Difference between revisions of "History of Shireroth"

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=== Chapter I: The Very Beginning ===
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See also: [[Timeline of Shirerithian History]]
==== Part 1: Founding ====
 
This history ought to begin at the beginning; that is, the founding of [[Shireroth]]. Unfortunately, exactly when that was is unclear. The official history of Shireroth fixes the date at twelve midnight on [[April 24, 2000]]. Since [[Apollo Standard Time]] had not yet been invented, we must assume this refers to the Pacific time used by [[Erik Mortis|Kaiser Metzler]]. The forum records back this up after a fashion - a post entitled "The Republic Of Shireroth is Founded" is dated 4/23/00 11:37:56 pm - not midnight, but close. The first post on the Shireroth forum, though, is [[April 21]]. And the [[Hegemony of Alexandros|Alexandros]] record lists Shireroth as founded 264 [[ASC]], which translates into [[April 26]] on the [[Gregorian calendar]]. My guess would be that the forum was created on the 21st, and an official proclamation made on the 23rd, which was then rounded off to the 24th. And the Alexandrians just didn't know what they were talking about.
 
  
==== Part 2: Sequential Events ====
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<center>DRAFT: WORK IN PROGRESS</center>
On the first day of Shireroth's existence it was greeted by the [[Istvanistan]]is and [[Hyperborea]]ns. It will also be noted that the Hyperboreans pointed out the first of Shireroth's spelling errors (the word "discussion") on that day. Hyperboreans pointing out Shirerothian spelling errors was later to become a grand tradition. [[Erik Mortis|Erik]] then left for two days, during which Shireroth's early history more or less stopped, since at that period he was the only citizen. The next important event of this period was the acceptance of a treaty with the [[Great Automatic Peoples' Republic]] by a 4-0 margin, in which both vowed never to attack each other. Shireroth was also recognized by [[Blackrock]], [[Jasonia]] and [[Istvanistan]].
 
  
==== Part 3: Provisional Government ====
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Following discussions in the IAC:
The government during this time was the [[Provisional Government]]. Erik was to be a [[President]] with dictator-like powers until the [[Republic]] gained its fifth citizen. At that time, a more representative government would be established. Shireroth joined [http://mnn.mncentre.net/wiki/index.php?title=Audentior Audentior] before that could happen. The only actions of Metzler's government were to appoint a [[Citizenship Minister]] and to create a [[Erb|currency]]. The Citizenship Minister was [[John Sager]], who said he would make a citizenship form (he never did), and th
 
2000
 
e currency was the €, although there is no record of the name Erb until much later. Speaking of Sager, he tried to form a party called the [[Popular Front of Shireroth]] to bring Automatic ideals into the country, but he never really got around to completing this.
 
  
==== Part 4: Analysis ====
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#Prehistory to the Death of Raynor (as per [[SSHIT]] with dates corrected for [[AN]] plus some scepticism).
Shireroth didn't do very much in the pre-Audentior days. It didn't have enough time to. The [[First Republic]]'s major impact on history was to provide a base for future incarnations to work off of, to set the flag and currency, and to help facilitate the Audente merger negotiations, in which it played a major part and was one of the strongest voices for unity.
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#'''1st Era Overview'''
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##Raynor I unifies the core territories, assumes the title Kaiser.
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##Kaiser's authority spreads outward, cadet branches of the family appointed to rule outer areas.
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##Central authority fails to maintain central power, regional rulers assert increasingly independent authority and fight one another for territory and power.
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#'''2nd Era Overview'''
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##Descent from Raynor now tenuous, at best, spurious bloodlines are fought. Scribes compiling and refuting competing genealogies are figures in high demand amongst the barons who aspire to dominion over Brookshire
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##Kaisership is bestowed upon whoever captures Shirekeep for a time
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##One of these rulers conquers the Shirekeep area (whoever it is that is ruling Monty Crisco), summons demons, and successfully asserts power over them. Daemonic power allows this line to conquer the other states.
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##The demon-powered line of kaisers is overthrown and the demons are sealed away.
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##Failure to maintain central control, the various states  split apart again. Leading to:
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#'''Third Era'''
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##They are forced to become vassals of various foreign empires (Audentior, Jasonia, Benacia, Alexandros, Tymaria) in turn.
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##Conquest of Elwynn
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##From the wreckage of Tymaria emerges an unexpected great power.
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##Madness ensues.
  
=== Chapter II: The Audente Age ===
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Periods of the Third Era:
==== Part 1: Shireroth In The Merger ====
 
The age of the [[First Great Merger]] is a very misunderstood one, but unfortunately I cannot get into it here. Shireroth, ironically, was probably one of the most pro-merger countries in the whole bunch. It was mainly small nations who were willing to agree to the merge - in the beginning, Shireroth and Hyperborea. The addition of [[Tapfer]] as a small nation was also helpful. The large nations in the merger process, who were very conservative about the possibility of creating a new country, were Jasonia and the Automatics. With Shireroth, the small nations just managed to have a majority in the proceedings, and eventually Jasonia (though significantly, not Automatica) gave in. On [[May 14th]] Shireroth became an official Audente province. [[Greg Shaddinger]], who was strongly anti-Audentior, threatened to resign, but President Metzler said that this was a new nation and he didn't have to participate in Audente affairs if he didn't want to. [[John Sager]], who had his own reasons for being anti-Audentior, did emigrate.
 
  
==== Part 2: General Politics ====
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*Colonial
The [[Tetrapole Representative]] from Shireroth was Erik Mortis. He also won in a national election the [[Legislative Chair]] position, a victory which he celebrated in his infamous thread "[[I am got the chair]]!." His main policies in the Tetrapole were pushing for direct democracy and supporting anything [[Bill Dusch]] of Tapfer opposed. Another important political issue here is that [[Daniel K]], also known as [[VH Fenrir]], joined Shireroth for the first time.
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*World-Realm
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*High Feudal
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*Schismatic
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*Federal
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*Dynastic
  
==== Part 3: The Manifold Conflicts ====
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==Timeline==
Shireroth in the AIN was, unfortunately, probably best known for causing a lot of trouble. The first bit of trouble was the [[Direct Democracy Riots]]. These riots were the first time that Shireroth used its infamous [[smiley bomb]], forcing [[Executive Chair]] [[Scott Alexander]] to declare martial law. This just got the Shirerothians angrier, and would have split the country had a last minute agreement not been brokered. What did end up splitting the country were the riots that occurred when Bill Dusch was elected President in a vote evidently run by the same people who did Palm Beach. These riots too were led by Shireroth.
 
  
==== Part 4: Shirerothian Secession ====
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{| class="wikitable sortable collapsible" border="1"
Shireroth seceded, as mentioned above, after the tainted elections during which Bill Dusch was chosen as Audentior's first President. This was on [[July 11th 2000]], after the three Shirerothian citizens of the period (Erik Mortis, Daniel K, and Greg Shaddinger) approved. It was then discovered by the Audentes that secession was not, technically, illegal. President Dusch decided it was important to keep the nation together anyway, and attacked Shireroth. Well, sort of. What he did was post a map of Shireroth that included an Audente attack force. The Shirerothians laughed at him and challenged him to resolve the matter by a game of [[StarCraft]]. Dusch continued his unorthodox tactics, which were mockingly called "[[GifWars]]", but Audentior fell a few days later, and he chose not to pursue the war further.
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|-
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! scope="col" | Decade
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! scope="col" | Imperial Events
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! scope="col" | Elwynnese Events
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! scope="col" | Goldshirian Events
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! scope="col" | Events of Overseas Territories
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! scope="col" | Brookshire/Lichbrook/Malarboria
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! scope="col" | Major world events
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|-
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|1430s||.||.||.||.||.||1434: Attera breaks from isolationism <br> 1438: Rep of Istvanistan founded
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|-
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|1440s||1443: Coup, "[[Republic of Shireroth]]" declared with Provisional Government <br>1444 Joined [[Audentior]] as province<br>1446 Declared independence from Audentior, war with Audentior<br> 1446 joins Jasonia instead <br>||1442: Hyperborea founded||1440: Old Goldendown vanishes after being infected by the now extinct ''Mortalis apotheosis'' virus.||.||.||1441: [[FIOJ]] founded <br> 1449: Babkha united.
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|-
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|1450s||1451: Imperial rule restored, independence from Jasonia||1452: Elwynn elevated to duchy||.||.||.||.
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|-
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|1460s||1461: Shireroth joins Tymaria <br> Straylight made duchy||.||I.1468: Thane Eros Darstar of Jaris and the Kitanus fields attempts to buy Goldshire from Kaiser Letifer I with a single Thaler (a local gold coin of exceptional purity)||.||.||1460: FIOJ disbanded. <br> 1468: Baracão Revolution, socialist govt established <br> Madland proclaimed as empire
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|-
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|1470s||1470: Independence from Tymaria<Br/>[[Battle of Cimmeria]]||.||VII.1470: Duke dStryker places Goldshire's vote for Shirerithian independence from Tymaria.<br/>XI.1477: The Warrior Jadie, Hero of the Battle of Cimmeria, is awarded the Ducal Throne of Goldshire by Kaiser Raynor X as reward for her role in winning that battle.||.||.||1472: Menelmacar founded <br> 1471: Stormark founded by [[Harald]] <br> 1477: Menelmacar divided
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|-
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|1480s||.||Loss of Elfinshi power in Elwynn <br> 1488: Elwynn demoted to barony||V.1480: The First Great Plague of Ease and Boredom reaches its height in Goldshire, decimating the population and wiping out a great swathe of historical records.<br/>
  
==== Part 5: Culture During The Audente Era ====
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XI.1482: The Golden Horde Rebellion. A Yardistani-backed revolt by an disgruntled Goldshirian general attempts to unseat the Duchess but is fought to a standstill by a collection of militias from across Shireroth, this messy stalemate finally broken by a mass Babkhan invasion in the Duchess' favour.<br/>
Shirerothian culture during the Audente Era was primarily focused on [[Boomism]] (more properly called [[BO0O/\/\ism]]). This was both a [[religion]] and a [[political party]]. It began with the game of StarCraft, in which it was, in the words of Erik Mortis, a philosophy that "anything that's not Terran should go BOOOOM!". However, it evolved into a general pro-explosion way of thinking. The [[Boomist Party]] was for peace through armed strength and opposed the [[Demesos Party]] in Audentior's virtual two-party system. Of the foundationalist Boomist religion little has survived except the knowledge that the single holiday, [[La Fiesta De La BOOOM]], was celebrated on [[July 26]]. The Boomist symbol was a nuclear mushroom cloud.
 
  
=== Chapter III: The Jasonian and Apollonian Ages ===
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II.1485: Work begins on construction of the oldest-surviving part of the Goldshire Palace.<br/>
==== Part 1: Integration With Jasonia ====
 
Why would Shireroth merge into a monolithic nation controlled by [[Jasonia]]ns when it had just angrily seceded from a monolithic nation controlled by Jasonians? While it would be nice to say that the archives held the answer, any appropriate threads were either deleted or never in existence. Luckily, we have a thread from the Jasonian side, which allows us to date the merge at [[July 13]] (making Shireroth independent for all of two days). And here Erik gives his answer to the question posited above: "Shireroth never lasted long enough before the [[AIN]] merger to develop. Now that we are free again. I see no reason why would should bother trying to develop. We are basically just the same thing as FIoJ, just smaller and less organized.(if that is even possible.)" {myriad spelling/grammar errors fixed} Shireroth joined Jasonia, it may be said, out of laziness.
 
