History of Tavast-Carelia

Arrival of the Tavastian and Carelian tribes

It is unknown what the original inhabitants of the land today known as Tavast-Carelia were like. What is known is what around the sixth century a more advanced tribe, Tavastians, arrived from the western parts of the continent to the east coast of Alçaera, settled there and opressed and drove away the original inhabitants of the area. During the following century Carelians, a tribe of similar racial and linguistical traits, followed the Tavastians and settled in the inland areas west of the lands inhabitet by Tavastians. Coexistance between the two tribes was not always entirely peaceful, but there were no notable conflicts between the two tribes nor with their neighbours. At this time no centralized ruling system was formed by either tribe. Each village ruled autonomously, although there often were alliances between various villages.

Colonialists from the north: 1300-1556

The first notable change after the arrival of the two tribes took place around the 14th century. A group of exlorers from the nation of Riga (a part of modern Svea Riga) were the first people from Aperin to discover the Alçaeran continent. The Rigans initially made landfall on the northern parts of the continent, but as the years progressed more expoditions were sent southwards, resulting in contact between the Tavastian tribe and the Rigans. The new arrivals found the mild climate of the area more pleasant than the tropical heat of northern Alçaera. Combined with the growing population numbers in Riga this resulted in the first colonial expedition being sent from Svea Riga to Tavastland in 1424.

The story of the Rigas arriving in Tavastland is short and unpleasant. Earlier contact between Rigans and Tavastians had been peaceful, but now the Rigans arrived in large numbers, and armed with superior weaponry. Within a few decades the Rigans had set themselves as the ruling class of Tavastland. The Tavastians themselves were forced to pay heavy taxes to their new overlords, and forced to adopt the religion of their new overlords. In addition to conquering the Tavastland, the Rigans also overtook the islands of Hellas, Isidis and Argyre to ensure shipping to their new colonies went smoothly.

In the early times of Rigan colonialism the Carelians were still free from Rigan rule, but although some unification of the fragmented people took place, the Carelians did not have enough might to oppose the Rigan rule and by the early 16th century Carelia was also a Rigan province. However, the Rigans did not have enough forces to fully control the further-away areas of Carelia and hence many traits and customs that disappeared from the knowledge of the Tavastians still survived amongst the Carelians, including the worship of old Carelian gods.

War of the brothers: 1556-69

In 1556 Gustav Wasa, king of Riga, made his son Johan (somes referred to as John in documents written in Celdonian) the Duke of both Tavastland and Carelia. Four years later king Gustav died. His son Erik inherited the throne as Erik XIV. However his power was not as complete as his fathers, as his brother Johan ruled the Alçaera colonies like a king. After three years of political conflict between the King and the Duke the situation escalated into civil war in 1563 when Erik sentenced Johan to lose his duchies.

Erik was not a popular king, and many Rigans would have rather seen Johan as their ruler. For several years war raged in both the Rigan homeland and the Alçaeran colonies, until the war reached a standstill with Erik controlling the Rigan homeland and Johan controlling Tavastland and Carelia. The vast expanses of Narangath Ocean were too large to send large armies across, and both parties had such a firm grip of their territories that trying to attack with something else than a full force would have been foolishness. In 1569 a peace was signed in Stock Holm in Riga: Johan gave up his claim to the Rigan crown and promised not to interfere with the Rigan politics, and in return Erik granted independence to Johans territories. Hence the Grand Duchy of Tavastland and Carelia was born, and Johan assumend the throne as Juhana I (Juhana being the Tavastian translitteration of Johan).

Early independence and Separation: 1569-1600

After gaining independence for his Grand Duchy Juhana I started making plan for increasing the land are of his nation. Shortly after independence, in 1573, he led a successful war quest to the Carelid Highlands, pushing the nation's border further to the west. This was of little importance as the highlands were scarsely inhabited.

Juhana I's second effort of increading the power of Tavastland and Carelia was targeted on much more important territories: the islands today known as Ecopoeia. There were small Tavast settlements here and there on the islands, and using this as an excuse Juhana I declared the island of Chryse a part of Tavastland and Carelia in 1586, and soldiers were sent to occupy the island. At first things proceeded well, except for a few skirmishes with the locals. Unfortunately for Juhana I, the Mercantile Council of Anhierarch, a notable power in Aperin, had also taken a keen interest on the islands of the Alcaeran Ocean. During the next decade fortunes changed in the war, with the Mercantiles sometimes supporting the locals, sometimes fighting against them as well as the Tavast-Carelians.

In the end Tavast-Carelian soldiers could not hold off the more Mercantiles. In 1599 peace was signed in Dorsa Brevia. Juhana I had to pay heavily for his aggression, as according to the peace terms the entire island of Isidis had to be turned over to the Mercantiles, and war reparations paid to them. The embarrassing end of the war proved to have fatal consequencies for the newly-independent grand duchies. Juhana I had died in 1594 and left the crowns to his son Juhana II. Unlike his father, Juhana II did not enjoy much popularity amongst his subjects, and after losing the war he became even less popular, especially in the provinces of the east coast that were mostly inhabited by Rigan colonialists. In 1600 the "parliament" of Tavastland sentenced Juhana II to lose the crown of Tavastland, and offered the crown to the newly crowned king Carl IX of Riga, who gracefully accepted.

