Post by reaver on Mar 27, 2018 23:03:39 GMT
Republic of the Forlorn Isles
Capital: Da Gama (pop. 0.7 million)
Largest City: Oddhaven (pop. 1 million)
Currency: Libra (plural Librae)
Official Languages: English, Portuguese
Demonym: Forlorn Islander
Population: 2.47 million
Ethnic Demographics:
British (English, Welsh, Scottish, Irish, etc.) 68%
Portuguese/Brazilian 16%
African 8%
South-Central Asian (Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, etc.) 3%
Mixed 2%
Dutch 1%
Other 2%
Religious Demographics:
Anglican 39%
Catholic 25%
Reformed 6%
Other Christian 5.2%
Non-religious 18%
Muslim 2.4%
Hindu 1%
Sikh 1%
Traditional African Religions 1%
Jewish 0.4%
Other 1%
Government: Unitary Parliamentary Republic
Head of State: President of the Senate
Head of Government: Prime Minister of Parliament
Upper Legislature: Senate
Lower Legislature: Parliament
Largest Political Parties (with associated colors):
Christian Democrats
Conservatives
Liberal Democrats
Labour
Major Industries: Agriculture, Fishing, Mining, Shipping, Tourism
Formation:
As Portuguese colony 1523
Start of Dutch rule 1607
Start of British rule May 3rd, 1805
Independence August 10th, 1962
History of the Forlorn Isles
1498 - During his Expedition to discover a sea route to India, the Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama first discovers what he calls the “Ilhas Desamparados” and fixes their location on his map at around 15 degrees West longitude, 45 degrees South latitude. According to his Log the Isles are deserted and desolate with only the ancient ruins of various stone temples and pyramids scattered throughout the forests that cover the vast majority of the terrain. The Isles themselves he describes as being three in number, the largest, which he called Ilha Principal (Main Isle), kidney shaped with two large peninsulas either side of a deep large central bay. In the middle of this bay were the further two Isles, next to each other, but with the slightly larger of the two slightly advanced forwards. The larger of the two isles which da Gama named Ilha Grande (Large or Grand Isle) is to the left as you enter the bay and the other called Ilha Menor (Lesser Isle) to the right with a channel between them. This creates a deep natural harbour with three entrances and exits. Apart from this harbour da Gama finds nothing of interest in the Isles and leaves to continue his expedition
1521- Capitão Felix Nunes of the Portuguese ship São Antonio, whilst sailing between the Portuguese colonies of Brazil and Mozambique, was caught in a violent storm and decided his best chance of shelter lay in the natural harbour of the Forlorn Isles. Damaged by the storm his ship dropped anchor in the bay on the 8th of March.
The São Antonio had suffered damage during the storm, and sea water had contaminated its supply of drinking water. Captain Nunes decided to make repairs and resupply before continuing on with his voyage. To this end he sent water and victualling parties ashore to gather supplies and timber. One of these watering parties discovered gold in a stream bed on Ilha Principal and reported this fact back to their captain. Nunes sends out further parties to see if they can discover the location the gold has been washed downstream from. They are successful but find that they will be unable to pan for the majority of the gold and will have to mine into a mountain for most of it. After repairs are completed the São Antonio leaves
1523 – Having spent the last two years attracting investors Felix Nunes returns to the Forlorn Isles with two ships to establish a colony and to mine the gold. He set the location of the first settlement in the vicinity of the gold find on Ilha Principal and called it Da Gama after the man who first mapped the location of the Isles. Da Gama remains the Capital city of the Isles to this night.
Being unwilling to perform the hard-manual labour of digging out the gold from the rock themselves, Nunes and his settlers use their two ships to raid the mainland of Africa for natives to use as slaves, bringing them back to the Isles and forcing them to dig for the gold.
1523 – 1606 During this period the population of the Isles thrives and begins to grow, becoming prosperous on the gold dug out of the ground by the slaves. This period also sees the establishment of the first plantations and farms on Ilha Principal and Ilha Grande, which also make liberal use of slave labour for the benefit of their Portuguese owners. Towards the end of this period it becomes increasingly difficult to reach the gold still in the mine using the technology of the day and production slows to a trickle. As it does so the colony becomes less and less important to the Portuguese Empire
In Europe 1601 saw the start of the Dutch–Portuguese War, which pitched the forces of the Dutch East India and Dutch West India Companies against the forces of the Portuguese Empire
1607- After the failure of their first attempt to capture Mozambique, the officer commanding the attempt detached a force of three capital ships, one ship of the line and two frigates, and two transports carrying a force of marines, under the overall command of Commodore Piet Van Heyte to capture the Forlorn Isles, partly as a compensation prize and partly to use a support base for further attempts against Portuguese Colonies.
