Republic of Pania

Maritime Republic of Pania Repubblica marittima di Pania (Panian) República marítima de Paniá (Lavarian)
385–1462
Flag of Pania (1086-1407) Coat of arms
Motto: Clemens Deus, dona nobis pacem ac felicitatem "Merciful God, grant us peace and prosperity"
Territory directly owned by the Republic in 1050 CE.
Capital	Pania
Common languages	Cambran Lavish Barancan Panian Welbarian Erytherian
Government	Parliamentary oligarchic merchant republic
Consul
• 385-401 (first)	Marcus Tiberius
• 1458-1462 (last)	Bartolomeo di Cassini
Legislature	Great Council of Pania
• Upper house	Council of Families
• Lower house	Senate
Historical era	Middle Ages – Early modern period
• Established	385
• Siege of Pania	385
• Treaty of Cambra	462
• Battle of San-Umberto	891
• Sack of Mageiros	1032
• Treaty of Bosala	1462
Currency	Panian ducat
Preceded by Succeeded by Cambran Empire Kingdom of Lavaria Erytheria
Today part of	Erytheria Lavaria

The Maritime Republic of Pania (Panian: Repubblica marittima di Pania, Lavarian: República marítima de Paniá), was an independent state and a maritime republic that existed in southern Lavaria between 385 CE and 1462 CE. At the peak of its power, the republic incorported several cities on the northern coast of the Endotheric sea, several islands of the Erytherian island chain, the island of Saint Hubert of the Lilacs, and several colonies in northern Caphtora, as well as numerous smaller trading ports and colonies scattered around the Endotheric sea. The republic was centered around the city of Pania: located in a valley under the Pania rocks, the strategic location of the city made it the most important commercial and military centre of the Cambran empire. The republic grew into the dominant naval power during the High Middle Ages in the Endotheric sea, and controlled most of the trade between Berea and Eastern Pamira. The city preserved a lot of the governing traditions of the Cambran empire and even used Cambran as the main language for most of its early existence.

Following the fall of Cambra in 381 CE, several generals and part of the Cambran elite, led by Magister Militum Marcus Tiberius, seeked refuge in the city Pania, the main military port of the Cambran empire located in the southern tip of the Lavish peninsula. The city was besieged twice by the Welbarian forces of Alarich, in 383 and 384, both times unsuccessfully. In 385, the Kingdom of the Welbarians was established on the ruins of the Cambran empire and proclaimed itself the successor of Cambra. The leaders of Pania refused to accept Alarich as their king, and in the same year the Welbarian fleet was sunk in the Battle of Cambra, the city itself was besieged for 2 months and King Alarich was killed. The Welbarians accepted Panian sovereignity. In 460, another unsuccessul siege of Pania was attempted by King Ulrich II, during which most of his forces were killed or captured. In 462, the Welbarians signed the treaty of Cambra, accepting the sovereignity of Cambra and granting them exclusive rights on trade on Welbarian soil. With the deterioration of the Kingdom of Welbarians in the 8th-11th centuries, Pania used its power and influence to gain control over some of the Welbarian coastal forts and ports. With the rise of several other maritime republics, most notably Armala, Pania secured its dominance with a mixture of diplomacy and strength. The republic won the Battle of San-Umberto against the combined force of the Republics of Armala, Mesana and Saloma. In the following century, Pamia signed several treaties with the Kingdom of Erytherians, culminating with the Treaty of Mageiros, when the republic gained exclusive trading rights with the kingdom and gained new colonies and trading outposts on the Erytherian islands. In the 11th century, the Republic reached the peak of its power, controlling most of the maritime trade in the Endotheric sea.

With the unification of Lavaria and the rise of the newly-formed kingdom as a naval power, Pania slowly lost its significance. After the strategic defeat of the !Pamiran empire in the Battle of Carana against the unified Lavish forces, and the opening of the trade route via the Viridian and Appiric seas, Pania rapidly lost its influence on the naval trade and its wealth. In 1447, Pania was forced to sieze most of its colonies to the Lavish Kingdom, and less than two decades later, in 1462, after the siege of Pania, the republic lost its independence and was incorporated into the Lavish Kingdom. Pania remains a city in the Kingdom of Lavaria until today.

