History of Kanjor

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The History of Kanjor is a long and complicated one. Not till the modern era have records survived in quantity, so the earlier history of Kanjor is subject to constant re-evaluation.

Early History (BC 5,000 - BC 1130)
The original inhabitants of modern Kanjor are estimated ot have settled in or near the Zanyal Valley in the northwestern end of the modern région of Zanyal around 5,000 BC. These were mostly made up of hunter-gatherer tribes who were attracted to the forest and coastline of the area and its abundance of game and fish. These hunter-gatherer tribes went through the stages to sedentary existence by first living as semisedentary socieities, domesticating animals (esp. sheep) before establishing a series of permanent villages in the valley and along the coast.

However, there is little evidence that these first villages engaged in large scale agriculture but instead relied upon the sea for most of their non-dairy sustenance. It has frequently been cited that the heavy forests and poor quality of the soil of the area contributed to these unique characteristics. It is because of these features that the villages bordering the coast grew the largest and most powerful.

Selucian Migration and the Seven Villages
While the early hunter-gatherer tribes began to settle permanently in the forests and along the coast of modern-Zanyal a small group of adventurous seafarers landed in search of a new homeland around the year 3,000 BC. These groups are believed to be from the Shadar area of modern-Selucia and settled along the coasts of modern-Kanjor and modern-Alduria (esp. the coastal Bendiri area). This small group brought with them knowledge of ocean travel, large-scale farming and the Latin language.

While the exact number of Selucian settlers is unknown, their numbers are believed to be rather small; some experts place the number as low as fifteen hundred. Regardless of their numbers, the impact of the Selucian settlers cannot be downplayed. For several centuries, the Selucian settlers remained in a few small coastal villages before branching inland to establish the farming village of Kanjocae along the Kanjorgne River.

Kanjocae is considered to be the last of the so-called Villages Sept (the Villages Seven) found in Kanjorien lore. Stories of these villages eventually evolve into a sort of collective mythology. These myths and fables present ideas and morals to their audiences which, ironically, become most prevalent during the Tondolan Exile period of Kanjorien history after the Seven Villages were abandoned and/or evacuated.

Eventually, the Selucian migrants intermixed with the local inhabitants who eventually adopted the Latin language as well as other cultural attributes such as farming and organization. However, these ideas and cultural attributes moved faster than mere intermarriage could move. By roughly 2,200 BC Latin was the most widely spoken language along the southwestern coast of Seleya and the area began to see the growth of inland farming villages and small independent kingdoms.

Zanyal Valley Civilization
By 2,000 BC the Zanyal Valley area of both modern-Kanjor and Alduria had been populated by Latin-speaking tribes settled in farming villages. These series of tribes all contained similar cultural attributes and are referred to by historians as the Zanyal Valley civilization although they were never organized in any major political entity.

- Existed mostly in separate collections of small villages; numbering anywhere from several hundred up to 20,000 members

- "city-states"

- cultural traditions: similar stories (see epic poems); faith (mixture of German, Norse, & Latin (see Selucia) mythology); style of pottery, social organization, etc

Zanyali Social Structure
The Zanyal civilization

The distractions of cultural empire-building kept the Zanyal Valley civilization busy for nearly five centuries. Little armed conflict was experienced by any part of the civilization but instead the number of farming settlements grew exponentially. This period of growth and cultural entrenchment came to be known as the Quiet Period by historians. This period would be shattered by a culturally similar enemy from the west: the Kingdom of Bendiri.

First Bendirian Invasion
It was from these groups that Zanyal who developed a civilisation of peaceful farmers, fishermen and traders in the Zanyal Valley and along the Zanyal coast. Around 1,500 BC a rising kingdom to the west in the modern-Aldurian region of Bendir began a series of raids into Zanyal areas. These raids caused the abandonment of several villages in the Zanyal Valley which were soon settled by the Bendirians. The raiders moved further east and pushed into the valley, displacing more Zanyal villages. By 1,200 BC the Bendirian invasion had subsided and the borders between the two civilizations had stabilized.

Second Bendirian Invasion
Around the 1130s BC, the Zanyal civilisation suffered its first major setback. The Bendirian Kingdom invaded again from the west, this time in force. This invasion was so powerful and violent that the Kanjorien epic poem "Li Voisins Sire" ("The Lord Neighbor") was created as a cautionary tale examining the relationship between the kingdom of the hero King Sarko and his treacherous neighboring rival the Bena kingdom; obviously analogies to the Zanyal Civilization and the Bendirian Kingdom.

