greens, who largely favored the Alliance. After the war, van der Steege ordered documents relating to Vlissingemond's part in the Great War to be destroyed, but archivists preserved most of the papers until they were declassified in 1979.

Post-War and Independence

However, things changed in 1935. In June of that year, a few months after the end of the Great War, a new Green government led by Tanatatoa Schulenberg was elected to power. Schulenberg saw a much more active role for Vlissingemond, believing Vlissingemond’s foreign policy should advocate for world peace and harmony. To this end, Schulenberg brought Vlissingemond into the Community of Nations as one of its first post-founding members. On the domestic front, Schulenberg pursued social democratic policies which expanded the social safety net, established a social security system for retirees and the disabled, and expanded healthcare access. Schulenberg was also a fan of aviation, and under his patronage, new airfields were established across the island. This love of flying would also be Schulenberg’s downfall, however: On July 6, 1946, Tanatatoa Schulenberg died while flying his private plane, having got caught in a storm and crashed. An intense period of mourning followed, and today, Schulenberg is remembered not only as the longest-serving Prime Minister in Vlissinger history, but as the founder and great political hero of the modern incarnation of the Greens.

In the years following Schulenberg’s death, the Greens carried on his legacy, expanding the programs Schulenberg established, and culminating in a Green-led government establishing the first single-payer healthcare system in the Asterias in 1956. The Greens also used Vlissingemond’s position in the Community of Nations to call for decolonization, which included Estmere granting independence to Vlissingemond in 1957. The United Republic of Vlissingemond was officially formed, and the position of royal governor was replaced with a President. In 1959, the capital of the United Republic was moved from Kapitaalhaven to New Taonalani, a planned city just west of the old Confederacy capital.

However, some thought the Greens had gone too far, and in the 1960s, the Reds experienced a resurgence under Martijn Burger, leading to many of the Green-founded social programs being either limited or partially-privatized. The Red Revival (as its supporters called it) also led to a cut in immigration quotas and tightening of immigration requirements. The conflict between the Reds and the Greens over social services, immigration, and foreign policy continues to this day.

Despite this political upheaval, Vlissingemond’s economy prospered in the post-Great War years. Vlissingemond being neutral, and thus not affected by the war’s devastation, made it an attractive location for businesses and corporations seeking to expand. Starting in the 1970s, a small but powerful tech sector emerged around Kapitaalhaven, encouraged by the deregulation of the Red government at the time. Today, Vlissingemond is a small but prosperous nation, with a rapidly modernizing economy and an increased standard of living. However, critics say this growth hasn’t been universal: Many rural areas lack access to this new modern lifestyle, and there are disparities not only between the rich and the poor, but also between the huipo and Euclean descendants versus the indigenous peoples and other minority groups. How to deal with these disparities is still a hot topic, and people all over the nation debate Vlissingemond’s future in this new world.

Demographics

The dominant ethnic group is the huipo (derived from the Mama’a’oan phrase ‘Ua hui pu'ia po'e,’ meaning ‘the people who were joined together’), which refers to people of mixed ancestry (mostly Hennish and indigenous, but also including other combinations). As of the most recent census, the huipo make up 57% of the nation’s population. Of the remainder, 20% consider themselves indigenous, 16% consider themselves White (mostly Hennish descent, but also encompassing other Euclean groups), 4% identify as Coian, and 3% identity as some other race.

Languages

The official languages are Hennish and Mama'a'oan (a language similar to that of Iwikuam’o). Of the two, Hennish is more commonly used, being spoken by indigenous peoples, Hennish settler descendants, and mixed peoples alike, and is the primary language of government and business. However, most documents and signage are available in both languages. Schools teach both languages, but in general, urban and suburban schools place more emphasis on Hennish, while rural schools (particular in the North) and areas with majority indigenous populations place more emphasis on Mama’a’oan.

Religion

The dominant religion is Sotirianity, compromising about 70% of the population. Satyism is the second-most common religion, at 25%. The rest is split between other religions and non-religious. However, the government is officially secular, and while many Vlissingers consider religion an important part of their lives, society as a whole is also mostly secular.

Of the 70% Sotirianity, 75% of that is Amendist. From the island’s conversion the Vlissinger Amendist Church was in communion with the Hennish Reformed Church, reflecting the Hennish’s status as overlord of the island and its converter. However in 1746, Vlissingemond split from the Hennish church and formed its own branch. This branch, Vlissinger Amendism, mostly resembles mainstream Amendism, but incorporates some pre-colonial traditions and beliefs from the Mama’a’oan society. The remaining 15% is Catholic, with the southwest of the country in particular having a growing Catholic population due to outreach and missionary efforts by the Catholic Church in Vlissingemond.