Name

The Golden port of Pania, Stepan Raykin, 1863.

The city is located on the southern tip of the Lavarian peninsula, and on the Cambran lowlands. This region was always known for its rich soils and harvests, and served as the breadbasket of the Cambran empire throughout its history. Pania was the centre of the region, and because of that the importance of food production found its place in the name of the city. The name Pania derives from the Cambran word for Bread land, clearly showing the importance of the city in the supply chain of the empire. The city preserved its name following the fall of Cambra in 381 CE, and the name itself was not modified throughout the centuries.

The form of government, closely identical to the one present in Ancient Erytheria, has led to the classification of the state as a Republic. Some historians insist on the usage of the termin "Maritime republic" in regards to both Pania and several other Medieval city-states on the Lavarian peninsula. In the same time, the republic itself used different descriptions in its official documents. In the earliest known scripts from Pania, the state iself is still described as the Cambran empire or Imperial city of the Cambran empire up until late 5th century CE, despite the actual empire collapsing in 381-390. In a script found in Pania and dating from the early 5th century, the state is already classified as an independent city. This description will be used by both Panians and foreign chroniclers. During the High Middle Ages, in some Berean chronicles Pania is described as an empire, and even occasionally despotate. In Panian chronicles of the era, it is still being named an independent city. The name republic was given to the state only in the 19th century by Lavarian historians and scholars.

History

Cambran mosaic showing Cape Panio and the town of Pania, approx. 195 BCE.

First historical records of the city date as far as 500 BCE. At that time Pania served as a small trade outpost of the Erytherian city-states, and, due to its strategical location, soon became the capital of the Erytherian colonies in Lavaria. The city had a small military fleet and a garrison of local militia, relying on the League of Mageiros for protection. During the War for the Endotheric sea, the city was besieged by the Cambran legions, and surrendered to the Cambrans within one month, in the summer of 381 CE.

For the next 7 centuries, the city was an important port of the Cambran empire. Due to its strategic location and proximity to the imperial capital, Pania became the hum of the Cambran military fleet, and most of the warships were constructed in the city. It soon grew into a regional capital, its strategic location made it vital for the Cambrans to construct defensive walls around the city to protect it in case of peasant revolts or during civil wars. Records suggest that prior to the Triumvirate of Cambra in the 3rd century, Pania was the third largest city in the empire.

When the Triumvirate of Cambra, unofficially known as the Northern Cambran Empire, was invaded by Welbarians in the second half of the 4th century, thousands of Cambrans sought refuge in the southern cities of the empire, before all in the capital itself. However, when it became clear that the city did not stand a chance, the senators of Cambra, backed up by the Magister Militum (Cam. Magister of the military) Marcus Tiberius and several of his loyal centurions, fled the city with most of its garrison and the last Cambran legion, and entered Pania. In 381, this let to the fall of Cambra, as the city was left mostly unprotected. The Cambran elite settled in Pania and declared it the new capital of the Cambran empire.

Early period (4th-6th century)

The city soon remained the last bastion of Cambran power in Lavaria. The Northern Cambran Empire was completely conquered by the Welbarians, led by King Alarich. The two other Triumvirates, Erytherian and Appiran, declared they do not recognise Pania as the successor of the Northern Cambran Empire. The Erytherian Triumvirate declared itself the sole successor of the Cambran empire. Its emperor led an unsuccessful campaign against Alarich, but failed and was forced to give up the city of Mudros to the barbarians. The Triumvirate of Appira, which at the time fought with barbarian tribes in both Caphtora and Pamira, recognised Alarich as the new emperor of Cambra in an attempt to gain his support, which, however was declined. Alarich only promised the Appiran Cambrans he will not attack them, allowing them to move troops to the southern portions of the country.

