History of Fortuna: Difference between revisions
→Formation of Four States (1791-1857)
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===Rise of City-States (1686-1791)===
===Formation of Four States (1791-1857)===
Beginning in the late 18th century, the archipelago would enter into a period where the many existing states would begin merging with one another. Known as the ''Consolidamento'', it refers to the time period from 1791 to 1860. Through political marriages, conquest, and mutual agreements, the Fortunan states merged and grew their territory.
The ''Consolidamento'' started with the merging of the [[Grand Duchy of Rosa]] and the [[Duchy of Andavega]] in 1971. For the past century, the two duchies were the largest existing states on Ancona and rivaled each other for dominance over the island. This rivalry cumulated into the War of Claritist Succession of 1971 which began with the controversial appointment of Frovadio IV as High Priest of the Church of Clarity. Following his appointment, Frovadio declared the relocation of the Church from Guirta in [[Modelbia]] to the city of Casodua in Andavega. Concluding that it was an attempt by Andavega to gain full control over the Church, Vespero III, the recently appointed Grand Duke of Rosa, invaded Modelbia, imprisoned Frovadio, and put in place Francisco II as High Priest. This action was greatly scrutinized by the Claritist community, eventually leading to Andavega declaring war on Rosa. With the joint forces of Rosa's allies and the strategic leadership of Vespero, the war swiftly came to an end the same year and the entirety of Andavega was annexed into Rosa. With the blessing of the Church, Vespero reformed his territory into the [[Principality of Ancona]].
Nearing the end of his life without an heir, Duke Ferdinand IV of [[Duchy of Larunda|Larunda]] proclaimed in 1795 for Vespero to succeed him. Upon is death in 1800, the whole island of Larunda and holdings in Ancona were inherited by Vespero which would be merged into the Principality.
On the island of Toscani, Prince Ludovico succeeded the throne of [[Principality of Aragena|Aragena]] in 1814. Making his ambitions well known, Ludovico made it his goal to unite the entirety of the island through any means necessary. Not long after coming to power, he voiced his intentions with the reestablishment of Aragena into the [[Principality of Toscani]]. Turning towards the north, the vulpine republics of [[Republic of Ercoste|Ercoste]] and [[Republic of Rirouca|Rirouca]] became Ludovico's first targets of conquest. Over a decade long period of conflict, referred to as the Toscanan Northern Campaigns, Toscani slowly conquered and annexed its two northern neighbors. The first to fall was Ercoste in 1821 with Rirouca not long after, marking the full annexation of North Toscani in 1828. The region would remain unstable for the next few decades, keeping Ludovico focused on suppressing rebellions instead of continuing his conquest of Toscani.
The beginning of the ''Consolidamento'' on Emili started with the eventual merger of [[Grand Duchy of Destino|Destino]] and [[Duchy of Camanes|Camanes]]. A succession conflict was on the horizon in Camanes when Duke Irvo II recognized his nephew, Albern of Portilves, as his heir in 1807, passing over his own daughter, Adelina. Betrayed by this proclamation, Adelina turned to Agapito V, Grand Duke of Destino, for assistance in securing herself as the next successor to the throne. Agapito, seeing an opportunity to further grow his country's influence over Emili, agreed to fully support Adelina when the time came with the condition that if they were successful, she was to marry his son, Augostino, with plans to create a political union between the two duchies. The time arrived quickly with the death of Irvo in 1811, upon which Adelina declared herself the rightful ruler of Camanes. Between 1811 and 1814, Adelina went to war with Albern, sending the entire island into conflict. Adelina in the end became victorious and was officially declared Duchess of Camanes in 1814. Augostino would eventually succeed the throne of Destino in 1818, and as agreed upon, both he and Adelina married in 1820. This also included the union of the two duchies, together forming the [[Principality of Emili]].
With Ancona taking a more aggressive stance against the remaining separated states and growing revolutionary activity, the leadership of [[Viatejo]] looked for alternative options to prevent being conquered by their larger neighbor. In 1824, the magistrate agreed to a union with the [[Mediumese Republic]]. When word of this decision was made public, revolts broke out across the city of Gologma by supporters and sympathizers to Prince Vespero and Ancona. This gave Vespero the opportunity to move his troops across the Viatejonese border with ease as the Republic's leadership was busy dealing with the revolutionaries. As Vespero and his army marched into Gologma, he was greeted with cheers as the magistrate officially surrendered, allowing for Viatejo to be annexed into Ancona.
The next step towards further unity on the island of Emili was through the union of the Principality and city-state of [[Republic of Baronburg|Baronburg]]. A union was favorable to both parties as it opened Emili to an important port that was open to the Codex Pontus, while some benefits for Baronburg included protection and removal of trade restrictions. The main issue came in the form of different political systems. Between 1822 and 1826, Emili and Baronburg focused on adopting and merging similar laws and statutes, along with eliminating any contrasting elements. A major decision that was agreed upon would turn Emili into a constitutional monarchy with a more representative government. In 1833, both states would sign and implement the Statuto Emili which would serve as the Principality's new constitution and officially merge Baronburg into Emili.
