Vvarden
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Restored Oligarchic Senate of Vvarden Elenathdeni Memdwarerchono urns Vvardeni | |
|---|---|
 Flag | |
| Motto: "Ero va Diretho thundin ienarus va birus, mur enmo faraxo dromama ferro ol." "We of the South wear the hides of wolves, but our hearts are steel within." | |
| Anthem: United Vvarden, Ancient Land | |
| Official languages | Vvarden |
| Recognised regional languages | Bevenian, Bescoz, Old Vvarde |
| Vvardo-Bevenian | Vvardenese, Bevenian |
| Demonym(s) | Vvarde |
| Government | |
• King | Lois-Xelipe II |
• Prime Minister | Xoán-Alexandre do Pereyro |
| Establishment | |
• Subjugation of local Veyene and Celtic peoples by the Fiorentine Empire | 50-60 B.C |
• Rechimundingi Kingdom established | 523 C.E |
| 1895 C.E | |
| 1934 C.E | |
| 1989 C.E | |
| Population | |
• Estimate | 32,000,000 |
• 2018 census | 31,812,420 |
| Date format | dd ˘ mm ˘ yyyy |
| Driving side | left |
| Internet TLD | .vvr |
Vvarden, officially called the ... (Vvardenese: ..., literally meaning "..."), or also known as the ..., is a ... on the continent of Asura located within Aeia. The official language is Vvardeni, which is the most widely spoken Vvardo-Bevenian language in the world.
Vvarden is considered to be a regional or secondary power in Asura and in Aeia, due to its central position in Western Asura despite its relative obscurity in recent years. It keeps up a social security and universal health care system, and a tuition-free university education. Vvarden performs well in international rankings: it is 12th in quality of life, 15th in Good Country Index, 13th in inequality-adjusted human development, 19nd in the Social Progress Index, 20nd in Global Innovation Index and ranks as the 10th safest country in the world. Well known for its rich cultural history, Vvarden has contributed significantly to arts, music, literature, sports and science and technology. Vvarden is the 5th most popular country as a tourist destination in Asura, attracting 24.3 million international tourists in 2017. Vvarden's capital, and its largest city and metropolis is Betanzos, a significant economic hub which has been classified as a major city on the continent of Asura.
Before the migration of the Danvarde to Western Asura, the area was inhabited by various proto-Lhaeraidh and Veyene peoples before being subjugated under the Fiorentine Empire. A short time after the Fiorentine Empire's collapse, the Danvarde, the ancestors of the Vvardeni, began migrating from central Majula. The Danvarde eventually settled down in the mountain valleys and highlands of Eastern Vvarden, before conquering many of the neighbouring Fiorentine and Celtic states, establishing the Danvardic Kingdom in 523. Over the next few hundred years, the ethnic distinction between the indigenous proto-Lhaeraidh-Veyene-Fiorentine population and the Varde had mostly dissipated, with the Old Varde language being consigned to the declining function of a church language by the time of the abolishment of having different laws for Fiorentines and for Vardene peoples in 654. The nobility of the Danvardic Kingdom, in particular the Mayors of the Palace, slowly gained power from the monarchy and from one another, turning them into little more than figureheads. Eventually the reign of the Danvardic Rechimundingi dynasty came to an end when one of the Mayors of the Palace, Vermudo de Lugones, removed the figurehead King Gandolfo, establishing the Kingdom of Lugonia.
With the forced abdication of King Xoán II of Lugonia by his sons in 1138, the Kingdom of Lugonia split into three separate kingdoms of Floriana, Lusitaina and Albeona. The three kingdoms were eventually reunited in 1324 (Floriana and Lusitaina in 1214, Albeona later) under a recreated crown of Lugonia. In 1444, the crowns of the kingdoms of Portucaria and Lugonia were united by the marriage of Xabela I of Portucaria and Lois III of Lugonia. This act of union, however, was a union in title only, as each region retained its own political and judicial structure. However, when the throne of both realms passed to Lois' grandson Xaime I in 1453 upon Lois' death, the two were officially merged into the newly created Kingdom of Vvarden.
