Phoenicia

### GDP

• Total: 147 million Egyptian shematy (74 AEE)• Per capita: 156.79 Egyptian shematy (74 AEE)

**Spoiler warning: this page contains heavy spoilers for the novel The March of Deshret.**

The League of Independent Phoenician Cities, often referred to simply as Phoenicia (as it mostly coincided with the geographic region of Phoenicia), was a short lived state during the OFK-EC War, being independent in 74 - 76 AEE.

## Declaration of neutrality

While during the Great Powers' War the Phoenician cities stayed with Egypt, being mostly certain that Hatti was going to be defeated, once the war transformed into the OFK-EC War, the Phoenicians became less certain, considering the Eastern Coalition a much more formidable foe. A part of Phoenicia was almost immediately occupied in 73 AEE by the Kingdom of the Levant, with the city of Arwad being put under siege, and the other cities feared a similar fate as the EC army was nearing Byblos.

After the disastrous Egyptian defeat in the Fourth Battle of Kadesh, the Phoenician kings began talks with the Elamite king Shilhak-Inshushinak of joining the EC. Over the following months the Phoenician engaged in talks with Shilhak and the Egyptian royal envoy Amenemheb, both trying to sway the region to join the EC or remain with the OFK respectively. Eventually, the kings of the five major Phoenician cities - Arwad, Byblos, Beirut, Sidon, and Tyre - decided on staying neutral and in so doing declaring independence, even if unofficially. This proved to be acceptable to both factions, as they understood that they could not pressure the region much more as it would simply join the other side in that case. Phoenicia was by far the wealthiest region in the known world, even slightly surpassing the realms of Dilmun and Magan and so neither faction dared to infringe on its neutrality, as they could not afford to have it join the opposing side.

## War time deals

Thus Phoenicia became independent in 74 AEE, informally called the League of Independent Phoenician Cities. The League did not participate in the war directly and was circumvented by the OFK and EC armies, though off-duty soldiers were allowed to enter the territory. The cities also traded extensively with both factions, selling everything from luxury goods, furniture, and refined metals to weapons, chariots, and warships. Most of the newly created EC Mediterranean Fleet was composed of ships bought from Phoenicia, though Egyptians bought a comparable amount as well. In total, over the course of the war, Phoenicia sold almost a thousand ships and dozens of thousands of weapons. Some mercenaries were recruited from the region by both sides as well, as the League could not send its soldiers to fight directly.

Over the course of the war the region received an influx of immigrants, mostly from the Levant, who were fleeing from the war. This increased the population of the state, and while many suffered in poverty, there was no lack of jobs due to an immense increase in demand for most Phoenician goods. The country was the most urbanized one in the known world, with 78% of the population living in cities, as it consisted of the highly populated coastal area. The literacy rate was also the highest, with 27.5% of the population being considered literate, though this began dropping with the arrival of mostly uneducated refugees.

While the League consisted of many cities, the real power was held by the five major founding cities and their rulers - a king and an advisory merchant council of every respective city. The area was divided between the five of them, with smaller cities going to the sphere of the closest major city in most cases. The kings and the councils of the five cities essentially dictated the state's foreign and even domestic policy, with mayors of the smaller cities having limited powers, though this was not a large change for them from the Egyptian rule. The five cities always discussed the issues among themselves first and presented a united image to both warring factions, so as not to have the League broken and the neutrality threatened. However, different kings had different opinions of certain issues and some preferred the EC while others supported OFK more and this was exploited in some cases. Still, the state stayed united until the end, only agreeing to join one of the factions if they had a complete and lasting victory in the Levant.

## End of independent Phoenicia

In 76 AEE, when Egypt inflicted multiple decisive defeats on the EC and recovered most of the Levant, Phoenicia, after many rounds of negotiations, agreed to rejoin the kingdom, now known as the Commonwealth of Kemet, Kush, and Retjenu. Phoenicia became part of the autonomous state of Retjenu, sharing it with the Canaanites to the south, but the Phoenician kings still retained significant influence and the capital of the state was set to be in Phoenicia. The transitionary period lasted a few months, but in late 76 AEE, Phoenicia was now fully part of the Commonwealth and so the League was officially disbanded.