Once the rebellions were dealt with in the north, Ludovico turned his attention to the last state that Toscani shared a land border with. Ruled by the powerful Terine family, the [[Duchy of Terine]] existed as a formidable force since its inception following the collapse of the Fortunan Empire and into the 19th century. Not wishing to deal with another long drawn out conflict, Ludovico turned to the other Fortunan principalities for assistance. In 1837, Toscani formed a coalition with Ancona, referred to as the First Fortunan Alliance, with the sole purpose of conquering Terine. Ludovico began his ground offensive the following year while the allied fleet defeated Terine's naval fleet and blockaded its ports. The Terine War lasted for three years and following the successful siege of the city of Terine in 1940, Duke Antoni agreed to the Alliance's terms of surrender. These conditions included the voiding of institutions and statutes within Terine, the merging of its territory into Toscani, emplacement of Toscanan laws, and the lifting of access to the Port of Terine. In return, the Terine family would be allowed to preserve their prestige and continue to rule just the city itself. With the conclusion of this conflict, Toscani was the first island of the three to be fully united. Ludovico would later pass away in 1942 and succeeded by his daughter, Maria I, by then he had already built up a strong centralized system which would keep Toscani united into the 20th century.
The final piece towards a united island for Emili was the [[Grand Duchy of Portilves]] under the rule of Arduino. Augostino and Adelina both knew that a conflict was inevitable if peace on the island was to be achieved. Adelina especially wished to swiftly deal with the Grand Duchy that opposed her rise to power in Camanes. With the recent annexation of Baronburg, it cut off Portilves from the largest port connected to the Codex Pontus and allowed for the Emili rulers to completely surround them. Knowing that a war with Emili would lead to a defeat, dissent began to grow among the nobles of Portilves against Arduino and his recent failures in counteracting the Emilian couple. Revolutionary thought took hold in Portilves and proponents began pushing for unity with Emili. Seeing an opportunity, Augostino and Adelina secretly contacted Portilvian nobles and revolutionaries to further support their efforts in opposing Arduino. In response to growing dissent, Arduino ruthlessly beat down any forms of protest, although this would have the opposite effect and lead further defiance. This would lead to a full on rebellion in 1846 when revolutionary forces overthrew Arduino and welcomed the Emilian couple in his place. For the next year, Augostino and Adelina implemented Emilian law and statutes into the region to fully integrate Portilves into the Principality, and by 1847, the entire island of Emili was united.
The question of Modelbia had always remained an issue for Vespero, and although he was responsible for the appointment of Francisco II as High Priest, he remained unsuccessful in merging the territories of Modelbia into Ancona up to his death in 1852. Prudenzio IV succeeded him the same year and he made it his first goal to fully unite the island and bring Modelbia into the Principality. In 1855, Prudenzio sent an ultimatum to the Church demanding for the recognition of Anconan authority over Modelbia and the city of Guirta. Upon receiving no response, Anconan forces slowly crossed the border without opposition and marched towards the city. Prudenzio hoped to annex Modelbia peacefully as a direct conflict with the Church could lead to backlash from the Claritist community. Upon reaching the walls of Guirta, the Anconan forces sieged the city and for the next week continuously pummeled the walls with cannonade fire. Once the walls were breached, the Guirtan defenders conceded and Anconan troops were allowed to freely march into the city. With the conclusion of the siege and subsequent talks, Modelbia and the city of Guirta were annexed by Ancona. To please the Claritist community, the Church was given autonomy over their holdings.
With the annexation of Modelbia, the Fortunan Archipelago was now under the rule of three principalities in 1855. Altogether, the Aspirian Isles was made up of five states with the three Fortunan principalities, the Mediumese Republic, and the United Provinces of Eridani Theta, a major difference from the fifteen independent states at the start of the 1790s. After over a half century of conflict, the people of Fortuna were ready for peace. To prevent further conflicts between the Aspirian nations, the leadership of the Fortunan states and Eridani Theta agreed to open talks with each other. Starting in April 1860, representatives from the four states met in IFC where for the next month they discussed recognition of each others territorial claims, trade agreements, and a non-aggression pact. Known as the Four States Agreement of 1860, this agreement included the mutual recognition of each other as the legitimate governments of their respective states along with recognizing their recent annexations. Although the Mediumese Republic was not given representation during these talks, their autonomy over the Medium Isles and Sea were recognized and expected to be respected by the four states.
Although generally celebrated as a solution towards peace and an end to the half century long length of conflicts on the Fortunan Archipelago, some criticisms arose such as by the Mediumese government who had concerns with not having a say in the agreement, although they later accepted the terms unanimously in 1862. Other opponents to the agreement were Fortunan revolutionaries and proto-nationalists who advocated for the unity of the entire Fortunan Archipelago and saw the agreement as a hindrance towards this goal. The Principalities in the 19th century perceived this activity as dangerous to the peace and status quo they had just accomplished with the implementation of the agreement. During the late 1800s, revolutionary activities were actively suppressed by the ruling governments although never entirely wiped out. These proponents of Fortunan unification laid the groundwork for nationalistic and expansionistic ideas that took hold in the 20th century.
==Modern Period (1860 to present)==
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