After the unification of Vvarden, sailors began exploring the west coast of Arabekh and Majula, with the first voyages occurring around 1418-1419. Using recent developments in navigation, cartography and maritime technology such as the caravel, Vvardenese explorers discovered parts of Rennekka and Vestrim, setting up a great many trading posts and fortifications to secure the route to Yidao. During this time, Vvarden monopolized the spice trade, and the empire expanded with military campaigns in Yidao. Vvardeni prominence increased further with the death of King Xaime II, in 1530, which led to a personal union between Vvarden and ... . In 1620, a revolt spearheaded by prominent nobles brought King Xoán V de ... to power, ending the union with ... .
Vvarden was plagued by dynastic conflicts in the latter half of the 18th and early 19th century culminating in the declaration of a Republic of Vvarden in 1830, which was quickly crushed by Vvarden and its allies. However, democratic sympathies remained, finding allies among other political movements such as the ..., who supported a constitutional monarchy, and the ..., who sought to see the throne pass to ... de ..., only child of King Uxío. These groups made an alliance in 1850, resulting in the Second ... War. After the 1930 revolution deposed the monarchy, the democratic but unstable Republic of Vvarden was established. However, tensions between authoritarian and conservative groups favouring the return of the monarchy, and democratic, socialist, communist, and liberal groups that wanted Vvarden's liberal experiment to continue grew over the next half-decade, eventually culminating in the Vvardenese Civil War. The fighting was bloody and violent across Vvarden, with the Republicans gaining the upper hand. Those that had supported the monarchy fled to Vvarden's colonies to set up a Vvarden-in-exile. Radical communist and socialist groups that fought for the Republic conducted a coup, purging many anti-communist elements from Vvarden and instituting a dictatorial Democratic People's Republic of Vvarden.
In 1989, due to long running political repression, food shortages, a stagnant economy, and failed reforms, protesters backed by the military overthrew the dictatorship. In the following months, the Vvardenese government-in-exile was absorbed back into Vvarden and many conservative, monarchist, and reactionary elements returned to Vvardenese society. After much deliberation by the military junta, the Provisional Union of Vvarden was established three months after the revolution in order to stabilize the country and pave the way for whatever party the people would decide on. The Vvardenese Integralist Party came into power, with the backing of the returning monarchy, and restored the Kingdom of Vvarden in 1990.
Vvarden has left a profound cultural and architectural influence across the globe and a legacy of ... million Vvardenese speakers, especially in former colonies and current possessions of Vvarden, from which many Vvardeni-based creoles exist.
Etymology
History
Prehistory
Pre-Fiorentine Period
Fiorentine Empire
Post-Fiorentine Period
The Vvardeni Migration to Asura
Coinciding with the decline of the Fiorentine Empire, many barbarian tribes passed through Vvarden, most of whom did not leave any lasting state. During the Dark Ages, Western Asura regressed culturally and economically, although enclaves of prosperity and culture persisted along the coastal towns of the Opal Ocean and the major cities in the south. As the Fiorentine Empire withdrew its borders more and more, in an attempt to consolidate its waning power, vast areas were de-urbanised, roads abandoned and native populations may have withdrawn to isolated areas such as mountains and forests. However, the Fiorentine-speaking nobility within the fortified city-states and the successor states of southern Vvarden managed to retain their culture and language, surviving today as part of the Vvardo-Bevenian languages.
The Danvarde, upon entering Vvarden, encountered a predominantly proto-Lhaeraidh populace, small tribal groups from earlier migrations, and Fiorentine remnants. The greatest of the Fiorentine remnant states in eastern Vvarden was Saraguesta, who gave the Danvarde better grazing land in return for their employment as mercenaries against other powers. This arrangement proved beneficial to the Danvarde, who became notorious as shock troops among the Fiorentine successor states. In around 521, the pro-Danvarde rex of Saraguesta, Majorian, was assassinated by his rivals, and Saraguestan legions started to massacre the families of hundreds of Danvarde soldiers. The son of the late High King Ereveix, Ervixio, fought a decisive battle against the Saraguestans before razing the town. Ervixio, recognizing the need for strong defences for his people, moved into the city in 523, settling down from their nomadic life, creating the Danvardic Kingdom and establishing the Rechimundingi dynasty.
