History of Zealandia

The history of Zealandia dates back to the last century BCE, when the islands were discovered and settled by the Axipaal, who developed a distinct culture centered on nature and trading. Zealandia, due to its isolation, has not had extensive contact with the outside world for most of its history, and as a result, much of the country's history relates to internal events. Besides legends of contacts with Polynesian seafarers, the first documented contact came in 1642 with the short stay of Dutch explorer Abel Tasman during his voyages around Zealandia and Australia. Much of Zealandian history is similar to that of other island countries that developed advanced societies, such as Japan, Taiwan and Norway.
== Pre-Contact Classical History ==
The earliest known records of human settlement of the islands of Zealandia come from the North Island. Artifacts such as jade jewelry, flint spear-tips and fragments of pottery have been dated to around 120 BCE. These artifacts were made by the ancient Axipaal, who had arrived on rafts and boats after being expelled from Southeast Asia and their origin in India and West Asia. With them, the first Axipaal introduced domestic horses, donkeys and sheep to the islands, as well as the stowaway Clouded Leopard and tree kangaroo, which joined feral (now wild) goats as the only mammals besides bats on the islands. 
Early Axipaal culture was often based on local chiefs and lords, a system the Axipaal had used during their time in Asia and India. Agriculture was important to these people, and the Axipaal brought with them Rice, Taro and tomatoes, which grew well on the North Island, and Potatoes, hardy rice and peppers, which grew well on the South Island. Early Axipaal people established a close relationship with the native wildlife from the very start, and the religion of the Axipaal soon came to reflect this respect toward nature. It is due to this balance of human society and nature, many scientists credit, that many of the endemic species (particularly flightless birds) were not pushed to extinction and continue to thrive today.
As time went on, Axipaal settlements grew into towns and city-states, and population densities in cities steadily grew. The Axipaal brought with them metallurgy and archery, and small scale warfare was common among neighboring city-states, mostly over competition for land and crop land. By 555 CE, the major cities of Zealandia fell under the control of the first Zealandian emperor, Xastar I. The rule of Xastar ushered in a new era of Zealandian history where art and technology thrived under royal and noble patronage. Art and literature thrived, as did religion and philosophy, and some of Zealandia's finest and oldest works of writing and art come from this Zealandian "Classical Age." Toward the end of the rule of the first Zealandian emperors, rulers became less and less interested and effective at ruling and more concerned with life in the capital, Kleinheim (near present day Florianopolis) and the pursuit of physical and intellectual pleasures. Though this did continue the boom in cultural growth, the economy slowed and crime arose throughout the country. Without effective enforcement of the rule of law by the royal government, pirates, highwaymen and bandits wreaked havoc on the peasants and rural nobility alike. This dynasty of rule by kings lasted until 821 CE. By this point, the rural nobility had become completely independent of the king in Kleinheim, and though they nominally swore alleigance to the king, they ran their fiefdoms as city-states.
== Feudal Period ==
In 821 CE, the last Xastarian King, Liaos IV, died without an heir. This initiated a period of 350 years of sustained warfare among the nobility for the title of Zealandia emperor. During this period, several families managed to claim the title of emperor, but few dynasties held on to the title for more than 3 generations. In addition, the Zealandian emperors were almost completely powerless over the people of the countryside, and had little authority outside their chosen capital city, which changed with every dynasty. During this time, the petty nobility who owed allegiance to the holdanjels (greater nobility) of various regions and towns, came to power as warrior nobles, or kreiger, who led other kreiger, retainers, and small peasant armies for their holdanjel masters in exchange for cash allowances and control of small portions of land and the populations on them. Functioning in the same manner as European knights and Japanese Samurai, the petty nobility formed a culture of chivalry and a code of conduct for the ideal Zealandian warrior and kreiger, very similar to the Japanese code of Bushido or the European code of chivalry. 
