Aloia

**Aloia** (/ɑ'lɔɪ'ə/), officially the **Kingdom of Aloia**, is a constitutional monarchy located mainly in central Naskigo and partially in Oriento. The portion on Naskigo borders New Tarajan and Arveyres by land, and Eurasia, Texania, and Kaevi by sea. The portion in Oriento, Natal, borders New Tarajan, Antanares, and Tulkomanistan. Patagonia borders Cueva de las Manos World Heritage Park, and Pampas and Tahoe border the Free States of Argentine, the successor state to the Argentine Republic.

Aloia is a diplomatic nation, often being called upon to host peace conferences, such as the meeting that led to the 1977 Treaty of Zumbrota. Aloia is a diverse nation politically, with liberal policies dominating the Capital District and federal government and conservative politics common in the individual states. Historically, Aloia has strong political and cultural ties with Arveyres, New Tarajan, and Antanares.

Today, Aloia is a constitutional monarchy and a federal representative democracy, with the Monarch as the head of state. The capital city is Zumbrota, and the largest city is Minneapolis. Legislative power is vested in the Legislature, consisting of the 13-member High Council and the 65-member Senate. Executive power is exercised by the Chancellor. Aloia is a federal nation, divided into 5 states and a capital district.

Aloian geography varies from thick forests in the north and high elevations to plains in the east. The Aetra Mountains and Iron Range rise in the center of the Aloian mainland and divide the states of Konza and Minnesota. The lakes in the ranges and in the post-glacial northern plains of Minnesota make up the Lake Country, a major contributing region to Aloia's dominant tourism industry.

## **Etymology**

The name *Aloia* in reference to the complete nation-state that formerly was the Baltic League was first officially used by the Uppsala Synod, which formally organized the Aloian nation-state. The country is named for the city of Aloja, Mariana, the home city of the Uppsala Synod's presiding bishop, Anton Makarov. Makarov and the bishops chose the name, memorializing the Lutheran city for its sacrifices in fighting its Catholic neighbors when its neighbors tried to secede from the Baltic League. The country's name is still spelled *Aloja* in Swedish and Norwegian, but is *Aloia* in English and *Aloien* in German.

## **History**

### **Greek Age**

The shores of the Baltic Sea were home to numerous Greek city-states for thousands of years, with Athens being one of the dominant cities. In the 100s BC, Apollos the Great from Thessalonica and his forces swept through the city-states, conquering them and uniting them under a common crown for the first time in history. Apollos died in 96 BC at age 30. His kingdom immediately began to fracture, forming three rival kingdoms. These kingdoms were conquered by the Eurasian Empire.

### **Eurasian Age**

The Eurasian Empire built roads and expanded cities, bring prosperity and new life to the Greek cities. Greek culture and philosophy also spread throughout the Eurasian Empire as a result. Christianity rapidly spread through the Greek cities along the Eurasian roads and through the vigorous work of Christian missionaries.

Widespread Christianity meant that the Greek cities were often at odds with the rest of the anti-Christian Eurasian Empire. This would lead to increases in revolts and protests. In 326 CE, Greek Christians following Constantine of Athens successfully expelled the Eurasian legions, establishing the short-lived Second Kingdom of Athens. Eurasia responded with a level of fury that hadn't been seen in centuries, crushing the Greeks for good. By the end of 329, Eurasian legions had burned and destroyed all the Greek cities, executed all the Greek leaders, and taken captive all the remaining noble and educated youths. Those youths were brought back to Julium for re-education, effectively draining all the remaining Greeks of their culture.

The Greeks and their ideals were driven to the remotest ends of the earth, with only the poorest of the poor remaining to live off the land. Germanic tribes and other tribes were brought into the region by Eurasia. Tribes were handpicked for their loyalty to Julium and their adherence to Eurasian religious standards. The Germanic people built new cities, often on top of the ruins of Greek cities. Slavic tribes were later brought in to fight the remaining Greeks in the southwest of Aloia, leading to the former Kingdom of Bohemia. Pontus is the only remainder of Greek culture in all of Aloia.

### **Early Germanic period, Christianization, and unification**

As Germanic peoples were brought into the former Greek territories, they established new cities and states. The Saxons established Halle and Wittenburg in the south and the Swedes built Uppsala in the west. The city of Minneapolis was built at the mouth of the Minnesota River by Germanic people working together with Dakota. As sea levels rose, the city had to be moved upstream multiple times. The new Kingdom of Konza was created by Germanic people and the Konza nation coming together.