Within in a decade's time, the Zanyal Valley had fallen and the Zanyal Civilization was facing a slow but eventual collapse. In the year 1115 BC a large council of village elders was convened from all over the Zanyal Civilization to discuss a way to reverse the downward spiral of the Zanyalis. It was decided, although records are unclear of how it was called or who supported it (although speculation revolves around a noble named Daru of Zanir), that large segments of the population would volunatrily cross the Sovalt Channel and resettle on the Isle of Tondola.



Settlement Era (BC 1130s - BC 800)
The Isle of Tondola at the time was an island shrouded in mystery and superstition. Given the violent storms of the channel and the island's ominous presence frequently shrouded in thick fog only fed the mystery of the isle. Many Zanyalis saw the isle as mystical place where numerous gods and their large beasts roamed who did not wish to be disturbed. These myths were reinforced by the disappearance of mariners and ships which were believed to have strayed too close to the island and had been captured and tortured by the reigning gods.

Despite these reservations the first group of brave Zanyalis are believed to have struck out to set up a base around 1100 BC. Instead of gods and monsters, what it appears the Zanyalis found on the island were several small populations of primitive tribes. The epic poem "Li Sergenz" ("The Servants"), telling the story of the first Zanyali settlers to the island, inlaid with various descriptions and explanations of the primitive Tondolans has come down as the only written source acknowledging their existence and describing their way of life. However, given that the poem describes sea creatures, mythical beasts and a battle between the Zanyalis and sevearl gods, the accuracy of descriptions of the original Zanyalis is under much debate.

What is true, is that the primitive Tondolans were literally whiped out by the Zanyali invaders who then made every effort to destroy any evidence of their existence. Many scholars have questioned why the Zanyalis, often depicted as a peace loving people, would engage in literal genocide upon a race of primitive peoples. It is unknown how many were primitive Tondolans were killed but mass graves have been found and excavated which have uncovered that men, women and children of all ages were killed and buried. Many speculate that the brutality of the Bendirian invasion and the near xenophobia of the Zanyalis because of it contributed to their barbarity; they were literally a people under seige with their very existence at stake.

The Isle was settled sporadically over a two hundred year period. While records are few it appears that small groups of nobles brought whole village populations acrossed the Channel and established settlements at opportune sites. There was a little, if any, organization or plan to these crossings and newly established towns and villages appear almost randomly placed along the wide beaches of the northern shore and the hinterland plains.

In 1015 BC, roughly a century after their initial crossing, the Zanyal Civilization were, except for a few hold out settlements along the southern coast of the mainland, fully migrated to the Isle of Tondola. That same year it is estimated that Afar was founded on the delta of the Sovalt River in what is known today as Sovalt Bay by the vassals and serfs of the noblemen Eppillus Sovaltus de Boii. This city would soon grow to be the largest and most powerful city-state of the Isle.

Battle of Vavalya
From 1000 BC to 950 BC the Bendirian Kingdom participated in raiding the small communities of the Zanyali on the Isle of Tondola. These raids were small in nature and were content with stealing food, goods, and money from the seaside villages. The Zanyali appeared disunited and weak and were unable to mount an adequate defense against the raids. Sensing their weakness, the Bendirian Kingdom gathered a fleet of over a hundred ships to transfer their large army to the Isle of Tondola and complete the conquest they had begun nearly 200 years before.

Circa 950 BC, a portion of the Bendirian fleet anchored off the shore of the small island of Vavalya to await the arrival of the rest of the fleet. Here it was met by the much smaller Zanyali fleet led by Dominitus Loterius, a transplanted fisherman. A storm was developing on the western horizon and its strong winds scattered the Bendirian fleet, allowing the much more nimble Zanyali fleet to destroy the craft one ship at a time.

When the storm finally hit, the Zanyali fleet retired to the safety of their harbors while the Bendirian fleet was forced to sail across the Channel and was believed to have been lost. The battle of Vavalya ended the Bendirian push against the Isle of Tondola and their attention was soon turned focused on threats from their north.

