Sithya
23-05-2006, 09:18
In 1640, the HMS Capability, captained by the great English sailor, William Merriweather, was blown off course en route to the Carribean by a hurricane. The storm damaged the rudder and sails, and thus the ship was forced to go wherever the wind and tide would take it. After nearly 2 months of listless wandering, the ship finally caught sight of land, a large island 150 miles south of the tip of South America.
The first sight was of a forbidding mountain, ringed by hardwood forests.
The ship washed ashore, and Merriweather, trying to make the trip not a complete loss, claimed the land in the name of King Charles I. When coming up with a name for the island, the name "Sithya" was chosen at the suggestion of Merriweather's Irish sailors, as "Sith" means "gust" in Gaelic, and as it was the winds of fate that brought them there.
The land itself was fairly barren, reminding the crew of Northern Scotland. Yet, there was potential. Merriweather wrote in his log:
"This could be an excellent outpost for His Majesty's Southern Empire. With the addition of Sithya to his possessions, he can say his dominions reacheth to the farthest points of the globe."
In spite of this, none of Merriweather's crew wished to remain when his ship was repaired. King Charles I was pleased by the addition of Sithya to his domains, but sent no further expeditions.
This changed after the English Civil War and the execution of Charles I. Oliver Cromwell, as Lord Protector, was interested in the potential of Sithya, and dispatched a small group of colonists to the island. He wrote in his diary:
"I have sent a company of colonists, noted for their piety, to this distant island, to do the Lord's work of civilising the barbaric wilderness in the name of our Commonwealth."
These colonists were extremely religious Puritans, who accepted being sent to such distant and isolated lands as God's will. Upon arrival, they did not despair at seeing the landscape, nor were they overly concerned with the fact that there so few indigenous animals, except for the rare Sithyan jackal. They set to work, and began by building the port town of Draven. The town was intended to be a supply depot for any English ships in the area.
Draven began to prosper, once extensive fishing was discovered. The supplies of cod and tuna were plentiful, and there were ready markets in Europe for their goods.
Meanwhile, the Republican regime in England collapsed and Charles II was restored. Sithya was an escape route for many of Cromwell's supporters: its distance meant that that it would be difficult for the King's arm to reach out and harm them there. A further influx of immigrants arrived from Sweden and the Netherlands, attracted by the economic potential of the fishing grounds.
Draven became a city, then Sithya added two more towns; however, in spite of plentiful fish and potato crops, there was a concern that there was not enough land mass to support the influx. Explorations around Sithya led to the discovery of other islands of interest, forming the Sithya Archipelago.
The Second Anglo-Dutch war of 1665 changed the relationship between Sithya and the home country. Sithya's population, which now was mixed between English Puritans, Swedes and Dutch, was at peace, and the overall feeling of the community was that they had no desire to take sides. Charles II was irritated by the Sithyan's refusal to send taxes or men to assist in the struggle. Royal Navy vessels in the South Atlantic found that Draven was shut.
This incident became known as the "Silent Revolution". After the defeat of England by the Dutch in 1667, the Crown did not have the will, nor the manpower to bring Sithya back into the fold. The leaders of Sithya's 3 communities - Puritan, Swedish and Dutch, met in the impressive granite edifice of Draven Cathedral, and decided to form a new country.
The leader of the Dutch community, Wilhelm van der Voorde, wrote -
"We had a desire to form a new country, based on what we knew to be true and good, and reflecting our faith in God, which had led us to this land."
The 3 communities agreed the following -
1. Sithya would not officially delcare independence, it would just be a matter of fact.
2. Sithya's small size meant that it could have a counsular government, namely, governed by a council of leaders from each community.
3. A point disliked but eventually agreed to by the Puritans was the suggestion that Sithya should have a monarch, as a point of unity for the new country.
4. Calvinist Protestantism would be the official religion of the islands; a point conceded by the Lutheran Swedes after much argument.
This "Convention of Sithyan Autonomy" was greeted with enthusiasm by the populace. As for a monarch, it was decided that the position would be offered to an Italian nobleman, Gianni Spoleto, the Duke of Ravenna, after he agreed to convert to Protestantism. He was the sole applicant for the post.
For the sake of his largely English speaking subjects, Gianni Spoleto became John Ravenna and his dynasty became the "House of Ravenna".
Immigration to the newly independent Sithya dried up, but the Sithyans did not notice. The population filled the archipelago, fish was still plentiful, and a new trade was discovered - whaling. Sithya's wealth continued to grow.