Danvardic Kingdom
Main articles: History of the Danvardic Kingdom, and Rechimundingi dynasty
Despite their quick and successful conquest of Saarauqusta in 523, which was fairly wealthy and located in a strategic position, the Danvardic Kingdom still had many problems to deal with within their first few decades. Disputing regional powers surrounded the Danvardic Kingdom, such as the coastal state of Seaia, the Fiorentine remnant state of Noviodunum, and the Celtic kingdoms of Avankario and Donobria. Following his father, High King Ervixio, High King Éxica defeated the Noviodunic general Vinicianus and conquered the Kingdom of Noviodunum, defeated the Celtic kingdoms of Avankario and Donobria in 536 and established Danvardic hegemony over them. Éxica then defeated the Seaia in 547 and conquered all of their territory along the Opal Ocean. By the end of his life in 568, Éxica ruled all of Vvarden south of the Minho river, save a long coastal strip stretching to modern-day Oedhabwr, and large parts of northern Carcossica including most of the modern-day provinces of Cost Aun'Uogne, Pinruth and Kiezhkuo. Over the next five decades, Éxica's descendants - his son Kintila, and his grandchildren Unxila, and Atanaxildo - slowly carried out their predecessor's goal of centralizing power within the Danvardic Kingdom.
At the Council of 618, the leaders of the now-dissolved tribal groups were accommodated with land, estates, and serfs to work the land and estates, creating a system that would be the precursor to feudalism. The ethnic distinction between the indigenous Celto-Veyene-Fiorentine population and the Danvarde had largely disappeared by this time, with the Danvardic language having lost its last and probably already declining function as a church language when the Danvarde fully converted to Alydianism in 595 under Teodegildo I. The Vardene Code, completed in 654, abolished the old tradition of having different laws for Fiorentines and for Vardenes.
Internally, the lands of a late king were divided his sons and grandsons. While initially not a problem for the first century of Danvarde rule, the next century frequently saw war between different kings, who quickly allied among themselves and against one another. The death of one king created conflict between the surviving brothers and the deceased's sons, with differing outcomes, and due to the law that the land of a ruler was divided among his heirs, the Danvardic Kingdom frequently became split or fractured before being united by a single ruler. The frequent wars weakened royal power, while the aristocracy had made great gains and procured enormous concessions from the high kings in exchange of their loyalty. Many kings came to the throne at a young age and died in the prime of life, weakening royal power further. Atanaxildo's descendant, Teodegildo III, who led armies to conquer Lhaeridhic lands and pagan Arzvans in the east, is commonly seen as the last powerful Rechimundingi King. In 820, upon the death of High King Xuntomiro, his lands were divided between his sons Xaudemiro and Xelimiro. An invasion from the north swallowed Xaudemiro's half, and he fled in exile. Over the next few decades, Danvardic lands shrank to foreign conquests and rebelling nobles until it was reduced to a rump state in the mountains of central Vvarden. In 851, the Mayor of the Palace, Vermudo deposed the last member of the Rechimundingi dynasty, Gandolfo Rechimundingi, tonsuring him and exiling him to live out the rest of his days in a monastery, ending over three hundred years of Danvardic rule. With the support of the remaining nobility and the blessing of the Pope, Vermudo became the first King of Lugonia.
Middle Ages
Upon the crowning of King Vermudo, Lugonia was but a small territorial independent entity established in the Lugonian mountains. Vermudo's leadership was not comparable to that of the Danvardic kings. The Kingdom of Lugonia originated as a focus of leadership over other peoples of the Lugonian mountains that had resisted the Fiorentines as well as the Danvardic Kingdom and that were not willing to subject themselves to yet another wave of foreign conquests. Immigrants from across the former Danvardic Kingdom, fleeing from violence, brought a Danvardic influence to the Lugonian kingdom. However, at the beginning of the 10th century, Payo I's will cursed the Danvardes, blaming them for the decline of the Danvardic Kingdom. During the first decades, Lugonian control over the different areas of the kingdom was lax and so it had to be continually strengthened through matrimonial alliances with other powerful families from central and eastern Vvarden. Thus, Ermesinda, Vermudo's daughter, was married to Vimara Lopes, Dux of Calliza, who founded the Vimaranis dynasty. Payo's son Silo married Majaris, a Veyene princess from Jisthajesen, while his daughter Adosinda married Menendo, a local chief from the area of Seuriga.
