The Federal Republic of Sordland

Federal Republic of Sordland

The Federal Republic of Sordland, commonly known as Sordland, is a country consisting of multiple states in Eastern Merkopa. It is compromised of the states of Holsord, Gruni, Lorren, Gelsland, Bergia, Nargis, Agnland, Rumland and Agnol. It shares a land border with the Socialist Republic of Wehlen, the Republic of Lespia and the Kingdom of Rumburg. It shares a sea border with the Democratic Republic of Valgsland and the Arcasian Forces Heljiland, the Arcasian Naval Forces that occupy Heljiland (and its nuclear weapons) after Sordland's unification with Agnolia in 2000.

Sordland is a Parliamentary Federation, with the Grand National Assembly acting as the legislative parliament, the Prime Minister being the formal head of the nation though the Governors of the states do wield power over the Executive. It's Capital (and largest) City is Holsord, with a metropolitan population of around 11 million. Sordland has a population of approximately 80 million, in line with the last census made in 2020. Other important cities include Lachaven, Sarsord (previously named Tsarborough), Staalport, Deyr and Conriat. Each state has its own legislation, but Federal legislation (which overrules state legislation) exists in an extensive way, in effect making the country an effective Unitary state with administrative regions.

The modern borders of Sordland have evolved to be the way they are today from a combination of tribal migrations, cultural seccessions, annexations (such as the Annexation of Sarsord in the Great Rumburg War of 1954) and unifications (such as the unification with Agnland in 2000). The state of Bergia is claimed by the Democratic Republic of Wehlen, the region of Agnland and Agnol both have Agnolian seccession movements and Rumland is claimed by the Kingdom of Rumburg. These territorial disputes have caused a lot of tension, and Sordland's international relations are strained due to these claims.

Sordland has the world's 5th largest economy, behind Arcasia, United Contanta, Lespia, and Valgasland. It has a GDP of 1.6 trillion Sordish Ren and a GDP per-capita of 20,000 Ren. It is a highly-developed MEDC (More economically developed countries) with a Human Development Index score of 0.89. It has the most successful education system in the world and a top-10 health system, though their crime rate is higher and its life expectancy is lower than other countries at the same level of development. It is a member of the OMEC (the Organisation for Merkopan Economic Development) and a permenant member of the Alliance of Nations. It wields Nuclear Weapons after enrichment factories were captured and kept online during the Great Rumburg War.

The Federal Republic of Sordland is a member of the Merkopan Economic Security Union, the Great 10, the Alliance of Nations and the Non-Aligned Movement. It was an observer state of the ATO, but a referendum was held in early 2012 to officially leave the Pact and join the Non-Aligned Movement. Since then, it has joined the International Cooperation Deal with Arcasia and become an Unaffiliated Observer State of the CSP.

Etymology

Previously, the land that Sordland currently inhabits was ruled by a tribal empire, called the Markian Empire. It went to war with the ethnic Rums and Lespians who once lived in the area, securing dominance for the Marks.

When the Markian Empire collapsed, most of the countries that border Sordland that exist today were created. This collapse caused the collapse of the dominance of the Wehzek and Mark people in the area, and the creation of the Renan Aristocracy, or Renan.

The name Sordland (Literally, 'Land of the Sords') came into common use during the rule of the Renan Aristocracy, which promoted the growth and prosperity of the Sordish culture, eventually leading to the naming of Renan informally as Sordland.

During the War of the Dying Roses, Sordland and Agonlia formed a union, sometimes called the Agnolian-Sordish Commonwealth.

During the Cutthroat War, also known as the Subzero War or more informally the Cold War, Sordland was split in a constant civil war between the West, the states of Agnland, Bergia, Gelsord, and the East, the states of Holsord, Lorren and Gruni. The Democratic Republic of Sordland was the official name of the Western states, though it was informally called Socialist Sordland. The East was officially called the Federation of Sordish States, informally known as Republican Sordland.

In the late 1980's, the two Sordlands united to form the Federal Republic of Sordland, which is what it is named today.

History

Migratory Period

Originally, the lands of Eastern Merkopa were inhabited by Rums and Lespians, who had lived there for as far as record goes back. However, from the 4th to 7th century, the Migratory Period brought Marks, Sords, Valgs and Agnos to the region from the North. It is not fully known, but it is predicted that this migration began because of a global dip in average temperatures, sparking widespread famines in Northern Merkopa. The subsequent panic and movements caused the collapse of the Ruman Empire, led by the Rums, and the setup for the rise of the Markian Empire.

By 1069, Khan Ungur dominated Eastern Merkopa under the Markian Empire. This was achieved through decades of fighting with the other local tribes and defending against the Rums, who had fled North to escape the violent raids of the migratory tribes. The Valgs, who were once close friends with the Marks, fled across the Markian Sea to fertile lands where they launched destructive raids and invasions for centuries.

