Medimeria: Difference between revisions

The progress of the island precipitated the growth of free laborers in the city of Madix as many Medimerians began to end their tenancy contracts or even abscond from them, causing a shortage of farm labor. The ever-expanding whaling industry also began to have additional labor needs by the 1630s. The stream of Protestants from Levantia was reduced to a trickle by this period, more than a half-century after the end of the Confessional War, and most new arrivals were nobles or prominent burghers imprisoned by the [[Imperial Inquisition]] and deported to Medimeria. In [[1634]], facing continued labor shortages, the Refuge Company approved the importing of [[Audonia]]n laborers. Attempts were made to launch slave raiding parties into modern day [[Soirwind]] and [[Zaclaria]], but these were easily repulsed by local authorities and perpetrators executed by local authorities. Instead, two different solutions were implemented. First, Audonian peasants and poor Audonian city-dwellers were offered relatively decent terms to live and work on patroonships as tenant farmers for a twenty year period of {{Wp|Indentured servitude|indentured servitude}}. Second, the Refuge Company began to offer to buy the rights to petty criminals imprisoned by various Audonian realms, who would then serve thirty year periods of indentured servitude. The result of both of these programs were mostly the same; the majority of those voluntarily becoming indentured servants were often absconding from the law or some other obligation, transforming Medimeria's patroonships into de facto penal colonies. These Audonians and their descendants formed the ethnic group now known as the "Ebidi", a [[Burgoignesc language]] corruption of the Audonian term {{wp|abeed}}, meaning servant. By the end of the 17th century, the original group of the Ebidi had descendants numbering multiple generations. The Ebidi, primarily now tenant farmers rather than indentured servants, faced de facto segregation by the island's Levantine-descended Protestant majority; accordingly, they largely kept to themselves, building small villages within the Patroonships and practicing a number of different religions and indigenous Audonian practices.

Medimeria grew in importance with the beginning of [[Canespa-Burgoignesc relations]] in the early 1700s. The island's location roughly halfway between [[Cusinaut]] and eastern [[Levantia]] made it a critical {{wp|Transshipment|transshipment}} port in [[Maritime Dericania|Deric]] global trade routes. The trade route had the effect of greatly expanding the importance of Madix as a port city with some minor cascading effects for the rest of the island. The need for additional labor in Madix tended to attract Levantine-origin free laborers or indentured servants at the end of their term, leaving the Patroonships to rely more on Ebidi labor.  

In [[1713]], the Middle Seas Refuge Company was nationalized by the [[Duchy of Bourgondi]] in light of its growing trade importance with [[Crona]]. The Duke issued an edict of toleration and Patent of Governance, which recognized and retained the traditional rights and privileges of the Patroons and codified the existing Patroon Council into law. The 1713 acts also entrenched Protestantism as official, rather than predominant, religion on the island, and guaranteed certain rights only to Protestants. This had the practical effect of beginning the conversion of the Ebidi; the guarantee of rights to Protestants began a process by which Protestant rights would be exploited by the most forward thinking and best educated Ebidi, beginning the slow process of ethnic integration.

During the three year period beginning in [[1787]], the Ducal government issued major reforms. Most tenant farmers, both Ebidi and Refuge, had their leasehold farmsteads transformed into freeholds, parceling out the major Patroonships to the small farmers. The Patroons were left with their manor houses and enough land to generate enough revenue equivalent to their [[1780]] expenses, and in most cases this left most of the Patroonships profitable due to their drastically decreased scale. Four members from Madix and one member from the city of Saint Marie were added to the Conseil Patronal on the basis of urban elections. One member was added who served as a direct appointment of the Duke of Bourgundi. With order restored, martial law was ended in [[1790]]. Significant resentment on the part of the Patroon class existed towards their fellow islanders, resulting in major class discrimination and a further segregation of the Patroon class from the rest of the island's residents; inversely, the 1787 settlement decreased hostility between the lower orders of both ethnicities and laid the groundwork for integration and a post-manorial economy.

The advent of the steam engine revolutionized the Medimerian economy and made the island relevant in a military and global trade context. The island's {{wp|Transshipment|transshipment}} role was greatly enhanced in the early 19th century when need for coaling stations became apparent. Coal shipments to and from the island became common as of [[1840]], making Medimeria an absolutely essential stopping-off point for all ships heading east from [[Levantia]]. This period saw the major growth of port infrastructure facilities in Port Marie, which had been a fishing town previously. The wide availability of developable land meant that Port Marie soon eclipsed Madix as the primary port town on the island. The new relevance of the island and its new strategic importance led to the major militarization of Medimeria beginning in [[1855]] by the new Burgoignesc state, [[Burgundie]]. The Port Marie naval base was constructed in the 1850s and persists today as a major military installation. During the [[First Great War]], Medimeria served as the primary hub allowing Burgoignesc control over the [[Sea of Capelan]] against [[Kiravia]]n naval assets.

Medimeria reached its peak relevance in the 1890s and early 1900s. The advent of diesel-powered warships and increased naval range - combined with the [[Burgoignesc thalattocracy]] having a much larger range - meant much of the [[Navy of Burgundie]] preferred to dock and refuel at ports on the [[Audonia]]n mainland. Naval activity on the island slowed in the [[1920]]s. The Second Great War saw a briefly renewed interest in the island, as it was a strategically valuable staging area for allied forces to resupply or attack parts of Audonia as needed, especially given its far distance from [[Daxia]]n naval power.

===Cession to Urcea===

==Government==