Veremudo founded a dynasty in Lugonia that survived for fifty years and gradually expanded the kingdom's boundaries, until all of mid-eastern Vvarden was included by his grandson, Mauro's death in 901. After Vermudo's death in 869, his son Suero was elected king. Suero, according to the chronicles, was unexpectedly killed by a bear in 873 while hunting in one of the trials of courage normally required of the nobility in that era. But there is no other such incident known from the long history of monarchs and others at the sport, and the case is suspiciously similar to the Danvardic legend of their first king, Ermanerixo, taken by a sudden storm. Suero's nephew, Mauro, became king in 888 after his father, Luva died after falling off his horse following a chaotic battle against a migrating Veyene army.
The immediate consequence when the childless king Mauro died in 901 was that the rule of the Lugonians passed from the House de Lugones, to Mauro's brother-in-law, Payo of the Vimaranis dynasty, through a marriage alliance to Mauro's sister. The Vimaranis dynasty descended from Veremudo through his daughter, Ermesinda. The female ties and rights of inheritance were still respected, and in later cases would allow the regency or crown for their husbands too. The reign of King Payo I from 901 to 945 saw further expansion of the kingdom to the south and west, almost as far as Olispo near the coast. It was during Payo I's reign that the kingdom was firmly established, repopulating parts of central Vvarden and incorporating them into the Kingdom of Lugonia. During this time, medieval Vvardeni culture began to develop, and the Old Vvardene language became the language of preference for poetry and songs in southwestern Asura, earning it the nickname, "The language of troubadours".
In 1009, ... pilgrims started travelling to Vvarden in order to pay homage at certain holy sites, such as the Shrine of St. Landus on top of Mt. ... . Others traveled to Vvarden as mercenaries, led by brothers Robert and Enguerrand de Brai, so distinguishing themselves against Ksaiists to the south that King Nepoxano gave them the fronteir counties of ... and ... in 1012. King Nepoxano had hoped to appease the issue of ... immigration into Vvarden by giving them a rural, impoverished area to settle in, one devastated by recent wars. Contrary to his expectations, Robert, Enguerrand, and a third brother Vauquelin, who travelled to join them in 1013, were able to rebuild and fortify the area using construction techniques picked up in their time in Mydroll. The Brothers de Brai as they became known, quickly established themselves as powerful vassals of King Nepoxano, able to influence Lugonian politics to a large degree. The struggle of power in the wake of Nepoxano's death in 1018 further solidified their grasp, and armed opposition to their regency for young King Xoán was put down using the King's name. Enguerrand's sons Wischard and Onfroi were able to carve themselves an independent crusader state in northern ..., the Principality of ... . Naturally news of their success had been met with distain among the local Vvardenese aristocracy, as well as from the young king, who now growing up was realising how much power they held over him.
Although their regency was ended, mostly independent ... domination over the south of Vvarden, primarily the hinterlands between Bevenia and ... continued for a hundred and thirty more years.
With the forced abdication of Xoán II by his sons in 1138, the Kingdom of Lugonia split into three separate kingdoms of Floriana, Lusitaina and Albeona. The three kingdoms were eventually reunited in 1324 (Floriana and Lusitaina in 1214, Albeona later) under a recreated crown of Lugonia. In 1444, the crowns of the kingdoms of Portucaria and Lugonia were united by the marriage of Xabela I of Portucaria and Lois III of Lugonia, forming a unified Kingdom of Vvarden.
Early Modern Period
The Vvardeni colonial empire was initially a trade-based entity which derived most of its influence from merchant enterprise and Vvardeni control of international maritime shipping routes through strategically placed outposts, such as in the case of the Ilhas do Vera Lume and the Ilhas do Lume Sagrado. However, several opportunities, when presenting themselves, allowed the Vvardeni to take large colonial holdings, for example the possession of ... in nearby Majula. In the wake of the unification of Vvarden, Vvardeni and Bevenian sailors began exploring the west coast of Arabekh and Majula and searched for a route across the Jade Ocean around 1418–19, using recent developments in navigation, cartography and maritime technology such as the caravel. These expeditions had the aim of finding a sea route to the source of the lucrative spice-trade which was otherwise blocked by the Alydianist-hostile ... . In 1488 Augusto Margarida Teixeira de Sanxurxo rounded the Cape of Hopeful Travels (Cabo da Viaxes Esperanxa), and in 1499 Llounguís Vigo reached Yidao in a competition with his rival, Midrasian explorer Delfino de Pallone, although having lost the venture by only a few weeks. In 1502, either by an accidental landfall or by the crown's secret design, Boaventura Linoes Cabral discovered ... on the Rennekkan coast, followed by numerous colonists and explorers over the next few hundred years.
