Archive:Norjihan

The Serene Gennist Federation of the Lesser Norjihan va damcaxen cezyvozo ge genows nodjinen sillazen
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Motto: waɵan ge genvag nodjinenows ɵwegina Wathan gze Gzenvagz Nodjinenows thwegzihna There is no Norjihan without Gzen
Capital and largest city		Hajenired
Official languages		Norjihani
Recognised regional languages		Szezk
Ethnic groups (2016)		Szezko-Norjihani - 98%, Other - 2%
Demonym		Norjihani
Government		Federal Parliamentary Constitutional Monarchy
-	King of All Norjihanis	Uzedlem Olboros
-	Prime Minister	Jula Boren
-	Prince Elect	Vuren Lorndinal
Legislature		The Councils
-	Upper house	Council of the Tribes
-	Lower house	Council of the People
Establishment
-	Formation of the Kingdom of Norjihan	1564
-	The Grand Council	1762
-	The Fall of Vadini	1984
Area
-	Total	587,698 km2 226,911.47 sq mi
-	Water (%)	4%
Population
-	2017 estimate	30,000,000
-	Density	51.04/km2 132.21/sq mi
GDP (PPP)		2017 estimate
-	Total	$$810,000,000,000
-	Per capita	$27,000
Gini (2015)		30.1 medium
HDI (2016)		0.83 very high
Currency		Fagzamuz (FGZ)
Time zone		NMT (SCT+1)
Date format		yyyy.mm.dd, CE
Drives on the		left
Calling code		+591
Internet TLD		.no

Norjihan (/nɒd͡ʒɪhan/; Norjihani: nodjinen /noʊd͡ʒaɪnin/), officially The Serene Gennist Republic of the Lesser Norjihan (Norjihani: va damcaxen cezyvozo ge genows nodjinen sillazen /vɛ dɛmiɛχin ɕizivoʊzoʊ gi ginɔs noʊd͡ʒaɪnin saɪɬɛzin]), is a country in the region of Southern Baredina, border to the west by Szezkia, to the north by Izovangia, to the west by Withei and to the south by Spitinda and Yaichalo. Norjihan's territory has an area of 587,698 km2 (226,911.47 sq. miles) and is fairly high, with the highest point being Mount Shazanosh at 3,009m, although the lowest points of Norjihan, although then there are area that are 10m below sea level and below, all these are mainly on the border with Szezkia in the Govegzosh Plain. The population as of 2017 (estimated) is 30 million, of whom almost all are of Szezko-Norjihani ethnicity, with 2% others (mainly from surrounding countries and not counting non-humans, who aren't citizens). The capital of Norjihan is Hajenired, also the largest city in Norjihan which makes up 9.7% of the entire population. The majority language is Norjihani, with small communities of other languages, mainly on the borders with other countries (however, Norjihani is encouraged greatly).

History

Proto-Baredan Migations

Studies from geneological studies and historical evidence suggest that the Proto-Baredan people arrived in Bareda between 300-100 BCE, centered on the Yai valley with small groups in the northern plains, seemingly coming from the same region as the Ydtobogan peoples who now live in Ekuosia. Other information supporting this includes the potential linguistic link between the Kauzic languages and the Baredan languages, and the general trace of the culture in archeological sites coming down from Ekuosia. Not much is known about the Proto-Baredan culture due to the lack of concrete evidence from archeology, although it is known that modern Norjihanis are the descendants of the Proto-Baredans. It is also clear that the Proto-Baredans had interactions with the Xhovian aboriginal culture of the region, and the Xhovians appear to have caused the modern spread of the Baredan peoples.

A section of the ruins at Dorëlytuvin

The majority of the information that we know about the Proto-Baredans comes from the remains of Dorëlytuvin in modern Yaichalo, the only major archeological site of the era linked to the Baredan peoples. It was the destruction of this site and others by an influx of Xhovian tribes which led to the Norjihani and Szezk tribes leaving the area and arriving in the region that is now Norjihan and Szezkia, displanting the local 'Fisherman Culture'. This movement was led by Mahadras Mahadrin, the first King of the Norjihanis and a prophet of Genn in the Mahadran Gennist faith.

