Modern Footballia

This article deals with the history of the Empire between 1256 and 1288 FE, including important events such as the ascendancy of Torm XV, the Reconstruction and Rorçn Secession.

The Reconstruction (1256-1274)

The Early Years (1256-1263)

The Rorçn Secession (1263-1270)

Even as things seemed to be looking up, underneath life was just as bad as it had been at the beginning of the Restoration. The economic boom experienced over the past six years began to slow, and many in the north, especially the Rorçn, began to openly mutter about the tight controls put in place by Torm XIV to help the Empire. On August 7, 1263, the stock market plunged lower than anyone could have imagined, instantly destroying much of the economic progress of the last seven years. The Rorçn took this oppurtunity to declare their independence, establishing the Rorçn Socialist Republic on August 9. The Footballian government, despite the huge economic disaster, refused to recognize the fledgling republic and sent the FNA in to quell the uprising. In response, the Oreter and Boña Territories, as well as Norçx and Rubruç, declared themselves independent, forming the Federal Republic of North Footballia. The Overlord, recognizing the futility of attempting to hold onto the two new republics, opted to recognize both and focus internally for the time being. Authoritarian measures, including temporary transformation to a command economy and increased military production created discontent but brought Footballia out of its depression faster than anyone could have imagined, and by 1267 Footballia was again capitalist and thriving. By this time, the Federal Republic had collapsed into four smaller republics, and the independent states fought nearly constantly, oblivious to the threat of Footballia to the south. In fact, when the FNA arrived in the former Federal Republic, they were greeted joyfully, and few shots needed to be fired to win them back. On March 2, 1268 the FNA marched back into Rorçn. This time, the greeting was less than ecstatic, and Rorçn guerillas and militias tenaciously fought the FNA for every inch gained, in addition to fighting behind the lines. Despite relatively high casualty rates, the FNA had reached the Starblaydi border by the end of April. Total pacification however, would take much longer. Despite numerous bombs and protests, inside and outside of the territory, the Overlord held his ground, refusing to relinquish Imperial hold over the ancient Footballian nemesis. Due to brutal mass reprisals, the resistance was quelled by February of 1270, finally ending the period known as the Rorçn Secession. This is also the point at which the FNA gained its experience in anti-guerilla warfare.

The End of Reconstruction (1270-1274)

After the Rorçn had been subdued, the Empire continued to rebuild, growing even stronger than it had been before the Revolutions, although it was now more democratic, with increased power for Congress and a larger portion of the population eligible to vote.

The Dawning of a New Era (1274-1288)

The mid 1270s saw an increase in military spending and development, including in May of 1276 the beginning of a nuclear weapons program. The program proceeded well, thanks in part to the still booming Footballian economy. When in 1279 Torm XIV died, replaced by his only remaining son Torm XV, the nuclear program was wiped from the budget. Some noticed, however, that various miscellaneous spendings rose around this time. The young vibe of the new Overlord helped galvanize Footballians, and technology began to rapidly develop, including the development of smaller, faster computers. These computers helped contribute to the though of the Imperial Space Agency, officially founded in 1284. With large support from the Overlord, the program boomed, seeing its first major success just ten months later, as the first Footballian satellite was launched into orbit. Its orbit gradually decayed, and it fell and landed in Lake Bekk in 1287. In 1286, the Ombrospak Program brought its first success, succesfully launching and landing the first Footballian in space. Space development has proceeded rapidly in the past two years, with the Empire generally assumed to be capable of placing very large objects into space if it so chose.