After dealing with both Western Cambra and the Appiric empire, Alarich decided to capture Pania, the last province in Lavaria that did not recognise his power. In 383, he attacked the small Panian possessions in southern Lavaria, and after one month of fighting reached the city itself. The first siege of Pania was a disaster for the Welbarians: Alarich attempted a naval invasion from the east, however, lost most of his fleet in the Battle of Cape Panio, together with his most elite troops. The early winter of 383 forced Alarich to retreat from Pania.

Welbarian wars of the 4th-5th centuries

"Battle of Cape Panio", Silvio Rodriguez, 1792.

Siege of Bacala, 583.

The Welbarians returned in late spring 384 for a second attempt to breach the defences of the city. The Panians managed to prepare heavier defence and constructed a number of defence weapons, mostly consisting of ballistae and catapults. The Panian fleet remained uncontested at sea, and managed to both defend the supply of provision into the city and to harass the forces of Alarich from the sea. The siege continued for three months, until the forces of Alarich were caught by a plague. Alarich was forced to abandon the siege once again and returned to Cambra. The next year, Alarich was coronated by the Cambran nobles as the Emperor of all Cambrans, but was not recognised by Pania, which still viewed itself as the only successor of the Northern Cambran empire.

In 396, Alarich once again declared war on the city, leading his armies towards the city. The Welbarian army was destroyed in the Battle of Aliria, and the Panian forces soon marched on Cambra. The land force led by Tiberius, who was declared Emperor of Cambra the previous year, suffered from a major defeat from the combined Welbarian and Aldenic forces in the outskirts of Cambra, and was forced to retreat beyond the river Aliria. The Panian fleet, however, reached the city and destroyed everything that remained of the Welbarian fleet. The city was bombarded for nearly a month, when the forces of Tiberius crossed Aliria and once again reached Cambra, this time besieging the city and driving back the Aldenic forces of Alarich stationed outside the city limit. During the following siege a disease broke in the city, claiming the life of most of its inhabitants, including Alarich himself. After the death of their king, the Welbarians started negotiating with Tiberius. Knowing that the city would soon get reinforcements and that his own forces are not in condition to continue the siege, Tiberius agreed to lift the siege in exchange of recognition of Pania as an independent state by the Welbarians.

After the death of Tiberius in 401, Pania was left in a power vacuum. The only son of Tiberius was killed in 402, most probably by the centurions of Tiberius, and the throne of the empire was claimed by several generals, the state itself was left in a crisis for the next 15 years. In 418, members of the Senate assassinated Emperor Horatio, one of the former officers in the legion of Tiberius. The senators then declared that the state was no longer ruled by emperors, but by the senate itself, which had only minor role in the Cambran empire. From this moment Pania stopped associating itself with the former Cambran empire: senators declared that they successfully ended an era of tyranny, and blamed the former emperors in the fall of the empire.

In 460, King Ulrich II of the Welbarians once again declared war on the city, the official reason behind the conflict was that Panian merchants were constantly violating the laws of the kingdom. Ulrich suffered from a strategic defeat on sea, and once again the Welbarian fleet was destroyed. Pania managed to ally with the Western Cambran Empire, the latter besieged the city of Mudros, forcing Ulrich to fight on two fronts. The Panians sent a secret delegation to Cambra, offering Ulrich a peace treaty and alliance in exchange of continuing the war against the Cambrans in Mudros, seizing the port of Baranca to the Panians, and giving their merchants exclusive rights on Welbarian soil. Ulrich was forced to agree as otherwise he risked to lose Cambra to Pania. The same year, 460, Pania declared war on Western Cambra. Its fleet attacked the Cambrans near Mudros, helping Ulrich to lay down the siege and drive the Cambrans back. The Panian fleet then raided the island of Persana and sacked the port of Saraclivion. The Cambran fleet was once again defeated in 461. In the peace treaty of 462, Western Cambra seized the island of Persana to Pania.