Zealandian religious life developed during the feudal period as well, and though religious life remained separate from the state (unlike Christianity in Europe), holdanjels encouraged the building of grand temples to the gods and set aside areas of wilderness for the worship of the gods, all of whom were related to nature in some way. 
In 1202 CE, a Holdanjel named Alhas Bjensen declared himself emperor, and for the first time in more than 3 centuries the warfare on the island stopped. Thanks to Bjensen's alliances with other holdanjel, the low-key fighting between fiefdoms came to an end. Though the Holdanjel and the kreiger remained powerful, they could not overpower the emperor's army of trained peasant infantry, one of the first of its kind in Zealandia. Despite this period of stability, without the patronage of the holdanjel or kreiger due to their weakened power and wealth, cultural achievements slowed and the nation entered a period of stagnation. It wasn't until the emperor Vinxet II when cultural productivity entered its heyday in the 1480s CE. Toward the end of the Bjensen dynasty, however, the powers of the holdanjel again grew, and the nobility began to fill governorships of provinces and territories. 
=== Cities ===
During the 2nd dynastic period, feudal Zealandian cities developed into the ones present today. Moynaq, Auckland, Killarney, Vrysdahl, Kiel and Vaalburg all became important cultural and governmental centers. The holdanjel of these cities were weaker than their rural peers and were subject to more imperial oversight. This allowed specialists to thrive and the development of merchants to become a leading class behind the nobility and the petty nobles. 
=== Culture ===
Culturally, the 2nd dynastic period continued the development of Zealandian art and literature, but much of it was based off the works of previous Zealandian masters that had lived during the times of warfare or during the classical period. Only toward the end of the 2nd dynastic period did creativity in cultural achievements pick up again, as holdanjels and kreiger once again sponsored specialists.
== Late Feudal Period ==
By the year 1590, Zealandia had broken into separate kingdoms once again, with the Bjensen emperor ruling over only the area of present day Iatu, having his power reduced greatly and title reduced to that of only a regional king. During this time, many kings ruled over Zealandia. Despite this breakdown in national unity, the nation remained relatively peaceful, with minor wars being common but major conflicts remaining rare among competing kingdoms. Cultural homogeneity prevented a us-versus-them feeling from developing and most wars were dynastic in nature.
In 1642, Dutch explorer Abel Tasman visited Zealandia and marked the first major instance of contact with the Zealandian people. The Axipaal were aware of other cultures besides their own: diplomatic missions had been constant with Polynesian kingdoms in Tonga, Fiji, Vanuatau and New Caledonia before this and seafaring missions had discovered Australia and sub-Antarctic islands long before. These missions, however, were limited in nature, and due to Zealandia's tendency toward isolation and cultural development, colonization or external wars were never a priority. Additionally, Polynesian invaders were time and again driven off due to the superiority of Zealandian technology. Tasman's stay in the country was short, however, and Zealandians did not again encounter major outside contact until James Cook's arrival a century later.
During the city-states period, kingdoms developed around several large cities, which are the main cities within the country to this day. by the year 1700, many of the kingdoms had consolidated into the borders roughly corresponding to the modern country's provinces (though Anhalt and Transvaal were more fragmented). During this time, kreiger remained important vassals to the kings of the city-states, though the power of the holdanjels sharply declined as they lost power to local kings. By 1720, almost all holdanjels lived in cities and served on the various kings' courts rather than leading armies or tending to peasants on the land they owned. The holdanjel retained their country homes and wooden castles, but largely served the whims of the kings. Kreiger became the dominant force in the countryside over the dominantly rural population. 
Cultural output grew during this period, leading up to what would be its zenith in the 19th century when Zealandia was unified. Poetry and literature reached new heights, and novels and true books became more common as the 1700s drew on. Theater grew in importance for one of the first times, and puppet and live action casts were common throughout the country. Cities grew during this time, but over 90% of the population remained rural. Wood printing in art became common during this time as well, and moved to a more colofrul patter from the ancient, monochromatic painting styles. 
