Despotate of Ionia

Kanoria:

* Lenya
* Lektrik
* Amaldorf

Katavia:

* Knossos
* Cytros

The **Despotate of Ionia** was the name given to the monarchical regime led by the Ionians that existed in Central Helinska until its overthrow by the multiethnic Ionian Rebel Alliance in 1900.

## Government and History

How the country was organized is unknown and disputed.

### The Kokinan narrative

The Socialist Republic of Kokinos maintains that it is the rightful successor of the name "Ionia", and disputes the Kanorian claims of being "Ionian". According to the Kokinan narrative, the "despotate" was a totalitarian regime that oppressed the Ionian/Kokinan people and was overthrown by the Rebel Alliance in 1900. The alleged crimes of the despot include firing upon protesters, employing secret police, book burnings, exploitation of peasants and workers, non-existent democratic representation, alongside other things.

#### KSWP bias

The Kokinan narrative regarding the "despot" romanticizes the Rebel Alliance and serves the political narrative of the KSWP being the successor of the Ionian Rebel Alliance and that the alliance was a league of ideologues fighting for rights of the working class, and ignores the more complex and nuanced reality of the Rebel Alliance. In addition, some of the SRK's official claims, such as the last Ionians being driven to extinction by Novo Gavia, were later retracted, and therefore the official narrative is not fully reliable

##### True meaning of "despotate"

A "despotate" is a type of vassal monarchy akin to a duchy or march, and "despot" is just the title of said monarch. Referring to this pre-rebel alliance regime as a "despotate" conflates the monarch title "despot" with the word "despot/despotic" which has similar meanings to dictator, authoritarian, and autocratic

### The Kanorian narrative

Kanorians have records and claims regarding Ionia's late 19th century history, but many of these conflict with the Kokinan narrative and serve to justify several events in post-1940s Kanorian politics, and is not fully reliable

#### Dukes and Princes

Kanorians claim that the country was a confederation of semi-autonomous duchies and principalities, with the "Despot" being the nominal sovereign of the entire realm, akin to the Kanorian emperor. This claim is backed by the existence of the numerous Kanorian duchies and principalities, each with centuries of history predating 1906. The Kanorians have even made genealogies and lists of Ionian rulers such as Alexios Megas, the alleged "First Despot", along with records of their accomplishments and Sunderings. However these are not accepted or acknowledged by the Kokinan government, and Kokinos has yet to provide any archaeological evidence for these rulers from the Old Granfel Ruins

#### Broad cultural term

In addition, Kanorians claim that Ionia was not really a "country", but a broad cultural term that encompassed sub-identities like Kanorians and Astavarans. This claim was spouted by the Kanorian emperor to justify the conquests and incorporation of Valeron, Katavia and Astavara into the empire, as well as potentially expanding into Kokinan territory. Similarly, this claim was used by Kanorian republicans to justify naming their country "Ionia", a motion that has been and is still protested by the SRK government

### "W&L Colony"

A Kherfiyyan scholar in the 1950s claimed that the 'oppressive leader' the Ionian Rebel Alliance overthrew was influenced or outright puppeted by W&L successors. He claimed that Ionia itself was established following the SRJ's decisive victory over W&L, and that the state was taken over by W&L supporting elements, thus allowing the rebels to rebel. This has been rejected by the academical world as well as the governments of all Ionian successor-states, but it hasn't stopped a fringe minority from believing it as fact

#### "Great Helinskan War"

Building upon the claim that pre-rebel Ionia was a "W&L colony", an Ospalan nationalist in the 1950s pieced together a "Great Helinskan War" that allegedly happened around 1885, the results of which being "Unrest resulting in the formation of Ionia against W&L colonizers, and the expulsion of the Wilter & Levi Company from Helinska." However, this scholar's claim that Ospalar was weakened and annexed by Lemetiate of Airolia *after* this alleged "Great Helinskan War" conflicts with Airolian records which claim that the Lemetiate had controlled that portion of southeastern Helinska for centuries, and is not fully reliable