Malentina: Difference between revisions

Malentina is a somewhat modern name taken from the term commonly used in [[Ænglish language|Ænglish]] to refer to the indigenous tribes living on the islands that the nation now encompasses, that being ''Malentinu''. This term developed from combining the names of the two most populous indigenous tribes on the islands, which are the ''Maaleens'' and the ''Tinuuds''. The name was created by the indigenous tribes as a way for them to "reclaim" their home islands, which by the time of the name's formulation had been under the rule of Occidental colonists for many years, for themselves. There still exists a small minority within the Ænglo-Ardmori population who still use the former colonial name of [[Pertooluna]] from before 1933; ironically Pertooluna comes from the butcherization of the name used for the Cartadanian colony of [[Puerto Luna]]

==History==

With the help of a small amount of archaeological findings within on the islands it is believed that the cultural history of the indigenous Malentine peoples date back to around 1600 BC. Very little is known about this period, especially as the island's geology have made it very difficult to find any archeological artifacts, and interest in the prehistoric era of the islands have largely been suppressed by the Malentine government for fear of encouraging rebellious sentiment. The earliest instances of what is known about the early history of Malentina is connected to the era of the [[North Songun Civilization]], whose largely well-preserved records first mention the islands and their indigenous peoples as early as the year 700 BC.

When traders from the North Songun Civilization first encountered the indigenous islanders they were noted for their excellent navigational skills, making use of well-crafted canoes, as well as fishing expertise. What likely drew the traders' attention the most, however, would be the vast amounts of wealth that was primarily displayed through an abundance of {{wp|pearl|pearls}}. These pearls were among the first things that the North Songun traders would start buying for use in their trade networks, the pearls having first entered the North Songun capital of [[Maktalin]] as late as approximately 500 BC. The first urban settlements would soon be established on islands by the year 350 BC, slowly integrating the indigenous tribes into the larger North Songun Civilization. Many records would consider Malentina to first exist as a truly civilized entity around the period of the 5th to 3rd Centuries BC, although modern scholars have largely debated upon this subject with many claiming that Malentina would not be deemed a truly civilized entity until much later.

===North Songun Civilization===

Although these North Songunese settlements have started off as a group of smaller colonial city-states that were established primarily to facilitate trade and cooperation between the various indigenous insular tribes and the North Songunese traders, Malentina would eventually grow to be one of the most significant and wealthiest regions of the North Songun Civilization, which became much more apparent as the heart of the North Songunese lands was beginning to collapse. Malentine sources at that time have proven to be largely vital for modern scholars as they have described in great detail the events that have happened during the collapse, which is especially important as most of the other North Songunese lands would collapse to the point of having little to no scholars left to record these events.

For the period of time between the years 400 BC and 100 BC, the islands were mostly just trading posts at the edge of much greater lands on mainland Crona. The primary purpose behind these trading posts would prove to be exactly what would lead to Malentina transforming from a backwater on the edge of the North Songunese lands to one of the most well-developed regions within the North Songun Civilization; this in stark contrast to the small trade cities that were initially established. Cities that dot the western coast would serve as vital centers of trade between the great cities in the North Songunese heartlands and the various settlements to the south of the islands. This slow rise would quickly scale up exponentially in the 3rd and 4th Centuries as the expanses of land in what is now [[Tierrador]] began to develop into stable and lucrative places to trade with.

What is perhaps much more important than the vast amounts of wealth that have been flowing through the Malentine cities during this period of time was the cultural exchange, as elements of the North Songunese culture began to fuse with not just the indigenous insular culture but also with cultural aspects from the lands to the south of the islands. Although the cities were massively profitable, the indigenous tribes on the islands would still prove to be just as vital to the overall prosperity of their homelands, mostly thanks to their ability to gather certain valuable materials such as pearls, but most especially as warriors whom the cities would recruit for protection from neighboring cities mostly. From the growing mainland civilizations to the north and south, the islands would also learn a lot about proper administration and statecraft, allowing for the emergence of very effective forms of centralization. Such invaluable knowledge would bring forth a level great stability and prosperity to the cities that by the time of the 6th Century Malentina could no longer be considered to be a mere extension of a much greater civilization, but rather as the second-wealthiest region of the North Songun Civilization, with only the heartlands in what is now [[Kelekona]] and [[Arcerion]] being wealthier still, as the three largest city-states on the islands grew to great prominence in not just among the islands, but among the entirety of the North Songunese lands. Each of these cities controlled large amounts of territory along the western coast of the islands, with them spending many years competing over alliances with the various smaller settlements that were nearby.

This golden age would soon end, however, as the 11th Century brought forth an era of wars and devastation as conflicts emerged between the city-states and the tribal mercenaries who have rebelled over both payment and supposed snubs. The rebellious mercenaries were successful in conquering some of the North Songun cities on the islands, soon causing a division between the wealthy coastal North Songun city-states and the traditional natives further inland. This period of sectarian conflict would soon end by the late 1030s as relations between the North Songunese and the indigenous tribes would normalize once more with trade resuming relatively quickly. The period of time since the late 1030s has been known as the Malentine silver age, a time when the islands would experience another period of long-term prosperity which began with the formation of an alliance between the city-states by the year 1040. This alliance was a loosely-connected league of the seven most powerful cities on the islands, each representing the seven major cultural groups on the islands, which even included most of the indigenous tribes on the islands.

The silver age would soon come to an end since the late 13th Century with the rise and growth of the [[Zurgite Varshan|Varshani]] realm to the west of the heartland of the North Songun Civilization, much at the expense of the latter. It was during this time that trade across the seas would begin to slowly dwindle, and yet ironically not only would Malentina be relatively unaffected by what was largely the slow and painful death of what was once Crona's greatest civilization it would also become the center of the North Songun remnants as a result. Indeed, although much of the history of the North Songun Civilization have been lost thanks to the collapse, several highly important scholars and many other wealthy and influential individuals from the North Songun heartlands would flee the mainland for the safety of the islands, becoming the ancestors of Malentina's largely wealthy Kelekonese and Telekonese minority. By the end of the two-century long process towards the ruination of the North Songun Civilization, the former heartlands were largely in ruins and soon the Varshani would turn their sights towards the islands and began to conduct raids. However, due to the insular advantage and sheer distance from the Varshani heartlands, these raids were complete failures as the indigenous warrior tribes proved themselves to be an effective and formidable foe. At the same time, however, the indigenous islanders began to push towards militarization once more, soon becoming a far greater threat to the seven city-states than even the invaders.

The Varshani did not give up so easily though, they would continue to attempt further raids throughout the next hundred years, but once again they were failures for the most part. Due to their resilience and survival, the seven city-states saw themselves as the last of the North Songun Civilization. This view would soon evolve, with scholars arguing that it was at the behest of the wealthy refugees from the mainland, with the cities beginning to consider themselves to be the rightful successors to the entirety of the North Songun Civilization, and that it was their destiny to reclaim the former heartlands. The many refugees from the mainland, who would often refer to the islands as the ''qhispina'' ("haven"), would soon add to the growing problem that was emerging on the islands. Although the seven city-states have depicted themselves to be a united front, they were in truth nothing more than a loose collection of alliances and not a centralized power. This led to there being an immense imperative to try and centralize the city-states alongside an immense imperative to militarize through the use of the warrior tribes even though those same warriors were finding themselves to be once again outsiders in their own homeland, especially as many new people arrived to the islands and causing further social unrest. This would soon reach a tipping point in the early 17th Century with an event that has since been given the name the "Crisis of the Twelve", or as one famous scholar at the time would name it in some of his final writings, the "Fall of the Haven".