(First Post Here) The Fictional Duchy of Aritza, a Euskara speaking island in the south Atlantic.
Lore of Aritza
Early History.
For many years Aritza had been uninhabited. Even in the great human migration Aritza was left uninhabited. The wildlife was pretty similar to Mediterranean Europe with the exception of the Moreansta flower which has an abundance in the southern fields.
First Settlers.
The Basque sailor Eneko Arantza and his fleet in the year 1410 CE followed the whale migration deep into the Atlantic. They did this because migration patterns in Europe have changed. When Eneko and his 4 whaling ships and 62 sailors went sailing in the Atlantic. The Sailors became lost as they found themselves in the south Atlantic. But on the horizon Eneko saw cliffs in the distance. This is the first time he has seen land since getting lost off Europe.
The Exploration era
Between 1410 and 1415 CE Basque explorers explored the island to find it to be a large island which they now called Aritza. The Purple Moreansta became an important treasure on the island and even used for early flags with purple instead of red. Between 1415 and 1421 more fleets went to the island now establishing trade routes back to Iberia which became known as the new world route. Aritza becomes settled as an autonomous crown dependency of The kingdom of Navarre.
The Atlantic trade route becomes an important part of Aritza’s history. The purple dye is very sought after in Europe and is sold to kings all throughout the continent. The island has autonomous rule because of distance but is still culturally Basque and under the crown. The cities start to build with architecture very Basque style with some inspiration from Italy and France.
1494 to 1495 The Aritza war.
The biggest major conflict in Aritza happens between the coast and inland. The costal elites have greater connection to Basque Country and have more money while the inland province which control the purple flower want greater trade shares. The war eventually ends with a fairer system. While the Kingdom of Navarre fell in the early 1500s, Aritza became a separate duchy with maintained trade with Iberia, France and England.
The colonization era and the Industrial Revolution
As European powers expand aggressively Aritza stays as a separate country connected with Europe. While European powers try to take over the purple dye trade, it stays in Aritza control with neutrality. While European powers consider taking Aritza it stays independent due to strategic position. The British get close to taking over Aritza but halt Because It might not benefit them much. The Purple dye trade that has kept Aritza rich throughout history became halted because of the synthetic dye of the industrial revolution. While This affects them It doesn’t stop Aritza. They quickly urbanize with the industrial revolution making them one of the leaders in the European industrial revolution. Purple dye stays a part of their culture but isn’t the main part of the GDP. Aritza survives many changes keeping them one of the most resilient countries.
The 1900s
By the early 1900s Aritza had become a modern constitutional Duchy that fully industrialized. As the first world war rolls around Aritza decides to stay away from the European conflict so becomes neutral. In the interwar period aviation enters Aritza and is now a major tourism spot. The European culture and Mediterranean climate make it similar to Europe but still a hotspot know for friendly locals compared to that of some European countries. WW2 becomes the most dangerous point in Aritzas history since the 1400s wars. While Aritza stays neutral it becomes militarized in case of attack. Germany almost considers an attack on Aritza, but the US attacks make them reconsider. As the cold war breaks out Aritza become a Western allied country with neutrality in case of soviet attacks. That means they are aligned with us and Europe but stay neutral.
Modern Aritza
Modern Aritza is interesting. It is a large island east of south America with very strong ties to Europe. They have a Basque culture and are sometimes more known for Basque culture than Basque country itself. they pride their history in the purple dye that made them rich and is shown on their modern flag. they have a laid back culture that is both similar culturally and environmentally to south Europe, especially Basque, Spain, Portugal and Italy. they are quite rich and aligned with the west. they have friendly ties with south America despite different history. they are visited a lot especially by Australians and Americans and Latin Americans. Visiting Aritza would feel like you walked into Europe but slightly different. Aritza competes in Eurovision and has considered joining the EU despite being east of south America.