Ionia

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 8 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 2037, 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.

Etymology
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Historical and Alternate Names
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Flag
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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.

Imperialism Era
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Mediterranean Union
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WWIII
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Rise of Fascism
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Fall
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Legacy
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Geography
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Politics
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Economy
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Military
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