History of Burgundie
An abridged history of Burgundie. [ALL PREVIOUS HISTORY IN DISCUSSION BOX UNTIL I IRON OUT THE KINKS (ie. EX-NATIONS)] Burgundie, in its modern form, was founded as a series of Latinic trading posts in northern Levantia in the first century CE. Throughout history, it remained linguistically and religiously connected to Latinic roots, especially as the nations of Heku and Urcea formalized, but its social and economic culture is heavily influenced by the Gaelic and Germanic cultures it displaced and subsumed. The Isle of Burgundie remained the majority of the nation from its formation circa 853 until its explosive colonization of Alshar and southern Crona starting in the 16th century. During its war of independence, Burgundie also came to encompass the Kingdom of Ultmar, the predominantly Gaelic lands between the L'Estrech Alavarienne and the nations of Faneria and Fiannria.
Late modern period
People's Spring in Burgundie
The People's Spring of 1848 rocked the nascent establishment to its core. The socialist, anti-monarchist rebellions seeking independent republics of Burgundie, Ultmar and Flordeterra. The wedding of Great Prince Pau II in January of 1848 was so opulent and extravagant that it starved and impoverished many of the poor across Burgundie. Grain stores were expropriated, taxes were raised even further, and many workers were pressed into service to throng the parade route. Unlike his martial and resourceful father Pau I, Pau II was raised to be gentil and refined by his mother Maria-Isabel de Martilles. He was spoiled and reactionary, often choosing to micromanage his problems, regardless of his ability to do so knowledgeably. He was set to become an absolute ruler and the pomp and circumstance that he demanded for his wedding demonstrated that fact.
In the months after the wedding, the starving peasants across Burdeboch and Marves took up arms and raided government storehouses in search of food. The militias from the Isle of Burgundie and Marialanus, as well as the Gendarmes d'elite della Gaurdie Real (Elite Gendarmes of the Royal Guard) for the first time, were mobilized and violently suppressed the peasants.
First Fratricide
Main article: First Fratricide 1849-1875
Burgundie-Faramount Union
La Premier Intermezzo
First Great War
Main article: First Great War
L'Intermezzo Splendide
The Splendid Interwar Period, (Burg: le Intermezzo Splendide), spanning 1902-1934
Second Great War
Le Troisieme Intermezzo
Operation Kipling and the Great Tumult
The Second Burgoignesc Renaissance
Contemporary period
Great War-present
Occidental Cold War
Main article: Occidental Cold War
The end of hostilities in the Great War lead almost immediately to a reignition of the rivalry between Levantia and Caphiria. The formation of the League of Nations could not or would not resolve this enmity but did at least staunch the need for direct combat. From the perspective of Caphiria, the creation of Valcenia and its addition to the Levantia and Odoneru Treaty Association was considered the "crown jewel" of Levantine Creep, and consequently policymakers in Venceia believed it must redouble its efforts - rather than reduce them - to undermine the influence of Levantia everywhere.
For the Burgoignacs, the legacy of the explosion of the Caphirian atomic weapon loomed large and they shied away from any strong position taken by Urcea and other combatants in an effort not to antagonize the Caphirians again. In general, Burgundie participated in the various posturing and other geopolitical efforts between the Caphiria and Urcea, in support of Urcea beginning the decades long Occidental Cold War. However, Burgundie overwhelmingly threw its diplomatic efforts in the global improvement initiatives, primarily through the League of Nations, and continental improvement through the Levantine Union.
During this time Burgundie's foreign policy shifted from military and political expansion to economic domination. Using its global improvement initiatives it worked tirelessly to raise the global standard of living, but with the goal of taking advantage of these newly buoyed markets. This was stymied in the mid 1960s through the early 1980s by Operation Kipling, but the resulting logistical lessons learned from fighting a 18 year war on the other side of the world created a strong and resilient supply chain machine that lead to a huge booming economic rise starting in the mid 1970s.
Palacin Dynasty
Main article: List_of_Rulers_of_Burgundie § Palacin_Dynasty
The Great Tumult
Urban Decay, Kirosocialism, Communism and the 1960s
The Nine-Year Terror
Main article: The Nine-Year Terror
The The Nine-Year Terror was a civil war in Faneria from January 10, 1953 to February 21, 1962 and resulted in a massive build-up of the Army of Burgundie on the border with Faneria. It is ironically observed that the soldier's revolt in Faneria likely gave Burgundian soldiers enough work to prevent a similar revolt in Burgundie. Its more radical tenants also lead to the first Red Scare in Burgundie, which would reach a fever pitch during Operation Kipling. This build-up allowed the Burgundian arms industry to continue constructing at almost wartime levels to ensure that the Burgundian military was able to meet the new threats closer to home. This allowed for the older Great War equipment to be sold off to Audonian and Alsharite nations. The weary of constant wartime rationing, active duty, production quotas Levantine Burgundians also started to adopt a more hysterical view of world. With the Caphirian atomic bomb, the rise of Kiroocialism, and now the The Nine-Year Terror, many took to prepping. This was best exemplified in the bunker-mania of the 1950s and 60s in Levantine and Cronan Burgundie. Fallout shelters became popular both in public places and in the yards and gardens of those who could afford them. To govern this effort the Bureau of Emergency Defense was created and tasked with the generation of public preparedness material, conducting shelter inspection, and altering civilian populations of invasion or imminent atomic, later nuclear, strike.
