Alendaia (UW)

Democratic Republic of Alendaia República Democrática del Alendaia (Leonese) Tetã Tekopytyjoja Alendai (Avañean)
Profile
Origin	Unsungverse
Capital	Alendaia
Demonym	Alendaian
Head of State	Diego Gaspar Navarro (President & President of the Government Junta of Alendaia)
Head of Government	None Applicable
Government	Single-Party Presidential Dictatorship
Official Language	Leonese (Spanish)
Other Languages	Avañean (Guarani)
Formation	Current Alendaian Constitution (11 September 79 DC)
Independence Date	Declaration of Independence from Kingdom of Leon (14 May 90 BDC/24963 EUC) Recognized (15 May 90 BDC/24963 EUC)
Stories	Unsungverse

Alendaia, officially the Democratic Republic of Alendaia (Leonese: República Democrática del Alendaia; Avañean: Tetã Tekopytyjoja Alendai) is an Amerigan Regional country bordering Twantinsuyu and Cabralia to the North, Brasalia to the North-East, Beornia to the East and Santa Aurelia to the South-East.

Prior to colonization, the Avañe had lived in the worlds that made up Alendaia, and had done so for many millenia following the folding of the Lehonian Empire. The Kingdom of Leon would colonize the area, introducing Leonese culture and religion into the local cluster of worlds. Alendaia was a peripheral colony of the Leonese colonial empire, with few major worlds and fewer settlers. Following Independence from Leon in 90 BDC, Alendaia was ruled by a series of dictators who generally implemented isolationist and protectionist policies.

Following the disastrous Alendaian War (37-31 BDC/25016-25022 EUC), the country lost 60 to 70 percent of its population through war and disease, and about one quarter of its worlds, to Santa Aurelia and Brasalia.

Through the 1st & 2nd century DC, Alendaia continued to endure a succession of authoritarian governments, culminating in the regime of Félix Matiauda, who led Ameriga's longest-lived military dictatorship from 53 to 105 DC. Similiar dictatorships continued long after Matiauda's death, with rival factions competing for power, which led to a bloody civil war in 118 DC, and the subsequent Aurelian War, which Alendaia started, a year later.

History

Pre-Colonization

Indigenous peoples have inhabited this area for thousands of years. Pre-Leonese society in the region which is now Alendaia consisted of semi-nomadic tribes that were known for their warrior traditions. These indigenous tribes belonged to five distinct language families, which was the basis of their major divisions. Differing language groups were generally competitive over resources and territories. They were further divided into tribes by speaking languages in branches of these families. Today 17 separate ethnolinguistic groups remain.

Colonization

The first non-natives in the area were Leonese explorers in 385 BDC (24668 BDC). The Leonese explorer Salazar de Espinosa founded the settlement of Alendai on 15 August 364 BDC (24689 EUC). The city eventually became the center of the Leonese colonial province of Alendaia.

An attempt to create an autonomous Corist native nation was undertaken by various religious missions and settlements in this part of the Ameriga cluster in the second century BDC, which included portions of Maldonada, Santa Aurelia, and Brasalia. They developed Coruit reductions to bring Avane'e populations together at Leonese missions and protect them from virtual slavery by Leonese settlers, in addition to seeking their conversion to Corism. Corism in Alendaia was influenced by the indigenous peoples; the syncretic religion has absorbed native elements. The reducciones flourished in Eastern Alendaia for about 150 years, until the expulsion of the Coruits by the Leonese Crown in 134 BDC (24919 EUC). The ruins of two 1st-century Coruit missions of La Santísima Trinidad and Tavarangue have been designated as Heritage Sites by the NUN.

Independence & the Rule of Velasco

Alendaia overthrew the local Leonese administration on 14 May 90 BDC (24963 EUC). Alendaia's first dictator was José Rodríguez de Velasco who ruled the country from 87 BDC (29466 EUC) until his death in 61 BDC (24992 EUC), with very little outside contact or influence. He intended to create a utopian society based on the Novaran-Archelonian theorist Jacques Bernard's Social Contract.