  
==== Part 2: On the Activities of Shireroth, Or Lack Thereof ====
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III.1485: The Duchess delegates rule of a swathe of southern Goldshire to the Treesian artist Eriana Moon, whose domain becomes the Barony of Lunaris.<br/>
Shireroth was completely inactive during the [[Jasonian Age]]. All states that were part of the Flying Islands were. The one burst of interesting news was that the Shirerothians [[secede]]d on [[September 24]] and then [[unsecede]]d two hours later before anyone noticed. This was due to Erik's anger at being put on trial for spamming, but apparently he changed his mind and decided not to dig himself deeper. Erik was the only really active Shirerothian-Jasonian, although Dan K popped up from time to time. Both took the [[Hellish side]] in the [[Infernal War]] but were content to rejoin Jasonia after the [[Treaty of the Gods]].
 
  
==== Part 3: The Apollonian Era ====
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IX.1487: The Great Lunatic Hamster Plague brings the workings of state, society and commerce to a grinding halt across Goldshire.
Shireroth, as a part of Jasonia, was not involved in the formation of the [[Union of Apollo States]]. It may be remembered by the student of history that Jasonia did not actually join the Union but rather sent a "[[dummy state]]", [[New Jasonia]], to participate. Thus, Shireroth remained technically a part of an independent Jasonia, although all the action took place at the UAS. Not a single purely Shirerothian action or post can be found from this era, so it's safe to say nothing really happened.
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||.||.||1487: Archetype-Menelmacar falls
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|-
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|1490s||.||Babkhan mass immigration, Elfinshi wars||.||.||.||Leng, Cibola and Sypyyr discovered to the chagrin of the Hyperboreans <br> 1498: Madland becomes Alexandria
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|-
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|1500s||.||1509: Elwynn raised to duchy||.||.||.||.
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|-
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|1510s||.||.||.||.||1511: Lac Glacei unclaimed||.
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|-
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|1520s||.||.||.||.||.||.
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|-
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|1530s||1538: Kaiser Hasan I cedes Shireroth to Babkha||1530–1533 Great Famine of Elwynn <br> 1533 Harald becomes Duke <br> First Froyalan era <br> 1535 Tapferite immigration to Elwynn||.||.||.||.
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|-
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|1540s||1539–1542: War of Jeremy's Nose||.||.||.||.||.
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|-
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|1550s||.||1551: People's Academy established <br>1552–4: Ohl'tar genocide||.||.||.||.
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|-
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|1560s||.||1567: Elwynnese independence||.||.||.||1567: Fall of Istvanistan's government<br/>1562 AN: First contact with the [[Safir|safir]].
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|-
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|1570s||.||1572: Amokolia joins Elwynn <br> 1573 Elwynnese union with Hurmu||.||.||.||1577-1582 AN: Safir colony on Micras.
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|-
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|1580s||.||.||.||.||.||.
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|-
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|1590s||.||1597: Lokiist infiltration. Princely elections. <br>Nationalization of assets. Widespread protests <br> 1599: Hurmu leaves Elwynn||.||.||.||1598: Babkhan holocaust
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|-
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|1600s||1600: Elwynn joins Shireroth<br>Cabbage Crisis||1600: Elwynn joins Shireroth<br>Cabbage Crisis<br>Establishment of the Coordinated State<br>Icebear Rebellion||.||.||.||.
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|-
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|1610s||1617: [[micraswiki:Revolution of 1617]]||1612: Communist revolution <br> 1618: Return to constitutional democracy <br> Nathaniel declares absolute monarchy||.||.||.||.
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|-
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|1620s||.||1623: Noah's ascension to throne <br> Second Froyalan Era begins||.||.||.||.
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|-
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|1630s||.||.||.||.||.||.
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|-
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|1640s||1644: [[Oustfest Massacre]] <br> 1648: Succession to the throne made dynastic||.||.||.||.||.
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|-
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|1650s||1654&ndash;1657: War of Lost Brothers||1651: Auspicious Occasion; End of Froyalan era<br/>||.||.||.||1654&ndash;1657: War of Lost Brothers
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|-
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|1660s||Post-war recession. Livian pogroms see N&H and ESB estranged from the Imperial Government.<br/>1663: [[Safirian Exodus]]||1660&ndash;1661: Elwynnese Civil War||.||.||1661: Revolt against the Daemon-Queen in Malarboria||.
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|-
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|}
  
==== Part 4: On the Revivication of Shireroth ====
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==First Era==
I am happy to say I can pinpoint the exact moment in which Shireroth was revived. It was [[December 18]], [[2000]], in an ICQ chat between this historian, [[Jason Steffke]], and Erik Mortis. Mortis was complaining about how much he disliked FIoJ, and Scott suggested "I wouldn't mind seeing Shireroth again. It was one of the few micronations I ever liked". The Kaiser’s exact response, one for the history books, was "MUAHAHAHA! SHIREROTH SHALL RETURN!" It is a very interesting piece of historical trivia that Jason Steffke was offered the [[Kaisership]] of Shireroth in that chat, and he declined. Other names were thrown out, including John Sager, Daniel K, and (may Gahg have mercy) [[Eoin Dornan]], but in the end, everyone thought that it had to be Erik. Which brings us to:
 
  
=== Chapter IV: The [[Direct Democracy Constitutional Monarchy]] of Shireroth ===
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==Second Era==
==== Part 1: Formation ====
 
The information here is taken from ICQ transcripts between Scott Alexander and Erik Mortis. The new Shireroth originally was to use the same Provisional Constitution as the [[Old Republic]] and, significantly, would ban [[dual citizenship]]. Originally Metzler decided at the last second not to create Shireroth after all, but then he got "n
 
2000
 
ew information" which he refused to tell me and which I suspect was just him changing his mind without wanting to admit it, and he started a vote to free Shireroth from Jasonia at 9:39 PM on [[December 19]]. The vote was almost ruined by [[Thomas Hubert]]'s opposition, but Erik threatened Hubert and he changed his mind. At 11:00 PM the same day, Erik stated he wanted Shireroth to be a combination direct democracy and constitutional monarchy. It was decided that King was too bland, and Baron, Shah, Czar, Prince, Pope, Big Kahuna, Pharoah, God-King and even Ayatollah were all considered before Erik decided on Kaiser due to his German background. (although it was all that Scott could do to keep him from choosing "[[Lizard-KING]]!".)
 
  
==== Part 2: Government Specifics ====
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==Third Era==
In the words of Erik, Shireroth was a "direct democracy constitutional monarchy". The Kaiser appointed [[Minister]]s who were confirmed by the people. The people voting directly formed the legislative branch, and a judicial branch was planned but never realized. The first minister was Daniel K, [[Ministry of Immigration|Minister (or Miniter, according to the forum) of Immigration]]. [[Patrick Foley]] tried to become head of the military without being a citizen, but was rebuffed (he did become the [[CinC]] after the [[Kildare]] annexation). There was no foreign affairs minister, but the Kaiser took care of it, and Shireroth had mutual relations with Jasonia, [[Babkha]], and [[Treesia]] at the time.
 
  
==== Part 3: The Duchy System And The Mass Annexations ====
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Shireroth's modern founding was in 1442 (the beginning of the Third Era). Foreign recognition of the [[Kaiser]]ship as its paramount institution occurred later, in approximately 1462, with Erik Mortis becoming Kaiser Metzler I. The accurate record keeping in the Imperial Household began with Gaelen II in 1465, and all accession dates after that are taken to be authentic.
The [[Duchy]] system started off very simply: Daniel K. was [[Duke]] of [[Brookshire]], and the other Duchy, [[Goldshire]], was vacant. It was then that the [[UAS]] collapsed, and Shireroth was all too happy to pick up the pieces. What it got from the [[Apollo Republic]] was the main land mass (which became Kildare, under Duke Patrick Foley) and the islands surrounding it (which became [[Gong Li]], under [[Tony Au]], who was originally an [[honorary citizen]] but then joined officially) With Patrick Foley's joining, [[Norfolk]] was added to the Shirerothian holdings, and became part of Gong Li.
 
  
==== Part 4: Culture During This Period ====
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Having established dominance of the Benacian continent, the Kaisers of the House of Raynor eventually expanded their reach to Yardistan and Kildare. Despite further acquisitions, these initial territories constituted the core "Ancient Duchies" of Shireroth for many ages.
Little to none. There was some remnant of the old [[Novi Dalmacija]]n culture for a while, but no one except [[Stjepan]] understood it, and it died fast. Its one lasting contribution to [[Apollo]] Micronationalism was the famous [[golden Zlatni Rat]], which turned out to be a beach, to Scott's extreme relief, but which was later found in mousetraps all over the land. Economics prospered, thanks to "Economics God" Tony Au. The Erb reached a record high of 5.5 on the [[ICEO]], which everyone was very happy about, and the stock market had the usual brief flurry of activity before disappearing never to be seen again.
 
  
=== Chapter V: The Seventh Republic And The Seeds Of Benacia ===
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Although the Duchies frequently rebelled against the Kaiser and fought each other, their unity within Shireroth was maintained by an informal system of quality control wherein the succession of the Kaisership was passed through individuals with proven ability to rule (with occasional notorious exceptions) ensuring that their attitude toward Shireroth's restive fiefdoms, while often less than amiable, was neither harsh enough nor feeble enough to precipitate those territories' complete break from the government in Shirekeep.
==== Part 1: The [[Amity]] Crisis ====
 
The seeds of the Amity crisis go back to before Shireroth even existed. Jasonia wanted a space program, so they created [[JASO]], the [[Jasonian Aeronautics and Space Organization]], and gave its command to Erik Mortis. It needed a base, so Erik "discovered" the island of Amity, along with nearby [[Mirioth]], and set up operations there. When Shireroth seceded from Jasonia, it was unclear whether Amity went with it. The Shirerothians apparently assumed it did, and the Jasonians assumed it didn't. On [[December 23]], the Kaiser of Shireroth "politely demanded" that it be given to the Shirerothians. The Jasonians said no, and the Kaiser said he respected the Jasonian decision. On the [[December 27|27th]], Shireroth occupied Amity anyway, causing an international incident. Jasonia threatened Shireroth, and Shireroth laughed off the threats. For a while, it seemed like war was inevitable. But on [[January 3]], a compromise was reached between Jasonian foreign minister [[Greg Nordman]] and the Kaiser. Jasonia would sell Amity to Shireroth for 225 erb. Although the Jasonians grumbled a little, the deal was accepted, and war averted.
 
  
==== Part 2: The Seventh Republic ====
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Legitimacy rested upon descent from Kaiser Raynor I. After seventeen centuries, much of Western and Central Benacia, as well as a fair smattering of Babkhi and Kildari can claim this boon. Nonetheless the frequently rotating succession remained within the clutches of a dozen or so noble houses who jealously guarded their notoriously intermarried bloodlines. In spite of the the vigilance of the Imperial Republic's noble oligarchs there have been several "sanglorian" Kaisers in the modern era, alongside a half dozen inhuman Kaisers (whether revenants or aliens). As the Third Era wore on, things became progressively stranger, until a measure of sanity was restored by the confirmation of the dynastic succession in the hands of the House of Ayreon-Kalirion, itself being however troubled by some of its dynastic associations.
[[The Seventh Republic]], the name given to the Shireroth government around this time, is widely considered the [[Golden Age]] of Shireroth. On [[January 18]]th, Shireroth was accepted to the [[League of Micronations]] with a 14-1 vote. This was mainly thanks to Patrick Foley, Shireroth's many-talented foreign minister of the period. This was also the age of the [[Shireroth Boomers]], champions of the [[Intermicronational Football League]], for what it's worth. And of mass annexations and the [[Micronational Cartography Society|Micronational Cartography Board]]. But it came to an end around the [[February 1|first day of February]], when the Kaiser's sporadic mental illnesses reared their ugly head once again. Erik passed out due to some kind of problem and had to start seeing a psychologist, and decided that continued involvement in micronations would not be appropriate. Unfortunately, this was only revealed in mid-March, so for the month of February people just sat around doing nothing and wondering where the Kaiser had gone. This would be enough to destroy most micronations, and it did destroy Shireroth. Until the fateful day of [[March 26]], [[2001]], Shireroth lay inactive and abandoned, the greatness of the Seventh Republic all but forgotten.
 