Over the following decades, Vvardeni sailors continued to explore the coasts and islands of Majula, Southern Yidao, and Savai, establishing forts and factories as they went. By 1570 a string of naval outposts connected ... to ... along the coasts of Arabekh, Majula, Yidao and Savai.
Vvarden voluntarily entered a dynastic union with ... between 1532 and 1620. This occurred because the last two kings of the House of ... – King Xaime IV, who died in the battle of ... in ..., 1530, and his great-uncle and successor, King-Cardinal Fernan Bieito of Vvarden – both died without heirs, resulting in the Vvardeni succession crisis of 1532.
Subsequently, ... of ... claimed the throne and was accepted as Lois-Felip I of Vvarden. The joining of the two crowns deprived Vvarden of an independent foreign policy and led to its involvement in the ... Years' War, an act that devastated Vvardeni armies and led to great discontent among the nobility of Vvarden. Pro-independence Vvardeni nobles in particular were heavily repressed in the bloody ... in an attempt to tie Vvarden closer to ..., an act that drove many moderate nobles away from the ... monarchs. Colonists from ... were encouraged to emigrate to Vvardeni settlements and trading outposts, many of whom established ties that still exist today. During this time, the Vvardeni colonial empire continued to expand, despite the failure of several crucially needed administrative reforms during the reign of Pèire II Emanuel and Lois-Felip II due to lack of support among Vvardeni nobles. In 1620, a descendant of Xoán IV, Xoán V Paies de ... spearheaded an uprising backed by disgruntled nobles and was proclaimed king after a long and bloody war. The Vvardeni Restoration War ended the eighty eight year period of the ... Union under the House of ... . This was the beginning of the House of ... , which reigned in Vvarden for the next three hundred years until the deposition of the monarchy in the Coup of 1930.
King Lois IV's eldest son came to reign as Payo IV, however his physical and mental disabilities left him overpowered by his camarilla. In a palace coup organized by the King's wife, Maria Francisca of ..., and his brother, Xosé, Duke of ..., King Payo IV was declared mentally incompetent and exiled to the Royal Palace of Sintra in the Ilhas do Lume Sagrado. Payo's brother, Xosé became King Xosé II of Vvarden. Xosé II saw a reign characterized by the influx of gold into the coffers of the royal treasury, supplied largely by the royal fifth (a tax on precious metals) that was received from the Vvardeni colonies of ... and ... . Acting as an absolute monarch, Xosé II nearly depleted his country's tax revenues on ambitious architectural works, most notably Mafra Palace, and on commissions and additions for his sizable art and literary collections. His lavish spending on promoting the culture of Vvarden, including hiring foreign artists and setting up art schools across Vvarden, earned him the epithet ... .
The de Aguia Dictatorship and the Enlightenment
In 1738, Nicolau Xosé de Valpaxos e Aguia, 1st Marquis of Montalegre, began a diplomatic career as the Vvardeni Ambassador in Midrasia and later in Aquidneck. Whilst serving in Aquidneck, the once-widowed de Aguia had arranged a marriage between him and a high-ranking member of the Aquidish royal family. King Payo V of Vvarden was not pleased at de Aguia's ambition and recalled de Aguia to Vvarden in 1747. Payo V died the following year and his son, Manouel I of Vvarden, was crowned. In contrast to his father, Manouel I was fond of de Aguia and appointed Aguia as Minister of Foreign Affairs.
As the King's confidence in de Aguia increased, the King entrusted him with more control of the state. By 1755, Nicolau de Aguia was made Prime Minister. Impressed by ... economic success that he had witnessed from his time as an Ambassador, he successfully implemented similar economic policies in Vvarden. He abolished slavery in Vvarden and in the Vvardeni colonies in Majula, reorganized the army and the navy, restructured the University of ..., and ended discrimination against different Aylidianist sects in Vvarden. But Nicolau de Aguia's greatest reforms were economic and financial, with the creation of several companies and guilds to regulate every commercial activity. He marked down the fertile Douro region for production of Port to ensure the quality of Vvardeni wine, the first attempt to control wine quality and production in Asura. He ruled with a strong hand by imposing strict law upon all classes of Vvardeni society from the high nobility to the poorest working class, along with widespread reforms to improve the lives of the poor and to more effectively manage Vvarden's tax system. These reforms gained him enemies in the upper classes, especially among the high nobility, who despised him as a social upstart.
