Ionia

''This article is about IonMapping's primary official nation. For other uses, see Ionia (disambiguation).''

Ionia (AY-oh-nee-uh), officially The Empire of The Ionian Sea (Latin: Perium usi Ionioque mari; Italian: L'Impero del Mar Ionio; French: L' empire de la Mer Ionienne), is a country in Southern Europe. The total area of Ionia is 200,944 km² and has a population of over 31 million people. Ionia is a unitary state divided into 19 regions, with each region having different degrees of autonomy.

Ionia was founded after the Ionian War of Independence in 2020. After gaining independence from Italy, Ionia quickly expanded and secured an strategically important foothold in the Meditterean Sea. Ionia adopted imperialism in 2022, and was one of the founders of the Mediterranean Union. At it's maximum extent, Ionia was one of the great powers of Europe and was arguably the most influential after WWIII.

However, the rise of fascism in 2059 directly caused the decline of the Mediterranean Union's power. Following the unsuccessful Great Mediterranean War, Ionia's power drastically plunged. In 2079, a coup d'etat occured. The new government abolished imperialism and took a pacifist appoarch. This, however, did not save Ionia from it's end. In 2091, the Pycenes-Ionia War broke out. Ionia was ultimately defeated and split into two fascist puppet states.

The empire is usually regarded as one of the most important nations in the modern era for it's incredible scientific advancement and great contribution in various important wars, most notably WWIII.

Etymology
The origin of the name Ionia derived from the Ionian Sea.

Historical and Alternate Names

 * State of Ionia
 * First Republic of Ionia
 * Second Republic of Ionia
 * Ionian Republic
 * Ionian Empire
 * Democratic Republic of Ionia
 * New Naples
 * Naples Republic
 * Naples Empire

Flag
The flag of Ionia consists of a centered cross consisting of white and light blue on a dark blue background. There are also four white kites extending from the cross. The flag was adopted on 16 January 2020 when the State of Ionia was established. The dark blue represents the Mediterranean Sea, which is where Ionia is primarily located. The white rays represents light shining out from Ionia, displaying Ionia as an important guiding light in the Mediterranean Sea. The light blue represents the afterglow of the light, symbolising that Ionia will leave a remarkable legacy.

Aragonese Rule
The concept of a nation controlling the Ionian Sea can be traced back to 1442, when Alfonso V of Aragon conquered The Kingdom of Naples  and unified Sicily and Naples once again as dependencies of Aragon. At that time, Aragon extended it's control over the Mediterranean Sea directly by Naples, especially over the Ionian Sea. As the Ionian Sea was the gate towards the east Mediterranean, Aragon got hold of a very important foothold in trade. Howvever, this dominance was ended soon as Alfonso V died in 1458. Naples was inherited by Ferdinand I.

Italian Wars
After numerous fights over the Italian peninsula between 1494 to 1559 (also known as the Italian Wars), Naples' ownership was exchanged between countries such as France and Spain. A lot of countries had the dream of controlling the Mediterranean Sea, and controlling Naples would achieve their goal. During The Bourbon Era and The Napoleonic Era, there were several movements for the independence of a new Naples. However, the hopes of such an independence were crushed in 1816 as the Kingdom of Naples and the Kingdom of Sicily united into the new Kingdom of Two Sicilies.

Italian Unification
During the Italian Unification in the 19th century, the Italian peninsula was thrown into complete chaos. Naples was severely defeated in the siege of Capua and Gaeta. Naples was then formally integrated into Sardinia, which would then form Italy. Italy was united in 1870.

Origin
The independence for Naples wasn't brought up until 2018, where Italy suffered an enormous economical crisis that would last for 5 years, also known as Week of Death. Naples, Taranto, Bari and the surrounding regions were important to Italy's economy and were very high-priced in economical and military value. There were several movements demanding the independence of said regions. The movement hit it's height in November 2019, where a poll conducted by an organization showed over 84% of citizens of Basilicata and Apulia supported the independence movement. Historians believe that the independence of Brittany from France, which occured in August 2019, had an enormous effect on the independence movement.

Start of the War
On 3 January 2020, a group of independence supporters, including a 72-year-old man, were shot by rubber bullets during a protest. This caused enormous uproar in southern Italy and an increasing number of protests. The popularity of Parmenio Calandrino, the Italian president at that time, plunged down to 27%. Italy fell into a state of chaos. On 16 January 2020, the Ionian War of Independence  officially started. Riots broke out in Taranto, Bari and Potenza. Soon, the region of Apulia was fully occupied by the rioters. They declared independence as the State of Ionia. Soon, several other regions such as Basilicata and Calabria joined the republic. Meanwhile in Naples, the riots were completely crushed by the local police and the Italian army. The Italian army conducted an offensive, pushing south. The temporary army of Ionia (which mostly conducted of stolen military weapons) was no match for the well-equipped Italian army. The State of Ionia suffered heavy losses in numerous battles.

Austrian and Tunisian Interference
On 2 February 2020, The State of Ionia seeked help from Austria. Austria agreed to help Ionia and declared war on Italy. The Austrian and Ionian forces lanuched several attacks and counterattacks on both fronts. On 13 March 2020, Tunisia declared war on Italy in hope of conquering Sardinia.