  
==== Part 3: The Crisis And The Seeds of Benacia ====
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===Intermediate period: Republic of Shireroth===
Jasonia, decided, out of the goodness of their hearts, to make the dead Shireroth a [[protectorate]] so that "no one could snatch it up and add it to their empire", ironically enough. The [[Rasinate]] noticed, and had the same idea - make Shireroth a protectorate of the Rasinate so Jasonia couldn't take it (though to be fair, the Rasinate had Eoin Dornan as their [[Prime Minister]], so they really can't be held accountable for their actions). And finally, a new nation called [[Machiavellia]], newly arrived from that fertile source of  micronations called the [[Apolyton fora]], decided to claim it so that neither Jasonia nor the Rasinate could. And they had a secret weapon - [[General Trantor]], a man who claimed to be a former Shireroth citizen, although he refused to give any more information and there was certainly no former Shirerothian citizen named General Trantor. Jasonia gave in pretty quickly, but the Rasinate and Machiavellia seemed ready to go to war over the issue. The Rasinate even made a lot of threats and began to rally its various allies. Then General Trantor revealed that he was none other than Kaiser Metzler I of Shireroth, recovered from his ills (well, as recovered as he'd get) and come to usher in an [[Eighth Republic]]! The Rasinate quickly backed down, and Shireroth and Machiavellia signed a lasting alliance.
 
  
=== Chapter VI: The Benacian Age ===
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The Republic of Shireroth (often simply abbreviated as the '''RS''') was founded as a significantly different place than it currently is. It was a republic as the name suggests. The Modern name "[[Imperial Republic]] of Shireroth" merely retains the name because it was simply never changed. The RS's government was set up in response to the rise of [[Apollo|Apollonian nations]], the advent of new [[Political parties]], the rapid consolidation of smaller polities, and the tendency of existing states to fracture as provinces sought independence.  
==== Part 1: The Gap In The Records ====
 
There is an effective gap in records between late March and early June. It is my belief that Shireroth unofficially merged into Jasonia at this time, but the historical evidence of this is sketchy. It is based only on my personal recollection of events and some obscure references in the Jasonian fora. It seems to make more sense than anything else I've come across, though, so I'll let it stand and leave it for future investigation. Some evidence points to [[Benacia]] being formed before the [[Paramount War]] (May), but nothing concrete, and the Benacian fora were made on June 2, so I'll consider that the official date of Benacia's formation.
 
  
==== Part 2: The Paramount Wars ====
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The records of the era were poorly maintained, with many lost during the Great Plague of 1480, but from these we find reference to a peasants revolt recorded in the barbaric Praeta of the age as the "Direct Democracy Riots". We cannot be entirely sure when, or even if, these disorders occurred. That these events, occurring 218 years prior to the time of writing, have been almost entirely lost is a damning indictment of the dark age endured in the transition from the Second to the Third Era of our history. What appears to have occurred however is that either because of, or in reaction to, this uprising, which coincides intriguingly with the collapse of the ''Old Goldendown'' culture on [[Goldshire]], a coup was mounted in [[Shirekeep]] during the reign of [[Kaiser John II]] in 1443.  
Whether Shireroth was independent, part of Benacia, or part of Jasonia during the Paramount Wars, it certainly played a major part in them. The first Paramount War was precipitated by [[Paramount]] declaring war on Jasonia because it wanted certain territories that had formerly been Paramountian back (although this was the official reason, the unofficial reason was that John Sager hated Jason Steffke and wanted to harass him). Shireroth and Machiavellia took the side of Jasonia, and used spamming techniques to spam Paramount out of existence. Unfortunately, Paramount, n
 
2000
 
ever having really been too much in existence anyway, didn't care, and John, with his usual obstinacy, declared that he had won and Paramount was perfect. The usual disputed-lands-go-to-the-[[Foundation]] compromise was reached, but just weeks later, the second Paramount War started. The [[Paramount Demolition Duo]], as Kaiser Metzler and [[Prince Conway]] called themselves, went to work again, but it was revealed after the end of the war that it was just a ploy by Steffke to build activity. After this the Benacians got very angry at Jasonia and hoped for its downfall, which sure enough happened a month or two later.
 
  
==== Part 3: The Structure Of Benacia ====
+
After [[Kaiser Erik II|Erik of Ly'Technomaezj-Metzler]] forced closed the Gate of Balgurd and prevented the Kaiser from commanding reinforcements to emerge from within, Kaiser John II was cast into the streets for the once-fearful denizens of the city to make of him what they wished. Taking the Kaiser's crown and the Sword of Vengeance for himself, he led an army into [[Goldshire]], when news came that the [[Followers of Rrakanychan]] had consolidated a force of mortal men and daemons, led by the notorious Demon Fish of Balgurd.
Benacia had three members - Hyperborea, Shireroth, and Machiavellia. It was governed by a council of the three heads of state, and one of them each month was the Chair, who presided over the meetings. Kaiser Metzler was the first chair. The council usually met in [[ICQ]] or [[AIM]] chats.
 
  
==== Part 4: Shireroth During The Benacian Age ====
+
As these chaotic events unfolded [[Raynor's Keep]], denuded of troops by the antics of various warring kaisers, was seized by a clique of unidentified reformists who sought, for a brief shining moment, to create in eastern Benacia a progressive and democratic utopia that would mark a clean break from the mindless anarchy of the Second Era. The "Provisional Government" as it styled itself appointed, perhaps unwisely, Erik of Ly'Technomaezj-Metzler as its President. Although it was undoubtedly prudent to have the most prominent and successfully warlord in the Elwynn river valley ''onside'', Erik's impetuous temperament, already manifested in his headlong rush into the re-subjugation of Goldshire, would cause a myriad of problems later on.  
Not much happened. There were a few foreign relations things - the Benacians entered treaties with Babkha and the [[PUR]], and went through the bimonthly ritual of threatening Thomas Hubert only to have him back down at the last second. Patrick came back and left again. Yeah. That was about it.
 
  
=== Chapter VII: The [[Hegemony of Alexandros]] ===
+
Influenced by the philosophy of "Direct Democracy" which emerged from [[Jasonia]], the Republic of Shireroth embraced a radical form of democratic centralism that has never been attempted before or since. The electoral franchise of the Republic was to have been universal, the chaotic collection of  
==== Part 1: Formation of the Hegemony ====
+
feuding dominions leftover from the Second Era were to have been swept away and internal subdivisions were consequently prohibited in an attempt to minimise factionalism. Holders of foreign nationality were also banished in order to get rid of possible conflicts of interest. The tenets of democracy were central to the nation; the right of citizens to a vote and the exercise of free-speech were freely granted in the RS, yet political parties - because of the overwhelming fear of factionalism - were sternly prohibited.  
The best answer for "Why did the Hegemony form?" is probably "Because of the cycle". The [[Apollo Sector]] tends to have large mergers every so often, and at the time of Alexandros, it was overdue. Originally, it was going to be a strengthening of Benacia without changing the basic culture or theme. However, when a chat started which included [[Jason Rhode]], the new Prince of Machiavellia, although not, significantly, Kaiser Metzler, the participants found they all like ancient Greece and, specifically, Alexander The Great. Thus, it was decided that the merged nation would be the Hegemony of Alexandros rather than just Benacia (Hegemony was added because it was much more original than "Kingdom" or "Republic" or "Empire"). There was some debate over who ought to be the leader, but eventually Jason Rhode was decided upon.
 
  
==== Part 2: Structure of the Hegemony ====
+
Central to the government were a small series of documents: [[The Articles of Creation]], [[The Provisional Constitution]], [[The Bill of Rights]], and [[The Non-citizens Bill of Rights]]. The most important of these documents were The Articles of Creation and The Bill of Rights. These two documents give the clearest view of the intended direction of the nation. The Articles set up a number of the policies that would be central to the government as it grew, and the Bill of Rights made clear what freedoms the citizens of the RS would be given. The President in the provisional government was basically a dictator who would have his actual powers fleshed out when the constitution was revised into its final form.  
The Hegemony's government was based on four high officials, with the [[Hegemon]] as a fifth high official above all of them. These were the [[Archon]], in charge of the site, the fora, and general information related stuff; the [[Polemarch]], in charge of war and the military; the [[Kristarch]], in charge of economics; and the [[Strategos]], in charge of foreign affairs. During the Hegemony these were Scott Siskind, Erik Mortis, Tony Au, and Edward Conway, respectively. There was also a [[Landsraad]], the classicists' single concession to a more Shirerothian naming system and a [[Demes]], a direct-democracy house of the people. All kinds of complex interactions were supposed to take place between them, but in reality the five officials together made all the policy and the Demes went and approved it.
 
  
==== Part 3: History of the Hegemony ====
+
The provisional government of the RS never made it into it's full form as the country was quickly subjected to a rapid, indeed bewildering, succession of foreign occupations during the period 1444&ndash;1470. . It would seem that the original incarnation of Shireroth only lasted a few months in 1444 before the country was annexed by [[Audentior]].  
The Hegemony expanded pretty quickly with some mass annexations. Tapfer was annexed at the request of Bill Dusch, since Jasonia was fallen by this time. They also took some of [[Ryan Caruso]]'s old territories, including a place called [[Cimmeria]]. There was a minor conflict when Caruso demanded greater rights for Cimmeria and it looked like he was threatening the government, but it turned out he wasn't and everything was fine. Thomas Hubert tried to take back [[Rulzcentia]], but the Hegemony claimed it and Hubert gave in after some tense moments. There was also a revolt over the [[Color Revolt|colors of the forum]]. That was about all that had time to happen before the Hegemony joined with [[Tymaria]].
 
  
=== Chapter VIII: The Pax Tymaria ===
+
The country that re-emerged after 1470, substantially enlarged by territories snatched from the collapsing [[Tymaria]]n empire, had regressed into the feudal, xenophobic, and isolationist characteristics of the ancestral polity; modified only by the demands of an imperial administration, wherein the powers of the Kaiser had greatly expanded, after the reign of [[Kaiser Mors II]].
==== Part 1: The Formation of Tymaria ====
 
The formation of Tymaria was a minor miracle. The [http://mnn.mncentre.net/wiki/index.php?title=Free_Republic Free Republic] and [[Interland]] were going to merge, and the Hegemony of Alexandros decided they might as well merge with them, which brought the Rasinate in, leading to the biggest merger in history. It was managed at a [[Constitutional Convention]] that lasted from late September to late October [[2001]], and the final draft of the Constitution was agreeable to all delegates, and on [[October 31]] (or thereabout) the [[United Republic of Tymaria]] was proclaimed.
 
  
==== Part 2: Shireroth's Place In Tymaria ====
+
===Foreign rule===
Shireroth was one of eight original states in four original regions of Tymaria. Each state got a different number of votes depending on its regional distribution, with Shireroth getting only one. As a state, Shireroth had considerable control over its internal affairs, but could not print its own money nor conduct foreign relations nor war.
 