City States of the Isle
NOTE: I STILL HAVE THE OLD HISTORY OF KANJOR AND IT CAN BE PLACED BACK UPON REQUEST; IT IS TEMPORARILY OUT FOR MAINTENANCE

The Founding and the First Kingdom
753-510 BC:

The Age of City States
29 BC-670:

511-30 BC:

680-820:

The First Theocracy
820-1204:

The Holy Wars
1204-1221:

The Second Republic
1225-1520:

The Third Republic
1520-1525:

The Second Empire (1526-1832)
See also: House of Martois

- Valerian family takes over; nepotism, oligarchy of the Martois and allies rule nation

- Expand empire to include Sovalt and Tondola

- Inter-family feuds

- economic and social upheaval by 1800; high inflation, national bankrupcy, too high of taxes, luxurious homes for Martois and allies while poverty in countryside

- issue ... who is pay taxes? call Grand Assembly of nobles and commoners; try to decide on how to pay off debts; problems with tax system that sold or farmed out taxation to individuals and private agencies (often owned and run by Martois) who charged too much and kept the remaining profits for themselves

- under severe pressure, Albert II, with aid of his niece Amalia, released more and more power to Grand Assembly; facing reproach from Martois family members who were to lose their powers and positions

- bad harvests, several riots, numerous protests; also first strikes in Kanjorien history

- in 1832, both agreed to declare end to oligarchy/autocracy and gave nearly all government

The Second Kingdom
1832-1956:

The Interregnum
1956-2070

- The Interregnum saw a variety of popular governments, and a period of low-scale civil war as various factions; some ideological, some regional.


 * Mainland
 * Republic of Zanyal (liberal)
 * Enclave of Pesançon (military dictatorship loyal to King - ran by navy)
 * Country of the Cross (countryside commune spread between Zanyal & Vagderra, run as religious dictatorship by Catholic Movement Les Soldats de la Croix Vraie
 * Les Travailleurs et les Paysans République Socialiste de Yewao (Workers and Peasants Socialist Republic of Yewao - agrarian socialist, divided into agrarian communes & independent city of Narseille)
 * Paroisse Côtes-d'Armor, modern-Nasbourg (loyal enclave, agreement between Catholic Movement & navy)
 * Vagderra was loyal to King; divided into Imperial City of Soulon (run by king), Grand Duchy of Saint-Claire (loyal liberal, run by House of Touvier)


 * Isle
 * Loyal Union of Deims & Belfort of Tondola (loyal, Deims liberal & navy base; Belfort liberal)
 * Loyal Government of Central Tondola (loyal, federation of small towns including Trest & Famiens, traditionalist; run by local village elders but had small parliament of elders)
 * Republic populaire de Sovalt-Nord (1956-1978; socialist & Isle-lander nationalist; worked for autonomy of Isle)
 * Republique de Sovalt (conservative-military dictatorship, led by Contre-amiral (Commodore) Marc-Georges Antoine Le Sueur & militias; infighting between Le Sueur-ists, loyalists, Catholic Movement-inspired groups & socialists; plus fought against Sovalt-Nord)
 * Enclave of Atyr (military dictatorship, run by navy)

- 2047: Morbanack-Vagderra War -- Kanjor's king wished to end republic raids and aid to republic forces fighting against the king & he sent in several divisions to teach them a lesson

- war was short but bloody

- Kanjorien forces were only allowed two-months in Rildanor's country & only allowed to go 100 km in

- in areas within Morbanack that Kanjorien forces moved, they scorched earth within 20 km of border with either Vagderra & Yewao

- four major guerilla attacks by Morbanack forces killed 300 Kanjorien soldiers; King pulls out & declared victory

République Kanjorien
 2070-2118:

L'Empire Kanjorien
2118-2207:

Défense des intérêts des deux Kanjors
2207-2266:

The Collapse
2266-2275

- 2274, a royalist uprising erupted in Meriath, led by the aging Edmund I and his son Hénri, which soon overran government forces on the island. When news of the revolt reached the mainland, many noblemen and their supporters quickly sailed for Meriath, hoping to rally behind Edmund and restore the monarchy. A planned invasion of Rildanor from Meriath soon took effect and royalist forces focused their attention on the capital Tirali, but the ensuing conflict drew in nearby countries, including Kanjor, Saridan, Aldegar, Kafuristan, Gishoto, Dorvik.

Domaine Oligarchial Totalitaire de la Kanjor
2290-2304: 2275-2290:

Terres Libérées de Kanjor (Union Française)
2304-2314:

Kanjorien Confédération (Union Française)
2314 - 2326:

République de Kanjor
2326 - 2340:

Confédération des Deux Kanjors
2340 - January 2465:

Royaume de Kanjor & République Populaire Démocratique de Kanjor
(RK) 1 November 2696 - 14 July 2699

(Free Land of Kanjor) 14 July 2699 - 31 January 2708

(RK) 1 January 2708 - 2 December 2740

(RPDK) 2 December - - 1 January 2759

(RK) 1 January 2759 - 3 October 2774

(RPDK) 4 October 2774 - 31 October 2850 (RK)1 November 2850 - Present

HRH King Frédéric crowned on 1 November 2850

HRH King Patric Frédéric crowned on 1 March 2851