Development and Re-unification: 1600-1719

During the following century Carelia lived in continuous fear of a Rigan invasion. The much-developed Rigan fleet outmatched the Carelian, and with Tavastland as their foothold in the continent, it would have been relatively easy for the Rigans to invade and take over the rest of their former colony. This continuous state of heightened defensive awareness led to Carelia having a large and relatively well-trained army for a nation of it's size. When no Rigan invasion was forthcoming, several Dukes used the troops to increase their territories in the west. In the 1660's Juhana III Kasimir led a successful campaign to the isthmus between Tanking Sound and Lake Ladoga, resulting in most of present-day Tankerton falling under Carelian rule. Three decades later, in the mid-1690's, Juhana IV led a new compaign to the Carelid Highlands, pushing Carelia's western border much further than it is today.

During the 17th century Tavastland and Carelia developed into very different directions. The Carelian areas, as an independent nation, recieved all due attention from their rulers, and developed into a relatively high standard. Tavastland on the other hand was just a faraway colony from the Rigan point of view and as such mostly neglected. With Carelia having developed way past it's eastern twin technologically and economically, Tavastians started looking back at the times when they had been independent with great fondness and desire. As dissatisfaction crew, underground unification movements also gained popularity.

In 1712 a delegation from Tavastland arrived in the court of the newly-crowned Duke Maunu II (whom history knows better as Maunu II Tavast). They told the new Duke of the great oppression and backwardness their homeland suffered under the rule of the Rigans, and pleaded to Duke to liberate the people who were his racial relatives. The Duke accepted, and a plan was set in motion, co-ordinating the affairs between Tavastland's underground rebels and the Carelian army. In early 1713, Carelia declared war on Riga, and Carelian troops started advancing into Rigan territories. Opposition was minimal, in many places the local troopssimply surrendered themselves to Carelian armies, sometimes even downright joined them. By the end of 1715 Carelia controlled all of Tavastland and Maunu II proclaimed himself the Grand Duke of both Tavastland and Carelia. However, war was far from over. The Rigans managed to make a landfall near Waasa a few months later, and it wasn't until 1719 that peace was finally signed, where the Kings of Riga gave up their claim for the crown of Tavastland (as well as Carelia) forever. Following the unification, Maunu II Tavast officially changed the two grand duchies into a single state, The Grand Duchy of Tavast-Carelia.

Between Colonial Powers: 1719-1892

The late 18th century marked the rise of interest towards Alçaera in the neighbouring continent of Aperin and also in nearer notable forces like Guo Leng. Francestan had established the colony of New Paristan to the north of Tavast-Carelia already in the late 15th century. Relations with the Francestani were peaceful in most part. Somewhat later Celdonia in particular was keen to acquire colonies in the continent, which resulted in birth of the Celdonian colony of Hackney. Further up north the Guo Leng were also subjugating areas under their rule. Things started looking very grim for Tavast-Carelia and other independent nations in Alçaera.

This changed in 1789 when a revolution began in Francestan. New Paristan was naturally also affected by this, to such a large degree that in 1790 New Paristan was declared an independent republic. Although the Paristani were suspicious of their monarchically ruled neighbours, in face of the expanding Celdonian influence the two nations soon found they had common interests, and in the year 1800 the Montmartre Accord was signed in Montmartre, establising a mutual defence treaty in which both nations agreed to aid the other if they came under threat by outside forces. The Montmartre Accord proved influential in keeping both nations independent despite the high pressure from different colonial forces.

The fears for Celdonian expansion were proven true as the 19th century progressed as Celdonians were pushing further to the south, until finally in 1826 they held all the inland territories to west of the Accord nations, in effect surrounding Tavast-Carelia, New Paristan and Raissa completely. To save themselves from being swallowed into the Celdonian Empire the Montmartre Accord nations turned to the only other notable presence on the continent, Guo Leng, for support. In 1831 an agreement was signed between the Accord and Guo Leng, and together they declared war on Celdonia. As a result Guo Leng gained control of large areas south of Tavast-Carelia.

During the following decades relations with Guo Leng turned sour, and Tavast-Carelia lost much of it's southern areas in war to Guo Leng, so that the nations southern border was drawn to where it is today.

Democrary and the Civil War: 1892-1918

Throughout the centuries after Tavastland and Carelia gained independence the same representative system was operated in national politics. Every four years (or sometimes less often, depending on the balance of power) the Duke would call together the parliament, consisting of representatives of the nobility, clergy and pheasantry (from the latter group, only those who owned land were allowed to send representatives). In decision-making, each of the three groups had one vote, and often the decision of the parliament was not binding. This all changed in 1892 when Daniel I was crowned the Grand Duke of Tavast-Carelia. His reign marked many important reform in politics, culminating in 1896 in the first free elections. The new political system gave the right to vote to all males (in 1906 women also recieved the right to vote and stand as candidates). During later times the era of Daniel I's rule was remembered as a golden age of Tavast-Carelia. Unfortunately it lasted only 22 years.

