Vilcasuamine Empire
Vilcasuamanine Empire Vilkasuamanos imperija Willkaswaman Qhapaq Suyu | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1794–1805 | |||||||||
 Flag
 Coat of arms
| |||||||||
Motto: Ex cineribus nascitur (Solarian) "Reborn from the ashes" | |||||||||
| Capital | Tauragė (1794) Džapipaltas (1794) | ||||||||
| Common languages | Ruttish, Weranian, Kuchu | ||||||||
| Religion | Solarian Catholic | ||||||||
| Government | Monarchy | ||||||||
| Emperor | |||||||||
• 1794-1805 | Antanas I (abdicated) | ||||||||
• 1805 | Kazimieras I (uncrowned) | ||||||||
| History | |||||||||
• Proclamation | 17 January 1794 | ||||||||
| 10 December 1805 | |||||||||
| Currency | Talonas | ||||||||
| |||||||||
| Today part of |  Vilcasuamanas | ||||||||
The Vilcasuamine Empire (Ruttish: Vilkasuamanos imperija, Kuchu Standard: Willkaswaman Qhapaq Suyu) was an elected monarchy established by Antanas Kupliauskas shortly after the country's independence from Ruttland was achieved in the Vilcasuamanian War of Independence. Kupliauskas, who had previously ruled as Provisional President, suspended the constitution and proclaimed himself Emperor Antanas I on 17 January 1794.
Despite being a member of the Iškeltos class (the elites of Ruttish descent), Kupliauskas sought to evoke parallels between his empire and that of the Kuchu Empire. As such, he moved the seat of government from Tauragė to the ancient Kuchu capital of Džapipaltas, and instituted wide reaching reforms that greatly alleviated the conditions of indigenous laborers (though refrained from outright abolishing the patikėtinis system). In order to preempt invasions by Euclean powers, close relations were forged with the other independent states in the Asterias, including Lorcania, Nuxica and Marirana.
Following a stroke in 1805, Kupliauskas' health declined significantly, leaving most administrative matters to his infighting lieutenants; this period was characterized by frequent outbreaks of political violence, particularly between centralists and federalists. The turmoil, coupled with a general dissatisfaction with the regime, saw Antanas I abdicate in June 1804, dying in exile in Eldmark shortly thereafter. The election of the next Emperor paralyzed the Seimas of Vilcasuamanas; though Kazimieras I was elected (in part due to the abstentionism of liberal deputies), his assassination three days before his coronation allowed the Seimas to take full control of the country, declaring the Vilcasuamine Republic on December 10, 1805.
Historical assessment of the Empire is mixed. Some historians view Antanas I as a shrewd political syncretist who managed to, at least temporarily, reconcile the country's various conflicting ideological currents—republicans and monarchists, liberals and reactionaries, and centralists and federalists—under one banner, all the while fiercely asserting its independence from Euclean aggression. Others, however, credit the Emperor's rule as having fomented the corruption and strongman politics that would become endemic throughout Vilcasuamanas's 19th century history. Furthermore, in his later years, Kupliauskas failed to decisively address the growing sectional divides within the country, setting the stage for the Vilcasuamine Civil Wars.
See also
- Empire of Marirana, a similarly short-lived Asterian postcolonial monarchy