History of Cildania

UNDER CONSTRUCTION

Cildanian history is marked by long struggles between the Semitic Cildanians and the Celtic minority, as well as by interactions with neighbouring nations around the Majatran Sea.

Pre History
Cildania was originally inhabited by a group of tribes called the Proto-Cildanians. The Proto-Cildanians were primarily a hunter-gather society that had little knowledge of agriculture, but apparently knew how to grow wheat. They worked with stone and used copper tools, which were used for their spears for hunting and construction. Little else in known about them before the Celtic invasions, which would destroy their culture and burn most of the sparse writings. Fragments of Proto-Cildanian have been discovered, but are not translated, and the Proto-Cildanians appear to have spoken an isolate language, unrelated to any other known ethnic group.

The Celtic invasions, taking place cca. 1200 BCE, were triggered by the conflicts between various tribes to the North, with some of the Celtic tribes escaping southward from their rivals and other tribes. The invading Celts easily conquered the Proto-Cildanians, who were no match against their Bronze weaponry. The arrival of the Celtic settlers begins the first recorded events in Cildania's history.

The Celts in Cildania lived in isolated communities based on a tribal organization. They also had a knowledge of metalworking, including bronze, and agricultural techniques. In the centuries preceding Semitic conquest, Celtic settlements grew in social complexity, exhibiting evidence of social stratification and urbanization.

Qedarite Civilization
Around the year 700 BCE, the Semitic Migrations reached Cildania, changing the demographics of the region to this day. The Semites settled in large numbers, driving the Celtic tribes to the north of the island. The Semites in Cildania gradually began to differentiate themselves from other Semitic peoples in terms of language, religion, and culture, being known as Qedarites (Qedarim).

The Qedarites were organized into independent city-states, which often competed and cooperated among themselves, as one city after another came to dominate the entire island. The Qedarites were amongst the greatest traders of their time and owed a great deal of their prosperity to trade. They traded extensively around the Majatran Sea, even establishing colonies across its shores, many of which are now important cities.

Birth of Judaism
Cildania is the traditional birthplace of the main Jewish religion, Judaism. Although it is difficult to determine precisely the date when this happened, or to confirm the account in the Jewish Bible, it is clear that the first Semitic inhabitants of Beiteynu, and the ancestors of today's Jews, arrived from Cildania around 500 BCE. Culturally, the ancient Beiteynuese civilization is considered a part of the Qedarite civilization.

Council of Princes
After the defeat of the thrid invasion, a grand council was called by the Patriarch Theophanous II to be held at the monastery of St Origen in Akildar. This council was composed of the Five Princes and their Bishops and the Mayors and Bishops of the Free Cities.

Led by the Patriarch, this council, 'The Council of St Origen', decided that with the possibility of more external threats, a more unified way of dealing with them was needed. To enable this it was agreed that a permanent council be formed consisting of the Patriarch, the Five Princes, a representative from the Free Cities, and was to be chaired by the Patriarch. Decisions were to be made democratically, with the Patriarch having two votes in Council as he represented both the Church and the people.

This became known as 'The Council of Princes'.

Unification
Prince Gildas Kilian of Akilda dissolved the Council of Princes declared himself Divine Emperor of Cildania with the Patriarchs consent, taking the name from the Akildan name for the island. Akinawa, Gilzon and Ylrith supported the unification and the Divine Empire but Prince Meilyr of Hebilon disputed the authority of the Patriarch and the Emperor declared himself Hebileean Patriarch-Prince consolidating both roles and raised and army against Cildania, after a thirty year war Meilyr was captured and executed following his return to Santa Alexandra. By the time of his capture the war had taken all of his heirs and with his death the War of Unification was over and the Empire established its absolute dominion over the Island. The Empire did not outlive its founder and the Council of Princes was re-established in 1846 but Cildania remain united and wielded absolute power over the Five Cantons as a National Government rather than an organisation for the maintenance of trade and treaty between nations.