Vedena (KdM)

Ancient history (from 11th century BC to 5th century BC)
The history of Vedena begins at the beginning of the 11th century BC when 13 eastern Slavokan tribes formed the confederacy of Vedena. This particular region of Slavokia was a little more developed because such settlements as Lutsk, Prypiat (this Prypiat is different from the OTL one), and Shatsk were important commercial centres of the region. The “Council of Vedena” in Lutsk, where representatives from each tribe gathered every year to resolve conflicts between tribes and discuss diplomacy played the key role in further unification into a nation.

The influence of Vedena was growing in other Slavokan tribes. Merchants from Lutsk travelled far across the Dnipro river. Soon, the merchants became the majority in the Council, thus transforming Vedena into some kind of a trade republic. In the 9th century BC, the primitive Vedenian script has emerged and the first written laws were created, using wooden tablets which were cheap to produce.

In the middle of the 8th century BC, Kyiv emerged as a new important trade centre of Vedena. Since it was situated in a much more convenient place for trading, it started growing in size and prominence. At the same time, the environment became colder globally, sparking hunger; some migrated to the south and south-west, including Kyiv.

During the consequent centuries, Vedena expanded past the Dnipro river, incorporating almost the entire region of Slavokia and some lands to the south, populated by nomads. As the confederacy grew in size, the Council expanded, too. As the congress expanded, the more diverse yet divided it became. Soon, a few major factions emerged, pursuing their own objectives and having conflicts with each other at times.

Golden Age (from 5th century BC to the 260s BC)
The first library was built in Lutsk in ~450 BC, containing important written records and pieces of primitive literature. This is regarded as the starting date of what is considered the “Golden Age”.

The first trade agreement was signed with Tistu at the end of the 5th century BC and the first trade routes to Greece were established. The Vedenian alphabet, a weird mix of the Greek alphabet and the primitive Vedenian script, emerged. First theatrical performances based on local folklore and mythology were staged in Lutsk and first works of writing were created. Basic workshops, like the ones in Greece, were opening in major cities.

Woodworking was essential to the Vedenians. It provided material for buildings, transportation, tools, and household items. Wooden statues of pagan deities with advanced carving could be seen in holy places and newer ship designs allowed longer and faster travels for traders.

In the meantime, Kyiv became the most important commercial centre of the region, continuing growing in size and prominence. In ~350 BC, the first merchant union was established in Kyiv, protecting the dominant position of merchants in the city and regulating trade there. Soon after, similar merchant unions were established in other major urban centres. At this point, no other faction could challenge the dominance of merchants in the Council. In addition, Vesnia and Vedena signed a few mutual agreements throughout the 4th century BC. From the middle of the 5th century to the end of the 4th century, major urban centres (such as Lutsk, Kyiv, Shatsk) and other towns and villages became more autonomous as local towns councils (veches) were created and special town privileges known as "Lutsk rights" were granted by the Council.

Until the middle of the 3rd century BC, the confederation continued expanding in the region, incorporating more Slavokan and Bonra tribes. The Great Library of Lutsk, although nowhere as big as the one in Alexandria, was the centre of knowledge in Vedena. Ancient Vedenian poetry, much inspired by the one in Greece, was developing around the same time, too.

Dark Age (from 260s BC to 62 BC)
As Vedena was becoming a behemoth in the region, many Bonra tribes in the south became distressed with the increasing presence of Slavokans in the region. In the 260s, the hordes invaded Vedena, raiding and pillaging everything east of the Dnipro river and sacking Kyiv. At the same time, Alexandrian plague was spreading across the country and many people, especially in the cities, died. Once a strong empire, Vedena was under the verge of collapse. The economy that was largely reliant on trade, became isolated from the rest of the World, resulting in a recession. As the confederacy continued crumbling, the Dacians, Esceocians, and Latins continued raiding the lands of Vedena. People were not satisfied with the current situation. Chaos and disorder followed as the Council was unable to maintain the rule over the country. In 176 BC, Boleslaw Zolotyi (176BC-161BC), a noble from one of the wealthiest merchant families in Vedena, and his army marched into the Council, disbanding it. He gathered quite a big army, declared himself tsar and took control of the situation. He was supported by the general populace as there was a strong need of a powerful ruler to guide the country in dark times. During his reign, several reforms were passed: the "Lutsk rights" were pulled back, merchant unions were disbanded, and more taxes were introduced. During his reign, the situation became more stable. Around the same time, Vesnia collapsed under the pressure of Latins.