Operation Kipling
Main article: Operation Kipling
The Mod-Trad War
A cultural revolt of the modernist youth against the traditionalist establishment. The war ended with a modernist victory as the unpopular Great Prince August I abdicated in favor of his son August II, in 1975, and lead to the eventual collapse of the Marius Dynasty in 1989.
Tenants of the mod lifestyle were often defined in opposition to the traditionalist standards of the day.
| Traditionalist view | Traditionalist depiction | Modernist view | Modernist depiction | Contemporary impact notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fashion | Formal wear
Bespoke, subdued color palette, forms of dress for each part of the day, signified the socio-economic class of the wearer |
Rugby-fashion
Mass-produced, garish color and pattern pallete, all day wear, not class significant |
Both styles persist, but the formal wear is relegated to high society functions, senior government officials, the royal family, and their attendants. | ||
| Drinking | Tabernae culture | Cafe culture | Bars have laregly supplanted pubs in urban areas, coffeeshops boomed in the 1960s and 1970s, and have seen a revival since the 2010s |
Second Burgundian Renaissance
1976-present In 1976 the new Prince, Jörg II, embarked on a mission to reengage the world. Throughout the next decade he embarked on a goodwill tour conducted through Levantia and beyond. The tour was lauded for mending and strengthening relationships with Fiannria, Faneria, Urcea and Kiravia, and reasserting active Burgundian participation in the Holy Levantine Imperial Diet and Collegial Electorate.
A resurgence in profile lead to an increase in trade and financial gain. Burgundian shipwrights again began to build world class ships, and the merchant class thrived on the new business. No longer were they just operating ships for trade to and from Burgundie, but Burgundian companies like O’Shea Container Shipping, Lansing Lines and Doppel Gangway became some of the premier merchant fleets in Greater Ixnay. In addition, new industries, particularly insurance and global maritime incident response/command, brought enormous gains to the labor market.
Economic reform 1996–2004
Prince Kliebold III, set about a policy of deregulation, to attract additional businesses to Burgundie. Grasping the potential of the internet, Abs completely deregulated financial transactions conducted electronically. While this brought countless billions into Burgundian banks, it had the adverse effect of making Burgundie a haven for illegal or financial questionable accounts.
Great Recession 2004–2008
Following the leaking of a report that the Revenue Guard was looking to seize thousands of accounts that they deemed illicit, many account holders pulled their money out of the Burgundian banking system. 2 in 5 banks failed. A national referendum on a bailout proposal was held and on Feb 9, 2005 the people chose not bailout the banks. Foreclosure signs became commonplace, particularly in the “Raugrafschaften” (undeveloped counties) where fewer people had contingency plans. The Golden Council of Ten enacted a 2 year no cost financial planning campaign for those who had lost more than 25% of their net worth. By 2006 the economy had begun to regrow and by 2008 the recession was declared over. Viceroy Abs’ deregulation policy was held responsible for the recession and his approval ratings have yet to recover.
Urban Renewal
Burgundie generally pursues a policy of neutrality, with the exception of the obstruction of trade. A strong Navy of Burgundie, Airforce of Burgundie and Revenue Guard is maintained by the government, but can be supplemented, by Viceregal decree, by elements of the two private navies operated by the Maritime Response Group™ or Roth Insurance LLC.
Since Burgundie is no longer a commodities exporter, almost all of the trade carried out by Burgundian merchant fleets is between other nations. Because of this Burgundie maintains a considerable trade deficit, but uses its diverse maritime revenue to keep the economy booming. Since 1996, there has been a huge investment in computing, light manufacturing and higher education which has helped to keep the unemployment rates at a steady 3%.
Salaries are high, except in inland regions of the Raugrafschaften which is a manifestation of the cultural disparity between those born on the Burgundie and those born in the “Raugrafschaften” that continues to exist. However, the advent of social media is bringing the citizens of Burgundie closer all the time.
Dericania Crisis
Main article: Dericania Crisis