End of the War
On 8 May 2020, Ionian forces sieged Salerno and were just 68 km from Naples. Italy fomally surrendered on 10 May 2020. On the next day, the Treaty of Bari was signed. Italy ceded Southern Italy to Ionia. The border extended up to Termoli, and stretched across the Italian Peninsula, cutting Naples into West Naples(owned by Italy) and East Naples(owned by Ionia). Italy also ceded Trentino-Alto Adige, Veneto, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, over a half of Lombardy, and North Piemonte to Austria and Sardinia to Tunisia. The Republic of Ionia was officially established on 12 May 2020, with Cire Siravo as the first president of Ionia.

Background
Shortly after Ionia's independence in 2020, Cire Siravo began his plans of an imperial Ionia. The famous "Chiodini Plan" was created in February 2021 by Eutalio Chiodini,  on the orders of Cire Siravo. The plan was a draft for Ionian expansion, including plans for expansion into Africa, Italian unification and puppet states around the Mediterranean coast. Some of these plans were eventually adopted and implemented. The Chiodini Plan had an incredible influence on the future of Ionia.

Start of the Imperial Era
Most historians consider the official beginning of the Imperial Era to be on 2 September 2022 when Cire Siravo announced seven major reforms, including military budget limits and crowning himself Emperor of Ionia. The official name of Ionia was also changed to The Empire of The Ionian Sea. However, instead of an authoritarian approach to imperialism, Cire Siravo promised a democratically elected parliament and huge amounts of civil rights and freedom of speech. He also promised high amounts of spending in welfare and education. Historians commonly describe Ionia as a "Free Empire".

Conquest of Tunisia
The Chiodini Plan included detailed operation drafts to take back Sardinia and possibly North Tunisia from Tunisia. The invasion of Tunisia, codenamed "Operation Plac", started on 9:24 PM on 14 October 2033. Ionian forces were dropped on northwest Sardinia and on Nabeul. The coastal invasion by Ionia was unstoppable as Tunisia did not expect an invasion and had little troops stationed in Sardinia. In just 2 weeks, the last Tunisian forces on Sardinia surrendered. Tunis was surrounded on 2 November. Tunisia surrendered on 25 November, ending the quick war.

The Treaty of Bari was signed, ceding Sardinia and North Tunisia to Ionia. Tunisia, now only left to its southern lands, also had to pay war reparations. Other European nations turned a blind eye to the treaty and humiliation of Tunisia, while African nations condemned Ionia for the harsh treaty. This heavily strained Ionian-African relations, and would lay the foundation for Ionian colonization and conquest of Africa.

War for the Italian Peninsula
As Austria aided Ionia in the Ionian War of Independence, relations between said nations were very well. On this backdrop, a diplomatic crisis between the now weakened Italy and the Central Europe Federation led to the War for the Italian Peninsula. Italy, whose economy was almost near bankrupt was offered a chance by Austria, the founder of the Central Europe Federation to join said union. However, Italy refused, even saying that the reason for the weakened economy was "the work of Austria" and that Italy "won't forget what our neighbour nations did to our homeland". This led to a diplomatic crisis and strained relations between Austria and Italy.

On 31 March 2037, Austria and members of the CEF declared war on Italy, using Italy's diplomatic insult as a just cause. However, Italy's allies, including Macedonia, Albania and New Aragon, honored their alliances (which wasn't expected by Austria).

Austria started "Operation Even", pushing Italian forces back to Milan while Austrian and Bavarian forces advanced into northern Italy. Italy, even with its allies, was clearly no match for Austria alone. Ionia saw this as a chance to unify the Italian Peninsula, and declared war on Italy on 4 May 2037. By the time of the declaraton of war, Austria had already advanced deep into Italian soil, and was near to capturing Rome. Austria and Ionia signed the Confiki Pact on 17 May 2037, which defined the territorial divisions if Italy surrendered. Ionia could take Corsica (which was acquired by Italy from France), the rest of Naples, and any Ionian-occupied land. However, Austria insisted on taking Rome for itself. This was the fuse for the CEF-MU rivalry.

Italy and it's allies surrendered on 2 December 2037. The Treaty of Rome was signed, marking the end of the Italian nation. Ionia got Naples, Corsica and other Italian lands as Austria promised, but wasn't satisfied with the land distribution, mainly because Ionia didn't get Rome. This led to sour CEF-Ionian relations after the war.



Neo-Colonialism
Cire Siravo wanted to create an empire that will rule sea and land, much like the British Empire. This was the motive for Ionian colonialism. The first Ionian colony was Cape Verde, which was the result of the Ionian-Verdean War, which only lasted for 8 hours.

Background
The plans for a Trans-Mediterranean Union was first suggested by Chiodini in the Chiodini Plan. He claimed that such a union would increase the trade power of Ionia and enabling Ionia to freely position their navy around the sea. This was the dream of Imperial Ionia. Therefore, Cire Siravo began drafting a plan about the Union of Mediterranean States, better known as the Mediterranean Union. The draft included most of the coastal Mediterranean nations as members, and theoretically allowed Ionia to secure its power in Southern Europe by forcing members to be Ionia's allies or even satellite states. This goal, however, was never fully achieved.



Rise of Fascism
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Fall
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Legacy
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Geography
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Map




Politics
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Economy
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Military
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In other languages
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Trivia

 * The National Day of Ionia (12 May) is IonMapping's in-real-life birthday.


 * The anthem of Ionia is actually the anthem of the Kingdom of Two Sicilies.Ionia_EU4.png

Impero Ionico