History of Faneria

Prehistory and Early Antiquity
Modern Faneria was first inhabited by hunter-gatherer societies reliant on late mammoth and deer herds during the era, and is believed to have first been populated by groups following migratory patterns of mammoths north prior to the extinction of those prey. Several of these cultures left behind cave art, stone spearheads, and other materials, most notably the culture, an Neanderthal genogroup extant from 1.27-0.73 million years BC, and the Packer Culture, a group of tribes who were the first to process kelps and algae mats that grow natively in the Vandarch Sea into storable foods as evidenced by primitive stone presses similar to pestles, many of which are carved into standing rocks and were until the 1840s mistaken as pagan religious sites. The first permanent settlements in modern Faneria were colonies established by the Fenni, a pre-levantosarpedonic people who originally followed the coastlines around Levantia and settled along the freshwater coast of the Vandarch Sea c. 6000-5000 BC. The Fenni were long thought to have been an early Celtic offshoot, but recent archeology has definitively proven that the Fenni were their own people group, diverging into tribes around northern Levantia from unclear stock, possibly a mix of Coscivian and proto-Finnic peoples fleeing other migratory groups. Some of the oldest Fenni remains discovered preserved in bogs and marshes additionally bore at least marginal common ancestry with Audonian Tatrgr peoples, suggesting the Fenni may have been composed of several groups which intermixed early into the first settlement of the region they came to inhabit, though the causes behind this remain unclear. The Fenni also brought pottery and bowmaking to the region, and either absorbed or destroyed the entirety of the peoples already present in the Vandarch Basin, with remaining tribes existing in peripheral regions for indeterminate periods of time.

The Fenni arrived as skilled potters, fishers, and trappers, and came to rely on the Vandarch and its tributary rivers heavily, developing rituals of burning their dead and pouring their ashes into rivers. These practices coincided with ancestral worship practices to form a polytheistic faith centered around freshwater, and as a result early Fenni settlements featured comparatively extensive earthworks as part of their settlements to both control access to the water bodies most settlements were based around as well as to provide defensive advantages. These would adapt into hillforts similar to those used by early Celtic and Gothic peoples, though Fenni architectural practices adopted more traits from Coscivian peoples whom they traded with across the Kilikas Sea and included stone walls long before other native Levantine peoples would begin to do so. This along with advanced ironworking allowed the richer Fenni societies in the Northern Vandarch Basin, who were more heavily integrated in early sea trade via Coscivian cultures, to weather waves of Gothic migration in the 10th-8th Centuries BC which destroyed the Fenni peoples living along the southern coast of the Vandarch. However, they were unable to similarly weather Celtic invaders who arrived from the east from the 8th-6th Centuries BC, leading to the northern Vandarch being overrun primarily by a Celtic tribe known as the Oestrynetes. Another major Celtic tribe, the Yetes, similarly invaded but were pushed further west by the Oestrynetes across the Ereglasian Isthmus into modern Gothica; similarly, the Leuomes and Alloverni who followed in the early 5th Century BC were forced to stall in the Eastern Vandarch Basin and scatter into the mountainous interior, respectively, although many of the Alloverni eventually made their way to the western and northern coasts of modern Faneria and became the early Sheafhainn people.

Unlike the Goths, the Oestrynetes and Alloverni ruled over the Fenni statelets they conquered, with the Fenni language being extinguished and its religious practices absorbed into Celtic ones even as they adopted many practices such as writing and stoneworking. Already skilled ironworkers, they benefited greatly from trade with Coscivians, which lead to the discovery of steel (though at the time simply considered a 'hard iron') production in small quantities. This mixed culture varied greatly from the Celts forced into the mountains and remaining in the east, and came to be known as the first recognizably Fhainnin cultures, with many Gallic practices and artistry underlaid by the practices of the first peoples they absorbed. Similarly to the late Fenni culture, the early Fhainnin were heavily invested in trade and working the land, creating a system of skirmish warfare mainly centered on vassalage rather than outright conquest. This served perfectly against the similar tactics of the other, less organized Celtic peoples, and allowed Fhainnin cultures to grow rapidly prior to the arrival of Latin exploratores.