Around the year 1000, King Olaf of Minneapolis was baptized by Christian priests, and the second Christianization of the Baltic basin began. The religion spread quickly throughout the peninsula, and by 1106, the Achdiocese of Halle was established. The Archdiocese of Uppsala was created in 1164.

The entity that would one day become the Kingdom of Aloia originally was the Baltic League, an organization of trade guilds and their cities along the Baltic Sea, which surrounds the Aloian peninsulas. The League included the Aloian major cities of Minneapolis, Halle, Augsburg, Zumbrota, Uppsala, Fargo, and Reykjavik, and later Konza City. The League also included many cities on the south shore of the Baltic, colonies of the northern Batlic cities. These cities include Austinia, Houstonia, and a number of other Texanian cities.

Over time the Baltic League became less of a merchant organization and a political entity. In 1417, the Peace of Halle was signed. This pact dramatically restructured the League, with the most notable features being the proclamation of the King of Minnesota and Konza as the leader of the whole league and the establishment of a High Council, with each city-state contributing one member to this legislative body. The Peace was a result of the marriage of Queen Victoria II of the Kingdom of Minnesota and King Alois IV of the Kingdom of Konza, which united the League's leading dynasties. This document unified the previously independent city-states of the Baltic League into a federal nation, with each region recognizing the same monarch and legislature. The first capital was at Uppsala, which is why the Archbishop of Uppsala is still the primate of the Church of Aloia.

### **Reformation**

The Protestant Reformation began in 1517, with the publication of Saxon Catholic monk Martin Luther's 95 Theses, a document listing all of Luther's objections against the established church. Luther's teachings spread throughout the Baltic League and the surrounding region. The Reformation ignited bloody conflicts all throughout the League. The reigning monarch was King Wenceslaus, a devout Catholic, so he opposed the Reformation and had Luther hunted down. Luther evaded capture. Wenceslaus died in 1523 and his successor was his son-in-law, Gustaf II Ansgar.

Gustaf himself followed Luther's teachings and he broke with the Catholic Church in the 1520s, establishing the Church of Aloia, which until 1593 was called the Baltic Church. During Gustaf II's reign, most of the still-Catholic southern Baltic cities broke away to from Terra Mariana, a predecessor state to modern Texania and Aloia's southern states. Gustaf's son Erik I succeeded him after his 1560 death. Erik reigned until 1568, when he became too sick to reign and passed the throne to his son John I.

John I continued the work of the Reformation, until he died in 1590 and was followed by his son Sigismund, a devout Catholic. Sigismund worked to undo the effects of the Reformation, but his work was ultimately crushed by the 1593 Uppsala Synod which established the Lutheran Confessions as the confession of faith of the Church. The Uppsala Synod is also highly notable in Aloian history because it's the first time the Baltic League instead refers to itself as Aloia. This name was given in honor of King Alois I and the city of Halle, where the Peace of Halle was signed. Lutheran nobles and Sigismund's brother Karl I forced Sigismund into exile in 1594. Karl I reigned until 1611, firmly establishing Lutheran Christianity as the state religion of Aloia.

### **Gustavian Golden Age**

Gustaf III Adolf, also known as Gustavus Adolphus, reigned from 1611 to 1632. Gustavus Adolphus was another son of John I and the brother of Karl I, who died childless. Gustavus led Aloia into an era of prosperity, successfully defending the nation from invasions by Catholics on all sides and reuniting Aloia with her prodigal cities on the southern shore of the Baltic.

Gustavus died on the battlefield in 1632 and was followed by a series of kings and queens of the House of Vasa, most of which were kings named Gustaf, who maintained Aloian prosperity and increased influence in the world.

### **Victorian Golden Age**

The House of Aurelius ascended to the throne in 1751, with Gustaf XI beginning their reign. In 1752, Gustaf XI moved the capital to Minneapolis. Erik III's reign saw the establishment of Aurelia and Argentine, a group of colonies in Diamanto. The Argentine Republic gained independence from Aloia during the reign of Erik IV in 1821. The economy collapsed during the reign of Gustaf XII Hjalmar, bringing shame and ruin to the kingdom. Many of the powers and privileges of the monarch were stripped away during this time. Victoria Augusta ascended the throne in 1837, beginning a long reign that would be referred to as the Victorian era. Victoria's reign was a time marked by industrial, cultural, political, scientific, and military change and progress within Aloia and her allies.