Mahadran Culture

The first major civilisation and cultural grouping in Norjihan was the Mahadran culture, built by the descendants of Mahadras, that existed from roughly 100CE until around 600CE, centred on the city of Mahagrazh which is now a major tourist site near the city of Hajenired. At its prime, it is believed to have been a major trade hub and the centre of a powerful civilisation, but for whatever reason in the early 6th century the Mahadran culture collapsed, the cities were abandoned and the Mahadrans returned to the tribal ways of their ancestors. This has led some to believe it was a cultural backlash that caused the abandonment of the cities; the Mahadran cities are unlike anything else in Norjihan, likely due to the influences that arrived via trade with the early Ydtobogan peoples.

The palace complex at Mahagrazh

However, this (if it is at all the case) can only partly explain what happened. One later written source, written by a priest from Hajenired, suggests that some sort of 'plague' befell the Mahadran civilisation. What sort of plague this was is unknown, although a decline caused by an epidemic is amongst the most likely scenarios despite the lack of evidence to back up the source. It is possible that hill tribes harried the cities as well, or maybe a mixture of all of these things led to it; Norjihani historian Makiso Llodinou Yran said that 'It is impossible for us to know what happened to the Mahadrans, only that they suddenly declined and returned to tribalism, completely abandoning the old cities'.

One of the distinguishing marks of the Mahadran cultures are the ruins of 'Dom Movytishinen', or 'Stone Towers', which are cylidrical towers with rounded tops and balcony like structures in the middle, and stairs on the outside which could quickly be removed due to the construction of the towers; they were of a dry stone construction typical of early Baredan structures. It is unclear what these towers are for; they may have been guard towers or beacons, but their abundance in the landscape suggests an important function. Many are local landmarks and serve as ruins, but the best preserved one is found at the abandoned capital at Mahagrazh. The cylindrical structure fits with the earlier Baredan cultures, for whom arches and circles were important symbols. This suggests that the Mahadran culture was a stange almagamation of Baredan ideals and outside aspects, especially in the large towns were important buildings were often rectangular in shape (although arcs could be found within them).

Early Medieval Norjihan

After the collapse of this culture, the Norjihanis divided back into their previous tribal units based on new cities, built in a much simpler fashion than the grand ruins of cities like Mahagrazh, which were soon viewed with awe and suspicion as 'Cities of the Spirits'. However, it was far from the 'Dark Ages' that many historians prescribe it as. As the Old Norjihani language appeared, priests and artists created pieces such as the 'Book of Prayers', the first traceable religious text of Mahadran Gennism which seemingly survived the collapse of the Mahadran culture, and poetry also seems to have flourished with epics like 'The Battle of Tyrango', still widely studied today, being written (many of the authors have no names and are simply grouped by similarities)

It is known that the Norjihani tribes did in some sense have a common identity as they often banded together to deal with wars and outside influences, and even influenced events such as the first Phe'eran War in Sjuu, and despite the broken nature of Norjihan there was some structure, created by a 'Council of the Tribes' which met every year to deal with intertribal disputes and other concerns. Tribal conflict was very common and several tribes became stronger, most especially the Szečky, the Rona, the Vomeja and the Hyventura. This loose confederational structure meant that overall Norjihan suffered, with the average age (from skeletal remains) dropping to 32, from 43 during the Mahadran period. Beyond several artifacts and the texts of later historians, there is not much knowledge about what happened at the time.

Late Medieval Period

Norjihani Medieval history is mostly split into two sections, Early and Late. The Early period, as aforementioned, is noted for the lack of evidence surrounding it and the loose confederation of the tribes. However, in 1175, the Vomeja chief Mahiraz was crowned as High Chief of Norjihan, which represented the beginning of a change in Norjihani culture and society. The creation of the elected High Chief did not come without bloodshed, after Mahiraz killed the Ronish chief Bramos at the Battle of the Grand Conspiracy. The Grand Conspiracy was composed of Bramos, Polen Bavadi and Uko Jasam, three chiefs who were uncomfortable with the amount of power yielded by Mahiraz, who had established Vomeja as a major power with trade links to Ekuosia and a great centre of learning centred on Hajenired. Bramos had invited Mahiraz and his court to a grand feast in Ronyg, and attempted to kill them. However, Mahiraz had been informed and instead marched his army on Ronyg, and Bramos fled. The forces of Polen and Uko arrived, and the battle was fought two days on a field 5 miles from Ronyg. The death of Bramos spelled the end of the conspiracy, and Mahiraz used it to convince the tribes to crown him High King, with his capital in Hajenired.