Pano-Vinedian war

In 582, Pania declared a war on the Kingdom of Vinedum: the last remnant of the Southern Cambran Empire after its fall in the previous century The Panian fleet besieged the city of Bacala and even bombarded the capital of the kingdom, the city of Vinedum. Vinedians suffered from several strategic defeats at sea, their trading fleet suffered from constant Panian raids. The kingdom asked for peace in 585, Pania was granted exclusive trade rights and Panian troops were allowed to enter the city of Bacala to protect Panian merchants and buildings.

Rise (7th-9th century)

Sfaridic Caliphate

"The corsairs", Silvio Rodriguez, 1789. The Sfaridian corsairs used small ships known as Xebecs or Chebecks, very similar in apperiance to Panian war galleys.

The Republic continued to gain power in the 7th century. During the deterioration of the Sfaridic Caliphate in the first half of the century, Pania managed to establish trade colonies in several ports in the eastern Endotheric sea, the most notable being Vinedum and Batala. Pania was one of the few nations in Berea that had warm relations with the Caliphate, and had strong ties and contracts with Sfaridic merchants. Pania used its influence on the Caliph to monopolize the imports of spices and silk from the East. The numerous contracts made with the Sfaridians helped the republic to become one of the richest nations in the Medieval world. Pania used its enourmous treasury to improve the military fleet. The Panian shipbuilding docks were the largest constructed in Berea, and would remain as such up until the early 16th century.

The trade network of Pania faced the challenge of grwoing Sfaridic piracy in the Endotheric sea. The Sfaridic corsairs, often aided by the Sfaridian government itself, attacked merchant shipping and ports in the southeastern Endotheric sea. Pania led a series of wars during the rule of Consul Enzo Pellegrini in 642-655, managing to clear the coast of Pamira. Piracy was still a problem in the Appiric sea, however, Panian military ships were not allowed to enter the sea. At this time, in order to insure the security of its maritime fleet, Pania focused more on the routes going around Caphtora outside the dangerous Appiric sea.

Rise of rival maritime republics

In the late 7th century, the Kingdom of Welbarians, the largest rival of Pania at sea, suffered from crisis of power. King Valamir II died in 695, leaving several successors and separating the state into three parts among his sons. The state fell in a state of civil war. Numerous small duchies declared their independence from the Welbarians. Among them were several rich coastal cities that served as the main trade ports of the former kingdom: Armala, Saloma and Mesana among others. These newly-formed duchies attempted to rival the dominance of Pania and used the fleet of the former Welbarian kingdom. Armala managed to secure several important treaties with the Erythrian empire, which itself tried to limit the monopoly of Pania on spice trade. Armala received several possessions of the Erytherians, most notably the island of San Umberto, while both Saloma and Mesana secured important ports and established colonies on the northern coast of Caphtora. These duchies formed a military alliance with Erytheria. For the next century, Pania was forced to compete for dominance with the alliance.

Wine wars

Main article: Wine wars

The conflict escalated in 872. The Erytherian emperor Alexius issued a decree that banned Panian merchants to transport Erytherian wine to northern Berea, instead, Alexius allowed only members of the Mageiros league to transport Erytherian wine. At the time, Erytheria was the largest producer and exporter of wine to northern Berea, and transport of wine was an important part of the economy of Pania. The republic replied to this decree with declaration of war on Erytheria in 872; Erytheria was supported by the members of the Mageiros league, the Duchies of Armala, Mesana and Saloma. The resulting conflict, known to modern historians as the Wine wars, lasted until 881. Pania suffered from several defeats in the first years of the conflict, being outnumbered by the League armies, and lost its colony of Baranca after a one-year siege in 873. Pania gained support from the King of Lavaria, and destroyed the Armalan fleet in the Battle of Cape Gorizzo in 874. In 875, the combined army of Pania and Lavaria besieged the city of Mesana; the duchy was forced to ask for peace and the city itself was later sacked by the Panians. In 877, the Panian fleet led a raid against the island of San Umberto, the most important possession of Armala. Later the same year, the Panian fleet faced the combined fleet of the Mageiros league: 130 Armalan, Masalan and Erytherian galleys met 180 Panian warships in the Battle of Mesana. Pania secured a decisive victory over the Mageiros league fleet and left all of the league members without any naval power to protect their ports and colonies. In 879-881 Pania led a number of raids against cities in Caphtora and captured the city of Masala, causing the Mageiros league to ask for peace. As a result of the Wine wars, Pania gained the island of San Umberto, returned its colony of Baranca, established strong commercial presence in Mesana and Saloma, effectively ending their ambitions in the Endotheric sea, and occupied the Armalan colony in Bacala. Pania became unrivaled in the Endotheric sea for the next six centuries.

