Gallasian people
Fwedsmry | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Languages | |
| Gallasian, Ebrarese | |
| Religion | |
| Primarily Church of Ebrary, but also other Protestant groups as well as Orthodox and Aroman | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Ebrarian people, Other Geltic peoples |
Gallasians (Gallasian: Fwedsmry) are a Geltic ethnic group native to Gallasia. They trace their heritage to the Geltic peoples who Christianized under the influence of the Ebrarians and formed the Kingdom of Gallasia. The Kingdom of Gallasia was subsequently conquered by Ebrary in 1129.
The language of the Gallasians is Gallasian, which is spoken primarily in Gallasia, where approximately two out of three Gallasians are fluent. As a Geltic language, it is closely related to the languages of the bordering Gelts but also has a much greater degree of influence from Ebrarese. Currently, spoken Gallasia is on the decline. There is also a notable Gallasian diaspora both abroad and within major cities in Ebrary, with Ceres and Egschwil being the two cities with the largest Gallasian populations outside Gallasia.
History
See also: History of Gallasia
Gallasians are believed to be descended from the remnants of the Geltic tribes (Old Ebrarians) which inhabited most of modern Ebrary, but had fled from the southeastern tip of the Yeetland peninsula and further west and inland due to Ebrarian settlement. These remnants themselves became Christianized and conquered the Geltic pagan groups which inhabited what became the Kingdom of Gallasia, intermarrying with them and forming a proto-Gallasian identity. Under pressure from the surrounding powers, including the city-states of Ebrary, the Kingdom of Gallasia was eventually formed in the mid-7th century. This unity led the Gallasians to be able to resist the warlike Vorstish Kingdom in the 8th century, while the Ebrarians were ultimately conquered by the Vorsts.
The Kingdom of Gallasia was subsequently conquered by Ebrary in 1129, after the Ebrarians gained independence from Vorstland. In the late 17th century, some Gallasian lands were systemically colonized with non-Gallasians by the Ebrarian crown, and the official border of Gallasia were eventually reduced in the 20th century during the 2nd Kingdom of Ebrary to their modern borders. Strong sentiments among the Gallasians for Gallasian independence eventually led to the 1964-1966 Gallasian War, a bloody conflict which saw the cities of Gallasia bombed and the economic base of the province decimated.
Language
Gallasian (Gallasian: Fwedsmej; Ebrarese: Gallasian) is a Geltic language spoken in Gallasia, a province of modern-day Ebrary. It is believed to be primarily descended from the language of the Old Ebrarians (Ebraro-Gelts), with heavy input from other Geltic languages as well as the Ebrarese language. Approximately two-thirds of Gallasians are fluent in Gallasian, with the percentage being higher (as much as 80% in Gallasia) and lower in other parts of Ebrary and the Gallasian diaspora. Spoken Gallasian is on the decline, particularly among Gallasians outside of the province of Gallasia but also within the province as well.