A 17th century portrait of Mahiraz I

The Grand Chief, however, was a rather powerless and symbolic figure. Outside of Hajenired, which was the cultural and financial centre of Norjihan that modelled itself on cultures in Ekuosia, the influence of the High Chief was barely felt, despite the later image of Mahiraz I as a great unifier of the Norjihani people. The tribal situation remained much the same, with individual chiefs yielding power over tribal regions and individual tribal conflicts continued much the same as before. The powers of the High Chief increased over time however. Beginning with Janam II in 1497 in his 'Bill of Powers', the High Chiefs gained more and more powers, establishing an elected generalship and a central army, a levy on the tribes and several other powers, as power became more and more centralised on Hajenired. When Vasan Vomeja died in 1549, the High Chief was effectively a king, except he had no power over the army and the tribal chiefs retained the right to raise their own armies and tax their own citizens.

In 1549, Djerev Szečky became High Chief of the Norjihanis, much to the annoyance of Govegz Rona, chief of the Rona. Govegz refused to accept Djerev as High Chief, and according to one contemporary source he spat on Govegz's crown and refused to pay the Royal Tax; Govegz has stood for the title of High Chief but was seen as too much of a reformer. However, Govegz's close childhood friend (and potentially lover) Urasi Volmeja remained in the court and the two began a conspiracy to bring down Djerev, after Govegz swore fealty to Djerev in 1552. In 1555, the death of Grand General and the swearing in of Govegz on the same day into the position (he was in Hajenired at the time) meant the army was under his control, and 5 days later Govegz siezed power. He personally killed Djerev and had the majority of the Szezk court murdered, along with Djerev's wife and children (legend dictates this was done by Urasi, and this seems to have some historical credence). However, some of the court escaped and a group of soldiers failed to kill Zagrov and Alsja Szečky, who became the founders of the royal family of Szezkia, which became independent following the Battle of Avdjereg

Kingdom of Norjihan

Govegz Rona quickly secured his grip on power, including murdering the High Priest of Genn and his own brothers, as well as 10,000 Szezk women and children in the Massacre of the Field of Hanaszg. He merged his title of Grand General with the title of High Chief, and in 1564 crowned himself King of All Norjihanis. Govegz's reign was amongst the most bloody in the history of Sahar, with rebellion after rebellion quashed and potentially 1 million people killed during his 8 year reign. He was killed under suspicious circumstances, perhaps by his son Llavydga. Thuhan Rona then came to the throne and proved a bad fit, being more interested in male lovers than his kingship, which led to the Rebellion of the Tribes and the foundation of the Tribal Council, an advisory council made up of representatives of the Tribes which was beginning to morph into a traditional aristocracy. Thuhan was murdered in 1577, aged 26, by Lavydga, who then became King, and he revoked all of the traditional powers of the tribes (although the council remained) and ruled in a similar, yet less bloody, style to his father. Lavydga died in 1598, and his son Ystan began a more calm, stately style of Kingdom. He granted estates to members of his court, who styled themselves in an aristocratic style yet were also proud of their tribal ancestory and claimed their titles from that root, and Hajenired became the official capital of the state.

Rasmuz Lordinal, the first Lordinal King of Norjihan

In Hajenired in the 1680s, a family of merchants called the Lordinals (Llodinou in Norjihani) were granted patronage by King Amorroz, and recieved the city of Hajenired itself as their estate after the previous holder died. The Llodinous soon manipulated this to their advantage, and in 1706 Rasmuz Llodinou siezed the throne of Norjihan, then held by the unpopular King Gagan II. This was met with little resistance, and so the Llodinou dynasty took power. The Lordinal variety of Norjihani became the prestige form (previously this had been Vomeja) and all other languages were persecuted so that today only Norjihani, especially the Lordinal variety as the standard, remain. In general, however, the reign of Rasmus Llodinou was a golden age for Norjihan, with the nation (especially the aristocracy) becoming immensly rich through trade and the arts flourished.