  
==== Part 3: Changes And Revolutions ====
+
Shireroth in its present form began inauspiciously. The last Kaiser of the second era, John II, a greedy and unscrupulous ruler who had consorted with daemons to further his rule, had been overthrown by Kaiser Erik II and torn apart by the Shirekeep mob. Erik however proved to be a weak ruler who failed to control the populist forces he had unleashed. The so-called Direct Democracy Riots destabilised eastern Benacia, which was at that time under vassalage to [[Audentior]]. Erik's provisional government ended abruptly in the seventh month of 1444 when Audentior, tired of the anarchy, formally annexed Shireroth. Erik was allowed to keep his title and history records that his reign continued for another year.
On [[November 25]], Shireroth was annexed to its own [[Duchy]], [[Yardistan]], and its Duke, [[Nick the Yardistani]], who had joined about a month before. Why the change? In the words of former Kaiser Metzler, "Shireroth didn't fall. I simply find Yardistan more fun." However, the reversed situation was soon set right again with the ascension of [[Kaiser Gaelen II]] to the throne. Unfortunately, Kaiser Gaelen too left, leaving the throne vacant. It passed to [[Ari Rahikkala]], but he faked his own death, making [[James Raine]] the [[Steward]]. Then another Yardistani revolt happened...
 
  
==== Part 4: Culture ====
+
He was succeeded by his son, the eccentric and irascible Kaiser Brrapa V, who in 1446 staged a successful attempt to break away from Audentior's crumbling colonial empire. The effort was perhaps not so successful however as the act of secession was followed immediately by annexation by the [[Flying Islands of Jasonia]] in the same year.  
This was a great time for Shirerothian culture. In a posts like "History and Culture of Shireroth" and "Kaisers of Shireroth", Kaiser Metzler fleshed out the formerly deficient background of the nation. It was formerly a group of warring chiefdoms before the first Kaiser started the Republic 2000 years before the founding of the Sector. There was also some stuff on [[Goldshire]] and name origins, some of which are in the appendix.
 
  
=== Chapter IX: The Mors Restoration ===
+
The chaos resumed with renewed vigour during the reign of Brrapa's grandson, Gaelen I, during which time Shireroth broke away from Jasonia (1451), found itself ensnared in the Amity Crisis (1451–1452) with its former colonial master, witnessed the final submission of Elwynn (1452), was ruled by Commonwealth of Benacia (1455–1458), embroiled in the Paramount War (1456), became a partner in the Hegemony of Alexandros (1458–1466) and part of the [[United Republic of Tymaria]] after 1461. It was a period during which many unstable and declining states sought to ward off collapse by voluntarily merging into ever larger, ever more diffuse, and ever more unwieldy, federations. The last and largest of these, Tymaria, spanned the globe like a colossus. It's federal structure and competing [[Attera]]n and [[Apollo Sector|Apollonian]] centres of power however meant that it was a giant with feet of clay.
==== Part 1: [[Kaiser Mors I]] ====
 
When Erik Mortis returned after his long absence, he did so as [[Kaiser Mors I|Kaiser Mercator Mortis I]] (Merchant of Death) or Mors for short. He bore an ancient Shirerothian sword called [[Sword of Vengeance|Vengeance]] which marked him as the true claimant to the throne. Both [[Fax Celestis]] and Nick the Yardistani, who at the time were in a civil war for power, gave up their claims in favor of Metzler's new avatar.
 
  
==== Part 2: Decrees And Changes ====
+
Whilst the overarching empire spiralled into ever more doomed complexity, the office of Kaiser began to gain the attributes of an absolute monarchy under Kaiser Gaelen II, and recreated a small feudal system with two Duchies, [[Brookshire]] and [[Goldshire]]. The feudal system was expanded vastly to include a new level, Baron, and the [[Landsraad]] became a major organ of government. Shireroth soon became much more important than its subordinate status would indicate as [[Patrick Foley]] chose to bequeath the remnants of the UAS to it as the [[Duchy of Kildare]]. With a number of military-oriented types like [[Daniel K]] and [[Greg Russell]]. Shireroth would go on to gain De facto independence from Tymaria (1466) during the reign of Kaiser Mors I (1466–1468). In the year 1467 however Philip Locke set a fire amongst the papers of the government record office. Infamy and a significant lacuna ensued.
Kaiser Mors made a number of decrees and radically reshaped the Shireroth government. Among the decrees were to kick all foreign (which means the Tymarian government and other Tymarian states) armies out of Shireroth, a decree to make James "Fax Celestis" the new heir, a decree taking Shireroth unilaterally out of the Hegemony of Alexandros, and a decree to create a new Duchy, [[Straylight]], for former Kaiser Ari Rahikkala. He then tried to convince the [[House of Nations]] to give Shireroth another [[Senate]] seat, which resulted in another debate over proportional representation. Also, he revived the old forum and the Landsraad and started construction of a great temple.
 
  
== History Part 2 ==
+
===Feudalism and empire===
=== Prologue: The Fall of Tymaria ===
 
What has come before: in April 2000, a time of chaos and change around the micronational world, Erik Mortis founds the small and peaceful democratic country known as Shireroth. Within a few weeks, Shireroth is absorbed by the rising superpowers of Audentior and Jasonia, an all but forgotten backwater region of these far-flung empires. But in December of that year, they abruptly spit it back out again, and Erik once again takes the helm of leadership, declaring himself Kaiser and instituting a feudal system. There is a brief period of prosperity before the nation crumbles to dust once again. A few months later it is revived as part of the Benacian Commonwealth, and soon after this it merges into the land of Alexandros, which in turn merges into Tymaria. Once again, Shireroth is a small province of a hegemonic empire – but this time, it has both the will a
 
2000
 
nd the ability to be able to transcend its minor role and catapult itself into the global spotlight.
 
  
On [[April 6]]th, the first complete history of Shireroth is published, ending with a note on the recent restoration of Kaiser Mors I to the throne and the possibilities for future growth his reign opens. On [[April 11]]th, the forum of Shireroth, along with much of the rest of Tymaria, is destroyed in a terrorist attack, wiping the historical slate clean. [[Philip Locke]], the perpetrator of the attack, is dutifully expelled from Shireroth – but not before he has had time to propose to the Mors government a plan to leverage its size and activity to become the dominant Tymarian state. Over the next few months, as the other areas in Tymaria are plagued by civil war, dissension, inactivity, and [[Earl Washburn]], Shireroth expands in all senses of the word. [[Lothlaria]], [[Lac Glacei]], [[Jaris]], and [[Hyperborea]] are added to its growing empire, and the Kaiser begins to listen less and less to the federal government in [[Tymaria City]].
+
Formal secession from Tymaria was deferred until the reign of Kaiseress Viviantia I (1469–1470) and not long afterwards the states of Hyperborea, Yardistan, Jaris, and Akerbjorn fell under Shirerithian rule. It was perhaps unease at this rapid expansion which prompted Kaiser Mog (1472–1473) into his foolish attempt to cede Amity and Mirioth. His reward was deposition and death in the wake of Letifer's Revolt.
  
Gradually the power of the Tymarian Federal Government waned. First Jason Rhode dropped off the face of the Earth, then the [[Free Territories]] started attacking, and finally the provinces started getting restless. The formation of [[Baracao]] didn’t help either, nor did the so-called [[Anti-Tymar Council]] that advocated rebellion and separatism wherever it could find a foothold. At the same time, Shireroth’s already exponential growth went through the roof, despite the bizarre spectacle of four Kaisers in a single month. Although [[Los I]], the most notable Kaiser of this period, was staunchly pro-Tymaria, it began to grow clear that the contradictory relationship between the ailing superfederation and its most prominent state could not continue forever.
+
The Battle of Cimmeria (1477) is the conventional name given to a partially successful attempt to defend Shireroth against the depredations of a slightly unlikely group going by the name of Anarchy 21. Kaiser Raynor X, who had arrived late to the battle, then declared the day a national holiday, and rewarded its heroes. Robert Belci, a Crandishman, and Harvey Steffke, a Menelmacari, were given honorary citizenship and military awards. Stjepan Aracic, already an honorary citizen, was given double honorary citizenship. More substantially Jadie Mathematician was made the Duchess of Goldshire.
  
Finally, with the election of Tony Au as [[Prime Executive]] on a “let the states secede” platform, pro-secessionist feelings snowballed. On the eve of Au’s election, the Landsraad convened to discuss the independence question. In one of their fastest decisions ever, the Landsraad bowed to the overwhelming sentiment of the Shirerithian populace and sent to the Kaiseress a resolution that Shireroth should resume its position as a free and independent state. On [[July 12]], [[Kaiseress Viviantia I]] issued [[Imperial Decree 30]], stating:
 
  
<blockquote>
 
With the blessings of the Landsraad and in light of the suspension of the Tymarian Constitution, I, Kaiseress Viviantia I, ruler of Shireroth, officially decree the secession of the Imperial Republic of Shireroth from the United Republic of Tymaria. Shireroth is now a free nation independent of Tymaria and its remaining states.
 
</blockquote>
 
  
After eleven months of foreign rule, Shireroth was once again ready to take control of its own destiny – a path that would lead them further than they could imagine.
+
===Fracture: secession and federalism===
  
=== Chapter One (July 2002) ===
+
This system began to break down from the approximate time of Kaiser Letifer III (1512-1514 AN), wherein the old reliable noble houses faded from prominence and the Kaisership was passed to increasingly less competent and more self-interested individuals. The ensuing bitterness caused those elements of the old guard remaining to become cantankerous and lose the knack of wise rule themselves, culminating in the notorious House System; an enormous feudal reform which attempted to codify the chaotic situation by making the retention of one's land holdings essentially dependent on one's skill in political skullduggery. Naturally the ensuing mess produced victims, the foremost of whom being the disenfranchised population of Elwynn who responded by seizing control over the greater part of that territory and effecting a secession from Shireroth in 1567. Although this secession was temporary, it forever shattered the myth of Kaiserial infallibility and permanently damaged the unspoken belief in Shirerithian nationhood which had long bonded its many peoples in ways that government could not.
''In which the new Republic is forced to confront a worrisome number of problems long before it is at all fair to expect them to be able to do so''
 
  
Retooling Shireroth’s governmental machinery for independence was not as major a task as it might seem. The [[Apollo Skyline|Skyline]] remarked a week after the decision that it was “almost like Shireroth had planned this beforehand, eh?” All that was needed was a foreign ministry, which was quickly created under the capable leadership of [[Stjepan Aracic]], and an accompanying foreign policy, which in the Republic’s first week took the form of recognizing Babkha, Interland, and Istvanistan.
+
Shaken by the impotence of the Kaisership in maintaining Shirerithian harmony, the political current in Shireroth moved gently in favour of democratisation with the Shirerithian legislature, the Landsraad, ending its ancient nobles-only rule and opening membership to the entire citizenry in 1588. Opinion also moved toward insulating the provinces from the worst failures of Imperial policy by granting them substantial autonomy, in order to restore a sense of trust and wellbeing that would, in turn, keep Shireroth together. This culminated in the Lich Charter of 1595, promulgated by Kaiseress Mira Raynora Major, wherein Shireroth's territories were transformed into a series of autonomous Imperial States with profuse powers to determine their own affairs. This partial restoration of sanity contributed, among other things, to the reunification of Elwynn with Shireroth in 1600.
  
