History of Whyatica

Prehistoric

The beginnings of the land now called Whyatica have been traced back to numerous cave-based communities in the mountain range in between Velkya and Whyatica. However, archaelogical records are sketchy of these times, and do not adequately document the expansion of Whyatican society from these mountains east to the current borders. What is known, however, is that the language today called Whyatikans was first witnessed in written form in early drawings on the sides of these caves, and that the early Whyaticans appeared to be a hunter-gatherer society. Evidence of small-scale warfare between Whyatican and Velkyan prehistoric tribes was recently found within the mountain caves, a written history of several battles found etched into stone. It was found that several tribes united into large alliances, on both sides of the mountains, and fought over valuable farmland and mineral deposits.

Classical Age

In approximately 1,100 B.C.E, the city-state of Legrácio was formed in the western edge of Whyatica, formed of the collaboration of several formerly warring tribes, towns, and small cities. The city itself formed as a bulwark against barbarian aggression from the east and from the mountains to the west, Legrácio became a premier military power in the western provinces and began to dominate large swaths of land, conquering several Whyatican tribes as well as making several forays across the mountain range.

The hegemony of Legrácio would soon be challenged by a rising new state in the centre of the continent, Miana. In numerous battles in the plains of what is today called Spectára province, Mianan troops soundly defeated the Legrácians, adding the cities in Spectára to the growing Mianan dominance. Around this time the concept of the Whyatican people was born from a philosopher in Miana - All peoples east of the mountains were one and the same people, and should be unified under one Whyatican government for all Whyaticans. The word Whyatica was an amalgam from two ancient Whyatikans words - "Whyát" meaning "World" as the ancient people knew it, "ica" signifying "of the", so Whyática [later the accent was dropped from common usage] meant literally translated, "Of the world", or in modern Whyatikans, "People of the world".

The Battle of Legrácio

Four field armies from Miana had ravaged the lands of Legrácio for approximately thirteen months of warfare, with the city today called Idolára being sacked, it's garrison of nearly 90,000 elite Legracian soldiers decimated. With the loss of Idolára, Legrácio itself had nothing in between itself and the armies of Miana. Lord Atreides of Legrácio had a resolve to defend his home city, and successfully raised nearly three hundred thousand fighting men in a last ditch defense effort twenty miles outside of Legrácio. Combined, the four field armies of Miana had approximately 230,000 fighting men, many of which had been on the march constantly and fighting for much of that time.

Lord Atreides massed his armies in six main army groups, fifty thousand men to an army. His elite infantry corps had been severely depleted in the battles of Idolára and the larger field battles across Spectára province, so each army group had comparitively few heavy infantry compared to a much larger weight of skirmishers, light infantry, and light cavalry. High General Ambrix had arranged his army into four army groups of approximately 60,000 soldiers apiece, all threatening the main line of Legracian soldiers.

Atreides right flank was comprised primarily of peasant conscripts - men given pitchforks or other pointy objects, some leather armour, and pressed into the field. Their rank was held by a commissar that killed all those attempting to retreat, and their morale was not high. Ambrix's front line of spearmen formed into a Greek-style phalanx, with overlapping shields and outstretched spears creating a spear wall that the mainly peasant levies could not match. They closed the distance quickly, and the weak right flank of Atreides' army shattered, routing with many of their number killed or captured. The Mianan cavalry corps and one army group circled around the broken flank and encircled the center of the Legrácian army, pushing the remaining third out of the encirclement, which retreated.

With the loss of 200,000 soldiers, the Legrácians had nothing to stop the Mianan advance to Legrácio, which fell in a relatively short five day siege.

Medieval Age

With Mianan hegemony over the western and centre of the continent, the Mianans declared a unified Whyatican Empire in C.E. 310. Every major city-state in the western half of the continent was under Mianan control, with the only resistance remaining being Eastern barbarian tribes and occasional raids from across the mountains. The first Emperor, the fiftieth King of Miana, Emperor Stephanus Whyatica I, born of Mianan descent in C.E. 283, became known as one of the strongest Emperors Whyatica has ever been ruled by. The Empire prospered, and the barbarian tribes of the East fell one-by-one under Stephanus' Great Crusades. The modern province of Moneo was captured in the Battle of Moneo Stronghold in C.E. 355. As well, Venture Island and Caladan Island were captured in C.E. 363, fighting against Velkyan soldiers as well as indigent people.

First Whyatican Civil War

The Whyatican Empire may have stretched from mountains to coast, but it was not without it's internal problems. The great distance between Miana and Legrácio caused insurrections in that province approximately every 3 years, with Imperial troops putting the insurrection down relatively quickly every single time. However, in C.E. 493, the Legrácian revolution inspired a similar revolution in Spectára and Moneo provinces, stretching available Imperial forces to the limit in every region of the nation. Although the revolt was put down in the major cities of Moneo, Imperial authority had been sufficiently weakened that it was unlikely Emperor Leonard III could maintain his rule. Legrácian rebels nearly forced Imperial troops out of their home city, as well as laying siege to four major fortresses in their province. Streís Castle was the site of a major battle between an Imperial brigade and Legrácian rebels. The Imperial troops were outnumbered 100 to 1 in the beginning of the fighting, however, with the superior morale of the skilled Imperial swordsmen and archers, rebel casualties were horrific and they withdrew after a two day slaughter.

