Riamese Empire
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Empire of Riamo | |
|---|---|
 Flag | |
| Motto: "Rule thie wafers" "Rule the waves" | |
| Capital | Watergate |
| Official languages | Common |
| Demonym(s) | Riamese |
| Government | Parliamentary Monarchy |
The Riamese Empire is a former nation, predecessor to the modern state of Riamo, which encompasses the country's history since the consolidation of the Grandkingdom of Riamo, to the Federalization Period.
Colonies
Upon the creation of the Riamese Empire off of the Grandkingdom of Riamo, Queen Mary I soon started aknowledging the economical importance overseas territories could bring with them. Having taken part in a handful of guilds in Watergate city, she soon started talking with explorers, some of which would later be hired for the West India Company.
Salmati
The Riamese first set foot on Salamati soil on March 4 1828 at Dar Al Hamma. By that time, the Salimid Caliphate's collapse had given way to a massive power void in the region, from which three small states would rise, with decaying political structures and collapsing economies. By the arrival of the riamese in the Dar Al Hamma Province, locals had been living in malnourishment for several years, with an ever-oppressing government and horrible living conditions, which has been quoted to be the main reason why most local tribes were friendly with the newcomers, with whom cooperation occured as the natural answer against their oppressive regimes. Quick advancements on the Riamese-backed rebel side eventually made the Al Hamma's troops prevail over opposing tribes, which would slowly be pushed back by force. By 1830 the Riamese would establish the trade dependency of Salamat, reorganizing the territory and appointing leaders of some of the friendly tribes as governors of the province. As with most lands under the Riamese System, governors started paying tribute to the Empire in exchange of trade and land protection. There were also some cultural mixing between the Riamese and the Salamati, forming a mixed ruling class for decision-making and creating a false sentiment of respect.
The rebels would be mostly lead by Abd Al Fattah al Salimat, who conducted several raids and attacks on riamese defensive positions after being pushed back into the more deserted lands of the region, point by which the emirate's previously-unmatched-army had slowly decayed into a unorganized groups of guerrillas. Only after more than 10 years of active resistance would he surrender in 1843, but some of the resistance he started would go on and fight 2 more years before being dismembered.
Upon the establishment of permanent RIamese rule, the Riamese then started exploiting cotton resources in the region, creating extremely underpaid -and sometimes forced- jobs for the locals. Due to the lack of workers an overall low population, the Riamese started sending Gassasinians to Salamat as cotton farm workforce. The first Gassasinians arrived in 1878 in Hani, which started a long-lasting cultural intermingle between Gassasinians and Salamatis, kickstarted mainly due to the use of the same imposed language and the practice of similar religions, which eventually created a friendly rivalry between the two groups, one which remains to our days.
Poor living conditions of the workforce forced many to migrate into the Riamese mainland, while others turned to revolutionary ideas, but it would be the disarity between the upper and lower classes, as well with the unethical treatments given to the workers, which set the stage for occasionary revolts and escapees, often hunted down by riamese officials. Political turmoils, racism issues and disparity of opportunities between riamese- and salmati-born individuals gave way to an emigration wave between 1914 and the mid-1920s, part of the wider First Great Migration. The consequences of the migration were many, and it was followed by a set of new regulations which came via political pressures from the metropolis. The new political and cultural structure featured a locally-elected legislative body, the removal of segregationist barriers, and several other improvements, and it would give way to better living standards, the creation of better schooling opportunities for Salamatians, and the appearance of a Salamati intellectual class, who later advocated for the independence of Salamat.
By 1931 a group of intellectuals would create the Salmati Independentist Party, which would soon encompass the more extremist groups of the colony, and would serve as an organization to showcase speeches of independentism and anti-imperialism, as well as leading notable popular demonstrations, most notably the Jurhan Revolt on May 9 1934, in which an estimated 30 000 Salamatis assaulted governmental grounds and started injuring and inflicting deathly injuries to many members of the state, after which Riamese authorities ordered armed officers to opened fire on the protestersin at least 3 instances. Historians often cite the indicent as a main cause for the leading Salmati independence war.