Manouel I gave his Prime Minister even more power following a Vvardeni economic boom, and Nicolau de Aguia became a powerful, progressive dictator serving under the King, at times being referred to as "The Hound of Vvarden" due to his loyal service. As his power grew, his enemies increased in number, and bitter disputes with the high nobility became frequent. In 1760 Manouel I was wounded in an attempted assassination. Nicolau de Aguia took his chance and many of his enemies, including the entirety of the Carvalxo family were implicated, stripped of their titles and executed after a quick trial. The ... were expelled from the country and their assets confiscated by the crown. Nicolau de Aguia's relentless prosecutions of all suspected of being involved, even women and children, broke the power of the aristocracy. King Manouel I, unphased by his Prime Minister's ruthlessness, made de Aguia Count of Oeiras in 1759. As Manouel I grew older and more infirm, de Aguia assumed more power. In the final years of Manouel's life, de Aguia was ruler of Vvarden in all but name, professing his loyalty to the throne whenever pressed. King Manouel's death in 1783 spelled the end for de Aguia's dictatorship.
Without the protection of the confidence of the King, he was suddenly vulnerable. The new ruler, Manouel's grandnephew, King Uxío, disliked the Marquis because of the power he amassed, and never forgave him for the ruthlessness with which he dispatched the Távora family, many of whom were his childhood friends. Upon his accession to the throne in 1783, Uxío banished Nicolau de Aguia from all of his political offices and confiscated many of his lands and assets. The Marquis of Montalegre died on his estate in Montalegre in 1788, aged 78.
Opinion of Nicolau de Aguia would become heavily divided over the next few centuries, with many liberal and democratic groups calling him a Machiavellian plotter that ruled Vvarden with an iron fist, and authoritarian and integralist groups calling him a role model on how Vvardeni Prime Ministers should rule in conjunction with the autocratic monarchy.
Nineteenth Century
1800-1880
Twentieth Century
The Great War
King Payo’s regime was racked with difficulties in the aftermath of the Great War while Payo himself was faced with different personal tragedies within his life. During the Great War, his youngest brother Lois-Felip was killed during the Battle of Alfoz. In 1911 his wife and the Queen of Vvarden, Queen Uxía was assassinated by a Bevenian anarchist and in 1915 his eldest son and heir to the Crown of Vvarden, Crown Prince Lois, committed suicide in the mysterious Allariz Incident. In 1920 his remaining son and heir, Crown Prince Payo was assassinated at the Praza das Igrexas in Vvarden's capital with Payo himself wounded by the assassin. The deaths of most of his immediate family affected his reign and the political atmosphere around the crown, with many politicians calling into question both his family line and the survival of the monarchy.
The Vvardenese Republic
It was in 1923 that the pressure caved in and liberal cabinet members stormed into the royal families' residence, demanding the abdication of the King and the establishment of a republic. Payo had no choice and accepted, going into exile and dying in 1925. Payo's overthrow and exile was considered the end of an era - the end of a classical and romantic period that oversaw the rise of Vvarden's colonial empire, as well as its newfound optimism in the wake of winning the Great War. The monarchy, for all its faults, was a symbol for Vvarden, and a focal point for patriotism. Whatever chaos was thought to be solved with the removal of the king was even worse when the republic was established.
During the Second Republic there was a great political and social upheaval, marked by a sharp radicalisation of the left and the right. Many deeply conservative and reactionary areas across rural Vvarden stopped co-operating with the government whatsoever, as they deeply disproved with the removal of the monarchy. In some instances, reactionary groups formed decentralized councils under local nobility, in what has been deemed as an early form of Vvardenese integralism. Well-meaning moderate leaders were boycotted and each party intended to create a Vvarden that suited only their desires. During the first three years, the Republic was governed by a coalition of republican and socialist parties. In the 1926 elections, the right triumphed and in 1930, the left. The violent acts during this period included the burning of churches, the monarchical uprising of the militar Ferrando Couceiro, the Great Eastern Strike of 1930 and numerous attacks against rival political leaders. On the other hand, the Second Republic also introduced important reforms initiated to modernize the country, which included the establishment of a democratic constitution, agrarian reform, restructuring of the army, and universal suffrage.