A typically Shirerithian response to the new conditions was a new Kaiser. Kaiseress Vivantia, an incarnation of Erik, stepped down in favor of [[Kaiser Mors II]], also an incarnation of Erik. The rationale for the new name, according to its holder, was that “Vivantia brought us back to life…and now Mors shall dispense the death!”
+
Unfortunately the Imperial State system depended on a certain level of good faith on the part of the Imperial States toward the Kaiser's government in Shirekeep, as those bonds which were no longer maintained by the Kaiser's power came to depend on the voluntary co-operation of the Imperial States with each other and with the Kaiser. The inability of the Kaiser to deal with the excessive self-interest of Imperial States was explosively demonstrated with the surprise secession of Kildare in 1617. What Elwynn began in demoting the vaunted myth of the Shirerithian Kaisership, Kildare all but finished.
  
Death, unfortunately, was exactly what might soon have to be dispensed. Two other Tymarian states, Interland and the Free Republic, had seceded along with Shireroth, and their sudden introduction into an already chaotic micronational world threatened to cause some sort of massive cataclysm. Particularly problematic was the Free Republic, which was claimed by Baracao despite its own belief in its independence. Shireroth and Baracao came to the brink of war – luckily, at the last second a peace conference began and the two countries managed to come to a satisfactory conclusion, although nowhere in the historical record is it listed exactly what that conclusion was.
+
In the aftermath of the loss of Kildare to Jingdao, and the failure of the [[Neridia]] colony on [[Istvanistan]], large swathes of the population in Lichbrook and southern Goldshire had resolved that suffering what they perceived as constant disruption by other Imperial States, only to be collectively punished for those states' purported excesses by what they saw as reductions of their own political autonomy, was proof of their systematic expulsion from the Shirerithian political process. Through this contorted reasoning the dissidents had come to the conclusion that the Kaisers of Shireroth could no longer make any demand upon their fealty. Rather than risk battle on the field of honour or in the Landsraad for possession of their ancestral lands, these traitors instead preferred the stratagem of stealth, stealing away in the night and following the smugglers routes and Lach trails leading towards lawless Ashkenatzim lands of the west, wherein they would found [[Minarboria]].
  
Meanwhile, on the domestic front, things were hardly less troublesome. This remains that period of history in which trouble was spelled P-H-I-L-I-P L-O-C-K-E, and indeed, scarcely had he been admitted to Shireroth after a four month ban when he began to agitate for democracy. He accused the Republic of truly being an [[autocracy]], and proposed his [[Unified Shireroth Proposal]]
+
===Resurgence: Benacian reconquest, neofeudalism and world war===
  
[[Category: History]]
+
The Imperial Republic, long dissatisfied by the federal system became ensnared in a series of interconnected conflicts beginning in 1635 AN and finally coming to a conclusion in the year 1644 with the entry of Kaiseress Noor into Shirekeep. The prime cause of the conflict was the unbalanced relationship between a weakened Imperial Government and the over-mighty [[Imperial States|imperial states]], of which [[Elwynn]] was the prime offender.
 +
 
 +
The wars began with the so-called [[The River War|River War]] (1635), an unsuccessful attempt by hard-line Cedrists and Elwynnese ultra-nationalists to mount a quick decapitation strike on the Monarchy of Elwynn which was led by Princess Margana, the daughter of Kaiser Brrapa VII and sponsored by the patricians of Shirekeep and the Court within Raynor's Keep.
 +
 
 +
In spite of being well resourced and brutally executed, the attempted takeover of Elwynn by a combination of a coup and 'hybrid warfare' failed spectacularly and rebounded upon the heads of the plotters. Not only were they unsuccessful in their efforts to exterminate the Royal Family of Elwynn but the war ended with the King's father entering Shirekeep as a conqueror.
 +
 
 +
It was said by some that Brrapa VII was conveniently ill at the start of the war and conveniently dead at its end.
 +
 
 +
One of the notable aspects of the war, which effectively lasted for two months at most, was the rate at which stockpiles of modern hi-tech guided munitions and missiles were rapidly depleted. The Imperial Shirerithian Air Forces (ISAF) had expended its reserves of cruise missiles within the first week of the conflict and was still trying to acquire and adapt ship launched missiles from the Imperial Shirerithian Navy (which had remained neutral in the conflict) by the time the war ended. Similarly the UDF had been caught short and taken by surprise by the war and was still trying to reactivate the Southron Barrage programme by the war's end. The UDF had also run its stockpiles of medium-range anti-aircraft missiles down to the point of exhaustion during the Battle of Echo. The decision of the Imperialists to hold back their remaining air assets, particularly the UCAVs, after the shocking losses of that engagement proved to be the hinge point that turned what might have been a mere setback into the decisive victory that ensured the survival of the Elwynnese Union and its eventual victory.
 +
 
 +
By the final weeks of the war even the supplies of unguided 'dumb' bombs were being run down to the point that the Arandur of Alalehzamin and Utasia was obliged to establish workshops to produce crude unguided rockets in order to keep up the rate of fire on the defenders of Shirekeep and the ISAF was giving serious consideration to adapting its remaining UCAV force to drop re-purposed canisters packed with high-explosives.
 +
 
 +
This experience subsequently informed the strategic and operational doctrines of both the UDF and the reformed (i.e. purged) Imperial Forces in that the technologically sophisticated weapons systems began to be viewed as an exquisitely crafted and expensive blade of tremendous penetrating power that nonetheless blunted quickly through frequent use. For this reason it began to be felt that what was required was a second line of sufficient mass and firepower that would be less sophisticated, and for therefore more affordable, that could get the job done - through blunt object trauma if need be - once the enemy's own, exquisitely wrought, first line of defences had been sufficiently burnt through to provide an opening.
 +
 
 +
The desire to test this new theory against a representation of an avowedly unconventional opposing force gave rise to the series of military exercises known as Operation Long Haul and all the attendant controversies that ensued when neighbouring Minarboria became thoroughly alarmed.
 +
 
 +
[[The Anarchy of Angularis]] (1635-1640) was a five year period of disorder in which Elw ultra-nationalists and other separatist, anti-monarchist and anti-imperialist groups waged a low level insurgency, gradually extending their influence throughout the Vale of Angularis. These forces were violently suppressed by Elwynnese and Imperial Forces under the overall direction of the Arandur of Alalehzamin and Utasia in the Campaign of 1639, considered by some to be amongst one of the bloodiest episodes in modern Benacian history, second only to the Green Mortality of 1605 in the reign of Kaiser Aiomide, although this record was subsequently overtaken the calamities of the 1650s.
 +
 
 +
[[Martial Law in Goldshire]] (1639) was declared after the assassination of the Goldshirean and Elwynnese Princes Arn and Rostam Ayreon-Kalirion by parties unknown in the year 1639. This being the third such attempt on a member of the Ayreon-Kalirion bloodline in which poison was administered in a secure environment, suspicion quickly turned to the Leonid Guard whose duty was to protect the family of the Emira of Sathrati. This latest failing proved to be final straw and the Royal Government of Goldshire, administered by the ESB-Jörmungandr Group, declared martial law and instigated a purge of suspect individuals and organisations within the Kingdom. That this poisoning was part of a wider conspiracy was proved when the secretive Assayers successfully, albeit temporarily, countermanded the martial law decree.
 +
 
 +
After two days of confusion, Queen Noor was able to reassert her authority and reinstated the martial law decree - adding to it the proscription of the now openly treacherous Assayers. The Assayers, more formally the Chamber of Assay of the Avakair Mint and Bullion Depository, had a fearsome reputation for being able to instil psychological terror and also a capacity for actual acts of terror, including abduction, torture and assassination, in pursuit of its relentless drive to try and maintain standards of purity in the 'gold standard' Erb and a ruthless determination to destroy any threats to that self same purity. This put them on an inevitable collision course with the ESB-Jörmungandr Group which has, no less ruthlessly, sought to promote its fiat currency - the Teldrin Thaler - throughout the river ports of the the Red Elwynn and beyond.
 +
 
 +
Faced by such a dangerous and unpredictable foe, and concerned about wavering morale amongst the Goldshire Regulars, the Royal Government, on the 11th of Araroqpinu 1639, invoked its right under the Martial Code of Shireroth to seek the assistance of Imperial Forces. The Imperial Government had already taken steps to order Leonid Guards based overseas to return to ESB run rendition facilities in Goldshire and Zy-Rodun. Now, with an official invitation, it could act with full force. The situation led inevitably to full blown [[shire:Civil War in Goldshire|civil war]] (1639-1643).
 +
 
 +
The civil war ended with the Armistice of Airle (Reire the 15th of Nomeziooqu, 1643), the terms of which surprisingly generous, by Shirerithian standards. Rebel leaders were castrated and sent to monasteries. Golems, alchemical artefacts and Gnostic grimoires meanwhile were be destroyed. Beyond this there was a prohibition on reprisals. Imperial Constabulary assumed responsibility for peacekeeping in Goldshire while the crimes of the rebels, as well as of pro-government militias were to be investigated equally by judicially appointed inquisitors.
 +
 
 +
The civil war saw a revival in the ancient Cedrist religion as well as the reintroduction of various practices such as gladiatorial combat, human sacrifice and the mass enslavement of displaced persons. The various factions on both sides sought to make the war pay for itself by resorting to the plunder of the opposing sides territory. Criminality also dramatically increased with the Mercaja side especially resorting to drugs smuggling, extortion, racketeering and the fraudulent transmutation of base metals into gold and silver in order to fund its operations.
 +
 
 +
Officially the Royal Government of Goldshire acknowledged 43,770 fatalities as a consequence of the civil war. It has however been suggested that these figures were deliberately underplayed to avoid causing embarrassment to the Alexandrian government during the negotiations leading up to the formation of the Sxiro-Alexandrian-Natopian Entente.
 +
 