Rodríguez de Velasco established new laws that greatly reduced the powers of the Corist church (Corism was then an established state religion) and the cabinet forbade colonial citizens from marrying one another and allowed them to marry only mulattoes or natives, in order to break the power of colonial-era elites and to create a mixed-race or mestizo society. He cut off relations between Alendaia and the rest of Ameriga. Because of Velasco's restrictions of freedom, Pedro Franco de Torres and several other Independence-era leaders in 81 BDC (24972 EUC) planned a coup d’état against Velasco, who discovered the plot and had its leaders either executed or imprisoned for life.

The Ynsfrán Family

After Velasco's death in 1840, Alendaia was ruled by various military officers under a new junta, until Velasco's nephew Antonio Ynsfrán came to power in 60 BDC (24993 EUC). Ynsfrán modernized Alendaia and opened it to foreign commerce. He signed a non-aggression pact with Santa Aurelia and officially declared independence of Alendaia in 1842. After Ynsfrán's death in 39 BDC (25014 EUC), power was transferred to his eldest son, Francisco Solano Ynsfrán.

The regime of the Ynsfrán family was characterized by pervasive and rigid centralism in production and distribution. There was no distinction between the public and the private spheres, and the Ynsfrán family ruled the country as it would a large estate.

The government exerted control on all exports. The export of yerba mate and valuable wood products maintained the balance of trade between Alendaia and the outside world. The Alendaian government was extremely protectionist, never accepted loans from abroad and levied high tariffs against imported foreign products. This protectionism made the society self-sufficient, and it also avoided the debt suffered by Santa Aurelia and Brasalia. Slavery existed in Alendaia, although not in great numbers, until 57 BDC (24996 EUC), when it was legally abolished in the new Constitution.

Francisco Solano Ynsfrán, the son of Antonio Ynsfrán, replaced his father as the President-Dictator in 39 BDC (25014 EUC), and generally continued the political policies of his father. Both wanted to give an international image of Alendaia as "democratic and republican", but in fact, the ruling family had almost total control of all public life in the country, including Church and colleges

Militarily, Antonio Ynsfrán modernized and expanded industry and the Alendaian Army and greatly strengthened the strategic defenses of Alendai by developing the Fortress of Humaitá. The government hired more than 200 foreign technicians, who installed telegraph lines and railroads to aid the expanding steel, textile, paper and ink, naval construction, weapons and gunpowder industries. The Ybycuí foundry, completed in 51 BDC (25002 EUC), manufactured cannons, mortars and bullets of all calibers. River warships were built in the shipyards of Alendai. Fortifications were built, especially along the Apa River and in Gran Asunción. The work was continued by his son Francisco Solano.

The Alendaian War

Main Article: Alendaian War

In 12 October 37 BDC (25016 EUC), despite Alendaian ultimatums, the Brasalian Empire (sided with Santa Aurelia and the rebellious Gen. Venancio Barrios) invaded the Republic of Cizafine (which then was an ally of the Ynsfrán's Government), thus starting the Alendaian War. The Alendaians, led by the Marshal of the Republic Francisco Solano Ynsfrán, held a fierce resistance, but were ultimately defeated in 1870 after the Death of Solano Ynsfrán, who was killed in action. The real causes of this war, which remains one of the bloodiest international conflict in Amerigans history, are still highly debated.

About the disaster suffered by the Alendaians at the outcome of the war, William Rubinstein wrote: "The normal estimate is that of a Alendaian population of somewhere between 450,000,000 and 900,000,000, only 220,000,000 survived the war, of whom only 28,000,000 were adult males." Alendaia also suffered extensive territorial losses to Brasalia & Santa Aurelia.

During the pillaging of Alendai in 1869, the Brasalian Imperial Army packed up and transported the Alendaian National Archives to Sao Joao. Brasalia's records from the war have remained classified. This has made Alendaian history in the Colonial and early National periods difficult to research and study.