Eventually Sithya's wealth and independence were noticed by King George IV, who was looking for a cheap overseas success to bolster his flagging popularity.
George told his ministers:
"That rebellious province should be brought to heel to lawful authority...it is intolerable for the Sithyans to think they can steal independence away in the dark."
The comment reached Sithyan ears, and it led a local newspaper, the Draven Herald, to come up with the following comment -
"If indeed Sithya achived its independence and liberty in the dark, then let darkness reign forever."
The national motto, "Let darkness reign forever", came from this quip.
In any event, the ships of George IV, sent to reclaim Sithya were harassed by Sithya's oldest friend - hurricanes and bad weather. Privateers from the tiny Sithyan navy finished off the remainder of the fleet. Sensing disaster, George IV sent no reinforcements and the enterprise was abandoned.
His successor, William IV, had a much more tolerant view. He and his ministers received Sithyan ambassadors, and a free trade agreement was struck. By then Sithya had discovered platinum in its range of mountains, which added further wealth to its coffers. Emperor Matthew the Second (otherwise known as "Matthew the Mild") was received in London by William.
The benefits of trade impressed upon Sithyans the necessity of capitalism and free trade. The country, per capita, was richer than Britain, and the priority for the leadership was to keep it that way. The leadership feared that democracy, which was on the march in America and France, would undermine this - they read the works of Alexander Tyler, a Scottish historian, who said that democracy would eventually destroy itself once the populace realised they could vote themselves money from the public treasury.
Rather than teach Rosseau, Locke or Jefferson, Sithyans learned from the works of Adam Smith and Thomas Hobbes, in particular "The Wealth of Nations" and "Leviathan".
Thus gradually political liberty was eroded, while economic liberty was increased.
Sithya managed, with difficulty, to stay out of the First World War. Emperor John III ("The Magnificent"), had to deal with the conflicting demands of a Royal Navy vessel and an Imperial German vessel, both demanding repairs and supplies in Draven. He stood on the docks, holding a ceremonial sword and, through a bullhorn, addressed both captains:
"Neither of you will dock here. Sithya is allied to none, and thus can be a friend to all. If we arm either of you, we enable you to kill the other. If we arm both of you, we only prolong the hostility between you. Make peace with each other, for you will find no assistance in your war on our shores."
It did become clear, however, that Sithya was going to have to arm itself to maintain its neutrality. Emperor John IV ("The Soldier"), began by introducing conscription. Sithya had a small navy, but its native supplies of iron ore and coal (also found in the archipelago), meant it could afford to equip a powerful series of dreadnoughts to patrol its waters.
The 1920's and 1930's were tense and paranoid times for Sithya. It was unfortunate that the Emperor of the time was Randall I ("The Deranged"). He was followed by Baxter II ("The Frightened") in 1939. Baxter's reign was short, however - he committed suicide after hearing about the declaration of war in Europe, saying it was the end of the world.
The last monarch of any value followed in his wake - John V ("The Silent"). He maintained Sithya's very well armed neutrality; the sole encounter Sithya had in World War II was the repulsion of a wayward fleet of Italian ships. Admiral Edward Moorde and the SS Magnificent, sunk 2 destroyers and managed to so badly frighten the Italians that the remainder sailed away as quickly as possible.
After the war, Sithya began to worry - its traditional industry of fishing was drying up. However, two remarkable discoveries were made. One, was offshore oil, the second was uranium. The economy, which had been lagging, roared again to life.
All was not well with the monarchy, however. Emperor Randall II ignored the centuries of tradition of close links with the Calvinist Faith and declared himself an athiest (hence he was called "The Godless"). He further irritated the public by having an overt series of affairs with various mistresses. The lack of freedom of the press did not suppress this. He died of a heart attack in the arms of his mistress.
He was then followed by the last Emperor, Eric I ("The Unfortunate"). While personally not corrupt, he was extremely gaffe prone, and gave the appearance of being unintelligent. He was also prone to terrible accidents; the most public accident was during his coronation at the Draven Cathedral - he fell down the stairs and broke his leg and hip. He died in 1967 after being electrocuted while trying to use an electric orange juicer. This ended the House of Ravenna, as Eric had produced no heirs.
It was then that the Council took the lead. It decided not to track down the nearest relation to the House of Ravenna, and instead would appoint a Lord Protector from its own ranks. This arrangement was pleasing to the descendants of the Puritans and to those of Dutch extraction, who were reminded of their ancient Dutch republic by this scenario. The Swedes, by then the smallest community, reluctantly accepted this.
