Armeena

Armeena is a landlocked nation located on the continent of Luia in Trassk. It has been ruled by a military junta led by General Wabash since the 1952 coup that ousted the Republican government.

## **History**

### Ancient Time

The nation of Armeena is believed to have originated as a type of confederation between several hundred tribes seeking security in numbers. Due to the necessity of sunlight to grow crops, many of these tribes practiced rituals praising the Sun in hopes of a good harvest. It is believed that these rituals are responsible for leading to the modern belief that the first Armeeneans were born from the Sun. However, differences in practices for Sun worship as well as land disputes beginning around 100 C.E. led to a breakup of the confederation and the beginning of many years of tribal infighting

### Classical Period

By about 400 C.E. the Naemy tribe led by chief Armaei Lahahae had managed to defeat the warrior bands of the other tribes and unify the land into a proto-kingdom. To this day, the nation's name is derived from its first true leader. The Kingdom of Lahahae ruled over what is most of modern western Armeena and managed to more thoroughly flesh out a proper Armeenean state. It was under the Kingdom of Lahahae that taxes, a national census, and a national army were instituted. The kingdom enjoyed splendor and riches from the 400s to the 800s, at times changing bloodlines, but always retaining the name of Lahahae. By late 800 C.E. the kingdom had been suffering greatly from repeated attacks from Eastern tribes, as well as internal discontent resulting from the numerous liberties the nobility had been taking with public funds to finance lavish palaces and events. By 890 C.E. the kingdom was overrun by eastern tribes and fell into disarray being broken into several smaller principalities ruled by eastern invaders. It would take until the 1100s for the nation of Armeena to become whole once more.

### Medieval Period/ Renaissance

In the late 1000s, the princes of the east and west had once again decided to form a confederation of their kingdoms in order to protect themselves from outside invaders. Power was vested in a council of princes called the Anarat, with a Suman (a Grand Prince) being chosen by the Church after considering the opinions of the Anarat. By the year 1140 C.E. the Suman had consistently been of eastern origin, fueling anger and animosity in the western princes of the Anarat. This animosity turned to conflict in the 1150s as civil war broke out among the princes following the dissolving of the Anarat by Suman Gunar. By 1180 the conflict had concluded, with the armies of a prince from the southwest by name of Kyganik managing to defeat all who refused to serve at his side. With his victory, he proclaimed a new kingdom with himself at the helm, but allowing for the existence of a more powerful Anarat loyal to him. Kyganik and his line ruled the whole of present day Armeena, being the first king to unite the entire nation under one banner. The kingdom managed to rule the land under relative peace and stability for nearly 500 years. However, in the 1600's, there was going to be a great reconsidering of the entire Armeenean state.

### 1600's-1850's

By the 1600's the arts and science of Armeena had reached new heights as a result of the adoption of new styles of thought and experimentation. Many also saw this time a one to examine the politics of the nation in a scientific manner. Many intellectuals saw the monarchy as an outdated system that needed to be reformed with a greater voice for the people in government affairs. This resulted in many public demonstrations against the monarchy and calls for an Anarat like body that represented the people of the nation as a whole, not just the nobility. The monarchy was not keen on giving into these challenges to its power and it was this friction between nobility and the rest of the population that led to the Great Reform of 1690-1720 in which armies of the nobility and the common people of Armeena clashed. By 1720, the conflict concluded with victory for the revolutionaries, whom proclaimed the Republic of Armeena. The young Republic enacted many reforms on old policies and traditions, such as the abolition of noble titles, the enactment of taxes of religious bodies, and the creation of a Parliament which represented the people of the nation. However the Republic also proved to be violent in its reform as it quickly rounded up former nobility and had them executed and their property taken under state control. The Republic managed to rule until the late 1850's when its heavy handed policies had managed to stir up a communist revolution that saw to the Republic's end.

### 1850's-1952

In 1857 the Republic was ousted by a popular revolution led by the young Communist Party. The Communist declared the creation of a People's Democratic Collective of Armeena, a radical body that persisted until the mid 1910's, which pursued forced land redistribution, the abolition of national currency, and total state control over media, education, as well as the banning of all religious practices. By 1912 the PDCA had relaxed its grip on power and reformed itself into a more representative state through numerous party purges and reorganizations. The state also allowed for the elections of parties aside from the Communist Party (CPA). In 1924 the CPA lost the national elections to the more moderate National People's Front (NPF) which sought to correct the awful economic policy enacted by the CPA. Following the NPF victory a national referendum was held to rename the country to the Republic of Armeena, which easily secured 80% in favor. The NPF managed to scale back the economic ruin brought on by the CPA, but at a large cost. The NPF was forced to introduce heavy austerity measures which included a restriction on government social benefits, raised taxes, a reduction of the military and reduced wages. The measures proved to be effective in grappling the economy from spiraling any further out of control, but it also managed to provoke the animosity of the Armeenan officer corps.

### 1952 Revolution-Present

Following the austerity measures taken by the NPF, the Armeenean armed forces felt especially hard pressed. Many soldiers had been laid off and the military also proved to be a symbol of national pride, which now seemed to be dwindling away. In July 1952 the Free Officers Corps (FOC) , a group of high ranking officers staunchly opposed to the current government, carried out a coup led by General Salah Wabash in which the capitol and government buildings were occupied. Loyalist forces around the nation were surrounded by more numerous FOC units and either crushed or renounced their support of the NPF government. By 1953 the FOC had managed to consolidate its power fully. Although the nation's parliament is still an active body, it is nearly entirely staffed by those loyal to Wabash who don't hesitate to pass legislation sent to them from the Junta above them. Though the state is claimed to be democratic, it is widely accepted that the Junta is in control.