Easwegian Commonwealth

The Easwegian Commonwealth as described in the mythology was the polity which existed within parts of Svalbard between the creation of the Settlementslaw in 1155 in co-operation between the Ezaari, a nomadic group who had travelled and discovered Bear Island from the Novgorod Republic, and Icelandic Vikings who discovered mainland Svalbard, and the subjugation by the United Kingdoms of Sweden & Norway in 1821. Beginning as the Iron Commonwealth as a colony of the Novgorod Republic, the Commonwealth established itself as independent in 1478, changing its name to the Easwegian Commonwealth.

## Languages

### Official Language(s)

Old Easwegian
 Icelandic (until 14th century
 Various Finno-Ugric Languages (from 14th century)
 Pomors Russian (from 16th century)
 Norwegian (from late 17th century, depending on the Zerrich)

## Area

### Area (km)

1195
 178²km
 1821
 236²km

## Government

### Leader Title

Zerrich
 Chieftains

## Mythology

Little is written about the original inhabitants of Bear Island which are now refered to as the proto-Easwegians, but what is suspected is that they were sea travellers who had splintered off from a Finnic or Samoyedic tribe in now modern day Russia not long before the establishment of the Novgorod Republic in the early 12th century. The area they came from was strongly influenced by Viking culture and so they probably used boats inspired by the vikings. Travelling north, Bear Island would have been the furthest they had reached and settled.

Viking settlers from Iceland originally themselves discovered Bear Island and Svalbard later in 1154. They spotted the tip of either Spitsbergen or Edgeøya, which they named Svalbarði, (cold shores) before turning and heading south. Spotting Bear Island, they crashed their boat trying to find a spot to land owing to the Island's minimal natural ports.

Meeting the original inhabitants, they referred to them as Aus(t)menn (Eastern men), and their language Auska. They referred to Bear Island as Iron Island because of the rich minerals which were saw in the surprisingly large mountains to the east of the Island. The Ausmenn helped the crashed vikings with shelter, and because of the remoteness and relatively small size of the island, even for 12th century standards, the community worked together.

Using parts from the crashed boat which was unusable, the Vikings and Ausmenn created a Long House in most likely modern day Liyvazun, Essrina, which acted as an Assembly hall, and in 1155 created the Settlementslaw, which acted as a constitution, detailing the laws of the new Commonwealth they named the Iron Commonwealth, named after the Vikings original name for the Island. Within the constitution was the establishment of the Commonwealth Assembly acting as a legislature, which all who travelled to the Island were expected to engage in. Later when vikings became more assimilated with the more dominant Austmenn, the Commonwealth was renamed to the name adopted for all inhabitants of the Island, the Easwegian Commonwealth*; (*Old Norse: *Auske* *þjóðveldi,* or as the increasingly dominating old Easwegian called themselves, the Rich Commonwealth; (Old Easwegian Transliteration: Qezaarri). In English, the translation of Easwegian stuck.

The Easwegian Commonwealth saw an influx of refugees at the end 1240 when Bjarmians escaping the herd of the Mongol invasion travelled across the Barentsea to arrive after heading North instead of west like the Slavs.

Before the mid 16th century the Commonwealth did not use a set currency and instead bartered or used various ores to trade with. When currency was adopted it was named the Easwegian Penaari: Penaari being a corruption of the Easwegian word for the Pomors; Pemaari. During the early and mid to late 16th century the Commonwealth became an arctic Emporium for northern traders and explorers. During the latter remaining parts of the 16th century and beginning of the 17th century, due to the Massacre of Novgorod; an attack perpetrated by Tsar Ivan IV the Terrible against the former capital of the medieval Novgorod Republic, sometimes considered a preceding state of the Easwegian Commonwealth, and the subsequent Russian conquest of Siberia, the Zerrich and local officials became incredibly weary of outside Russian contact which formed a large part of outside contact, especially due to their fear that if they appeared too prosperous they would be the next to be invaded. Many Easwegians felt solidarity with their native ancestors such as Nenet tribes past the Ural mountains who being brought into subjugation by the Russian Empire and those who fought back massacred. The ruling Zerrich of the time had those deemed sympathetic to the Russian and Cossack invasions of Siberia banned from the Commonwealth. Due to the Massacre of Novgorod and the Russian conquests of Siberia, Tsar Ivan the Terrible, Cossack Yermak Timofeyevich, and Romanov Tsar Michael I are considered in Easwegian culture today be national enemies.

