Medimeria: Difference between revisions

Despite the new economic sector, the island remained largely irrelevant to Burgoignesc overall interests, and the self-governing and culturally distinctive style of the island gradually returned as Burgoignesc military interest receded. With the beginning of the [[War of the Northern Confederation]], the island was suddenly thrust into military relevancy again, but now for the [[Urcean military]]. Reinforcements and materiel from [[Urcea]] headed towards [[New Harren]] were often queued in Medimeria and, in many cases, Medimeria served as a gathering point for goods procured from Audonia to be shipped to New Harren. In [[2009]], Urcea and Burgundie signed a 99-year agreement which allowed full use of all military facilities on the island for the duration of the lease. This agreement laid the groundwork for increased Urcean presence on the island, and as more Urcean military and civilian personnel were on the island, Urcean investment in the island's mining sector also grew.

Prior to the 19th century, Medimerians eschewed the idea of denominations in favor of individual church congregations. Pre-19th century Medimeria, accordingly, was home to a wide variety of religious views. The lack of Protestant leaders in Levantia or abroad led to a focus on hyper-local belief, allowing congregants to freely join and leave local congregations. The pre-19th century religious establishment more or less treated each Protestant congregation as equally legitimate. This settlement ended with the formation of a cohesive set of [[Mercantile Reform Protestantism]] doctrines in [[Equatorial Ostiecia]] in the 19th century as well as the formation of a unified polity of [[Burgundie]], bringing Medimeria into a broader Burgoignesc cultural world. The issue of Mercantile Reform Protestantism sharply divided local believers as those with a more high church view of Church polity and sacraments (such as those who considered themselves [[College_of_Levantine_Churches#Old_Believers|Old Believers]]) were functionally excluded from their belief system. Between about [[1850]] and [[1880]], the approximately third of Protestants who held high church beliefs were socially ostracized as "Crypto-Papists" until action from the new government in Burgundie worked to enforce civil rights. In the meantime, the high church believers were forced to coalesce socially and politically, and in [[1854]] their congregations joined together as the Canonate of Medimeria and formally associated themselves with the [[Chantry of Alstin]]. In [[1858]], the Canonate of Medimeria was merged into the Chantric [[College_of_Levantine_Churches#Chantric_Christians_in_Levantia|Province of Dericania and the Vandarch]]. The Province was incorporated into the [[College of Levantine Churches]] in [[1954]] and approximately 40% of Protestants in Medimeria are adherents of the Collegiate Church as of [[2030]].