Esteira: Difference between revisions

The name "Esteira" is purported to mean "those on the western edge" in the early Esteiran language, referring to the people who lived on the western edge of the Danvreas Plateau. As the indigenous population was pushed west away from their homeland by orc raids, the Esteirans began referring to the territory they lived on as Esteira. After taking back their territory, the Esteirans began calling the entire area "Esteira."

==History==

First existing as a small confederation of the people living near the western edge of the Danvreas Plateau, the confederation was pushed towards the coast due to orcish raids from the east. The confederation ultimately brought other indigenous groups into the fold, eventually beginning to reconquer lost lands starting in 1253. Conflict with orcs occurred until about 1274, when [[The Danvreas|the Danvreas]] closed itself off to all foreigners. With little competition from orc warriors in the east, the Esteiran Confederation was able to re-secure the lowlands leading up to the Danvreas Plateau.

 

Naval raids from neighboring [[Ni-Rao]] pushed the Confederation to unify into the Kingdom of Esteira in 1398, allowed the country to form a navy strong enough to counter the raiders. Military pressure began dropping drastically after centralization, though the country faced political and religious influence from all sides. Even with this influence, the country attempted to maintain neutrality in the region to avoid open conflict with its stronger neighbors.

 

This neutrality extended into the 19th and 20th Centuries, though the country found itself attempting to align closer to [[Asendavia]] through its colony in Vaklori and neighboring Tavaris. With the outbreak of the [[Great War]], the Kingdom of Esteira maintained its neutrality but fell victim to the ensuing depression that followed. King Paulo IV was forced to flee to Vaklori following a popular uprising in mid-1918. [[Esteiran Civil War|Internal conflict]] broke out soon after and continued until late 1919, resulting in a stalemate between the country’s warring factions. To bring an end to the war the country’s various factions signed the Treaty of the Republic, establishing the Republic of Esteira on February 2, 1921.

 

[[Leonardo Menezes]], head of the [[National Liberal Party of Esteira]], was elected to be the country’s first president on March 31, 1921 and took power on May 1, 1921. While the peace was shaky, many within Esteira had hope the republic would last and bring stability to the territory. Menezes would go on to win a second term as president in 1926; he ran for a third term in 1931 election and lost to [[Isac Bastos]]. Bastos was inaugurated on May 1, 1931 and became Esteira’s second president. Esteira’s republic continued successfully for decades, evolving into a two-party system where elections were contested by the right-wing [[Esteiran People's Party]] (PPE) and left-wing National Liberal Party (PLN) with peaceful transfers of power occurring between the two.

 

The country began experiencing {{wp|democratic backsliding}} in the early 1990s with the election of populist strongman [[Luis Souza]], a high ranking member of the PPE. His [[1996 Esteiran presidential election|reelection in 1996]] was marred with claims of voter fraud, intimidation, and a marked increase in political violence. Souza’s time in office saw the weakening of the [[Constitutional Court of Esteira|Constitutional Court]], attacks on journalists and media Souza perceived as “anti-Esteira,” and the weakening of civil liberties nationwide. Terrorist attacks by “internal enemies of the state” became relatively common in the 1990s, which prompted several states of emergency and the creation of special powers by the [[National People’s Assembly of Esteira|National People's Assembly]] to give Souza nearly unchecked power during these states of emergency. Souza [[2001 Esteiran presidential election|won a third term in 2001]] with 82% of the vote in an election many international observers described as "totally fraudulent."

 

On April 3, 2002, a blast occurred at the Esteiran People's Party headquarters in Porto Verde which killed 12. Over the next hour, PPE representatives were targeted across the country for assassination. In total, eight were killed and 13 were wounded in coordinated attacks. Souza and the PPE claimed the attacks were committed by left-wing terrorists sympathetic to the National Liberal Party though these claims went unsubstantiated. The morning of April 4, the [[Esteiran National Police]] arrested PLN leadership and locked the country’s opposition parties out of an emergency session of the National People’s Assembly.

 

 

A low-intensity conflict against left-wing guerillas has been ongoing since 2003, with much of the fighting centered on Amarpa Department.

==Geography==