Finding only a few civilian ships in the harbour, Commodore Van Heyte, used the two frigates to block the left and right channels and had the two transports anchor in the central channel then sailed the Ship of the line into the harbour and called for the immediate surrender of the civilian ships present, sending prize crews aboard them to control their ships companies. Once this was accomplished, the transports sailed in and landed their forces. Whilst this was happening Van Heyte landed the largest cannons from his lower gundeck and splitting them in half had his sailors create two temporary Batteries, one on Ilha Grande and one on Ilha Menor either side of the central channell, so that any ship entering that way would have to run their gauntlet.
The Marines meanwhile found that the Portuguese only had a small militia force in the colony, made up from the population of the Isles, these were swiftly disarmed almost without a struggle and after receiving assurances that as long as they were prepared to pay taxes to the Dutch government, much as they had been to the Portuguese until now, they would not be harasses or harmed and would keep ownership of their plantations, farms they disbanded and gave no further resistance.
1607 – 1661 The Dutch officially changed the names of the Isles to the “Verloren Eilanden” but left the individual names of the three separate Islands in the original Portuguese. Van Heyte swiftly decided to leave the existing dock area on Ilha Principal for the use of civilian traffic and to create a new and separate dock area for exclusively for Naval use on Ilha Menor. As reinforcements were despatched from Dutch forces the two temporary gun batteries were replaced with permanent ones consisting of land based cannons. The Gun Battery on Ilha Grande was named the Philip William Battery after the Prince of Orange and the one on Ilha Menor was called the Eleonora Battery after his wife. After a second failure by Dutch forces to capture Mozambique in 1608 the pace of reinforcement and of building defences quickened.
Further Batteries were placed either side of the left and right channels as well, and two forts were created, one near each of the docks. Over time ships chandlers, rope walks, ordinance depots and repair yards were also established. As the harbour grew, so shopkeepers, innkeepers and the familys of those Dutch Navy and Army who were stationed there also appeared. The naval harbour area began to turn into the second city of the Isles. The Portuguese colonists found a ready market for the produce of their plantations and farms, and were also allowed to export to other Dutch Colonies and back to Holland. They came up with a nickname for the Harbour area which stuck and as everyone began to refer to it as that, became the official name, Oranjestadt.
1661 – 1805 With the end of the Dutch–Portuguese War in 1661, the Dutch needed to find a new purpose for the Isles. The Dutch West India company decided to develop them as a centre of slavery. During this period, in what had been the exclusively Naval docks they built slave dungeons and a Slave market so that they could hold slave auctions. They also sold stores and supplies, such as shackles and chains, to slave ships on their way to the African mainland to pick up loads, or to those ships taking slaves from Africa to the Caribbean or the Americas. Whilst others dropped their cargo in the Isles and sold them onto Slave Traders their
These activities led to a large influx of Dutch personnel and traders to the Isles. With the arrival of their families, most of these merchants decided that they would prefer their families not to have to see the or smell the unpleasantness of the slave trade, a site was soon selected on Ilha Principal for another settlement near the original civilian docks, which they called Oude Haven (Old Harbour)
It was during this period that the Gold mines finally stopped producing any gold at all, with the remaining ore impossible to reach using the existing technologies of the time
At the same time The Dutch navy had to maintain their presence and indeed increase it as during this period Holland and Britain engaged in a number of wars, and the Dutch fleet needed to constantly patrol to protect their merchant fleet. Two these wars took place in the 17th century, 1665–1667 and then 1672–1674. Then came the ‘Glorious Revolution’ of 1688 – 89, in which William Prince of Orange became king of Britain. Over the next 98 years the Dutch Fleet began a gradual draw down of their forces in the isles.
Then in 1780, Great Britain, angered by Dutch trading with Revolutionary America and their diplomatic recognition of the Continental Congress declared war on the Dutch again, over the previous near century the strength of the Dutch Navy had declined, but they hurriedly despatched a squadron of two 74 gun, ships of the line, thee frigates and a sloop to the island. The War lasted for 4 years
In Europe in 1795 Revolution broke out in Holland and with the aid of the French Revolution, the Dutch Republic was overthrown, the Dutch Fleet was captured, and Holland was reorganised as the Batavian Republic. In the Isles the now Batavian squadron began to decay and grow increasingly decrepit through a lack of supplies and personnell. There was also Slave revolt inspired by the ideals of the Revolution, which was put down without mercy, with the few survivors of the Slave army being hung from gibbets in Oranjestadt.