The Aloian Civil War from 1848-1849 was the one dark part of Victoria's reign. The 1853 Aloian Constitution followed the Aloian Civil War. The 1853 Constitution re-established the bicameral legislature, with the upper house, the High Council, consisting of one Councillor from each state and the Senate made up of Senators from each state, with each state's representation being based on population. The Constitution also established the Supreme Court of Aloia. Previously, the nation had been divided by three high courts -- one German in the south, one Swedish in the north, and one English in the east.

During Victoria's reign, the Natal Republic joined Aloia as the State of Natal, the capital was moved to Zumbrota, and Aloia's reach and influence in the world soared. Also, Victoria was the last Empress of Aloia, as their last colony, Texania, achieved permanent independence from Aloia in 1886.

### **Modern era**

Modern Aloia is a progressive state, while maintaining its rich Christian history and culture. Aloia is known for being a leader in the international arena, often working to resolve conflicts and defend freedoms. Aloia's capital was the host for the peace talks of the Ienaran War, which ended with the Treaty of Zumbrota.

## **Geography**

The mainland of Aloia is located in the center of Naskigo and the state of Natal is located in Oriento. The states of Saxony, Svea, Constance, Dakota, Oklahoma, Wessex, Danmark, Minnesota, and Konza cover the Aloian peninsula. This peninsula the historical, cultural, political, and population center of Aloia. The Iron Range is in northeastern Minnesota and the Aetra Mountains divide Minnesota and Konza. The Aloian Alps are in the center of the peninsula, found throughout Constance and surrounding states.

The states of Nordland and Finland are across the Red Straits from Svea. Fjords line the coasts of Nordland and western Finland. Lake Endor, a closed lake 40 meters below sea level, is located in the forests of Nordland. Iceland and Faeroe are island states located in the sea northwest of Nordland and Finland. Iceland has high volcanic activity.

Mariana, Saint Petersburg, and other German states are located on the southern peninsula, south of Wessex and west of Saxony. The provinces of the former Kingdom of Bohemia are located west of the German states. North of the Bohemian states are Karelia and Ingria, two Finnic territories historically dominated by Svea. West of Bohemia is Pontus, the last remaining vestige of the once great Aloian Greek culture. The island-state of Saint Helena is located in the sea southwest of Pontus.

The state of Natal lies on the continent of Oriento, at the isthmus between the Bay of St. Louis and the Decatur Bay and along the coasts of those inlets. The Natalian capital of Chicago is located at the isthmus between the bays. Prairies and forests line the bays and mountains rise along the eastern and western borders of Natal.

During and after the collapse of the Argentine Republic, former provinces Patagonia, Pampas, and Tahoe joined Aloia. The region of the former Argentine Republic is largely mountainous, with heavy forests and large rivers. Pampas is unlike the other Argentine states because it is mostly plains and prairies.

The 5 largest cities by metropolitan area are as follow:

1. Minneapolis
2. Saint Petersburg
3. Zumbrota
4. Konza City
5. San Francisco
6. Uppsala

### **Climate**

Aloia's location on the equator allows the country to have consistent temperatures and weather all year round. Though the coasts have warmer, more tropical climates, the majority of the country, including the mountains and highlands, have cooler, more temperate weather.

## **Demographics**

### **Religion**

Christianity is by far the dominant religion and cultural force in Aloia. 90 million of the 96 million Aloians claim some denomination of Christianity.

The Church of Aloia is the largest Christian church in Aloia and the largest Lutheran denomination in the world. It is the mother church of the global Lutheran Council. It is composed of 25 dioceses, divided into parishes. Its membership of 62.9 million accounts for 65.2% of the Aloian population. It currently holds the position of state church.

The Free Lutheran Church of Aloia is the second largest Lutheran and Christian church in Aloia, with 6.8 million members. The Presbyterian Church of Aloia was established in 1560 by dissenting Calvinists from the state church. The PCA today is the largest non-Lutheran body, with 2.3 million members. The Evangelical Free Church accounts for another 4.9 million Aloian Christians. Orthodox and Catholic Aloians account for another 3.6 million, found mostly in major cities and eastern Konza, and other Christian denominations together have approximately 9 million members.

Non-Christian religions account for approximately 3.5 million Aloians, and only 3 million Aloians claim atheism/agnosticism or no religion.