 +
An estimate contained in a report by the ESB Group suggested a death-toll of 8,431,770, several orders of magnitude greater than the official tally. The reason for the disparity laid in the omission from official statistics of the victims of chemical weapons attacks carried out by the Imperial Forces and the death-toll from clean-up operations in Lunaris after the collapse of the organised rebellion. The report and its authors were suppressed and pulped by the Jaysh al-Sathrati on the orders of Queen Noor.
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Holwinn and Lunaris felt the effects of the war disproportionately, with advance and retreat of first the Jaysh al-Sathrati and then the Army of the Golden Dawn which caught the civilian populations of those two counties in a desperate maelstrom of violent reprisal, where civilians were targeted as much as, if not more often than, the opposing combatants. 25% of the Lunatic population was killed or died of communicable diseases during the conflict whilst a staggering 41% of the population of the County of Holwinn perished as collateral damage after the Technomaezji unleashed its full arsenal of chemical and biological munitions in an attempt to halt the rebel advance towards Cabbagefall.
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It was the scale of this slaughter which convinced Kaiser Dominus to initiate war-crimes trials against the guilty parties of both sides in the civil war. A matter of some embarrassment considering the support that the Imperial Government and the ESB Group had lavished on Queen Noor's private army. By the end of the war however the Jaysh was a broken force, discredited both morally and militarily.
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1644, the Year of the Four Kaisers, was a tumultuous moment in Shirerithian History which saw the deposition and murder of Kaiser Dominus, and the emergence of three claimants to the Golden Mango Throne.
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The next cycle of wars that began with the Struggle for the South (1649–1651), a series of inter-related disputes and conflicts following the Elwynnese confiscation of Mishalan and the collapse, demotion and or dissolution of the Lich Realms of Lichbrook and Minarboria, ending the dominion of the dead over the lands of southern Benacia. The disputes saw an increase in anti-Elwynnese sentiment and the first semblance of opposition to the Ayreon-Kalirion dynastic succession to the Mango Throne.
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The Struggle ended with the restoration of Mishalan, the establishment of the Domain of Malarboria and finally the [[shire:Auspicious Occasion|Auspicious Occasion of 1651]]. This decree marked the beginning of a systemic purge of [[Stormark|Storrish]] influence in the Imperial Republic. More specifically the expulsion of the House of Ettlingar Freyu and the Church of the Froyalanish Ancient Ways from the Elwynnese Union resulted from a double coup in Shirekeep and Eliria which brought to an abrupt end the Froyalanish hegemony over the Imperial Republic that had begun with the abdication of Prince Jonathan Ayreon-Kalirion in 1623 and the River War of 1635.
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King Noah disputed the legality of his expulsion but failed to gain any measure of popular support at home or abroad, with the sole exception of the then Emperor of Natopia, Zakyyr. A complete rupture in the [[SANE|Sxiro-Natopian alliance]] was averted but Noah remained Natopian foreign minister for a time longer, prompting some awkwardness.
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The speed of the collapse of Elwynnese resistance, combined with the success of the Imperial Government in delivering a fait accompli had brought the Auspicious Occasion to a swift and decisive conclusion, greatly limiting the destruction and loss of life endured by the Elwynnese. This contrasted strikingly with previous Imperial interventions in Dietsland, Goldshire, Lichbrook, Minarboria, Puritania and Voltrue over the course of the previous sixteen years.
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On the Elwynnese side, the centralising of decision making powers into the hands of the King and his court had meant that once Noah was isolated and unable to maintain open communications the once formidable array of forces at his disposal gave a poor account of themselves, in marked contrast to their performance during the Year of the Four Kaisers seven years previously. The selection and advancement of officers noted for their loyalty to the Crown and love of pomp and pageantry over their professional ability had degraded the quality of command and control and led to a loss of the capacity for displays of individual initiative.
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The Imperial Forces meanwhile had continued to expand, rearm and professionalise following the defeats endured in the River War and the Year of the Four Kaisers. The Imperial Army was performing at near the peak of operational readiness it had achieved during an abortive war scare with Jingdao in 1647, and its officers were highly motivated to gain revenge for the slights they had endured from the Elwynnese over the years.
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The Imperial Forces were, to be sure, still bedevilled by the perennial problems of a creaking and sclerotic logistics chain as well as a command structure of bewildering complexity. Nonetheless the matter was resolved before these issues could make a decisive negative impact.
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The Imperial Marshals had finally proved themselves with their involvement in the capture of Krull Palace. Unfettered by the constraints of the Martial Code they had been free to move assets into the city under the guise of rotating personnel out of the Imperial Legations, without the level of domestic surveillance that Imperial Forces transiting Elwynnese territory routinely had to endure.
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Debate continues as to whether the establishment of a new period of dynastic rule constitutes a fourth era. In the past, using a discredited historiography and calendar, as many as seven eras were postulated. However, following the Auspicious Occasion, a more rational approach to historical research has taken hold and the process of investigating and verifying the reigns of the Kaisers of the early era, and indeed the nature of their rule, is ongoing.
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One of the most notable attributes of the aftermath of the Auspicious Occasion was the systematic repudiation and destruction of much of what had previously been considered integral to Vanic and Froyalanish iconography. In many regards the Royal Government was obliged to legislate to keep up with the popular anger and the tearing down of Vanic monuments.
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The smashing and destruction of the "viking helmet crowns" prominently displayed on all royal crests, proved to be an especially popular pastime amongst the masses.
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The sudden fall of the House of Ettlingar Freyu threw into sharp reverse the expansionist policy pursued by Elwynn hitherto. Instead, under the terms of an agreement brokered in Eliria, Elwynnese territory was ceded to the Kingdom of Goldshire, the Dominion of Malarboria and the Imperial Republic itself - so as to form new Imperial Dominions.
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The much reduced Elwynn would subsequently go on to cast off the last vestiges of monarchical rule and refound itself as a constitutional republic.
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Between 1636 and 1655, between the [[Wars of the Dark Orchid|Wars of the Dark Orchid]], the [[Auspicious Occasion|Auspicious Occasion]], the [[Alexandrian Flu]], famine, emigration, and the [[War of Lost Brothers]] the population of Shireroth fell by 21% to 556 million.
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[[category:History]]

Latest revision as of 14:41, 4 October 2018

See also: Timeline of Shirerithian History

DRAFT: WORK IN PROGRESS

Following discussions in the IAC:

  1. Prehistory to the Death of Raynor (as per SSHIT with dates corrected for AN plus some scepticism).
  2. 1st Era Overview
    1. Raynor I unifies the core territories, assumes the title Kaiser.
    2. Kaiser's authority spreads outward, cadet branches of the family appointed to rule outer areas.
    3. Central authority fails to maintain central power, regional rulers assert increasingly independent authority and fight one another for territory and power.
  3. 2nd Era Overview
    1. Descent from Raynor now tenuous, at best, spurious bloodlines are fought. Scribes compiling and refuting competing genealogies are figures in high demand amongst the barons who aspire to dominion over Brookshire
    2. Kaisership is bestowed upon whoever captures Shirekeep for a time
    3. One of these rulers conquers the Shirekeep area (whoever it is that is ruling Monty Crisco), summons demons, and successfully asserts power over them. Daemonic power allows this line to conquer the other states.
    4. The demon-powered line of kaisers is overthrown and the demons are sealed away.
    5. Failure to maintain central control, the various states split apart again. Leading to:
  4. Third Era
    1. They are forced to become vassals of various foreign empires (Audentior, Jasonia, Benacia, Alexandros, Tymaria) in turn.
    2. Conquest of Elwynn
    3. From the wreckage of Tymaria emerges an unexpected great power.
    4. Madness ensues.

Periods of the Third Era:

  • Colonial
  • World-Realm
  • High Feudal
  • Schismatic
  • Federal
  • Dynastic

Timeline

Decade Imperial Events Elwynnese Events Goldshirian Events Events of Overseas Territories Brookshire/Lichbrook/Malarboria Major world events
1430s . . . . . 1434: Attera breaks from isolationism
1438: Rep of Istvanistan founded
1440s 1443: Coup, "Republic of Shireroth" declared with Provisional Government
1444 Joined Audentior as province
1446 Declared independence from Audentior, war with Audentior
1446 joins Jasonia instead
1442: Hyperborea founded 1440: Old Goldendown vanishes after being infected by the now extinct Mortalis apotheosis virus. . . 1441: FIOJ founded
1449: Babkha united.
1450s 1451: Imperial rule restored, independence from Jasonia 1452: Elwynn elevated to duchy . . . .
1460s 1461: Shireroth joins Tymaria
Straylight made duchy
. I.1468: Thane Eros Darstar of Jaris and the Kitanus fields attempts to buy Goldshire from Kaiser Letifer I with a single Thaler (a local gold coin of exceptional purity) . . 1460: FIOJ disbanded.
1468: Baracão Revolution, socialist govt established
Madland proclaimed as empire
1470s 1470: Independence from Tymaria
Battle of Cimmeria
. VII.1470: Duke dStryker places Goldshire's vote for Shirerithian independence from Tymaria.
XI.1477: The Warrior Jadie, Hero of the Battle of Cimmeria, is awarded the Ducal Throne of Goldshire by Kaiser Raynor X as reward for her role in winning that battle.
. . 1472: Menelmacar founded
1471: Stormark founded by Harald
1477: Menelmacar divided
1480s . Loss of Elfinshi power in Elwynn
1488: Elwynn demoted to barony
V.1480: The First Great Plague of Ease and Boredom reaches its height in Goldshire, decimating the population and wiping out a great swathe of historical records.

XI.1482: The Golden Horde Rebellion. A Yardistani-backed revolt by an disgruntled Goldshirian general attempts to unseat the Duchess but is fought to a standstill by a collection of militias from across Shireroth, this messy stalemate finally broken by a mass Babkhan invasion in the Duchess' favour.

II.1485: Work begins on construction of the oldest-surviving part of the Goldshire Palace.

III.1485: The Duchess delegates rule of a swathe of southern Goldshire to the Treesian artist Eriana Moon, whose domain becomes the Barony of Lunaris.

IX.1487: The Great Lunatic Hamster Plague brings the workings of state, society and commerce to a grinding halt across Goldshire.

. . 1487: Archetype-Menelmacar falls
1490s . Babkhan mass immigration, Elfinshi wars . . . Leng, Cibola and Sypyyr discovered to the chagrin of the Hyperboreans
1498: Madland becomes Alexandria
1500s . 1509: Elwynn raised to duchy . . . .
1510s . . . . 1511: Lac Glacei unclaimed .
1520s . . . . . .
1530s 1538: Kaiser Hasan I cedes Shireroth to Babkha 1530–1533 Great Famine of Elwynn
1533 Harald becomes Duke
First Froyalan era
1535 Tapferite immigration to Elwynn
. . . .
1540s 1539–1542: War of Jeremy's Nose . . . . .
1550s . 1551: People's Academy established
1552–4: Ohl'tar genocide
. . . .
1560s . 1567: Elwynnese independence . . . 1567: Fall of Istvanistan's government
1562 AN: First contact with the safir.
1570s . 1572: Amokolia joins Elwynn
1573 Elwynnese union with Hurmu
. . . 1577-1582 AN: Safir colony on Micras.
1580s . . . . . .
1590s . 1597: Lokiist infiltration. Princely elections.
Nationalization of assets. Widespread protests
1599: Hurmu leaves Elwynn
. . . 1598: Babkhan holocaust
1600s 1600: Elwynn joins Shireroth
Cabbage Crisis
1600: Elwynn joins Shireroth
Cabbage Crisis
Establishment of the Coordinated State
Icebear Rebellion
. . . .
1610s 1617: micraswiki:Revolution of 1617 1612: Communist revolution
1618: Return to constitutional democracy
Nathaniel declares absolute monarchy
. . . .
1620s . 1623: Noah's ascension to throne
Second Froyalan Era begins
. . . .
1630s . . . . . .
1640s 1644: Oustfest Massacre
1648: Succession to the throne made dynastic
. . . . .
1650s 1654–1657: War of Lost Brothers 1651: Auspicious Occasion; End of Froyalan era
. . . 1654–1657: War of Lost Brothers
1660s Post-war recession. Livian pogroms see N&H and ESB estranged from the Imperial Government.
1663: Safirian Exodus
1660–1661: Elwynnese Civil War . . 1661: Revolt against the Daemon-Queen in Malarboria .

First Era

Second Era

Third Era

Shireroth's modern founding was in 1442 (the beginning of the Third Era). Foreign recognition of the Kaisership as its paramount institution occurred later, in approximately 1462, with Erik Mortis becoming Kaiser Metzler I. The accurate record keeping in the Imperial Household began with Gaelen II in 1465, and all accession dates after that are taken to be authentic.

Having established dominance of the Benacian continent, the Kaisers of the House of Raynor eventually expanded their reach to Yardistan and Kildare. Despite further acquisitions, these initial territories constituted the core "Ancient Duchies" of Shireroth for many ages.

Although the Duchies frequently rebelled against the Kaiser and fought each other, their unity within Shireroth was maintained by an informal system of quality control wherein the succession of the Kaisership was passed through individuals with proven ability to rule (with occasional notorious exceptions) ensuring that their attitude toward Shireroth's restive fiefdoms, while often less than amiable, was neither harsh enough nor feeble enough to precipitate those territories' complete break from the government in Shirekeep.