Great Levantine traders and diplomats were aware of the Fhainnin states prior to the arrival of Latin troops to the Vandarch Basin immediately prior to the Gallian Wars, but simply classified them as another Celtic tribe. Though Fhainnin peoples did not participate in the Gallic Confederation that fought against Great Levantia, several Legions invaded the eastern Vandarch and crushed the partly-Fennicised Leuomes only to be surprised by the well-fortified cities past the River Mor. While Latin troops initially had little trouble with Fhainnin forces fighting in the manner of most Celts, a local coalition under the King of Daingean, the largest Fhainnin state for much of the early modern history of the region, was able to form an army of mercenary Coscivian soldiers and local forces who defeated the 17th Legion decisively at the Battle of Kilglas in 20 AD, bringing an end to further attempts to invade the central and western Ninerivers. However, Latin rule would remain in former Leuomes territory for the majority of the millennium.

Late Antiquity
The first millennium, AD of Fhainnin history, similarly to pre-Latin conquests, largely centered on the fertile Vandarch Basin, with neighboring regions revolving around it in the periphery. The Vandarch itself served as an excellent source of food, trade and travel, and natural defense, allowing the development of strong trade between the Coscivian heartland and Great Levantia in spite of strained relations between Fhainnin clans and Latin troops, including repeated large-scale slave revolts in the annexed province of Vandar Orientalis, most notably in 83, 94, 265, 288, 330, 476, and 532 AD. This trade allowed individual clans and traders that dominated the primary coastal and overland routes to profit culturally, technologically, and economically, leading to the rise of a city-state mentality among many polities in the region as they vied for control of key chokepoints. These wars retained a large sense of the formality of previous vassalage warfare seen, but gradually escalated into intense state and mercenary army actions, typically over riverine access. Great Levantine troops made several incursions into the central Ninerivers in the century afterwards but were unable to either maintain their holdings or extract much additional wealth without marching down the entirety of the continent to reach Coscivian trade colonies on the far side of the Croilaen and Deamhain Mountains, leading to the region being regarded by many Emperors as difficult and unrewarding.

As a result of these exchanges and exposure to Latin and Coscivian culture, the cities of Sydgewighh (modern Caileansdun) and Daingean in particular rose to prominence after the Second Century. Daingean in particular adopted a mercantile attitude and began to maintain a token tribute towards Great Levantia, and eventually after a long series of petty strongmen came to adapt its familial councils into a system of elected kingship (rewatch athens and venice vids). Sydgewighh, largely due to the 78-year long rule of the weak King Ugain Airches II, remained locked in tribal politicking and ultimately failed to develop the educated middle class necessary to compete. After Sydgewighh was crushed by an alliance of Daingean and its allied city-states in 486 at the Battle of Bleached Hill, it too became a vassal city of Daingean, at which point the victors controlled every east-west trade route over the entire region from the borders of Great Levantia to the foothills of the Croilaens, as well as holding sway over the less developed westerlands beyond where most Coscivian merchants in the region made port.

Daingean would enjoy several generations of opulence and domination over the area, only for its economic power to be shattered by the Crisis of the 6th Century. Gothic incursions into the eastern Vandarch eventually escalated into migratory invasion, and the Imperial province of Vandar Orientalis would cease to exist by 552, putting a final end to the great trade routes through the area and plunging most of Northern Levantia into chaos. Daingean was ultimately able to resist smaller incursions and pay off various Gothic peoples to fight among themselves rather than test the better-armed Fhainnin ardceiternn, but lost much of its prestige, economic power, and authority in the process, leading to renewed fighting between states and local Fhainnin warlords. (early christian missionaries here)

Next up: eleglass and first kingdom+Gothic War

Eleglass' Kingdom
Eleglass of Cranwyrth first created the title of 'King of the Ninerivers' after his defeat of the Gothic overlords of the eastern Vandarch in the xxxth Century, but the title became largely irrelevant shortly after his death. As the title was elective in keeping with his method of attaining power through election to chiefdom of the city of Daingean, it held little sway over much of modern Faneria. However, the First Kingdom's short span as a de facto authority did impart Eleglass' military governors established over portions of reclaimed land with the title of Princes, creating the foundation of what developed into a system of warring states which began to restrict trade and ossify into a parallel of southern Levantine serfdom.

