Kingdom of Bessarabia

The Kingdom of Bessarabia, officially known as the United Dynasties of Bessarabia and Greece, and shortened to Bessarabia-Greece or just Bessarabia, is a kingdom located in Eastern Europe that borders the Romanian Republic and the Republic of Ukraine via Bessarabia, and Macedonia via Greece.
== History ==
=== Ancient Bessarabians (6500 - 3000 BCE) ===
Not much is known about Bessarabian people and lifestyle during the stone age, as the people didn't write. They did however, make cave paintings. Archeological evidence in Bessarabia described the ancient Bessarabians as people that migrated from Anatolia and/or Russia. Evidence from Bessarabian cave paintings details a Bessarabian ritual, which shows evidence that the Bessarabians had gods and a religion. Despite this, we still don't know much about the ancient Bessarabia. Using what little of we know of them, we can tell that the Bessarabians were spearmen, often using animal skin for clothing. The Stone Age Bessarabians were eventually conquered by an earlier version of the celts, in 3000 BCE. 
=== Celtic Bessarabia (3000 - 2500 BCE) ===
The Celts of Bessarabia are often confused with the Galacians of Anatolia, and that is because similar culture is often found widespread between the two groups. Despite this, the Bessarabians were highly different from the Galacians in culture and language. It is here that the earliest known Bessarabian writing system is found, around 2700 BCE, which was a decree by the Celtic Chieftain Rìoghachd. Since barely any other writing systems were found however, we do not know much about the personality of Rìoghachd or other chieftains, and barely what they did. However, we can easily describe their appearance through celtic and non-celtic art. According to Mycenean conquerors, a celtic chieftain who they described as Ralghasius came raiding down from the lands of the north and ravaged the northern city states, before being repelled by the Mycenean armies. 
Celtic culture is also widespread in Bessarabia. The Celts often didn't were shirts or any garb in their top bodies, however they often wore leather wrappings (ancient equivalent of pants) around their legs. Celtic coinage was used by animal skin (although sometimes it consisted of gold, bronze, and other raw materials), and the Bessarabian Celts were intertwined trading with other Celts. The Bessarabian Celts often traded with the Bosphoran Celts and the Galacian Celts, which is often why the three groups get mixed up. The Bessarabian Celts were fierce warriors, and could stand up to civilizations such as the Mycenaean greeks and the Hittite Empire. It is important to know that these early celts weren't exactly celts, but rather an earlier version of the celts, who were described by the Mycenean Greeks as 'Bosphori'.
=== Magyar Greece (2500 BCE - 106 AD) ===
The Celts began to weaken around 2600 BCE, and they were well past their prime in 2500. As a result, when the Magyars invaded, the celts could do little about them, and retreated to Crimea. The Magyars were the first to actually write more, detailing about the Magyar invasion of Bessarabia and how the first magyar king, Dicsőséges, conquered Bessarabia for himself. The Magyars however, weren't the only ones to settle in Bessarabia, the Greeks, taking advantage of the weakened celts, set up three colonies in the region. Rather than fight each other, the Magyars and Greeks integrated with one another, and such was the founding of Magyar-Greece. The Magyars constructed three city states which were important to the history of Bessarabia later on. The names of the city states were Baltazia (modern day Constantija), Trajanius (modern day Tiraspol), and Chrisanius (modern day Chișinău). Although the city states were completely independent from each other, they rarely fought and shared laws with one another. They were unified enough to elect a sole ruler of the Magyar-Greeks, and soon the region prospered. 
The Magyar-Greeks would soon come into contact with other civilizations. The Mycenaean Greeks, believing that Bessarabia was weak, continued planting colonies in the area until the Bessarabians won an impressive naval victory at Tirasponia (See Battle of Tirasponia). The Magyar-Greeks would later improve their relations with the greeks, which resulted into a golden age of Magyar prosperity. The Magyar-Greeks also traded with the Hittite Empire, and even went as to trade with the Egyptians and Cyrenians. The Magyar-Greeks continued to write about legends, myths, and historical documents, etc. The Magyar-Greeks were one of the few civilizations to survive the Bronze Age collapse, however declined in prosperity, and barely wrote anything. However, during the so called "Bessarabian Early Dark Ages", the Bessarabians began conquering the area of the black sea, reaching Crimea and defeating the Bosphoran Celts, before moving on past the area. However, the conquest proved to be to expensive and the Bessarabians were forced to withdraw. 