Many of the radical acts within the Vvardenese Republic intensified in the lead-up to the 1934 elections as the already polarized political battlefield of the Vvardenese Republic radicalized even further, including the shooting of two leftist politicians in late 1933, and numerous strikes and protests by left-leaning groups in reprisal. In May, 1934, with the elections only several months away in October, the heads of the two main parties of the Republic, ... of the conservative ..., and ... of the social liberal ... party, met and decided to merge parties in order to preserve the continuation of the republic and to prevent it from falling into the hands of far-left and far-right groups. The new Democratic Coalition Party, as it became known, decided to give their presidential nomination to independent candidate ... . The Coalition proved itself unpopular with lower-ranking members of the party, many of whom left to join more radical groups, but it was widely deemed as a necessary measure to prevent the radical parties from gaining strength. However, by September 1934, conflicts and tensions between the two parties within the Coalition spiraled out of control, and the parties had gone their separate ways. For many, it seemed that Vvarden's last hope for the restoration of democracy had failed.
The 1934 election was highly contested, but the votes soon became clear. Former journalist and lawyer Cibrán Marín of the communist ... had won, by a very slim majority. Almost immediately, the opposing parties had refused the election results and had asked for a recount, and there were riots in many cities across Vvarden. Cibrán Marín's party sought to pass many communist reforms, including redistribution of wealth, an expansion of welfare to the poor, and the nationalization of Vvarden's resources, all of which struggled to be legislated due to outright opposition by the other parties. In a desperate measure to do what Marín later called his "attempt to relieve the suffering of the Vvardeni poor and to establish equality for all", Marín abused the power of the presidency, trying to pack the judicial system with his supporters in a clear violation of his role. In response the military, led by Iago Teixeira, stepped in and removed Marín. Marín's supporters seized armouries and rose up across Vvarden, soon followed by reactionary monarchist and far-right groups. The Vvardenese Civil War officially began on the 11th of February 1935, and would rage for three more years.
The Vvardenese Civil War
For four years the nationalist, royalist, and integralist forces led by General Iago Teixeira fought against a loose alliance of anarchist, republican, communist, syndicalist and otherwise anti-nationalist forces, known as the CNASSA (Confederación Nacional dos Anarquistas, Sindicalistas, Socialistas e Antinacionalistas) led by Cibrán Marín. The civil war was viciously fought and there were many atrocities committed by both sides. The war claimed the lives of over 600,000 people and caused the flight of up to a half-million citizens from Vvarden. In 1938, CNASSA emerged victorious and assumed control of Vvarden for the next fifty-five years.
Aftermath of the Civil War
Cibrán Marín resigned not long after the war was won, citing poor health and regrets over causing the civil war as reasons, whereas some say he was forced to resign by his soon-to-be successor. In his place, radical groups gave the authoritarian trade union leader and charismatic firebrand Xabier Lalínes de Méixamo the role of General Secretary, an act that immediately inflamed moderate members, particularly democratic groups that had switched over to the communists in the civil war in the hopes that they would restore the republic. De Méixamo imprisoned a great many supporters of the republic, citing correspondence between democratic politicans and several high-ranking generals asking for a military-backed coup that would restore the republic or even the monarchy. Many of these supporters protested, stating that the correspondence had been faked as an excuse to imprison moderate members of the party. Not long after, De Méixamo officially announced a series of purges that would seek to eliminate all opposition to communist rule within Vvarden. A cult of personality was installed, and secret police rounded up all dissenters and sent them to conduct forced labour for the People's Republic under the guise of re-education. Many more fled Vvarden for neighbouring Asuran countries or Vvarden-in-Exile. Within a year, communist rule was cemented, and Vvarden became a police state. Marín did not live to see the full extent of De Méixamo's violent repressions, having passed away from pneumonia while under house arrest in the early days of the purge.