Emperor Leonard III began a large-scale conscription action from all corners of the Empire, even going as far as to hire mercenaries from Velkyan kingdoms across the mountains to assist in putting down the revolt. Legrácio - and the majority of it's citizenry - were burned, putting the fear of the Whyatican Emperor in the Legrácians and all others that may rebel.

Second Whyatican Civil War/War of Succession

With the death of Emperor Gregory II in C.E. 634 without an heir, three claimants to the throne emerged from the woodwork. His cousin, Prince Drake was the first claimant to the throne, and he had the support of large numbers of the commoners. A noblewoman from Moneo claimed her son was fathered by Gregory II as an illegitimate son, which would give him rights to the throne under a regency until he came of age. The third and final claimant was Prince Drake's father, the uncle to Gregory II. Each claimant gathered large peasant conscript armies from the people that followed them, their armies clashing outside of Miana several times in an attempt to seize the Imperial Palace and install themself on the throne. After two years of warfare, Prince Drake's army decisively defeated his father's in The Battle of the Rose Plains, and his troops triumphantly marched back to the Imperial Palace. In C.E. 636, he crowned himself Emperor Draco I, beginning The Reign of the Tyrants.

Renaissance

After approximately 135 years of rule under Emperor Draco I's tyrannical descendants, Emperor Stephanus IV was assassinated by a member of a group that supported the reign of Gregory II and his predescessors. Stephanus IV's son, a mere 3 years of age at the time, was immediately placed in a Regency, raised believing in the sovereignty of the individual. On his 18th birthday in C.E. 790, he ascended to the throne as Emperor Gregory V, and he began a cultural revolution. Gregory V was a patron of the arts, and Whyatican culture flourished as the economy continued to grow with the invention of several new machines that brought more wealth to the common man.

Early Modern

In C.E. 1431, three thousand Whyatican Imperial Marines landed on the Barkozian continent, driving off the native tribes quickly and establishing a colonial city. The city was continually under assault from Barkozian militias, and after fifty years of Whyatican rule and continuous Barkozian attacks, the colony was abandoned and burned to the ground, the majority of it's inhabitants returning to the mainland. Those that did not, however, integrated themselves into Barkozian culture, bringing knowledge of Whyatican industry and weapons technology with them.

Widespread industrial development took place during this period, the first water-wheel turbines being put into use in C.E. 1563. Capitalism as a philosophy began to take hold, with powerful merchants encouraging the economic change in Whyatican society. The upper class grew larger than it had in previous centuries as capitalism made others rich, while the under class stayed mostly the same. A brand new middle class of tradesmen emerged, adding fuel to the capitalistic fire.

Industrial Revolution

This period was a time of unprecedented economic growth for the Whyatican Empire - GDP growth rate hit approximately 19% for a time, with new factories and businesses setting up shop seemingly every day. During this period, the colony known as Whyatican Arabia was purchased for the modern equivalent of 1 trillion credits, making the Whyatican Empire self-sufficient in terms of oil and other raw materials. The Whyatican military underwent massive growth and modernization at this period in time, becoming one of the first-rate powers of Northeast Haven.

In the early period of the Industrial Revolution, a pro-democracy movement gained massive amounts of power, prompting the Emperor of the time to permit elections, changing the official name of the nation to The Imperial Democracy of Whyatica.

Modern Whyatica

The early 20th century was wrought with problems for the new democracy, as a socialist movement took over control of the Parliament and began their series of programs known as the "Square Deal", nationalising the oil industry and raising taxes to give a much broader social welfare arrangement to citizens. Unemployment benefits were provided, education was subsidized, and health care was in the throes of this process. However, the rich and middle class did not care for this - they were paying a disproportionate amount of the tax and receiving less of the benefits, and in the 1914 elections, the Socialist Party was ousted in favour of the Libertarian Party, which rolled back the Square Deal.

A massive depression hit the Whyatican economy in approximately 1931, the cause of which is still debated in Whyatican economic schools today. 19% of the population lost their jobs, and the reigning Emperor at the time, Emperor Leto X was threatened with Communist revolution. In fact, in 1933, a Communist group threatened to march on the Imperial Palace and demand the abdication of the Emperor. In the 1934 elections, the Communist Party and the Socialist Party formed a coalition government and ousted the ruling Libertarians, instituting their own policies of social reform that put millions back to work in 'make-work' jobs, not really helping the economy but inspiring confidence. The ComSoc coalition ruled the Whyatican legislative branch until 1940, when a series of scandals within the ComSoc coalition split them, allowing a vote of no confidence to destroy the ruling government. The Libertarian Party took back over as the majority party in the 1942 elections.

Again, the socialistic policies of the ComSoc coalition was rolled back by the empowered Libertarian Party. The first Whyatican nuclear weapon was detonated in this period, in an Arabian desert in the summer of 1941. This prompted a massive nuclear buildup in the Whyatican Empire, which caused protests from environmental groups.

