Syaran Successor States
The Syaran Successor States were the four independent nations that emerged in Syara following the dissolution of the Rioni Union after the fall of the Arkoennite Empire. These were the Kingdom of Makedon, the Kingdom of Galania, the Scitarian Commonwealth, and the Hayreniky Periphery. The Successor States represented the first time in in nearly 2,000 years that Syara had not existed under unified leadership or government. Unlike neighboring Ruvelka, which unified shortly after the dissolution of the union, the Syarans would not unify for more than a century.
The four successor states largely reflected existing cultural and ethnic divisions within Syara, with the Hayren Periphery representing an additional linguistic divide. Early on the Makedonians attempted to claim dominion over Syara based on their status as the legal continuation of the Makedonian Empire, but this was rejected by the Galanians, Scitarians, and Hayren. Open warfare between the Syaran states broke out intermediately throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, known collectively as the Syaran Succession Wars. Early warfare was dominated by Galania, which possessed the largest population and an extensive agricultural base, as well as remaining political and administrative infrastructure left over from the Rioni Union. Conflict with neighboring Ruvelka over the disputed Zemplen region, which ended in Galanian defeat, badly damaged the prestige of the Galanian Kingdom. Galania further fell behind Makedon and Scitaria as the industrial revolution reached Syara, and by the 19th Century Makedon had largely established itself as the primary Syaran power.
The formation of the Ruvelkan Imperium and Galania's defeat in the Galanian-Ruvelkan War led to increased fears among the Syaran nations about the threat posed by Ruvelka, which only grew following the establishment of the Ruvelkan Socialist Republic. Makedonian victory over the Ruvelkan Red Army in the Ruvelkan-Makedonian War earned Makedon significant approval among the other Syaran states, leading to increased focus on unification. The idea of unifying Syara had gained traction since the early 1800s, but it wasn't until the overt aggression of the Ruvelkan Socialists that significant headway was made. Syara officially unified in 1875, bringing the Syaran states together into the Republic of Syara. The States themselves were redesignated the Realms of Syara, ending 161 years of disunity in Syara.