Markian Empire

The Markian Empire, which was a loose collection of tribes that paid allegiance to the Khan, accepted most cultures in their borders and did not prefer one over the other. This didn't mean that cultures outside of the Empire were accepted, though, and soon Marks, Sords and Agnos were occupying and inhabiting villages and towns that were historically Lespian and Rum. This sparked the Lespains to build fortifications, castles and inundation lines in defense against raids. This effectively marked the beginning of the Feudal Era, as borders were drawn along fort lines and powerful nobles were granted permission by the Emperor to rule and administer land for them, creating a feudal system across Eastern Merkopa.

Eventually, the Markian Empire collapsed after the death of Emperor Turuk in 1599. The Reczniek family, who were ethnically Wehzek, overthrew the Marks and tried to wrangle the Markian Empire for themselves, to no avail. The civil war that ensued after the seizure split the Empire apart into many of the modern countries we know today. The Rums in the North, living in the Kingdom of Rumburg, stopped paying tribute to the Empire and effectively broke free of Markian influence. In the next year, Agnolia broke free and declared themselves as an independent Kingdom. The Valgs, living across the Markian Sea in the Kingdom of Valgos, seized islands and ports across Eastern Merkopa over the decades after the Markian collapse, propelling them into being classified as a thalassocracy. As time went on, more and more regions of the Empire broke free and multiple more countries split away. By the time the Markian army had started to march on the breakaway states, Rumburg had already declared war in the War of the Dying Roses, a bloody and destructive war that lasted for 20 years and resulted in a stalemate.

The Renan Aristocracy

Through all of this, the Mark culture was beginning to lose its dominance over the Empire as the Reczniek rulers promoted the Wehzek culture in a region where their presence was little to none, only causing more tension between the ethnicities. In the chaos, the Sords, long ignored by the other tribes as the 'average one', started to gain power at full-speed, gathering wealth and influence channelled mainly towards the Renan family, who fought for Sordish rights. By the time the Reczniek family fled to the West, where the Wezheks lived, the Renan dynasty was the most powerful family in Eastern Merkopa. A coup was launched, and the patriarch of the family, Albrecht Renan, crowned himself 'King of Renan', or, more informally, 'King of Sordland'.

The Renan Aristocracy, really just the name for the lands ruled or administered by the Renan family, was one of the most powerful countries on Earth at the time. The GDP skyrocketed, whilst living standards increased, benefits were established and laws restricting the exploitation of the common people became commonplace. However, Rumburg, now the Arch-rivals of Renan, looked on in seething anger and jealousy at their Southern neighbour's riches. They declared war on Renan, which initially collapsed under the pressure of the Rumburgian Army, and burnt down and pillaged villages and towns across the North of the country. When Albrecht Renan married the Agnolian Queen Lenna, the Agnolian-Sordish Commonwealth was formed as a personal-union monarchy that was effectively one country. Together, they beat back Rumburg and provided each other with as much as they needed, co-improving their economies, populations, development and wealth. By the time Queen Lenna died and the Commonwealth split, both Sordland and Agnolia were two of the most highly developed nations in the world. However, the Agnolian Civil War caused unfixable damage, and Renan stormed ahead of Agnolia in terms of overall power, especially thanks to the Governor of Agnland, who demanded to remain in Renan.

The Kingdom of Sordland

In 1833, the Century of Revolutions finally reached Renan, where Sordish nationalists and Republicans launched a revolution against the Renan Aristocracy. They claimed that Bludish and Wehzek traders were hoarding wealth from the Sordish people and that the Renan family were holding them back. By the time the revolution had finished, a claimant to the Markian throne had appeared- King Egmund was crowned as 'King of the Sords' soon after, and the entire Renan bloodline was massacred, effectively consolidating Sordish control over Sordland. Thus began the centuries-long suppression and discrimination against ethnic minorities like Bluds and Wehzeks, who are still discriminated against today.

Under King Egmund, the capital was changed to Hol, which was renamed to Holsord and the region of Bergia was captured from Wehlen. The economy of Sordland grew, and the standard of living steadily increased, but part of this is usually credited to the technological and industrial revolutions of the era. The Bludish people were treated with disrespect and cruelty, while the Agnolian minorities were accepted enough for the culture 'Agno-Sordish' to form- a union of Agno and Sord, granting the Agno people in Sordland even more rights.

The 15-Day War was launched by Rumburg, another war for the history books, which resulted in a stalemate between both sides once again. In order to pay for the massive expenses the war had incurred, King Egmund seized every asset that the Renan family had owned before their executions and abolished the welfare programmes established by the Renan Aristocracy. This resulted in the Great Social Riots, a series of protests, riots and local rebellions that culminated in the largest single protest in Sordish history in Holsord, named the Holsord Mutiny.

In the aftermath of the Holsord Mutiny, Artur S. Wisci, a famed Republican (anti-monarchist) left-wing politician and close advisor to the King, organised a large-scale revolt against the Monarchy. This eventually led to the overthrowing of the Monarchy, the exile of the Sordish Royal Family and the establishment of a Presidential Republic.