Legitimacy rested upon descent from Kaiser Raynor I. After seventeen centuries, much of Western and Central Benacia, as well as a fair smattering of Babkhi and Kildari can claim this boon. Nonetheless the frequently rotating succession remained within the clutches of a dozen or so noble houses who jealously guarded their notoriously intermarried bloodlines. In spite of the the vigilance of the Imperial Republic's noble oligarchs there have been several "sanglorian" Kaisers in the modern era, alongside a half dozen inhuman Kaisers (whether revenants or aliens). As the Third Era wore on, things became progressively stranger, until a measure of sanity was restored by the confirmation of the dynastic succession in the hands of the House of Ayreon-Kalirion, itself being however troubled by some of its dynastic associations.

Intermediate period: Republic of Shireroth

The Republic of Shireroth (often simply abbreviated as the RS) was founded as a significantly different place than it currently is. It was a republic as the name suggests. The Modern name "Imperial Republic of Shireroth" merely retains the name because it was simply never changed. The RS's government was set up in response to the rise of Apollonian nations, the advent of new Political parties, the rapid consolidation of smaller polities, and the tendency of existing states to fracture as provinces sought independence.

The records of the era were poorly maintained, with many lost during the Great Plague of 1480, but from these we find reference to a peasants revolt recorded in the barbaric Praeta of the age as the "Direct Democracy Riots". We cannot be entirely sure when, or even if, these disorders occurred. That these events, occurring 218 years prior to the time of writing, have been almost entirely lost is a damning indictment of the dark age endured in the transition from the Second to the Third Era of our history. What appears to have occurred however is that either because of, or in reaction to, this uprising, which coincides intriguingly with the collapse of the Old Goldendown culture on Goldshire, a coup was mounted in Shirekeep during the reign of Kaiser John II in 1443.

After Erik of Ly'Technomaezj-Metzler forced closed the Gate of Balgurd and prevented the Kaiser from commanding reinforcements to emerge from within, Kaiser John II was cast into the streets for the once-fearful denizens of the city to make of him what they wished. Taking the Kaiser's crown and the Sword of Vengeance for himself, he led an army into Goldshire, when news came that the Followers of Rrakanychan had consolidated a force of mortal men and daemons, led by the notorious Demon Fish of Balgurd.

As these chaotic events unfolded Raynor's Keep, denuded of troops by the antics of various warring kaisers, was seized by a clique of unidentified reformists who sought, for a brief shining moment, to create in eastern Benacia a progressive and democratic utopia that would mark a clean break from the mindless anarchy of the Second Era. The "Provisional Government" as it styled itself appointed, perhaps unwisely, Erik of Ly'Technomaezj-Metzler as its President. Although it was undoubtedly prudent to have the most prominent and successfully warlord in the Elwynn river valley onside, Erik's impetuous temperament, already manifested in his headlong rush into the re-subjugation of Goldshire, would cause a myriad of problems later on.

Influenced by the philosophy of "Direct Democracy" which emerged from Jasonia, the Republic of Shireroth embraced a radical form of democratic centralism that has never been attempted before or since. The electoral franchise of the Republic was to have been universal, the chaotic collection of feuding dominions leftover from the Second Era were to have been swept away and internal subdivisions were consequently prohibited in an attempt to minimise factionalism. Holders of foreign nationality were also banished in order to get rid of possible conflicts of interest. The tenets of democracy were central to the nation; the right of citizens to a vote and the exercise of free-speech were freely granted in the RS, yet political parties - because of the overwhelming fear of factionalism - were sternly prohibited.

Central to the government were a small series of documents: The Articles of Creation, The Provisional Constitution, The Bill of Rights, and The Non-citizens Bill of Rights. The most important of these documents were The Articles of Creation and The Bill of Rights. These two documents give the clearest view of the intended direction of the nation. The Articles set up a number of the policies that would be central to the government as it grew, and the Bill of Rights made clear what freedoms the citizens of the RS would be given. The President in the provisional government was basically a dictator who would have his actual powers fleshed out when the constitution was revised into its final form.

The provisional government of the RS never made it into it's full form as the country was quickly subjected to a rapid, indeed bewildering, succession of foreign occupations during the period 1444–1470. . It would seem that the original incarnation of Shireroth only lasted a few months in 1444 before the country was annexed by Audentior.

The country that re-emerged after 1470, substantially enlarged by territories snatched from the collapsing Tymarian empire, had regressed into the feudal, xenophobic, and isolationist characteristics of the ancestral polity; modified only by the demands of an imperial administration, wherein the powers of the Kaiser had greatly expanded, after the reign of Kaiser Mors II.

Foreign rule

Shireroth in its present form began inauspiciously. The last Kaiser of the second era, John II, a greedy and unscrupulous ruler who had consorted with daemons to further his rule, had been overthrown by Kaiser Erik II and torn apart by the Shirekeep mob. Erik however proved to be a weak ruler who failed to control the populist forces he had unleashed. The so-called Direct Democracy Riots destabilised eastern Benacia, which was at that time under vassalage to Audentior. Erik's provisional government ended abruptly in the seventh month of 1444 when Audentior, tired of the anarchy, formally annexed Shireroth. Erik was allowed to keep his title and history records that his reign continued for another year.

He was succeeded by his son, the eccentric and irascible Kaiser Brrapa V, who in 1446 staged a successful attempt to break away from Audentior's crumbling colonial empire. The effort was perhaps not so successful however as the act of secession was followed immediately by annexation by the Flying Islands of Jasonia in the same year.

The chaos resumed with renewed vigour during the reign of Brrapa's grandson, Gaelen I, during which time Shireroth broke away from Jasonia (1451), found itself ensnared in the Amity Crisis (1451–1452) with its former colonial master, witnessed the final submission of Elwynn (1452), was ruled by Commonwealth of Benacia (1455–1458), embroiled in the Paramount War (1456), became a partner in the Hegemony of Alexandros (1458–1466) and part of the United Republic of Tymaria after 1461. It was a period during which many unstable and declining states sought to ward off collapse by voluntarily merging into ever larger, ever more diffuse, and ever more unwieldy, federations. The last and largest of these, Tymaria, spanned the globe like a colossus. It's federal structure and competing Atteran and Apollonian centres of power however meant that it was a giant with feet of clay.

Whilst the overarching empire spiralled into ever more doomed complexity, the office of Kaiser began to gain the attributes of an absolute monarchy under Kaiser Gaelen II, and recreated a small feudal system with two Duchies, Brookshire and Goldshire. The feudal system was expanded vastly to include a new level, Baron, and the Landsraad became a major organ of government. Shireroth soon became much more important than its subordinate status would indicate as Patrick Foley chose to bequeath the remnants of the UAS to it as the Duchy of Kildare. With a number of military-oriented types like Daniel K and Greg Russell. Shireroth would go on to gain De facto independence from Tymaria (1466) during the reign of Kaiser Mors I (1466–1468). In the year 1467 however Philip Locke set a fire amongst the papers of the government record office. Infamy and a significant lacuna ensued.

Feudalism and empire

Formal secession from Tymaria was deferred until the reign of Kaiseress Viviantia I (1469–1470) and not long afterwards the states of Hyperborea, Yardistan, Jaris, and Akerbjorn fell under Shirerithian rule. It was perhaps unease at this rapid expansion which prompted Kaiser Mog (1472–1473) into his foolish attempt to cede Amity and Mirioth. His reward was deposition and death in the wake of Letifer's Revolt.

The Battle of Cimmeria (1477) is the conventional name given to a partially successful attempt to defend Shireroth against the depredations of a slightly unlikely group going by the name of Anarchy 21. Kaiser Raynor X, who had arrived late to the battle, then declared the day a national holiday, and rewarded its heroes. Robert Belci, a Crandishman, and Harvey Steffke, a Menelmacari, were given honorary citizenship and military awards. Stjepan Aracic, already an honorary citizen, was given double honorary citizenship. More substantially Jadie Mathematician was made the Duchess of Goldshire.


Fracture: secession and federalism

This system began to break down from the approximate time of Kaiser Letifer III (1512-1514 AN), wherein the old reliable noble houses faded from prominence and the Kaisership was passed to increasingly less competent and more self-interested individuals. The ensuing bitterness caused those elements of the old guard remaining to become cantankerous and lose the knack of wise rule themselves, culminating in the notorious House System; an enormous feudal reform which attempted to codify the chaotic situation by making the retention of one's land holdings essentially dependent on one's skill in political skullduggery. Naturally the ensuing mess produced victims, the foremost of whom being the disenfranchised population of Elwynn who responded by seizing control over the greater part of that territory and effecting a secession from Shireroth in 1567. Although this secession was temporary, it forever shattered the myth of Kaiserial infallibility and permanently damaged the unspoken belief in Shirerithian nationhood which had long bonded its many peoples in ways that government could not.

Shaken by the impotence of the Kaisership in maintaining Shirerithian harmony, the political current in Shireroth moved gently in favour of democratisation with the Shirerithian legislature, the Landsraad, ending its ancient nobles-only rule and opening membership to the entire citizenry in 1588. Opinion also moved toward insulating the provinces from the worst failures of Imperial policy by granting them substantial autonomy, in order to restore a sense of trust and wellbeing that would, in turn, keep Shireroth together. This culminated in the Lich Charter of 1595, promulgated by Kaiseress Mira Raynora Major, wherein Shireroth's territories were transformed into a series of autonomous Imperial States with profuse powers to determine their own affairs. This partial restoration of sanity contributed, among other things, to the reunification of Elwynn with Shireroth in 1600.

Unfortunately the Imperial State system depended on a certain level of good faith on the part of the Imperial States toward the Kaiser's government in Shirekeep, as those bonds which were no longer maintained by the Kaiser's power came to depend on the voluntary co-operation of the Imperial States with each other and with the Kaiser. The inability of the Kaiser to deal with the excessive self-interest of Imperial States was explosively demonstrated with the surprise secession of Kildare in 1617. What Elwynn began in demoting the vaunted myth of the Shirerithian Kaisership, Kildare all but finished.

In the aftermath of the loss of Kildare to Jingdao, and the failure of the Neridia colony on Istvanistan, large swathes of the population in Lichbrook and southern Goldshire had resolved that suffering what they perceived as constant disruption by other Imperial States, only to be collectively punished for those states' purported excesses by what they saw as reductions of their own political autonomy, was proof of their systematic expulsion from the Shirerithian political process. Through this contorted reasoning the dissidents had come to the conclusion that the Kaisers of Shireroth could no longer make any demand upon their fealty. Rather than risk battle on the field of honour or in the Landsraad for possession of their ancestral lands, these traitors instead preferred the stratagem of stealth, stealing away in the night and following the smugglers routes and Lach trails leading towards lawless Ashkenatzim lands of the west, wherein they would found Minarboria.

Resurgence: Benacian reconquest, neofeudalism and world war

The Imperial Republic, long dissatisfied by the federal system became ensnared in a series of interconnected conflicts beginning in 1635 AN and finally coming to a conclusion in the year 1644 with the entry of Kaiseress Noor into Shirekeep. The prime cause of the conflict was the unbalanced relationship between a weakened Imperial Government and the over-mighty imperial states, of which Elwynn was the prime offender.

The wars began with the so-called River War (1635), an unsuccessful attempt by hard-line Cedrists and Elwynnese ultra-nationalists to mount a quick decapitation strike on the Monarchy of Elwynn which was led by Princess Margana, the daughter of Kaiser Brrapa VII and sponsored by the patricians of Shirekeep and the Court within Raynor's Keep.

In spite of being well resourced and brutally executed, the attempted takeover of Elwynn by a combination of a coup and 'hybrid warfare' failed spectacularly and rebounded upon the heads of the plotters. Not only were they unsuccessful in their efforts to exterminate the Royal Family of Elwynn but the war ended with the King's father entering Shirekeep as a conqueror.

It was said by some that Brrapa VII was conveniently ill at the start of the war and conveniently dead at its end.