In the elections of 1916 the Worker's Party had taken a notable victory, recieving a majority in the parliament. Two years later, in spring 1918, Daniel I died. Even in the democratic system the Duke's charisma had been instrumental in keeping the parties wth different ideologies off each other's throats. A mere month after Daniel I's death the representatives of the rightist Old National Party, and more importantly the new Duke Juhana VII, stormed out of the parliament when the Worker's Party called for a vote on a new constitution that would have made Tavast-Carelia a People's Republic. A few days later civil war between the Red Forces (who considered themselves forces of the legal parliament) and the White Forces (who considered themselves the forces of the legal Duke) began. At the early stages of the war the Reds controlled the more densely southern parts of the nation, while the Whites controlled the northern parts. Unfortunately for the Reds, most of the soldiers of the nation's army chose to side with the Whites. Duke Juhana VII gave control of the army to Warmarshal Mannerheim, who decades later was remembered as 'the White Butcher' amongst the socialist-minded elements of Tavast-Carelia.

To make the long story short, The People's Republic of Tavast-Carelia, formed in May 1918 in Porvoo, fell in December the same year in Aboa. Using the 'rebellion' of the Worker's Party as an excuse Juhana VII forbade all leftist parties in Tavast-Carelia, authorised Mannerheim to execute all surviving red soldiers, along with their wiwes and children, and had a new constitution approved by what was left of the 1916 parliament. This constitution gave the Duke power equal to the parliament, and started a dictatorial regime that lasted through the 20th century.

The goverment of New Paristan was schocked by these atrocities, and immidiately after recieving the news about the atrocities carried out by Mannerheim's troops they decided to dissolve the Montmartre Accord in their part, sealed their border with Tavast-Carelia and withdrew their diplomats from the nation. In secret Paristani guerilla fighters were influental in organizing resistance against the dictatorial rule.

Decades under dictatorship: 1918-1999

After the 1918 civil war Tavast-Carelia became on all accounts a corrupt dictatorship. Due to the weakening of Celdonian presence in the continent Juhana VII thought it was ample time for some retribution for the territories lost during the previous centuries. Already in 1909 Celdonians had withdrawn from the Ecopoeian islands, handing control of the isles over to local oligarchs. Thinking that without Celdonians the Unta would be a little match to Tavast-Carelian forces, Juhana VII declared war on Ecopoeian islands in 1920. His main aim was to re-take Isidis, but undoubtedly conquest of the entire islands flickered in Juhana VII's when he gave the orders to attack.

The Unta however recieved support from an unlikely source: New Paristan, Tavast-Carelia's former ally from the Montmartre Accord sent troops and other aid to the Unta. Officially New Paristan did not declare war on Tavast-Carelia, and fearing a war on two fronts Juhana VII did not dare to attack the former allies either. In the end the Isidis War was disastrous to Tavast-Carelia. The Navy suffered huge losses in the hands of Ecopoeian ships (or Paristani ships flying Unta flags, as some claimed), while in the home front terrorist strikes by local dissidents and Paristani guerilla fighters were increasingly common. These culminated in 1921 in the assassination of warmarshall Mannerheim in the hands of an unknown assassin (there are many theories about the assassination, ranging from a disgruntled lover to a Paristani guerilla fighter). With the leader of the military gone, the morale of the troops sunk like a stone. In the Peace of Oomaja Tavast-Carelia was forced to give up both Hellas and the Argyre islands to the Unta.

The following decades saw very little activity from Tavast-Carelia in international politics, but a lot of economical growth and trade with nations in Alçaera and Aperin. This all ended when Juhana IX took the throne from his demented father Urho I in 1982. Juhana IX had inherited a notable fortune from his predecessors, and he used the funds to gain personal control of industries of his nation. Juhana IX's reign could very well be called an era of Oligarchy in Tavast-Carelia, as he and his closest industry baron allies controlled the parliament. Contact with most foreign nations was cut, except for exports carried out by companies owned by the Duke or his supporters. At this time the arms manufacturing industry was by far the Nation's most notable branch of industry.

Recent times: 1999-

In fall 1999, after a somewhat troubled period in internal politics, Juhana IX was found dead in the Ducal Palace in Porvoo. Mystery surrounds the precise circumstances of his death, rumours persist his son Juhana, who took the throne as Daniel II, actually murdered his father. No truth has been discovered on the subject.

Whatever the cause of Juhana IX's death, his son's ascend to throne proved to be a streak of luck to the people of Tavast-Carelia. Daniel II was adamant in bringing down the opression of his father's reign. Leftist parties were allowed to function again, and after a period of being ruled by a socialist-minded ruling council led by the Duke Tavast-Carelians were again allowed to vote in free elections in 2000. The Leftist Union took a mass victory in the elections, and the new goverment led by Leftist Union's Suvi-Anne Siimes led the nation to economic growth while creating a high standard of civil rights and political freedoms. Later goverments continued on the path laid out by the Siimes goverment, while taking up a more active foreign policy.