It is after the Magyar-Greek dark ages that we begin to learn much more about the Magyar-Greek pantheon. Although the pantheon was almost identical to the Greek Pantheon, the Bessarabians put more focus onto what the Greeks called "Primordial Gods", and although gods like Jovus (Magyar equivalent of Zeus), were still in charge, the Magyar-Greeks believed that they only had earthly and atmospheric power, and that the primordial gods had what they called "Voilidal Power". They believed that the Primordial gods were the reason that Jovus and his siblings (and children) had power, and they believed that if they acted too tyrannically on the people, the Primordial gods would punish them by taking away their power. Needless to say, the Magyar Greeks were pacifists, only getting themselves involved with the Peloponnesian War and the Achaean War, and engaged in trade with other powers in the mediterranean besides rome up until the Antony-Augustus War, in which trade was ceased and the only major power in the Mediterranean was the Roman Empire. Initially, the Magyars would refuse to make contact with the Romans, however when Emperor Trajan arrived the Magyar-Greeks were forced to engage battle against the Romans. They managed to hold them off for a while, so Emperor Trajan offered them peace in exchange for them becoming a Roman Protectorate.
=== Roman Protectorate of Bessarabia (106 AD - 239 AD) ===
The Romans, attempting to appease the masses, installed numerous puppet governors who were from Bessarabia to be incharge. This didn't satisfy the growing anti-imperial masses, however, who viewed the puppet governors as traitors to the Bessarabian people. The Romans attempted to assimilate Bessarabian culture into that of the Roman one, which didn't help the growing dissatisfaction amongst the Bessarabian masses. The Romans would constantly put unhappy Legionaries who hated the empire to Bessarabia, in order to guard the area from Barbarians. One such unhappy Legionary Commander, Lachimus, would work together with the Bessarabian Politician Aetious, as well as the commander of the Bessarabian Mobile Calvary (Balsiunai), Crisus (Lachimus had the legionaries, as well as the support of Romans in Bessarabia). The three men would conspire to overthrow the Roman Government during the Roman Crisis of the Third Century, as the Romans were preoccupied with conquering lost territory. The Bessarabian Revolution would begin at 140 AD, and initially the Romans would crush the Bessarabians, however after the armies of Crisus and Lachimus crushed the Romans at Crisinautium (modern day Chisinau), the Bessarabians started making gains. It wasn't until 250 that they would earn their independence from Rome. 
=== Old Kingdom of Bessarabia (250 - 691) ===
The Old Kingdom of Bessarabia would be founded in the midst of the crisis of the third century, which the Bessarabians managed to gain their independence and take control of their interests. The Bessarabians would focus on expanding north, invading Magyaria and Bosphora, reaching Odesi (modern day Odesa) in 276, before continuing to expand. However, a united Gothic coalition managed to repel the Bessarabians and create the Gothic Empire, and Old Bessarabia became a vassal of the Gothic Empire. The Goths would soon fall after the Bessarsabian king Alexai Mikolius declared independence and repelled the Goths, killing the Gothic Chieftain and gaining independence for his state. He would soon defeat the Goths numerous times, until they agreed to pay tribute for 10 years. He returned as a hero, and died 3 months later. Following his death, the Old Kingdom of Bessarabia entered in a succession crisis, with Mikolius's three sons each competing for the throne. Chrisanius was sacked in the process, and much of Bessarabian culture was burned. The Goths seized the opportunity and took Transnistria. Although Mikolius's eldest son, Mandolovius won, Bessarabia would enter it's second dark age. 
Despite this, Bessarabian culture flourished. Bessarabia was a distinct Romano-Greek lifestyle, as the Magyars had already greekified. This new status quo embraced personal freedoms, and even held elections, which was otherwise unheard of at the time. Despite this, the Kings still held almost complete absolute power, and as a result, were often hated by the people of Bessarabia. One Bessarabian nobleman, by the name of Theodocius Sophranus, decided to act. He would assassinate the king of Bessarabia while he was visiting the center Worshiping area, before declaring himself king as Theodocius I. Theodocius made numerous reforms, including giving more power to the people, which is often why he is considered more popular than other Bessarabian dark age monarchs. Despite this, he wasn't the one to end the Bessarabian Dark Ages. That would be Theodocius's son, Mikalaus III, who converted to christianity and allied with the Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire, opening up trade with the rest of the world. Because of this, Mikalaus is often also known as Mikalaus the Great. 
Bessarabian power started to decline with the birth of the Rashidun Caliphate in 632 AD and the subsequent weakening of the Byzantine Empire. With the Bessarabians losing power, Theodocius V declared a state of emergency, and began sending troops to help the Byzantines. Despite this, the Umayyad Caliphate would take the city of Constantinople in 678, and the Bessarabian domains would weaken further. One bright side came to the Bessarabian weakening, as due to marriages with the Byzantine Empire, the Bessarabians were able to claim most of Byzantine Europe and the remaining Byzantine holdings via inheirentance. As a result, Theodocius declared that he had the right to claim the throne of the Roman Empire, and declared war on the Umayyad Caliphate in 683 AD. After a series of conquests, he managed to take control of most of the former Byzantine holdings under Heraclius, and push the Umayyads to Persia and Arabia, before making peace with them in 691 AD. Thus, the Bessarabian Empire was formed. 
=== Bessarabian Empire ===
Category:Moldova but Powerful
Category:Alternate Scenario: Stone Age - Present