1934-1989
Mainland Vvarden
Once the Communist government became more entrenched, the number of arrests increased. All strata of society were involved, but prewar elites, such as intellectuals, clerics, teachers, former politicians, and anybody who could potentially form the nucleus of anti-Communist resistance were especially targeted. Even left-leaning politicians were subjected to extreme scrutiny, and many were sent to rehabilitation camps because they were not seen as being radical enough. The existing prisons were filled with political prisoners, and a new system of forced labor camps and prisons was created. A decision to put into practice the creation of several hydroelectric power plants in eastern Vvarden served as a pretext for the erection of several labor camps, where numerous people died. Another legacy of the Communist period in Vvarden was the communist regime's various projects to modernize Vvarden's infrastructure with mixed success.
Another project included the creation of Cidade dos Traballadores or "City of the Workers" to become the new administrative capital, which after the Glorious Revolution was renamed Loisana after King Lois VI. Today, Loisana is one of the poorest cities in Vvarden, with large crime rates.
The Exiles
In the years after the Civil War, tens of thousands of prominent intellectuals, conservatives, integralists, monarchists and nationalists left the country, at first legally, but also illegally after the People's Republic closed all borders. These groups of people followed the monarchy to ... , where they became known as " Os Exiliados" or "The Exiles". As the communists cemented their rule, the government of the Vvarden-in-Exile was still to be determined. After eleven years of military rule by the armed forces, led by monarchist general and "Cadelho", Iago Teixeira, the military bowed to the demands of many Vvardenese politicians and proclaimed King Lois VI as absolute monarch on the 16th of December 1949, on what has become known as the "Day of Restoration".
Initially, there were plans to retake control of mainland Vvarden. Plans for invasion were put aside, and the main policy of the military junta and of the absolute monarchy, was switched to one of containment of communism and the consolidation of Vvarden's colonial empire. Ironically, the exile made some aspects of colonial rule easier, as the shorter distance between Vvarden-in-Exile and its colonies meant faster communication and quicker responses against attacks. However, the loss of mainland Vvarden meant that there was a lack of Vvardenese manpower, exacerbated by inheriting most of the Vvardenese Royal Navy which sat empty and rusting outside of Porto ... . This problem was fixed in 1951, as the King issued the United Vvardenese Forces Act, which allowed natives of Vvardenese colonies to enter the military. Despite coming from a conservative and authoritarian background, the King encouraged efforts for the desegregation of the military, stating that because mainland Vvarden had been lost, "we are all brothers-in-arms now". Much like the People's Republic of Vvarden, Vvarden-in-Exile conducted several repressions, especially in regards to communist militia. Throughout the 50s, 60s, and 70s, as the Cold War continued, the People's Republic funded native resistance groups in an attempt to overthrow the exiled monarchy. Some of these groups gained traction and rose up, sparking conflicts such as the ... Bush War, and the South Island Consolidations. In one noteworthy conflict, anarcho-syndicalist rebels gained control over the island of Flores, declaring an independent Floridan People's Republic, holding it for an entire year before finally falling to invasion.
Despite the loss of mainland Vvarden, Vvarden-in-Exile remained a minor power due to its militarized populace and large fleet, and it underwent many economic growths, thanks to loans from other anti-communist powers, and became a hotspot for tourism throughout the 60s and 70s. However, the economy started to stagnate and then decline throughout the 1980s, much like mainland Vvarden. Some say that if mainland Vvarden had not fallen at the time it did, then the King might have given away some of his powers to ensure stability.
The End of Communist Rule and the Glorious Restoration
Despite yearly growth throughout the 1970s and 1980s, living standards in Vvarden remained some of Asura's lowest and as early as 1981, there were clear signs of public discontent, such as riots and an angry mob throwing rocks at an official helicopter. ... desired to repay loans from Asura to fund great projects, and thus enacted a harsh austerity policy, including rationing of food, gas, heating and electricity. People in cities had to turn to natural gas containers or charcoal stoves, even though they were connected to the gas mains. By 1984, despite a high crop yield and increased food production, wide-scale food rationing was introduced. Control over society became stricter and stricter, with phone bugging systems installed, and with the Vvardenese Secret Police recruiting more agents, extending censorship and keeping tabs and records on a large segment of the population. Due to this situation, income from tourism dropped substantially, the number of foreign tourists visiting Vvarden dropped by 75%, with the three main tour operators that organized trips in Vvarden leaving the country by 1987.