The next king, Anatoniy Zolotyi (161BC-140BC), was a military genius. Thanks to him, the invasion of Vedena by the barbarians was stopped for a while. At the same time, he was even harsher on merchants, imposing new taxes as the military grew in size and there was the need to support it. Merchants were not satisfied with Anatoniy but they couldn't do anything about it as they were not as influential as they used to be. However, under Boleslaw II Zolotyi (140BC-114BC), Vedena continued crumbling. Barbarians, especially Esceosians, started raiding border settlements once again, enslaving people living there. Lutsk and other major cities severely shrank in size. The Great Library of Lutsk was destroyed during the Great Fire of Lutsk in 120 BC. Thankfully, some written records and pieces of writings were saved by scholars.

The following decades were the decades of famine and war. Boleslaw II had no children, and there was no heir to become the next monarch. The nobles of Lutsk brought the Council to life and elected Miroslav Tolstoy (114 BC-98BC) as the next monarch. However, he was just a puppet in the hands of the nobility. Lviv, once an important commercial centre, was plundered and later sacked by Esceosians in 109 BC. During the reign of Bogdan Balabanov (98BC-76BC), Vedena almost disappeared from the map as the combined barbarian force grew in size. Vedena was doomed to fall. However, Yaroslav Verba (76BC-51BC) (also knows as Yarosalv the Wise) changed the course of history. First of all, tsar Yaroslav commissioned the construction of massive fortifications around Lutsk to defend the city from barbarians. Seconds of all, when he was elected, a messenger was sent to the Roman emperor, asking to send legions to defend the city from the barbarians. 2 Roman legions were sent to Vedena and suffered great losses in Esceocia, being ambushed at night when they were sloppy on watch. The Legions burnt down several villages on their way, attracting even more enemies. When they reached Vedena in 62BC, 3 500 legionaries left were not much help against the tens of thousands of men awaiting behind the walls of Lutsk and the plains beyond. The combined Latin and Esceosian forced swarmed into the city, but they eventually beaten back by the Roman and Vedenan defenders, fatally exhausted. This was remembered as "the Black defeat".

The Great Migration (62BC-51BC)
Although the invasion was repelled, Lutsk was still doomed to be taken by the barbarian forces. Yaroslav had an idea in mind - to leave Lutsk and settle in the new territories. The emperor previously requested Yaroslav to settle within the lands of Illyrics and Gerios, and he accepted. In 62BC, soon after "the Black defeat", a few thousand Vedenians, together with the military and what remained from 2 Roman Legions sent to Lutsk, marched through the Esceosian lands and settled north to Greece. The town of Bylymy was founded in 60 BC.

RAR Vedena (51BC-530AD)
When Yaroslav died in 51BC, Vedena became an autonomous province of the Roman empire. The governor was chosen by the Roman emperor every 6 years. RAR Vedena was slowly incorporating nearby lands populated by Gerois people and Irrylircs. Lena Augustus (51BC-45BC), the first governor of RAR Vedena, reintroduced the "Lutsk rights", which granted privileges to urban centres such as Bylymy, and adopted the Roman legal system. As Vedena was integrating into the Roman empire, the process of latinisation started. People started converting to Roman paganism, worshipping Roman deities and the Latin (Roman) alphabet was adopted. Roman currency was used in trade. In the 30s BC, a safe trade route to Lutsk was created. Although it was not as big as it used to be, Lutsk remained an important commercial centre in the region. However, it had to pay tributes to Bonra, Slavokan, Latin, Esceosian and Proto-Baltic and Dacian tribes. Most of written records and other pieces of writings, which were miraculously preserved, were transferred from Lutsk to RAR Vedena and later translated into Latin and allocated to archives across the empire. At the same time, the traditional Vedenian theatre was renewed. Children of wealthy nobles were sent to Greece and Rome to study there. Some of the prominent Roman governors were born in RAR Vedena. In the 50s, Romans set out to create a safer connection with Lutsk and a long line of outposts was built. However, around the same time, the city was conquered by a new Esceocian tribe which slaughtered all the original inhabitants and established a new trade system with its neighbours before the Roman wall builders arrived. After Jesus of Nazareth was crucified, Christianity began spreading in the eastern parts of the Roman Empire, including RAR Vedena. By the end of the 2nd century, Christianity became the dominant religion in RAR Vedena.