Kingdom of the Fhainn
The Second Kingdom of the Ninerivers was founded in 1398 1364: Prince Ruaridh Màrtainn of Mhartainnvail inherits the titles of Connsmonann, Cheatharnaich, and Itheachan from an uncle and father killed in a hunting accident/skirmish/'highway robbery'; Initially a chance conglomeration of a few choice titles under a particularly lucky/skilled prince, who didn't particularly like the idea of having his territories not being contiguous; basically fumbled/scraped his way into a position where his only son could actually enforce a tentative claim to kingship

Founding Wars
Crown War (1398-1401)

Red Plains War (1411-1412)

Great Basin War (1421-1430)

1398: the Kingdom of the Fhainn proper is founded by Rih (King) Rethys Màrtainn, who immediately begins eating up smaller independent cities and minor noble holdings along with one or two serious wars against challengers to his claim of kingship, one of which he was by all rights assumed to be the loser against a coalition but won due to organizational and cavalry reforms, dumb luck in maneuvering, and catching enemy orders - 'perfect storm'

Early Expansion
Dunlann War (1458-1470)

1471: last major challenger to the throne in southern regions kneels, a few weaker principalities in the north remain but get swallowed up through marriage or outright invasion by 1500 1471: last major challenger to the throne in southern regions kneels, a few weaker principalities in the north remain but get swallowed up through marriage or outright invasion by 1500

1504-1508: War of the Foot, Penthrav conquered.

Instability and Princes' Wars
protestantism, electors not voting how royal family wanted

First Princes' War (1519-1545)
1519-1545: First Princes' War: a few kings (Caerls Màrtainn, Bronwyn Màrtainn, Rhys Wydd-Màrtainn) worth of fighting, and for their victory they end up with the authority to elect the King similar to the HLE's collegial electorate the king who lost the war though continues on until 1557 and then he dies and his son presses hereditary claim, and while the vicars do elect him they say "shit let's not make a habit of this"

he reigns and the same thing happens on his (Cledwyn Wydd-Màrtainn) death maybe 1570 or so

except the vicars refuse and the second vicarial(?) war begins

1519-1545: First Princes' War: a few kings (Caerls Màrtainn, Bronwyn Màrtainn, Rhys Wydd-Màrtainn) worth of fighting, and for their victory they end up with the authority to elect the King similar to the HLE's collegial electorate

the king who lost the war though continues on until 1557 and then he dies and his son presses hereditary claim, and while the vicars do elect him they say "shit let's not make a habit of this"

he reigns and the same thing happens on his (Cledwyn Wydd-Màrtainn) death maybe 1570 or so

except the vicars refuse and the second vicarial(?) war begins

Second Princes' War (1571-1583)
1571-1583: Second Prince's War:  this second one is very bloody and just an overall mess, whole dynastic noble local families are wiped out, at least one king (Conan Wydd-Màrtainn, Ruaridh Sutharlan, Banrih (Queen) Cailean Suthar-Màrtainn) of fhanrrenenoit4hlwtf is killed in battle; it ends in a brokered peace; the king's election will continue, but the vicars will also be elected by local nobles, and since so many local families died, the right to appoint new local nobility reverts to the King (Donan Sutharlan-Màrtainn), who begins to solely grant lifetime peerages, i.e., no hereditary succession for the local holdings. typically he will continue to appoint from one family, but they now remain local to the crown - while the king could appoint hereditary nobility, none do because that's a stupid move, and so the local nobles (appointed by the king) begin electing as vicar basically anyone the king wants to keep their power in the family - this allows titles to be sold by the crown, too

this system continues until the 1690s when the kings (Sean Suthar-Màrtainn) begin to realize hey, we can just buy off the still remaining hereditary local lords

Great Dunlann Peasants' Revolt (1587)
foundation of modern royal state, throneswatch founded, made absolute monarchy (see discord)

Recovery and Northern Campaigns
Scapan War (1602)

Coast War(?) (1650s, Vith) Great Quake 1664

Tundra Wars (1690-1712)

Sutharine Succession Crisis/First Kin War (1712-1717)
Okay, so... I have the Sutharine Succession Crisis in 1712-1717, which devolved into a war that maybe became the First Kin War Sear Mari Suthar-Màrtainn had twins that both died, prompting a power grab as she'd ceded the throne for the firstborn and it was argued she couldn't renege on that, so either the Barh-Màrtainns or the Wydd-Màrtainns, who were a smaller family in the Deric states, pressed a claim

but it also results in the collapse of the Kingdom of Culfra as it devolves into a League as either none of the lords/factions across the HLE could come to a final agreement or all the heirs apparent for the factions died

this is where the first proposal for a Gaelic megastate came about; philosopher wrote a little on the state of the Gaelic world and it lay dormant for centuries. almost like a Modest Proposal with a little 'unless...?' at the end - Donnaghuan O'Clerryswyck

a 'vicar' is a kind of viceroy administrator of what end up being the provinces (originally the inherited territories), streamlining national administration somewhat but also decentralizing power as the kingdom grew

