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Caergwynn: Difference between revisions
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'''Caergwynn''' is a country in northern Levantia, along the coast of the Sea of Nordska. Possessing a unique language and culture only distantly related to the surrounding Gaelic populations, Caergwynn has a long history and a complex form of government, in which democratic and aristocratic features interact within a ''de facto'' republican framework. Although for much of its history Caergwynn has been a fairly marginal factor in Levantine affairs, it has always had a strong maritime tradition, and with industrialization in the late 19th century, the nation became a major trading power with its strategic location controlling the southern Nordskan straits. Caergwynn is now among Levantia's most advanced economies, but Caeric international relations are marred by a bitter, centuries-long feud with its neighbor [[Faneria]], and milder tensions with most of its other neighbors. It is a member of the [[League of Nations]] and the Kilikas-Boreal Cooperative Zone, as well as being an observer state of the Council of Gaelic Peoples. | '''Caergwynn''' is a country in northern Levantia, along the coast of the Sea of Nordska. Possessing a unique language and culture only distantly related to the surrounding Gaelic populations, Caergwynn has a long history and a complex form of government, in which democratic and aristocratic features interact within a ''de facto'' republican framework. Although for much of its history Caergwynn has been a fairly marginal factor in Levantine affairs, it has always had a strong maritime tradition, and with industrialization in the late 19th century, the nation became a major trading power with its strategic location controlling the southern Nordskan straits. Caergwynn is now among Levantia's most advanced economies, but Caeric international relations are marred by a bitter, centuries-long feud with its neighbor [[Faneria]], and milder tensions with most of its other neighbors. It is a member of the [[League of Nations]] and the Kilikas-Boreal Cooperative Zone, as well as being an observer state of the Council of Gaelic Peoples. | ||
==Etymology== | ==Etymology and Nomenclature== | ||
The name "Caergwynn" has a straightforward etymology, deriving from the Caeric words "caer" (fort) and "gwynn" (white, or shining)-creating the compound "Caergwynn", meaning "shining fort" (which in modern Caeric orthography would instead be Caergwen). Though the precise origin of this designation for the land of Caergwynn is impossible to verify, the traditional consensus has been that it refers to the snowbound and fortress-like peaks of the coastal ranges. This is dramatized in the Caeric national epic, ''Tywysog o Llongau'', "The Prince of Ships", in the story of Madoc I spying a "shining fortress" as the first glimpse he saw of Caergwynn from shipboard. | The name "Caergwynn" has a straightforward etymology, deriving from the Caeric words "caer" (fort) and "gwynn" (white, or shining)-creating the compound "Caergwynn", meaning "shining fort" (which in modern Caeric orthography would instead be Caergwen). Though the precise origin of this designation for the land of Caergwynn is impossible to verify, the traditional consensus has been that it refers to the snowbound and fortress-like peaks of the coastal ranges. This is dramatized in the Caeric national epic, ''Tywysog o Llongau'', "The Prince of Ships", in the story of Madoc I spying a "shining fortress" as the first glimpse he saw of Caergwynn from shipboard. | ||
The capital, Dol Awraidd, has a similarly descriptive origin, as it refers to the Caeric "dol" (valley), and "awraidd" (golden), for a combined meaning of "Golden Valley." In contemporary Caeric, "Awraidd" would be rendered as "Euraidd" (an Ænglish version of "Dol Awraidd" with a similar level of archaism would perhaps be "Goldenvale"). Though this name too has a supposed epic origin (attributed to one of the followers of Madoc), the city is situated in a warm and fertile valley in the coastal mountains, and the label of "golden valley" could have arisen quite naturally. | The capital, Dol Awraidd, has a similarly descriptive origin, as it refers to the Caeric "dol" (valley), and "awraidd" (golden), for a combined meaning of "Golden Valley." In contemporary Caeric, "Awraidd" would be rendered as "Euraidd" (an Ænglish version of "Dol Awraidd" with a similar level of archaism would perhaps be "Goldenvale"). Though this name too has a supposed epic origin (attributed to one of the followers of Madoc), the city is situated in a warm and fertile valley in the coastal mountains, and the label of "golden valley" could have arisen quite naturally. | ||