Intervention in the Skyian Wars

In the continent and nation now known as The Silver Sky, several warring factions had kept the continent from prospering and uniting. Growing unrest over the stagnating economy forced the Emperor and the Libertarian Party to act - Prime Minister Cab Calloway suggested in a closed-door meeting with Emperor Leto for 'an intervention in Sky', a war to distract the people. The Emperor, the next day, declared his support for the Republic of the Silver Sky, and deployed five infantry divisions and three hundred of the Imperial Navy's best ships to the region. The first clashes between the Communist faction and Imperial naval ships ended in complete victory, routing two flotillas of Communist ships, permitting a Whyatican marine division to land on the Skyian continent and capture much territory.

An island chain on the outskirts of the continent was targetted next, and the Communists again fell to the superior Whyatican military. In the areas of The Silver Sky that were occupied by Whyatican troops, the Whyatican language is still commonly spoken and the impact of Whyatican culture on the area was significant. Final sovereignty over the peninsula area was handed over two years after the conclusion of the war, and the island chain was handed over three years after that.

The victories of the Skyian Wars had imbibed the Whyatican people with a newfound sense of confidence that would carry them well into the twentieth century, as industry continued to boom and Whyatican Empire land grew constantly.

Intervention in the Endorsian Citizen's Revolution

Immediately following the victories of the Skyian Wars, the Whyatican armed forces, riding on the coattails of the win, began searching for another area to flex Whyatican military muscle. In the late twentieth century, a rebellion in the nation of No Endorse, led by the brothers John, Gale, and Atal Amner, was in a precarious position, threatening the government yet on the verge of destruction itself. The Whyatican government, sensing an opportunity for business, pledged it's support to the Amner brothers and deployed three naval carrier battlegroups and the 2nd Army to the region.

A short naval engagement against the Endorsian government's naval force ended in the Whyaticans, although effectively losing a fleet carrier, with naval superiority and the ability to land the 2nd Army. Whyatican marines landed at four beaches on the Endorsian north coast - Alpha, Beta, Gamma, and Delta. The landing at Alpha Beach, although with horrifying casualties, allowed the marines to break out of the beachhead and establish a base. The advance at Beta was completely annihilated, with six thousand Whyatican marines lying dead on the beach. An elite Endorsian unit had been placed on the shore defenses the day prior to the attack, and the presence of the defenses combined with the lack of air cover made the landing a disaster. Gamma and Delta beaches were both comparitively undefended, and the advance forced the Beta Beach garrison to retreat or risk being encircled.

Endorsian civilians loyal to the Amner brothers rose up when they heard the news of the Whyatican landing, forcing government forces in several northern cities to retreat. The Whyatican military captured several northern Endorsian cities without much of a fight, sending government forces on the run. These victories came with a cost, however, and that was thirteen thousand Whyatican dead just through the advance in the northern areas. Prime Ministress Burke abdicated her position and ran to a foreign country in exile, and Gale Amner assumed the Prime Ministership. Whyatican military support was crucial in those first few months after Gale Amner grabbed power, with the Whyaticans destroying former government support in the southern areas of No Endorse.

By intervening in the Endorsian Citizen's Revolution, Whyatica, as well as showing her military muscle, gained itself a permanent ally in Gale Amner and later the administration of Atal Amner. Billions of credits went to the reconstruction, Whyatican businesses setting up shop in No Endorse. This spurred new economic growth, bringing it out of it's former stagnation. Six months after the conclusion of the revolution, the Whyatican Empire handed sovereignty of the northern territories over to Gale Amner's government, and all Whyatican forces left one year after the conclusion of the revolution.

Last Good War

With the rise of the Sovereign League to power, the Whyatican Empire immediately joined, Parliament passing the act by an overwhelming margin, joining her neighbor of Velkya in the League, as well as some of the preeminent powers of the time, such as Questaria. However, the group of Sovereign League nations immediately found themselves opposed to the CAD group, which was ideologically opposed to the Sovereign League. This growing hostility between CAD and the Sovereign League culminated in the Last Good War, a destructive battle of ideologies.

After the Questarian attack on a Doomani port, the Whyatican Empire pledged it's support to the Sovereign League, and immediately deployed III Corps to Southern Aralonia, which was threatened by a newly-established Generian colony. Three months after the official outbreak of hostilities, at least two million Generian soldiers flooded across the heavily armed border, breaching the initial positions in a matter of days while the Corps scrambled to mobilize and slow down the threat. It was rapidly realized that the forces in Southern Aralonia could not hold back the advance, and III Corps staged a fighting retreat, killing at least one hundred thousand Generian soldiers during the retreat back to an Aralonian port, where they were evacuated by a Whyatican fleet.

Immediately after the humiliating defeat in Southern Aralonia, two army groups were moved to Northern Aralonia in the preparation for the continued Generian assault there. Whyatican naval units continued to contest superiority in the area against Generian naval units, generally holding it to a naval stalemate. The Battle of the Aralonian Straits continued to be largely a stalemate until the Generian Navy brought in a much larger force to secure the strait and begin the next phase against Northern Aralonia.