Gotham City (Earth-3934)

**Gotham City** is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey and the seat of Kane County. Gotham lies along the southern New Jersey shore on the eastern side of the Morrison Bay, neighboring Metropolis across the bay. South of Gotham City is its sister city Blüdhaven.

## History

### Early History

In the pre-Columbian era, the area of present-day Gotham City and Blüdhaven was originally inhabited by the Miagani, an Algonquian-speaking people indigenous to the Northeast Woodlands. They were primarily settled in what is now Miagani Island, the northern island of Gotham City.

### European Colonization

In 1540, the Italian navigator Vincenzo Gnanatti made the first historical account of the Gotham archipelago while exploring the island of New Troy in Delaware. Another European visitor, Henry Hudson, briefly scouted out the region while sailing through Morrison Bay on August 28, 1609.

Small European settlements sprung up in the region following Henry Hudson's journey, including a small Dutch fishing village in what is now Blüdhaven. However, the first major settlement in the region was founded in 1638 by Captain Jon Logerquist, a Norwegian mercenary-sailor under the employ of the Swedish South Company. He arrived with a handful of colonists fleeing the religious wars of Europe. They established Fort Adolphus, named after the famed military general and Swedish king Gustavus Adolphus, on the southern island. The Swedish developed an amicable trading relationship with the Miagani, and had earlier purchased the acres of their land that Fort Adolphus was built on.

Fort Adolphus grew quickly, and became a spot for travelers and fur trappers on their way to the Appalachian Mountains and beyond. The explorers returned with goods that attracted even more ships and settlers from Europe. It became the most successful and populous settlement in New Sweden by far.

In 1655, the Dutch Republic waged a trade war against the Swedish and conquered the settlements of New Sweden, incorporating them into their colony of Nieuw Nederland. Fort Adolphus was seized by the Dutch army and the settlement was renamed Nieuw Rotterdam. The settlers remained mostly Swedish and Finnish, and the settlement was allowed a level of autonomy. The Dutch continued trading with the Miagani, and Nieuw Rotterdam became an important trading port for the Dutch, shipping goods between the nearby Nieuw Meppel across the bay.

The Dutch occupation was short-lived, however, as the land changed hands once more when the British launched an invasion of Nieuw Nederland in 1664. Nieuw Rotterdam was ceded to the British, and General Adam Howe arrived from England to mark the colony's transition to English rule in 1675, officially renaming it "Gotham Town" after the village in Nottinghamshire.

### The Miagani Massacre

The newly rechristened Gotham Town became a popular destination for English colonists, becoming one of the more diverse settlements in the Middle Colonies. It attracted a number of Puritans from the New Haven colony, who helped shape the town's future with their industrious ways. It is around this time that the Waynes, who would become one of the city's most prestigious families, first arrived in Gotham from Scotland.

Meanwhile, tensions brewed between the new British settlers and the native Miagani. The newly arrived Puritans viewed the Miagani as primitive and inferior, but took steps to convert them to their version of Christianity in hopes of "civilizing" them. This was unlike the Dutch, who cared little for imposing religion on others and focused mainly on trading with the Miagani. Meanwhile, the British were interesting in expanding their territory, and were willing to dominate and oppress the native people to do so.

However, the Miagani met their attempts to convert them with resistance. The missionaries were angered, and disturbed by what they saw of the Miagani's religious traditions, particularly their reverence of bats. They returned with distorted representations of their culture, accusing them of worshiping the Devil, practicing witchcraft, and drinking human blood. Rumors spread quickly, and fear began to take hold in the colony.

The British were eager to expand the fledgling Gotham Town in order to match the growth of New Troy, and began to encroach on the Miagani's land. They built farms on land that the Miagani traditionally used for hunting, and in response, the Miagani raided the farmland and claimed the lives of several settlers. The land had been purchased by the Swedish beforehand, but barriers in language and culture made it unlikely that they even properly understood the transaction, and to what extent the settlers owned the land.

The attack appeared to confirm the fears of the Puritans, and the settlers were quick to retaliate. The resulting skirmishes quickly escalated into a full-blown war. They massacred the Miagani, raiding their villages, razing their fields, and murdering their unarmed women and children. Those who surrendered were either tortured or sold into slavery.

With the Miagani all but exterminated, Gotham Town was free to expand on their stolen land unimpeded. More settlements also began to appear throughout the Core Islands, including Glendale, Manchester-Lyntown, and Burnley-Bryanttown.

### The Gotham Witch Trials

By the 1680's, the influence of the Puritans began to grow, despite being a minority compared to the Dutch Reformed and the Lutherans. They were led by Nathaniel Wayne