1364: Prince Ruaridh Màrtainn of Mhartainnvail inherits the titles of Connsmonann, Cheatharnaich, and Itheachan from an uncle and father killed in a hunting accident/skirmish/'highway robbery'; Initially a chance conglomeration of a few choice titles under a particularly lucky/skilled prince, who didn't particularly like the idea of having his territories not being contiguous; basically fumbled/scraped his way into a position where his only son could actually enforce a tentative claim to kingship

by 1760 or so something like, i don't know,  87% of eligible nobility voting for the vicar have been appointed by the king (Cywir Suthar-Màrtainn). so what you have in place is kind of a centralist monarchy with a nominal election system that is really just trading favors with prominent families

so the Vicariate, once a powerful institution, is basically a succession rubber stamp by that 1760 date - essentially reduced from local princes to appointed governors

This is all about on track with what I'm thinking, as by 1775 there should be no more direct ties between officers and their noble status, at least in terms of laws banning commoners or reserving positions. in practice most officers will still be educated nobles

And to note, the previous culture across both major ethnicities was very much family-focused, organicist, and morally absolutist, which should heavily clash with a wave of actualism, mathematicism, and maybe even finitism (the idea of a non-omnipitent God) creating a philosophical rift between the gentry and the growing educated middle class

Saelish Partition (1745)

Second Kin War (1784-93)
Second war is the reign of Cywir Suthar-Màrtainn, let's have that be then the northern coast of Faneria is secured/the borders are adjusted or clarified it can be Fhainns drawing some lines as the League fails to properly organize against them, leading to further frustration that will results in the Commonwealth of Fiannria being formed in 1801 so like a decade or so prior is good... this war happens, 1793, frustration with the peace agreement, failures of leadership, food shortages and rising prices leads to the slow and painful collapse of the league as the Culfran Lanns (states) stop cooperating and infighting breaks out

Faneria annexes Saelish rump state (Sorhaithe)

The First Constitution (1830)
-shift of Fhainnlannachaeran from an absolute to a constitutional monarchy in 1830, when Rih Luthais Suthar-Màrtainn chose to put a clause in the new constitution which would force the Throne to address the issue of allowing the suffrage of landed male voters for Vicarial seats in 1900. In the immediate term, the document allowed local officials to be elected, but Vicars remained an appointed rank rather than elected. -also banned serfdom in the remaining feudal regions in Lyukquar and reformed the administration into a semicentralized government, removing the last technical attachment of Vicars to olf feudal lines, but in practice leaving the same families in power at least until elections were supposed to begin

in the 1850s or so there should be a pretty large reform movement saying yes, the monarchy is great, but we should expand who can vote for the vicar besides local royal appointees - every property owning male, perhaps. which obviously every royalist says no to, but this idea of a "Liberal Vicariate" basically becomes a major political fixation and for a couple years it's "yes, but what if the vicariate also had power to do X", "yes, but what if they could also do Y, have oversight of Z, etc" - The main rub being nobody could agree on exactly how to work out what the vicars or a theoretical representative government (at the time still a fringe movement) would work in particular, as you'd have constitutional monarchists mixing with radicals and even a few revanchist wanting the old vicar's crown electorate back, but the liberal vicariate idea remains the "respectable" liberal opposition idea

Boreal War (1999-1902)
the 1860s and 70s saw a dramatic rise in lower class and middle class movements i don't know if you're familiar with how the french revolution went down ca 1787/1788

but convening the estates general was viewed as a panacea, a solution to all problems

but consequently meant different things to different people

As you'd have constitutional monarchists mixing with radicals and even a few revanchist wanting the old vicar's crown electorate back

here the liberal vicariate is that idea

and a lot of self interested rich locals could say "what if we just made it like how it was in the 1500s"

Constitutional Crisis of 1903: when writing constitution in 1829-1830, Rih (king) Luthais Suthar-Màrtainn agreed to put off the issue of extending the franchise to male landed voters for their local Vicars, because he was a liberal twit but not that liberal. In 1900, the issue was brought up at its due-by date and Rih Ruaridh Suthar-Màrtainn delayed and delayed because nobody else in the royal family ever wanted that, he was young and impressionable, and those rights would landslide into a massive loss of royal authority. He delays until trying to amend that part of the constitution out entirely in 1903, which launches massive protest before he concedes in late 1905. The Vicars demand their positions be secured by bloodline again to prevent retaliatory appointments (which were already occuring at that point), while other people are clamoring for industrial regulation, Constitutionalists are demanding all-male suffrage to elect Vicars, and Cananach's republican radicals are demanding the creation of a senate and the loss of the king's right to declare wars and levy taxes along with elected vicars. The Socialists want an abolished monarchy entirely. Ruaridh decides it's easier to just have the representatives the Vicariates sent to court hung for treason, and then orders the Socialist and Cananach + his inner circle rooted out and shot, because he's like 19 and his folks urge him to. He gets bombed, civil war commences.

