Breda

Breda, officially the Overseas Crown Territory of Breda (and alternately as the Territory of the Upper Delta), is a colony of Liotain located in western Kijana.

### History

Between the 1400s and 1853, Breda was part of the Imbassi Kingdom, and was known as the Upper Mbassa Region. It had a modest Sebirene ethnic minority that slowly grew through the 1700s and early 1800s.

Breda was conquired by the 'explorer' and military adventurer Luis Breda in 1853. Luis Breda's origins remain somewhat unknown, although he claimed his father was L'acquan, and his mother Firoccan, though some records indicate he was probably born in Orsetto, and instead used an Antargentine name. Hired by Sebiris to expand their southern frontier, Breda raised an army of mercenaries and descended upon the northern end of the Inner Mbassa River Delta, conquering cities formerly under the rule of the Wa Pret of Mbassa.

Although he claimed to administer the territory on behalf of Sebiris, Breda renamed the territory after himself, and began operating as an independent authority. In 1858, Sebiris attempted to remove Breda, but their army was defeated by Breda's small force of well-trained troops, and forced to acknowledge his de-facto authority in the region. An attempt by the Impassi kingdom in 1860 to reclaim the Upper Delta also failed.

By 1863, Breda conducted himself as an absolute monarch, and began developing a military caste system. Under Breda's system, soldiers were trained from the early age of twelve, being taught poetry, art, and military tactics. They were supported by a worker caste, viewed as sub-human and kept intentionally illiterate, with the capital punishment for peasants who learned to read.

Breda eventually showed more unbalanced traits. He believed that trees were bad for the environment and had been imported by Velravin colonizers in order to sap the spiritual energy out of Kijana. For the remainder of his reign, he conducted a massive deforestation campaign across the territory he controlled. Breda developed an intense paranoia about being killed by men, and so created an all-female bodyguard called the Caracal Guard; by 1873, he allowed only them to enter his presence. Breda also ordered fortified cities built on high ground throughout the delta, using slave labor, brought in from Sebiris, Kabelia, Doka, and Anitiria.

However, in October 1873, a failed slave-raid on Mbassa resulted in Breda's final undoing. The Liotainian Governor-General of Mbassa, Edgaras Straizys, gathered a mixed army of local Mbassa troops and Liotainian colonial forces, and launched the River War. Straizys, as a knight of the Sovereign Military Order of Svent Mykolas, had extensive military expertise and conducted a textbook campaign, conquering the region over the course of eight months, and quickly pacifying it. Luis Breda was captured in September of 1874, tried for being a horrible person, and hanged for his crimes.

Justifying that solely removing a tyrant was no mercy if the region was not reconstructed, the Liotainian government declared Breda an official protectorate. The official constitution, passed in 1897, declared that the territory would hold a plebiscite in 1920 to evaluate whether the population wished to declare independence or retain their status as an Overseas Crown Territory.

Much of Breda's city-building, which was done quite intelligently, was expanded and even copied in the lower delta. His cultural reforms, however, were abolished in their entirity, with the adoption of the Maurizian Policy, which advocated widespread education, Theophanic values, and transition to constitutional values. The slave trade was also outlawed, with heavy penalties for violators.

#### Name

In spite of Luis Breda's capture and execution, the territory retains the name "Breda." A 1901 proposal to rename the region "Upper Mbassa" narrowly failed at the ballot box, and will be brought up again in 1911.

### Government and Politics

Since 1875, Breda is officially an Overseas Crown Territory. It has local autonomy in most domestic matters, with Liotain being responsible for foreign affairs and defense.

The monarch of Liotain serves as the Territory's official head-of-state. The viceroy (or vicereine), who acts as the territorial head-of-government, is appointed directly by the monarch.

A unicameral Territorial Parliament is elected for purposes of setting policy for the region. As of 1907, Breda is organized into a hundred and three provinces, each of which sends one Representatives to the Territorial Parliament.

The Liotainian monarch also appoints a viceroy (or vicereine) to serve as the monarch's direct representative in the territory. This position is basically ceremonial, being bestowed to senior officials as a reward for a long career of public service. The viceroy's duties often resemble an ambassadorship in most respects, being accorded a seat on the Governor-General's executive council but having no binding power.

The Parliament also elects two representatives to the Liotainian Teismas (Parliament) in Neris.

* **Head of Government**: Governor-General Linde
* **Head of State**: Kotryna Urmana

As of 1907, the current Governor-General of Breda is Linde , a former Caracal Knight who now leads the *Forward Together* Party.

### Geography

The Mbassa River Delta dominates much of the territory.

### Demographics

Breda's population is diverse and multiethnic, far more so than the neighboring province of Mbassa.

* Imbassi: 53%
* Sebirenes: 25%
* Kabelians: 20%
* Dokans: 2%

### Economy

The economy is primarily based on agriculture.

### Infrastructure

#### Transport

Most local transportation is conducted using a mix of native canoes (usually built using simple and traditional methods) and river steamships. Sidewheel steamers, due to their shallow draft, are most common.

The Mesopoatamian Railway was started in the 1880s, and connects Korientze and several other major cities with the west coast port town of Refij, in Mbassa. The metre-gauge railway was a major construction project, as it was designed to remain in operation even during the flood season. For this reason, it follows a twisting course to follow the "Mesopotamia" high ground, making copious use of causeways and bridges in other areas.

### Culture

Breda's history and multiethnic culture makes it an unusual melting pot.