== Modern Zealandia ==
In 1769, English captain James Cook arrived in Zealandia with the goals of mapping the islands for Europeans and making contact with the local peoples. Though he landed near Klerksdorp in the Sarnia domain, he continued down to Moynaq where he first made contact with the Axipaal. The king of Moynaq welcomed Cook to his domain and seeing that he held the upper hand, invited Cook to stay and trade with his kingdom. Through this mission, the Moynaq king, Aleksander I gained access to English knowledge, scientific learning, and most importantly, weapons. Guns aquired during Cook's stay were quickly replicated and the king also received several English artillery units. Cook left after a few weeks stay to explore other parts of the Pacific in his quest to discover Antarctica. By the time Cook returned on his second voyage in 1773, he found Zealandia at war. In 1770, Aleksander of Moynaq declared war and conquered the kingdom of Mecklenburg and Aogsburg. By 1771 Aleksander had taken the kingdom of Waikato at Tauranga and in 1772 he had brought the kingdom of Sarnia into his domain. When Cook landed again at Moynaq, he was unable to make contact with the king, who was leading troops in the war against Anhalt in the siege of Killarney. The gunpowder weapons (muskets and cannons) Cook had traded with the Moynaq kingdom had proved to be a huge advantage on the battlefield for the Moynaq armies, who quickly defeated army after army of kreiger and peasant infantry armed only with katana swords, ningata spears and bows and arrows. These were the traditional Zealandian weapons of choice, but were no match for English gunpowder technology. 
By Cooks final visit to Zealandia, Aleksander had taken the entire North Island for Moynaq and had been successful in uniting the peoples under one government. The conquered peoples saw little difference in being governed by a local Holdanjel or one in Moynaq, but were pleased at the idea of safer travel opportunities throughout the country and the promise of a cease in inter-state warfare. Moynaq Armies, by 1780, had conquered all coastal kingdoms on the South Island as well, and only isolated rulers in Otago and Svarstaat remained outside the domain of Moynaq rule. Aleksander declared himself emperor of Zealandia, the first ruler to hold this title and command any extra-regional power with it since 1356 CE. Alexsander of Moynaq became Aleksander I of Zealandia and located the imperial capital at Moynaq, where it remains to this day.
=== First Decade of unified rule ===
In 1784 Aleksander I died in a accident when leading his army over the Southern Alps to finish the conquest of Invercargill, the last remote Otago kingdom to be brought into Zealandia. Aleksander I was succeeded by his second son, Karl I. Karl proved a capable leader, one dedicated to building a Zealandian national identity, and, thanks to his youth at taking the throne (aged 22), a long-lived ruler who provided stability to a newly united nation.
Karl I continued to foster English contact throughout the remainder of the 18th century and into the 19th as well. By 1790, the first Anglican missionaries had arrived from Britain, and began teaching the local population the tenets of Christianity. Christianity became popular, but like Buddhism in Japan and China, Christianity formed a synthesis with the indigenous animistic religion of Zealandia, and existed alongside it rather than superseding it. This synthesis and coexistence proved a lasting one, and the religion practiced in Zealandia today, although being Christian in nature, is obviously and overwhelmingly influenced by the animistic worship that had existed before its arrival.
In addition to religion, missionaries brought the Latin alphabet to Zealandia. Unlike pure Christianity or the Gregorian calendar, which did not catch on in the country, the Latin alphabet had no issue taking hold in Zealandia. Due to much of the population being illiterate, Karl I's new education programs taught the Latin alphabet to children who attended school. The previous writing system was a heavily corrupted form of the Sanskrit alphabet, something Axipaal nobles had retained from antiquity before their arrival in Zealandia. The script was burdensome to learn and impossible for use in communication with outsiders. Therefore, Karl I's government switched official record and history keeping practices to the Latin alphabet (which by this time had been transcribed to suit the Axipaal language) in 1797.