The peace of the Lordinal reign didn't last forever however, as in 1758 Faren II took the throne of Norjihan and instantly began to neglect his duties, instead building a palace at Domykan, near Hajenired. It is here in 1762 that Faren was placed under arrest and brought to Hajenired to be brought before a 'Grand Council' of nobles, merchants and other important people at the time. A parliament was set up, representing the interests of the aristocracy; this was joined 6 years later by the Council of the People, representing the interests of common people via elected representatives (although it wasn't until 1879 when the Great Reform Bill gave true suffrage to the majority of the population).

King Yrettap, the last Lordinal monarch, was crowned king in 1786, and never had a son to carry on the crown. However, he had married his daughter to Klárus Olboros, of the Terminian line of the House of Olboros, meaning that when Yrettap died in 1796, the crown passed to Olboros and has remained so since.

House of Olboros

The coronation of Klárus I in 1786 was the first time in Norjihani history that the nation had been ruled by a foreign power. However, the mainly Norjihani aristocracy, who did take up some Ekuosian customs, forced him to raise his children as Norjihanis and take up Gennism, and the integration of the Olboros monarchs into Norjihani society went rather successfully. Life in Norjihan pretty much carried on as it had before other than an increased involvement in Ekuosian affairs, and whilst Klárus spent more time in Terminia and Letzia, his children and grandchildren firmly ruled in Norjihan. It was during this time that the structure of the modern Parliament was born, with the Council of the Tribes and the Council of the People, and although there was no official constitution the country was effectively a Parliamentary Constitutional Monarchy.

The Olboros rule at the time meant that Norjihan was closer diplomatically to Letzia to the point at which the country became a puppet state, which ended up dragging Norjihan into the Great Ekuosian War on the Unity Side. This was further facilitated by the Fascist movement in the Norjihani military led by Benaitt Vadini which had been gaining traction amongst political circles, mainly due to the Letzic infuence. When Letzia joined the unity side in 1950, Vadini saw it as his opportunity to seize power and so on the 9th December 1950, the Dark Revolution took place. Vadini's forces entered and closed down the parliament, and those who escaped joined [[King Klarus III] in fleeing to Letzia and forming a government in exile; the rest were killed under the charge of treason.

The Vadini Dictatorship

Picture of Vadini taken not long after his ascension to power

Vadini ruled as dictator from 9th December 1950 until the Yellow Revolution of 1984, and during the 34 years of the dictatorship he was responsible for the deaths of at least 750,000 people during his process of 'cleansing' the nation of all non-Norjihanis and political opponents. The country was ruled by Vadini and a millitary government, who imposed strict regime promoting the 'Isafym' (or 'People's Home', a term used in Norjihani Fascism to refer to Norjihan) and worked closely with big business and disenfranchising working people. Those who were involved in unions or political organisations were often arrested and sent to 'labour camps' where they often died; only a small handful survived.

However, it was impossible for the dictatorship to deal with the growing desire for liberty, especially amongst younger populations who despite the ban managed to listen in to foreign radio and who were influenced by the rest of the world. Students at the University of Hajenired began a campaign of civil disobedience which quickly spread across the country, and eventually riots broke out in Hajenired in what is termed the Yellow Revolution, symbolising the yellow flag waved by the Hajenired students (many of whom were actually Kuulists). In the madness Vadini was killed and it is unknown what happened to his remains. The government in exile returned and a constitution was drafted, with Pyjan Gakai Llodinou, formerly a prisoner and opponent of the Vadini regime, became the first Prime Minister, a member of the Unity Party, narrowly beating the Norjihani Kuulist Party.

Modern Norjihan

Modern Norjihan has tried to connect more both with its Baredan brothers through the Baredan Union and to Ekuosia, and has generally opened itself up to the world. The country today still remains strong to its cultural roots, being a Federal Constutional Parliamentary Monarchy, with the current monarch being Uzedlem Olboros, and the current Prime Minister is Jula Boren. The country has modernised over the last 30 years but has placed sustainability at its core. Whilst still recovering from the past, the nation is currently prospering with its new international relationships and has become a modern country.