One of the notable aspects of the war, which effectively lasted for two months at most, was the rate at which stockpiles of modern hi-tech guided munitions and missiles were rapidly depleted. The Imperial Shirerithian Air Forces (ISAF) had expended its reserves of cruise missiles within the first week of the conflict and was still trying to acquire and adapt ship launched missiles from the Imperial Shirerithian Navy (which had remained neutral in the conflict) by the time the war ended. Similarly the UDF had been caught short and taken by surprise by the war and was still trying to reactivate the Southron Barrage programme by the war's end. The UDF had also run its stockpiles of medium-range anti-aircraft missiles down to the point of exhaustion during the Battle of Echo. The decision of the Imperialists to hold back their remaining air assets, particularly the UCAVs, after the shocking losses of that engagement proved to be the hinge point that turned what might have been a mere setback into the decisive victory that ensured the survival of the Elwynnese Union and its eventual victory.

By the final weeks of the war even the supplies of unguided 'dumb' bombs were being run down to the point that the Arandur of Alalehzamin and Utasia was obliged to establish workshops to produce crude unguided rockets in order to keep up the rate of fire on the defenders of Shirekeep and the ISAF was giving serious consideration to adapting its remaining UCAV force to drop re-purposed canisters packed with high-explosives.

This experience subsequently informed the strategic and operational doctrines of both the UDF and the reformed (i.e. purged) Imperial Forces in that the technologically sophisticated weapons systems began to be viewed as an exquisitely crafted and expensive blade of tremendous penetrating power that nonetheless blunted quickly through frequent use. For this reason it began to be felt that what was required was a second line of sufficient mass and firepower that would be less sophisticated, and for therefore more affordable, that could get the job done - through blunt object trauma if need be - once the enemy's own, exquisitely wrought, first line of defences had been sufficiently burnt through to provide an opening.

The desire to test this new theory against a representation of an avowedly unconventional opposing force gave rise to the series of military exercises known as Operation Long Haul and all the attendant controversies that ensued when neighbouring Minarboria became thoroughly alarmed.

The Anarchy of Angularis (1635-1640) was a five year period of disorder in which Elw ultra-nationalists and other separatist, anti-monarchist and anti-imperialist groups waged a low level insurgency, gradually extending their influence throughout the Vale of Angularis. These forces were violently suppressed by Elwynnese and Imperial Forces under the overall direction of the Arandur of Alalehzamin and Utasia in the Campaign of 1639, considered by some to be amongst one of the bloodiest episodes in modern Benacian history, second only to the Green Mortality of 1605 in the reign of Kaiser Aiomide, although this record was subsequently overtaken the calamities of the 1650s.

Martial Law in Goldshire (1639) was declared after the assassination of the Goldshirean and Elwynnese Princes Arn and Rostam Ayreon-Kalirion by parties unknown in the year 1639. This being the third such attempt on a member of the Ayreon-Kalirion bloodline in which poison was administered in a secure environment, suspicion quickly turned to the Leonid Guard whose duty was to protect the family of the Emira of Sathrati. This latest failing proved to be final straw and the Royal Government of Goldshire, administered by the ESB-Jörmungandr Group, declared martial law and instigated a purge of suspect individuals and organisations within the Kingdom. That this poisoning was part of a wider conspiracy was proved when the secretive Assayers successfully, albeit temporarily, countermanded the martial law decree.

After two days of confusion, Queen Noor was able to reassert her authority and reinstated the martial law decree - adding to it the proscription of the now openly treacherous Assayers. The Assayers, more formally the Chamber of Assay of the Avakair Mint and Bullion Depository, had a fearsome reputation for being able to instil psychological terror and also a capacity for actual acts of terror, including abduction, torture and assassination, in pursuit of its relentless drive to try and maintain standards of purity in the 'gold standard' Erb and a ruthless determination to destroy any threats to that self same purity. This put them on an inevitable collision course with the ESB-Jörmungandr Group which has, no less ruthlessly, sought to promote its fiat currency - the Teldrin Thaler - throughout the river ports of the the Red Elwynn and beyond.

Faced by such a dangerous and unpredictable foe, and concerned about wavering morale amongst the Goldshire Regulars, the Royal Government, on the 11th of Araroqpinu 1639, invoked its right under the Martial Code of Shireroth to seek the assistance of Imperial Forces. The Imperial Government had already taken steps to order Leonid Guards based overseas to return to ESB run rendition facilities in Goldshire and Zy-Rodun. Now, with an official invitation, it could act with full force. The situation led inevitably to full blown civil war (1639-1643).

The civil war ended with the Armistice of Airle (Reire the 15th of Nomeziooqu, 1643), the terms of which surprisingly generous, by Shirerithian standards. Rebel leaders were castrated and sent to monasteries. Golems, alchemical artefacts and Gnostic grimoires meanwhile were be destroyed. Beyond this there was a prohibition on reprisals. Imperial Constabulary assumed responsibility for peacekeeping in Goldshire while the crimes of the rebels, as well as of pro-government militias were to be investigated equally by judicially appointed inquisitors.

The civil war saw a revival in the ancient Cedrist religion as well as the reintroduction of various practices such as gladiatorial combat, human sacrifice and the mass enslavement of displaced persons. The various factions on both sides sought to make the war pay for itself by resorting to the plunder of the opposing sides territory. Criminality also dramatically increased with the Mercaja side especially resorting to drugs smuggling, extortion, racketeering and the fraudulent transmutation of base metals into gold and silver in order to fund its operations.

Officially the Royal Government of Goldshire acknowledged 43,770 fatalities as a consequence of the civil war. It has however been suggested that these figures were deliberately underplayed to avoid causing embarrassment to the Alexandrian government during the negotiations leading up to the formation of the Sxiro-Alexandrian-Natopian Entente.

An estimate contained in a report by the ESB Group suggested a death-toll of 8,431,770, several orders of magnitude greater than the official tally. The reason for the disparity laid in the omission from official statistics of the victims of chemical weapons attacks carried out by the Imperial Forces and the death-toll from clean-up operations in Lunaris after the collapse of the organised rebellion. The report and its authors were suppressed and pulped by the Jaysh al-Sathrati on the orders of Queen Noor.

Holwinn and Lunaris felt the effects of the war disproportionately, with advance and retreat of first the Jaysh al-Sathrati and then the Army of the Golden Dawn which caught the civilian populations of those two counties in a desperate maelstrom of violent reprisal, where civilians were targeted as much as, if not more often than, the opposing combatants. 25% of the Lunatic population was killed or died of communicable diseases during the conflict whilst a staggering 41% of the population of the County of Holwinn perished as collateral damage after the Technomaezji unleashed its full arsenal of chemical and biological munitions in an attempt to halt the rebel advance towards Cabbagefall.

It was the scale of this slaughter which convinced Kaiser Dominus to initiate war-crimes trials against the guilty parties of both sides in the civil war. A matter of some embarrassment considering the support that the Imperial Government and the ESB Group had lavished on Queen Noor's private army. By the end of the war however the Jaysh was a broken force, discredited both morally and militarily.

1644, the Year of the Four Kaisers, was a tumultuous moment in Shirerithian History which saw the deposition and murder of Kaiser Dominus, and the emergence of three claimants to the Golden Mango Throne.

The next cycle of wars that began with the Struggle for the South (1649–1651), a series of inter-related disputes and conflicts following the Elwynnese confiscation of Mishalan and the collapse, demotion and or dissolution of the Lich Realms of Lichbrook and Minarboria, ending the dominion of the dead over the lands of southern Benacia. The disputes saw an increase in anti-Elwynnese sentiment and the first semblance of opposition to the Ayreon-Kalirion dynastic succession to the Mango Throne.

The Struggle ended with the restoration of Mishalan, the establishment of the Domain of Malarboria and finally the Auspicious Occasion of 1651. This decree marked the beginning of a systemic purge of Storrish influence in the Imperial Republic. More specifically the expulsion of the House of Ettlingar Freyu and the Church of the Froyalanish Ancient Ways from the Elwynnese Union resulted from a double coup in Shirekeep and Eliria which brought to an abrupt end the Froyalanish hegemony over the Imperial Republic that had begun with the abdication of Prince Jonathan Ayreon-Kalirion in 1623 and the River War of 1635.

King Noah disputed the legality of his expulsion but failed to gain any measure of popular support at home or abroad, with the sole exception of the then Emperor of Natopia, Zakyyr. A complete rupture in the Sxiro-Natopian alliance was averted but Noah remained Natopian foreign minister for a time longer, prompting some awkwardness.

The speed of the collapse of Elwynnese resistance, combined with the success of the Imperial Government in delivering a fait accompli had brought the Auspicious Occasion to a swift and decisive conclusion, greatly limiting the destruction and loss of life endured by the Elwynnese. This contrasted strikingly with previous Imperial interventions in Dietsland, Goldshire, Lichbrook, Minarboria, Puritania and Voltrue over the course of the previous sixteen years.

On the Elwynnese side, the centralising of decision making powers into the hands of the King and his court had meant that once Noah was isolated and unable to maintain open communications the once formidable array of forces at his disposal gave a poor account of themselves, in marked contrast to their performance during the Year of the Four Kaisers seven years previously. The selection and advancement of officers noted for their loyalty to the Crown and love of pomp and pageantry over their professional ability had degraded the quality of command and control and led to a loss of the capacity for displays of individual initiative.

The Imperial Forces meanwhile had continued to expand, rearm and professionalise following the defeats endured in the River War and the Year of the Four Kaisers. The Imperial Army was performing at near the peak of operational readiness it had achieved during an abortive war scare with Jingdao in 1647, and its officers were highly motivated to gain revenge for the slights they had endured from the Elwynnese over the years.

The Imperial Forces were, to be sure, still bedevilled by the perennial problems of a creaking and sclerotic logistics chain as well as a command structure of bewildering complexity. Nonetheless the matter was resolved before these issues could make a decisive negative impact.

The Imperial Marshals had finally proved themselves with their involvement in the capture of Krull Palace. Unfettered by the constraints of the Martial Code they had been free to move assets into the city under the guise of rotating personnel out of the Imperial Legations, without the level of domestic surveillance that Imperial Forces transiting Elwynnese territory routinely had to endure.

Debate continues as to whether the establishment of a new period of dynastic rule constitutes a fourth era. In the past, using a discredited historiography and calendar, as many as seven eras were postulated. However, following the Auspicious Occasion, a more rational approach to historical research has taken hold and the process of investigating and verifying the reigns of the Kaisers of the early era, and indeed the nature of their rule, is ongoing.

One of the most notable attributes of the aftermath of the Auspicious Occasion was the systematic repudiation and destruction of much of what had previously been considered integral to Vanic and Froyalanish iconography. In many regards the Royal Government was obliged to legislate to keep up with the popular anger and the tearing down of Vanic monuments.

The smashing and destruction of the "viking helmet crowns" prominently displayed on all royal crests, proved to be an especially popular pastime amongst the masses.

The sudden fall of the House of Ettlingar Freyu threw into sharp reverse the expansionist policy pursued by Elwynn hitherto. Instead, under the terms of an agreement brokered in Eliria, Elwynnese territory was ceded to the Kingdom of Goldshire, the Dominion of Malarboria and the Imperial Republic itself - so as to form new Imperial Dominions.

The much reduced Elwynn would subsequently go on to cast off the last vestiges of monarchical rule and refound itself as a constitutional republic.

Between 1636 and 1655, between the Wars of the Dark Orchid, the Auspicious Occasion, the Alexandrian Flu, famine, emigration, and the War of Lost Brothers the population of Shireroth fell by 21% to 556 million.