Peak of power (10th-13th century)

Pano-Erytherian war

Main article: Pano-Erytherian war (945-949)

Republic of Pania and its naval trade network at the peak of its power and influence, 1064 CE.

The fortress walls in Palioria. These fortifications were built by the Panians in the 10th-11th century after the republic was handed control over the city following the Pano-Erytherian war of 945-949 .

Following their defeat in the Wine wars, the Erytherians were forced to pay enourmous contributions to Pania and disband their military fleet, granting the Panian fleet the rights to protect Erytherian waters. The empire struggled to pay the contributions, and in 891 emperor Basil was forced to repay part of the contribution by handing the coty of Mudros, as well as the surrounding area, to the Panians to prevent another war. The empire suffered from a financial crisis, and in the next century fell in a state of civil war. Pania supported the nomination of Theodosius II, who promised further cooperation with the republic. Theodosius was crowned emperor in 944, however, he attempted to reform the Erytherian church and to reduce its influence on the state politics. As a result of his politics, he was dethroned during a revolt supported by the church and was beheaded in 945. This caused Pania to declare war on the empire, and in 945 Panian ships raided coastal cities of the empire and captured the port of Episcopion. The Erytherian military proved useless against the Panian fleet, and in 947-949 the republic besieged the city of Mageiros. The city fell after almost two years of siege, and was sacked by the Panians. Mageiros at the time was one of the richest cities in Berea, and most of the Erytherian treasury was taken by the Panians. Left without any choice, the Erytherians asked for peace in 949. As a result of the war, Pania kept the captured city of Episcopion, took control of the land on the two banks of the Strait of Episcopion, the most important strait for trade with the East Pamiran nations and the so-called Gate of the West. Pania also received the Caphtoran city of Palioria as compensation, and managed to establish trade colonies in all major Erytherian cities and gained exclusive rights over trade in Erytheria. In the beginning of the 11th century, Pania reached its peak of power in the Endotheric sea, controlling numerous colonies on every continent and monopilising the maritime trade in the sea.

11th century

With its territories reaching the greatest historical extend in the 11th century, Pania faced numerous revolts of natives in its colonies throughout the whole century. The biggest revolt that sparkled a series of smaller revolutions happened in 1024 in Berenica, in northern Caphtora. Admiral Giuseppe Anzio, together with his army of 3500 Panian infantry and a fleet of 35 galleys, the biggest Panian force in Caphtora at the moment, declared independence from Pania and were supported by the locals. Anzio stormed the governor's palace and killed all high-ranked Panians in the colony. The republic was forced to gather forces from all nearby colonies and attacked Anzio in Berenica in 1025. However, the Panian fleet was destroyed in the gulf of Berenica and was forced to retreat to Palioria. In the same time, Anzio declared war on the Garamantians, and sacked the city of Oea. He then tried to convince the emperor of Erytheria, Manuel, to join him in the war against Pania, and moved his army towards the city of Palioria. He was betrayed by Manuel, who joined the Panians in exchange of the return of the city Sophades to the Erytherian empire. Anzio was defeated near Palioria in 1025 and the revolt was defeated the next year after the successful siege of Berenica. Pania signed peace with the Garamantians and returned the city of Oea in exchange of trading rights within the Garamantian state.