Since then, there have been 4 Lord Protectors, each governing for life, though a check on their power was in place by the Council. Sithya prospered, pleased with their new arrangements, and this is how matters have continued to the present day.
The first sight was of a forbidding mountain, ringed by hardwood forests.
The ship washed ashore, and Merriweather, trying to make the trip not a complete loss, claimed the land in the name of King Charles I. When coming up with a name for the island, the name "Sithya" was chosen at the suggestion of Merriweather's Irish sailors, as "Sith" means "gust" in Gaelic, and as it was the winds of fate that brought them there.
The land itself was fairly barren, reminding the crew of Northern Scotland. Yet, there was potential. Merriweather wrote in his log:
"This could be an excellent outpost for His Majesty's Southern Empire. With the addition of Sithya to his possessions, he can say his dominions reacheth to the farthest points of the globe."
In spite of this, none of Merriweather's crew wished to remain when his ship was repaired. King Charles I was pleased by the addition of Sithya to his domains, but sent no further expeditions.
This changed after the English Civil War and the execution of Charles I. Oliver Cromwell, as Lord Protector, was interested in the potential of Sithya, and dispatched a small group of colonists to the island. He wrote in his diary:
"I have sent a company of colonists, noted for their piety, to this distant island, to do the Lord's work of civilising the barbaric wilderness in the name of our Commonwealth."
These colonists were extremely religious Puritans, who accepted being sent to such distant and isolated lands as God's will. Upon arrival, they did not despair at seeing the landscape, nor were they overly concerned with the fact that there so few indigenous animals, except for the rare Sithyan jackal. They set to work, and began by building the port town of Draven. The town was intended to be a supply depot for any English ships in the area.
Draven began to prosper, once extensive fishing was discovered. The supplies of cod and tuna were plentiful, and there were ready markets in Europe for their goods.
Meanwhile, the Republican regime in England collapsed and Charles II was restored. Sithya was an escape route for many of Cromwell's supporters: its distance meant that that it would be difficult for the King's arm to reach out and harm them there. A further influx of immigrants arrived from Sweden and the Netherlands, attracted by the economic potential of the fishing grounds.
Draven became a city, then Sithya added two more towns; however, in spite of plentiful fish and potato crops, there was a concern that there was not enough land mass to support the influx. Explorations around Sithya led to the discovery of other islands of interest, forming the Sithya Archipelago.
The Second Anglo-Dutch war of 1665 changed the relationship between Sithya and the home country. Sithya's population, which now was mixed between English Puritans, Swedes and Dutch, was at peace, and the overall feeling of the community was that they had no desire to take sides. Charles II was irritated by the Sithyan's refusal to send taxes or men to assist in the struggle. Royal Navy vessels in the South Atlantic found that Draven was shut.
This incident became known as the "Silent Revolution". After the defeat of England by the Dutch in 1667, the Crown did not have the will, nor the manpower to bring Sithya back into the fold. The leaders of Sithya's 3 communities - Puritan, Swedish and Dutch, met in the impressive granite edifice of Draven Cathedral, and decided to form a new country.
The leader of the Dutch community, Wilhelm van der Voorde, wrote -
"We had a desire to form a new country, based on what we knew to be true and good, and reflecting our faith in God, which had led us to this land."
The 3 communities agreed the following -
1. Sithya would not officially delcare independence, it would just be a matter of fact.
2. Sithya's small size meant that it could have a counsular government, namely, governed by a council of leaders from each community.
3. A point disliked but eventually agreed to by the Puritans was the suggestion that Sithya should have a monarch, as a point of unity for the new country.
4. Calvinist Protestantism would be the official religion of the islands; a point conceded by the Lutheran Swedes after much argument.
This "Convention of Sithyan Autonomy" was greeted with enthusiasm by the populace. As for a monarch, it was decided that the position would be offered to an Italian nobleman, Gianni Spoleto, the Duke of Ravenna, after he agreed to convert to Protestantism. He was the sole applicant for the post.
For the sake of his largely English speaking subjects, Gianni Spoleto became John Ravenna and his dynasty became the "House of Ravenna".
Immigration to the newly independent Sithya dried up, but the Sithyans did not notice. The population filled the archipelago, fish was still plentiful, and a new trade was discovered - whaling. Sithya's wealth continued to grow.
Eventually Sithya's wealth and independence were noticed by King George IV, who was looking for a cheap overseas success to bolster his flagging popularity.
George told his ministers:
"That rebellious province should be brought to heel to lawful authority...it is intolerable for the Sithyans to think they can steal independence away in the dark."