In the middle of the 4th century, Daevites entered Europe. In 412, when the Daevite raiders burnt Lutsk to the ground, it became clear that the Roman empire was going to be their next target. The peak of the Daevite Empire was achieved in the 450s AD according to contemporary scholars and historians. The fight was the bloodshed the world had never seen before. However, when Atilla died, the Daevite empire collapsed and the Roman empire reigned supreme over East Europe. At the same time, the Great Plague spread across the empire, including RAR Vedena, causing instability in major cities. A lot of citizens died, mostly in urban areas. Some regions were left untouched, like the East and North-West. The Roman empire was largely devastated, and it split up into 5 different pieces during the civil war, including Roma Borealis, which retained the RAR status of Vedena and Tartary.

Early Middle Ages (530-1021)
In 530, the last Governor of RAR Vedena, and the first Governor of independent Vedena, Borislav Homilka (525-531), breaks from Roma Borealis and removes the RAR status of Vedena. After the Daevites were defeated and Vedena returned, Lutsk was rebuilt and many other towns across the region were founded, including Kyiv and L'viv. In addition, since Vedena was no longer tied with the Roman

empire as much as they used to, and the process of latinisation had stopped. Instead, the process of vedenisation happened: people started speaking primarily Vedenian in public life, Vedenian alphabet was reintroduced, merchant unions were created in major cities, and the Council was renewed. Vedena became allies with Tartary, which also broke from Roma Borealis.

During the following decades, the economy grew in size, as trade was reintroduced in the region. Merchant unions like the ones in ancient times were also founded in major cities, including Lutsk. The Great Library of Lutsk, which was destroyed in the Great Fire, and later burnt down by barbarians, was restored. Many written records and pieces of writing were allocated back to the library. In addition, the Great Wall of Lutsk, a complex fortification system across Lutsk, was built to protect the city from Barbarians.

As the Ostgermaniks began claiming the northern lands of Vedena in the 580s, the Governor of Vedena sent messengers to them to ask for peace. However, the messengers were killed before they could even recite their message. The Ostgermaniks continued marching and they claimed Kalichatow, an important fortress in the north. More Ostgermaniker and Slavokan tribes rose up in Vedena, joining the invaders. However, with strong enough army, the invasion was repelled in 590s. Trade agreements with Tartary and Ostmark, a germanic kingdom to the north-west, were signed.

The following decades were decades of peace and prosperity. Humid and mild climate, resulting in bigger yields, brought wealth to rural dwellers. The quality of tools and goods manufactured in workshops in major urban centres increased a lot, and local manufacturers managed to enter the foreign markets of Tartary, Ostmark, and even Roma Centrum. Advanced coinage system was introduced by the Council at the beginning of the 7th century, and thanks to merchant unions across the country supporting the reform, it turned out to be a success. The Great Library of Lutsk was expanded several times and such traditional arts as poetry and theatre experienced a rebirth and further development. Wooden churches were built in villages and towns and religious art was first created in Vedena around that time.

Bonds with Ostmark were tightened, as the reforms similar to the ones in Vedena were introduced there and the Lutsk-Koeninsberg route grew in prominence.

On the other hand, Avar Khaganate, a new threat from the east, emerged in the 750s. The Great Wall of Lutsk and walls in other cities were updated to keep up with newer technologies. Vedena helped Tartary defend it from the Avar invasion. However, they were no match against fast nomad cavalry and the military strategists of both Vedena and Tartary tried anti-cavalry tactics against the mobile forces of barbarians, but in vain. The Avar Khaganate continued making successful advances into eastern Europe, overrunning most of Tartary within years. Eventually, Vedena became a tributary state of Avar Khaganate. The lands were plundered by the invaders once again and the decades of prosperity were over. However, in the 860s, a new force entered East Europe: the Varangians. The Avar Khaganate frequently clashed with the Varangians in East Europe, and the welfare of invaded kingdoms, including Vedena, were disregarded as two rising powers fought for superiority and control in the region. After long decades of fighting, the Varangians came up on top at the beginning of the 10th century. Vedena became one of the dependencies of a new Varangian state. Feudalism entered Vedena around the same time, although feudal relations remained quite underdeveloped for a long time before the 15th century. The Orthodox branch of the Christian faith spread around Eastern Europe, as Ost-Rike was improving relationships with Roma Cnetrum, although the latter one remained mostly Catholic.