1903 Constitutional Crisis
1906, one of the reformist factions finally managed to blow up the king (Ruaridh Sutharlan) and a couple key throne supporters at once, which kicked off a civil war between socialist, monarchist, and republican factions, with the republicans and socialists allying and said socialists immediately getting shanked in the back

maybe the direct reason for the bombing of the king in 1906 is after a year and a half of major tumult, riots, etc, he finally decides to concede but only on the original point of landed male suffrage for the vicars, and when the vicars get together and say "we would like to also have authority over X, Y, and Z" - he says no, which is the breaking point for most radicals 1906, one of the reformist factions finally managed to blow up the king (Ruaridh Sutharlan) and a couple key throne supporters at once, which kicked off a civil war between socialist, monarchist, and republican factions

with the republicans and socialist allying and said socialists immediately getting shanked in the back

maybe the direct reason for the bombing of the king in 1906 is

after a year and a half of major tumult, riots, etc, he finally decides to concede but only on the original point of landed male suffrage for the vicars

and when the vicars get together and say "we would like to also have authority over X, Y, and Z"

he says no

which is the breaking point for most radicals

Decline and Militarism
- Military particularly invested in theory of perpetual Revolution (sacred mission of the nation to destroy monarchism and imperialism globally - excepting Gaelic imperialism in pursuit of that goal)

- militarists after Cananach's death be

The militarists seized on Cananach's tenders to the Fiannrian government on the formation of a new, Gaelic federation and extrapolated from there to justify their own varying goals. Many of these were 'merely' Pan-Gaelic enthusiasts inspired by the doctrines of liberation and brotherhood expounded by early Republican thinkers; however, a variety of industrial profiteers, race-supremacists, and most pivotally the large revanchist groups in the country formed what was initially a loose coalition of factions within the National Assembly. The possibility of a new war with Fiannria had been on the table up until Cananach's round refusal of the idea in 1921, with the military buildup of the era intended as a bulwark against foreign aggression.

Postwar Era
Immediately after the events of the Rose Revolution and the signing of the peace treaty, Faneria's interim government was forced to face what would later become termed the 'four horsemen of the Republic' - a series of social and political issues which had to be resolved before any real continuation of. These consisted of lingering militarist members of government and generals eager to erase the resurgent liberal government, regional separatism in the Transisthmus and Leucwar, the functional challenges that had allowed the takeover of the Popular Republic after Cananach's death, and both the immediate and long-term sociopolitical and economic consequences of the war.

Leucine Rebellion (1942-1945)
Though separatist movements existed outside of Leucwar, the northern regions were directly impacted by the loss of territories aquired after the Boreal War and were invigorated by the reconquest of protestant territories by Caergwynn. Partially due to Caeric support, Leucine nationalists launched a local rebellion and declared independence, murdering the provincial governor and initiating a three-year civil conflict which the army violently put down.

Government Reform and the Republic of the Fhainn
A purge of the upper echelons of the military was undertaken, with a number of trials for prominent militarist-wing military brass performed from 1942-1946 under the auspices of Burgundine intermediaries (Urcean oversight of any postwar trials having been a sticking point in peace negotiations, whereas the Burgundines had next to no direct conflict with Fhainnin forces outside of Fiannrian volunteer groups). In total, eleven officials, generals, and government functionaries of the _______ government were hanged, two shot after failing to qualify as war criminals while being convicted of treason, and thousands fired or shuffled into positions of impotence to cripple the Militarist wing of the Republican Party. Additionally, hasty efforts to alter state symbiology were made, rebranding the Popular Republic as the Republic of the Fhainn as part of a constitutional reform which formalized a number of amendments passed and subsequently ignored in the 1930s intended to finish the period of reforms initiated under Cananach. In doing so, the new government silently claimed to be the end state of Cananachan reforms, restoring damaged legal institutions and ending the 'tutelary state' phase of government propaganda.\

The defunct ARSG was disbanded, with ethnic nationalism being quietly phased out of curricula in favor of civic nationalism which redefined Fhainnin nationalism as a linguistic, pluralistic identity rather than a racial one. This shut out the Pan-Gaelic movement from the heights of government and would quickly lead to violence from GaelWind, a former gang used by ______'s faction to undermine the liberal wings of the Republican Party prior to the Second Great War.