In the second part of the 11th century, under Consul Pietro Graziani, the Panian state and military were drastically reformed. Graziani removed part of the former Cambran legislation, giving more rights to the nobles of the republic. The former Panian senate was split in two: the lower house, called the Senate, became the de-facto lower chamber of the new parliament, and was formed from senators elected among the nobles of the city of Pania itself delegates, elected among the nobles in the overseas territories of the rebublic. The upper chamber, the Council of Families, as its name suggests, was a council formed by members of the most influential families in the republic.

At the same time, Graziani also reformed the military of the republic. For the first time in its history, mercenaries began to form the bulk of the army and navy of the republic. Garrisons in the overseas territories were substituted by small mercenary armies under the direct command of Pania and its consul. The governors of the overseas territories were allowed to form militia forces from the local population, but only in time of war. Pania at the time was the biggest producer of warships in Berea: the shipyard of the city of Pania was the biggest manufacturing facility in the whole medieval world and erected 10-15 ships a year. Pania began to rent its military ships to other kingdoms in times of war. The army of the republic would be reformed once again in the last decade of the 11th century, when the cost of holding mercenary militias across the colonies became too high to afford: the mercenary militia was substituted by regular militia formed from local citizens in the colonies, and was controlled by commanders sent directly from the metropole. Pania became training spearmen, marines and the famous Phalangytes pikemen, which the republic later sold as mercenaries to Berean kingdoms. Panian mercenaries became one of the best-trained units in the High Middle ages and one of the first professional armies in human history, they were trained in Pania and fought throughout Berea even after the fall of Pania itself, and became the elite units of the Lavarian royal army in the 15th-16th centuries.

Fall (15th century)

"Lavarian merchants in Pania", Silvio Rodriguez, 1794.

Land under the direct control of Pania in 1410.

The Republic of Pania rapidly started to lose its wealth in the Late Middle Ages. Decline in maritime trade of spices, numerous famines throughout the first decade of the 15th century, and the rising power of the unified Lavarian Kingdom all challenged the dominance of Pania of the Endotheric trade routes. In 1428, Lavaria defeated the TBA Khanate in the Battle of Hasenta, and gained exclusive rights to create a trade route throught the Appiric sea to Eastern Pamira. This route was far more efficient than the previous Caphtoran route used by Panian merchants. The rapid decrease of trade flow through Erytheria caused a struggle in Pania to sustain both its maritime fleet and most of its colonies. In 1433, a contract was signed with Lavaria when Pania handed 3/4 of its military ships and the island of San Umberto to Lavaria.

Tensions continued to rise between the two states: Pania supported the Dux County in the War of 1436-1437. This gave the Lavarian Kingdom a reason to declare war on Pania in 1438. The Lavarian navy raided Panian trade routes and destroyed what remained of the Panian fleet in the Battle of Pavio, while the Lavarian army besieged the city of Baranca. Left without a fleet, Pania was forced to sign a treaty with Lavaria: the city of Baranca, the last possession of the republic outside the Panian peninsula was handed over to Lavaria, the republic itself was banned to operate a military fleet bigger than 6 war galleys, and was forced to hand half of its trade fleet to the Lavarian Kingdom. Pania remained independent for the next two decades. In 1462, the Lavarian king declared the Unification of Lavaria, and put ultimatum to Consul Bartolomeo di Cassini to declare the Republic part of the kingdom and abdicate. Di Cassini followed the orders, dissolved the Council of Nobles and the Panian senate and abdicated, the gates of the city were open to the Lavarian king. The Republic was incorporated into the Lavarian Kingdom as the Duchy of Pania and Mauricio, one of the sons of King Cícero I, was declared Duke of Pania.

See also

• Lavaria

• Erytheria