1021 Coup
Although Vedena was quite decentralised, Lutsk still played a major role as it was responsible for diplomacy, regulation of trade, and statewide policies. The Council of Vedena in Lutsk, or just the Council, was the main political body in Vedena. The Council was divided among a few major factions. The most influential back then were the Merchants, the Religous, and the Nobility. Each faction had a certain goal. As for the Religious faction, they wanted to increase the role of the Church in state and everyday life. For instance, at the beginning of the 11th century, they banned practising paganism, conducting an inquisition against local churches which were not loyal to them, and a few years later they forbade trading with non-christian countries. Through time, they had been aggressively enacting different laws strengthening the power of the Christian church. On the other hand, the Religious encountered a lot of problems too: the other factions in the Council started opposing it. In addition, in public life, the priests were told to be evil and powerhungry. So, in 1021 AD, Dragoljub Volinskiy, a former leader of the Council and a priest, who sympathised with the Religious, staged a coup and declared the creation of "kingdom ruled by the ones chosen by God". A few days later, the combined of other factions forces opposed the rule of religious military orders, and stormed the Council. After a long battle for Lutsk (1021), the Religious were defeated and the ones who staged the coup, including Dragoljub Volinskiy were publically executed. Soon, the Religious were banned as a faction and Vojtek Vasiliev, a famous merchant from L'viv, was elected the new Governor of Vedena.

Since the 1021 Coup, the role of the Church in society was questioned. Priests were publically executed since then, and churches destroyed. Some people began looking forward to the ancient Roman culture and traditions. They adopted its pagan cults, aesthetics, and language. The Romans, a new faction in the Council that stood for "relatinisation" and opposed the Church, was created.

High Middle Ages (1021 - 1346)
High Middle Ages began with the collapse of Ost-Rike. Vedena broke free from being a dependency and incorporated some territories to the east. At the same time, the emerging Romans faction was growing in prominence all across the country. They argue that "the glorious times of Roman must be returned" and claim to have Roman ancestry. The Romans in the Council consisted mostly of the nobility. Characters from ancient Greek and Roman mythology were used in visual arts and theatrical performances.

The amount of internal and foreign trade had slightly increased during the next decades. Vedena became an economic powerhouse of the region after Ost-Rike collapsed. In addition, huge faires are held every year in big trade centres such as Lutsk and L'viv. The traders of Lutsk and L'viv expanded their trade influence in Avanland and Central Roman Empire and set up merchant guilds, which were an improvement of merchant unions.

The phrase "Reject modernity, embrace traditions" was associated with social processes that started in the end of the 11th century and supported by the Romans faction. More people began embracing the culture, religion, and even language of their ancestors, usually nomadic pagan tribes, leading to more diversity and division in society. Some of the nobility started speaking Latin more and converting to Roman paganism. However, by the middle of the 12th century, most of the Romans faction was just sceptic of the Church and supported the reintroduction of key parts of Roman law. The influence of the faction shrunk significantly throughout the next decades. On the other hand, the aesthetics of ancient Greece and Rome became widespread among artists in Vedena. In major cities, enormous constructions resembling the ones in Rome and Greece were built. At the beginning of the 12th century, Vedena started incorporating the leftovers of Ost-Rike into its territory. Guido Mista (1105-1117;1123-1129), a member of the Romans faction who also was popular with the Merchants was elected the governor in 1105. He was known to be an expansionist leader and decided to fill the power vacuum left after the fall of Ost-Rike. Soon after, Volyn was conquered. In addition, Chernigov joined the confederacy of Vedena as an equal de-jure, but de-facto it had almost no presence in the Council. Second of all, In 1136, Governor Ceslav Sokolov (1135-1141) called the Council and declared the Great Summit, reshuffling the old Council in favour of the Merchants. At that time, Vedena was allied with Inkeri and Svearike.