One of the most striking effects of Caergwynn's unique history and institutional conservatism is that, while it has no official title, no less than four are in use: Principality, Republic, Free Land, and Land | |||
''Principality'': Because Madoc V is still the reigning Prince, the Principality has never been abolished, and it is completely correct to refer to the country as the Principality of Caergwynn. This is not often seen outside of the most formal contexts (such as the swearing-in of Arlywyddion every seven years), references to Madoc himself, or when the writer wants to emphasize the continuity of the Caeric state, but it is still valid and generally recognizable. | |||
''Republic'': the term Republic as a descriptor of Caergwynn arose spontaneously after 1246 when people needed to distinguish the current, Cyngor-based government from the Regency that had proceeded it, with "Republic" picked up from the ancient traditions and the contemporary mercantile states of southern Levantia. By 1300, it was the default title of Caergwynn, at least among outsiders, and as Caergwynn achieved control of the Strait and began to resemble the "maritime republics" more and more closely, "Republic" grew further in prominence. For the next several centuries, Caergwynn was so universally known as "The Republic of" that no one bothered to formalize it. But as the country's glory faded in the 17th and 18th centuries, the prestige of its "Republican" government fell also. The decades-long campaign to reform Caeric institutions (that culminated in 1846 with the establishment of the Iscyngor) saw "Republic" become a political shibboleth, with radicals decrying the Republic as a corrupt and failing system, and conservatives defending both the institutions and the name. In modern times, "Republic" is mostly used as a historical designation for the 1246-1846 period, but is still seen in the Arlywydd's title of "Captain-General of the Republic" and is sometimes used to refer to contemporary Caergwynn too, particularly when the writer wants to distinguish Caergwynn from monarchies, or to harken back to the naval tradition and mercantile prosperity of the Republic's golden age. | |||
''Free Land'': Describing Caergwynn as a "free land" ("ruled by laws, and not men", as one chronicler put it) has roots in the early Republic, but mostly came into prominence in the 19th century, as radicals made their appeals in the name of the "freedom of the land", representing the spirit of Caeric liberties while not embracing the actual institutions of the Republic that they despised. In the wake of their partial victory in 1846, "Free Land" became the term of choice to represent the new, improved Caeric state. But resistance to consolidating it as the sole title mounted, both from conservatives still attached to the "Republic" label, and by also by the many radicals who fell into the growing cult of Madoc-revivalism and began preferring "Principality." Eventually, "Land" replaced it as the default. "Free Land" is, however, still commonly used, especially by those agitating for political reform or engaged in other forms of protest, and it is also seen when a speaker wants to make a point about Caergwynn being "freer" than some other country. | |||
''Land'': "Land" is in some sense an obvious title for a country, and has been seen in scattered references for a thousand years, usually in contexts referring to "land of the Caeric people" or to "Caeric lands." This existing usage was, by the late 19th century, combined with the term's separate context as a shortening of the existing "Free Land." Drawing on these twin roots, "Land" grew in popularity by 1900 as "Free Land" became increasingly divisive, and the use of "The Land of Caergwynn" in patriotic speeches and propaganda during the [[Second Great War]] cemented "Land" as the chief term for the nation. "Land" is the current default title for the country, seen in everything from government documents to tourism websites to ordinary conversations. It carries no particular connotations-and as such is often paired with one of the other titles to add emphasis or imply certain meanings. | |||
Many Caeric people use all four regularly, and most of the country's inhabitants regard the multiplicity of titles as a cherished sign of the nation's history. | |||
==History== | ==History== | ||
===Early History=== | ===Early History=== | ||