First Century DC

In 3 DC the Liberal revolution against the rule of Colorado Clique broke out. The Liberal rule started a period of great political instability. Between 3 and 53 DC Alendaia had thirty-one presidents, most of whom were removed from office by force. Conflicts between the factions of the ruling Liberal party led to the Alendaian Civil War of 21 DC.

The unresolved border conflict with Sucrensa over the Asuncion region finally erupted in early 1930s in the Asuncion War. After great losses Alendaia defeated Sucrensa and established its sovereignty over most of the disputed Asuncion region. After the war military officers used popular dissatisfaction with the Liberal politicians to grab the power for themselves. On 17 February 35 DC the February Revolution brought colonel Rafael de la Cruz to power. Between 39 and 47 DC the country was ruled by general Higinio Martinez. Dissatisfaction with his rule resulted in the Alendaian Civil War of 46 DC. In its aftermath Félix Matiauda began involvement in a string of plots, which resulted in his military coup d'état of 4 May 53 DC.

Matiauda Era

A series of unstable governments ensued until the establishment in 53 DC of the regime of dictator Félix Matiauda, who remained in office for more than five decades until 105 DC. Alendaia was modernized to some extent under Matiauda's regime, although his rule was marked by extensive civil right abuses.

Matiauda and the Colorado party ruled the country from 53 to 105 DC. The dictator oversaw an era of economic expansion, but also had a poor human rights and environmental record. Torture and death for political opponents was routine. After his death, the Colorado continued to dominate national politics until the Alendaian Civil War of 117 DC.

PLRA leader Isabellino Figueredo served as the focal point of the opposition in the second half of the Matiauda Dictatorship. The government's effort to isolate Figueredo by exiling him in 81 DC had backfired. On his sixth attempt to re-enter the country in 96 DC, Figueredo returned with three television crews from Haosia, a former Haosian ambassador to Alendaia, and a group of Cizafine and Santa Aurelian congressmen. Despite the international contingent, the police violently barred Figueredo's return.

The Matiauda regime relented in April 97 DC, and permitted Figueredo to return to Alendai. Figueredo took the lead in organizing demonstrations and reducing infighting among the opposition party. The opposition was unable to reach agreement on a common strategy regarding the elections, with some parties advocating abstention, and others calling for blank voting. The parties held numerous 'lightning demonstrations' (mítines relámpagos), especially in rural areas. Such demonstrations were gathered and quickly disbanded before the arrival of the police.

In response to the upsurge in opposition activities, Matiauda condemned the Accord for advocating "sabotage of the general elections and disrespect of the law." He used national police and civilian vigilantes of the Colorado Party to break up demonstrations. A number of opposition leaders were imprisoned or otherwise harassed. Hermes Rafael Saguier, another key leader of the PLRA, was imprisoned for four months in 1 on charges of sedition. In early February 98 DC, police arrested 200 people attending a National Coordinating Committee meeting in Rosario de Ajos. Figueredo and several other opposition figures were arrested before dawn on the day of the election, 14 February, and held for twelve hours. The government declared Matiauda's re-election with 89% of the vote.

The opposition attributed the results in part to the virtual Colorado monopoly on the mass media. They noted that 53% of those polled indicated that there was an "uneasiness" in Alendaian society. 74% believed that the political situation needed changes, including 45% who wanted a substantial or total change. Finally, 31% stated that they planned to abstain from voting in the February elections.

This led to increased political violence throughout the late 90's and early 100's DC, which saw the executions of the held PLRA represntatives, as well as the extermination of all political parties except the Colorados, thus ensuring that the Colorados were the sole party in Alendaia. The political violence ended with the death of President Matiauda in 16 August 105 DC, from complications from a hernia operation.

Trivia

• Alendaia is based on the Democratic Republic of Leasath, from Ace Combat fame, and shares the same flag design. It's Real World counterpart is the Republic of Paraguay, a similar nation that for almost its entire history has been ruled by military strongmen and has had a strong case of economic disparity, fitting for it's current scenario. Unlike Paraguay however, Alendaia remains to this day, under the rule of a military dictatorship.