On Wednesday, July 23rd 1214, a fire occurred in a local bakery in Chernobyl. The locals could not put out the fire and it spread all across the city, burning every wooden building standing on its way. A lot of local nobility and commoners could not escape the vigilante flames. Thus, in less than a few days, the great city of Chernobyl, its influence and legacy, had been completely wiped out of Earth. It was a mere coincidence. Wasn't it? There was a conspiracy theory among the members of the Romans and the Nobility faction that this fire was not just a coincidence, but a well-deliberate action made by the merchants of Lutsk to get the full access of the region and take over it completely, as tensions between Chernobyl and Lutsk were peaking during this period of time, and there was a fear that it could turn into a full-scale resistance. In the 1220s, the lands of crumbling Altprussen were divided between Avaria and Vedena and a trade union was signed with Avaria, which marked the beginning of Avaro-Vedenian friendship that lasted for centuries. At the beginning of the 13th century, the Mongol empire entered Europe. Combined forces of many East European countries, including Vedena, participated in battles with the Tuvan horde. The city walls were updated and military institutions were revisited. In the 1230s, there was a threat of a full-scale Mongol invasion into Vedena. However, the Council was asked to become tributary of the Mongol Empire. Unfortunately, there was no other choice but to submit to the empire.

During the years of Daevite conquests in Europe, much bloodshed happened. The Daevite flood was a precedent for artists to explore a variety of dark topics such as death, dread, violence, and cruelty. The formerly vivid colour palette of ancient Greece and Roma or local Pagan themes was replaced with a darker and creepier one. Crimson became the dominant colour in visual art.

A lot of Vedenian Romans (Vedenians who spoke Latin in daily lives and identified themselves as "Romans") moved to the northern provinces. During the 1340s, in the centre of this region a new city emerged - Minsk. Soon it was proclaimed to be the third (north) capital of Vedena - as an addition to the original capital (Lutsk), and eastern capital (Chernobyl). What's more, the old city of Chernobyl was repopulated by the Roman colonists.

Third Rome (1346-1544)
On February 7th 1346, Tycho Fuscinus (1346-1370), a wealthy noble and landowner, who sympathised with the Romans faction, together with his allies, other nobles and landowners, marched into the Council and disbanded it. Although de-jure Vedena stayed a republic, de-facto it became a dictatorship, with the Fuscinus family in charge. He also declared Lutsk to be "the next, Third Rome". In the 1360s, Lithuania was conquered. At the same time, southern territories, which were losing the grip with Lutsk, broke off from Vedena. They were later absorbed by Avaria.

Adamus Fuscinus was the son of Tycho Fuscinus (1370-1387) and known to be prominent Governor. He was elected after his father resigned. From the very childhood, Adamus was interested in warfare and graduated from a military academy as one of the best students. Not long after, he participated in the battles against Lithuania but his actions were strongly restricted by the rest of generals. When Adamus became the Governor of Vedena, he used his skills and emerged victorious in battles against the Golden Horde. Under his reign, Vedena incorporated a lot of new territories. In the 1390s, a personal union with Vedena and Avaria was signed. The 1346 Coup was the main reasons why feudalism developed in Vedena. Although the nobility who owned much land had existed for centuries, the peasantry was protected from becoming serfs by local councils. In addition, farming had been organised collectively by entire villages until the 15th century. At the beginning of the 15th century, major landowners began incorporating villages into their domains and started organising folwarks - serfdom-based farms and agricultural enterprises which usually were very large. The originally free peasants became serfs, and serfs then fell into a condition of extreme dependency and exploitation Creation of the folwarks was boosted by growing demand for grain and the profitability of its export, both to Western Europe and inside the Avaro-Vedenian Commonwealth. This led to the exploitation of serfdom when land owners discovered that instead of money-based rent and taxes it was more profitable to force the peasantry to work on folwarks. Folwark-based grain export was an important part of the economy of the Avaro-Vedenian Commonwealth.

Last words
This is the history of Vedena until the last turn I played as this country. I lost interest in KdM since chapter 6 started and I returned at the time when Avaro-Vedenian commonwealth was created. I assume that what happened next was similar to what happened to GDL in OTL, except for certain twists.