The comment reached Sithyan ears, and it led a local newspaper, the Draven Herald, to come up with the following comment -
"If indeed Sithya achived its independence and liberty in the dark, then let darkness reign forever."
The national motto, "Let darkness reign forever", came from this quip.
In any event, the ships of George IV, sent to reclaim Sithya were harassed by Sithya's oldest friend - hurricanes and bad weather. Privateers from the tiny Sithyan navy finished off the remainder of the fleet. Sensing disaster, George IV sent no reinforcements and the enterprise was abandoned.
His successor, William IV, had a much more tolerant view. He and his ministers received Sithyan ambassadors, and a free trade agreement was struck. By then Sithya had discovered platinum in its range of mountains, which added further wealth to its coffers. Emperor Matthew the Second (otherwise known as "Matthew the Mild") was received in London by William.
The benefits of trade impressed upon Sithyans the necessity of capitalism and free trade. The country, per capita, was richer than Britain, and the priority for the leadership was to keep it that way. The leadership feared that democracy, which was on the march in America and France, would undermine this - they read the works of Alexander Tyler, a Scottish historian, who said that democracy would eventually destroy itself once the populace realised they could vote themselves money from the public treasury.
Rather than teach Rosseau, Locke or Jefferson, Sithyans learned from the works of Adam Smith and Thomas Hobbes, in particular "The Wealth of Nations" and "Leviathan".
Thus gradually political liberty was eroded, while economic liberty was increased.
Sithya managed, with difficulty, to stay out of the First World War. Emperor John III ("The Magnificent"), had to deal with the conflicting demands of a Royal Navy vessel and an Imperial German vessel, both demanding repairs and supplies in Draven. He stood on the docks, holding a ceremonial sword and, through a bullhorn, addressed both captains:
"Neither of you will dock here. Sithya is allied to none, and thus can be a friend to all. If we arm either of you, we enable you to kill the other. If we arm both of you, we only prolong the hostility between you. Make peace with each other, for you will find no assistance in your war on our shores."
It did become clear, however, that Sithya was going to have to arm itself to maintain its neutrality. Emperor John IV ("The Soldier"), began by introducing conscription. Sithya had a small navy, but its native supplies of iron ore and coal (also found in the archipelago), meant it could afford to equip a powerful series of dreadnoughts to patrol its waters.
The 1920's and 1930's were tense and paranoid times for Sithya. It was unfortunate that the Emperor of the time was Randall I ("The Deranged"). He was followed by Baxter II ("The Frightened") in 1939. Baxter's reign was short, however - he committed suicide after hearing about the declaration of war in Europe, saying it was the end of the world.
The last monarch of any value followed in his wake - John V ("The Silent"). He maintained Sithya's very well armed neutrality; the sole encounter Sithya had in World War II was the repulsion of a wayward fleet of Italian ships. Admiral Edward Moorde and the SS Magnificent, sunk 2 destroyers and managed to so badly frighten the Italians that the remainder sailed away as quickly as possible.
After the war, Sithya began to worry - its traditional industry of fishing was drying up. However, two remarkable discoveries were made. One, was offshore oil, the second was uranium. The economy, which had been lagging, roared again to life.
All was not well with the monarchy, however. Emperor Randall II ignored the centuries of tradition of close links with the Calvinist Faith and declared himself an athiest (hence he was called "The Godless"). He further irritated the public by having an overt series of affairs with various mistresses. The lack of freedom of the press did not suppress this. He died of a heart attack in the arms of his mistress.
He was then followed by the last Emperor, Eric I ("The Unfortunate"). While personally not corrupt, he was extremely gaffe prone, and gave the appearance of being unintelligent. He was also prone to terrible accidents; the most public accident was during his coronation at the Draven Cathedral - he fell down the stairs and broke his leg and hip. He died in 1967 after being electrocuted while trying to use an electric orange juicer. This ended the House of Ravenna, as Eric had produced no heirs.
It was then that the Council took the lead. It decided not to track down the nearest relation to the House of Ravenna, and instead would appoint a Lord Protector from its own ranks. This arrangement was pleasing to the descendants of the Puritans and to those of Dutch extraction, who were reminded of their ancient Dutch republic by this scenario. The Swedes, by then the smallest community, reluctantly accepted this.
Since then, there have been 4 Lord Protectors, each governing for life, though a check on their power was in place by the Council. Sithya prospered, pleased with their new arrangements, and this is how matters have continued to the present day.