The Republic of Sordland

On 9th September 1923, Sordland officially became a Presidential Republic. Artur Wisci was elected as the First President of Sordland, who introduced many reforms to the ailing country. These included the separation of the Church and State, the establishment of the Balance of Powers and the transition to a democratic, elective system. He also introduced many left-wing reforms and sidelined the economy in the aftermath of the Republican Revolution, placating the people and securing the popularity of the Republic. These programmes did lead to the Minor Recession, a small dip in the Sordish economy around 1925 as overspending threw Sordland into a debt crisis. Quickly solved by the fair hand of Wisci, the deficit was cut by introducing further taxes on higher-income people and cutting some overextended social programmes. Even though this did cause minor unrest, the effects were mitigated by the subsequent drop in inflation and rise in wages. The Sordish economy quickly recovered.

The Sordish Civil War

In 1927, ahead of the first official elections, General Luderin, who harboured far-right/ fascist sympathies and beliefs, launched a coup with the support of his part of the Army. His coup succeeded, and Wisci was arrested and put in prison for life with no parole, as Luderin thought that executing him would cause too much unrest in the people. By 1928, Sordland was plunged into the Sordish Civil War as the Communist General Rikard launched a coup against Luderin. After only one year, General Tarquin Soll used the divisions in his army to intervene in the Civil War. By this time, both Luderin and Rikard's forces were exhausted, and Soll quickly surrounded both of them and forced their surrender.

The (Second) Republic of Sordland

In 1929, General Soll crowned himself the Second President of Sordland, writing an authoritarian constitution and forming the United Sordland Party, which was conservative socially but state-leaning economically. He introduced many reforms to the country, including the establishment of the Universal Health Service and the Sordish Department of Education, which provided education to all citizens. The popularity of Soll was sky-high through his reign, though as he grew older and his grip on Merkopa and Sordland loosened, the people began losing faith in him. When the Izzam Massacre occurred, President Soll's popularity fell off a cliff and caused a political crisis in Sordland. He ruled Sordland from 1929 to 1949, a period of 20 years, in which Sordland grew to become a regional power to rival Rumburg and Valgasland. However, the political crisis led to his loss in the USP primaries, his resignation as leader of the party and Ewald Alphonso's Presidency in 1949. During Alphonso's rule, the Sordish economy went through anti-state capitalist reforms, where companies and services owned by the Sordish government were privatised at break-neck speeds. Widely considered to be part of the reason why the Recession of '51 happened (the other reason being the interference of the now-defunct Old Guard), he was highly unpopular with the people and lost to Anton Rayne in 1954, a new candidate in the Sordish political scene. Elected in the midst of an economic crisis, high foreign tensions and huge national unrest, President Rayne used a fresh vision to calm the nation. During his rule, he just about managed to pass constitutional reforms that granted more privileges to the Grand National Assembly, taking powers away from the President and breaking free of the chokehold that the Sordish Supreme Court held over the government.

The Great Rumburg War

In 1957, Rumburg declared war on Sordland once again. Due to a negotiated alliance with Agnolia, the line at Dome was held while Sarsord (then called Tsarborough) was captured in a lightning maneuver. After digging in to wait for the summer, Sordish forces took heavy casualties due to the use of chemical weapons in the trenches. After the Agnolian line caused a breakthrough and the capture of Dome, Rayne ordered a general advance to Thornborough, which was successfully taken by the summer of 1957. This absolute victory caused the annexation of Sarsord and the Agnolian re-annexation of Dome.

The Cutthroat War

From a time period of 1960-1993, the world was locked between the two superpowers, Arcasia and United Contanta, in the Cutthroat War, also known as the Subzero War or the Cold War. President Rayne won a second term, his last available one since he introduced a limit of 2 terms in his constitution. His victory propelled Sordland into the Sordish Golden Era, where the economy skyrocketed, the military prospered and the people rejoiced as their living standards steadily increased year after year. According to Anton Rayne himself, "The most important thing to me was the wellbeing of my people." Though the East looked at Sordland with distaste, they grudgingly agreed to support it after Arcasia offered their support, sparking the 1962 Political Crisis.

The 1962 Political Crisis

The 1962 Political Crisis was sparked by the offering of economic and military support from both Arcasia and United Contanta. The Government of Sordland, long divided between the left-wing and the right-wing, argued and bickered for weeks about which offer to take. President Rayne, tiring of the arguing and the issues it was causing Sordland, accepted aid from both countries. His cabinet was shook with resignations, including the resignation of Health Minister Paskal Beniwoll, the Minister of Agricultural and Rural Development Gus Manager, and the eventual arrest of the Minister of the Interior, Lileas Graf, for the assassination of Bernard Circas, a famed communist poet.

The Wehzek War

In 1963, Wehlen fell into a civil with the untimely death of their Communist President, Wiktor Smolak, in a Rumburgian-led assassination. President Rayne, worried about the economic and social impacts of the war, sent the Sordish Armed Forces into Wehlen to intervene in favour of the pro-Arcasian rebels. This intervention sparked fury in the CSP and United Contanta, leading Sordland to join the Arcasian Treaty Organisation, or the ATO.

References

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