The increasing isolation of the Easwegian Commonwealth throughout the 17th to 19th century led to the decline of Easwegian culture, made leaders more paranoid making the nation more militaristic and the populace more scattered. Corruption, including of militia forces by local Chieftains led to more wealth squandered and the Commonwealth more susceptible to growing European colonialism which had been growing in Svalbard since the very late 15th century. The Pomors were the only outside people Easwegians were left trusting and as such they became a core part of Easwegian culture.

In the beginning of the 18th century increasing pointless raids on the shores of Norway, the turbalent status of the Norwegian government and military due to them splitting up a union with Denmark and the beginning of a shaky one with Sweden, as well as betrayals by corrupt Easwegian Chieftains to Norwegian officials led to the war between began by Norway against the Easwegian Commonwealth in 1820 and which led to the subjugation of the Easwegians and dissolution of the Easwegian Commonwealth in 1821 and the expelling of all Easwegians from Svalbard for a century.

## Government

The government of the Commonwealth was incredibly loose. During its creation, the Long Palace legislature was set up, with Chieftains inspired by the home system of the Icelandic Commonwealth. These Chieftains were to have no mandated rules to gaining power, there just had to be only one representative at a time. This meant the Chieftain could be bought, gifted, or inherited. The Chieftains controlled what were known as Reeves and they acted as messengers and enforces of Chieftain law. Chieftains usually held condominium over different territory in the Commonwealth and the peasants were able to express allegiance to any Chieftain within the land and thus choose who they paid taxes to.

The Vikings wanted these to be the highest positions of the land, but the Zaarri who had more standing and power on the Island sofar up to that point insisted that an Exchequer serve as the executive of the created Long Palace legislature, and serve as the chief-controller of the Realm. This position was Monarchical, in respected standing equivalent to a Czar. Unlike the Chieftain positions with no regulation on gaining power, the Exchequer was elected by the Chieftains and the owners of land. Today, this position is known as the Zerrich.

## Economics

One notable feature of the Easwegian Commonwealth was their incredibly capitalistic nature. Residency to the island could only be achieved by purchase or indentured servitude to a Chieftain. Government positions could be bought and sold, except for the position of Zerrich. None or very little taxes were levied and Chieftains often achieved resources by plundering Norway and Russia, contracting the Muerrzi navy. For victims to challenge an accused in court they often had to pay the local administration which would then hold court days with juries of peers who would be payed Penaari to sit, as well as the magistrate who would receive the most money.

## Society and Culture

Rape and murder was seen as incredibly abhorrent in Easwegian society. Unlike in other cases where court appearances required a fee, tribunals formed to sentence rapists and murders was often funded by the Zerrich. These crimes were rare on the island itself. The family of victims were allowed to decide if the guilty party received death by beheading, starvation, or mercy and banishment.

Chieftains were often given a Norse funeral when they died which often involved a ship burial.

Alchohol played a large role in the society of the Easwegian Commonwealth, especially ale. Easwegian peasents and nobility alike would often get drunk and communal tavens to go to drink after labouring were an incredibly popular pastime. There was no minimum drinking age and so even children often drank in the company of their parents. Eventually a Zerrich mandated the Commonwealth's own version of an Ale Conner to ensure the drink was being made to an acceptable standard, due to the Commonwealth's harsher climate as well as being sold at a fair price. Alchohol was seen by the administration as an important part of a Labourer's pastime to keep them happy and ready to work.

## Fall

By the beginning of the 19th century, the Easwegian Commonwealth was dwindling as a power and thus people were leaving the island for better opportunities. The Chieftains were corrupt and the Zerrich had far less influence to keep the nation steady. With industrial advances across the world, the feudal cracks of the Commonwealth were showing and the polity struggled to maintain social order. What was supposed to be the Commonwealth naval Militia, the Muerrzi was disjointed and spent more time pirating than protecting the people and transporting goods.

When Norway got out of a union with Denmark in 1814 they lost sovereignty over Greenland. This devastated the Norwegian population. There was wish within Norway to gain more territory for its nation. The same year Norway entered a new union with Sweden and Norway with the far superior navy was arming their ships. They had done this to track down corrupt Muerrzi ships but also in their increasing ventures to Svalbard. There was especially interest in Bear Island where they had been mining in the Island's eastern mountains, modern day Urdport for rare minerals. The Norwegians often referred to Bear Island as little Greenland as it resembled it somewhat in the crude maps that were chartered for Svalbard at the time.