1802 saw the signing of the Treaty of Amiens. The Batavian Republic sent out replacements for the Squadron in the Isles under the overall command Kapitein ter zee Henryk De Jong and Kolonel William Van Dornink. They arrived on the Isles in 1803 and were horrified to find the extent to which the defences and ships had been allowed to deteriorate. They started an urgent programme of repairs and improvements but had hardly started when news arrived that the peace of Amiens had broken down, slowing down progress as the squadron had to put to sea and patrol in an effort to protect the Dutch and French merchants.
At the same time a large number of French and Dutch Privateers decided to base themselves in the Isles due to its position near the trade routes, sallying forth from the Isles to attack and capture British Merchantmen, sail them back and dispose of their cargoes to the Dutch traders and merchants in Oude Haven and Oranjestadt. The merchants grew rich selling supplies to the privateers and exporting the captured supplies to other colonies
1805 – The continuing attacks of the privateers on British Merchantmen finally exhausted the Admiralty’s patience and the decision was taken to capture the Isles and a force consisting of four 74 gun, ships of the line, three 36 gun frigates, two Brigs and a Sloop of War along with two transports of troops under the command of Rear Admiral Robert Valentine.
Valentine decided to have the squadrons marines land from boats at the dead of night on the seaward coast of Ilhas Grande and Menor on the 2nd of May, then march through the night to attack the Philip William and Elenora Gun Batteries. Once they had captured them they signalled with coloured lamps out to see and the Ships of the line sailed down the central channel unopposed, in the harbour two of them headed for the left right channels engaging those Artillery batteries from the rear and the other two headed for the Dutch Naval ships in Harbour and opened fire on them before there sleeping crews could react. The frigates sailed in and engaged the forts at either dock whilst launching boat crews to help the Brigs and Sloop as their Boat crews tried to board the sleeping Privateers. The transports followed and unloaded their troops. One on Ilha Principal and one on Ilha Menhor.
The battle raged all night, but the next morning One Dutch 74 had been captured and one sunk, four privateers of varying sizes had been captured, others had cut their lines and fled, taking heavy damage before managing to escape from the harbour, and British flags flew over the forts.
Kapitein ter zee De Jong and Kolonel Van Dornink surrendered at 9am on the Morning of the 3rd of May. The officers and men of the Batavian Navy and Army gave their Paroles that they would not serve again against the British until they had been regularly exchanged, then boarded the transports that had brought the British troops and were taken to the nearest Dutch colony which they entered under a flag of truce to unload their passengers
1805 – 1807 With the British now in control of the Isles, the Dutch Traders, Merchants and families of the former garrison booked passage and left. The British Army and Navy rapidly began to repair and Improve those defences damaged in the capture and those that had been allowed to deteriorate over time until they were of no use.
The British changed the name of the Isles official to the Forlorn Isles, the name they are known as to this night. Again, they left the rest of the names in their original languages, apart from Oude Haven which in the mouths of the British Troops and Sailors was mangled and gradually metamorphosed into Oddhaven which became its official name. Rear Admiral Valentine was named as the first British Governor.
The first of the British Colonists arrived to replace the Dutch traders, and shop keepers, as property in Oranjestadt was sitting there empty and Governor Valentine would give them legal ownership for only a nominal fee.
In 1807, Parliament passed the Slave Trade Act of 1807, which outlawed the slave trade, but not slavery itself. Most of the remaining Dutch left the Isles, apart from a few who decided to stay and try and make the best of things. Some of the Portuguese descended plantation owners also decided to leave fearing that the British would soon emancipate the slaves on the Plantations. The pace of British Colonists arriving picked up as some bought the plantations the Portuguese were leaving, and others established new ones.
1808 – 1870 The Isles were used as one of the bases for the Royal Navy’s West African Squadron in the rest of the Napoleonic wars and its Anti-Slavery patrols enforcing a Blockade of the African Coast. In 1833 Parliament passed the Slavery Abolition Act of 1833 which banned slavery throughout the British Empire (with the exceptions "of the Territories in the Possession of the East India Company". This finally freed all the slaves on the Plantations, but most of the Portuguese descendants had seen this coming and freed them voluntarily in the previous two decades offering them pay and accommodation to continue working the fields.
The Navy offered to transport any of the ex-slaves who wished back to mainland Africa, but most having been born in Slavery on the Island to parents born on the Island decided to remain. Some tried to establish smallholding for themselves whilst others enlisted in the navy and helped crew the ships enforcing the ban on the slave trade
In the 1840’s with the introduction of steam powered ships of the line, Oranjestadt became a coaling station, where British ships could come into to restock their coal bunkers. This was later expanded into a full supply base
1870 – 1899 With the end of the Anti-slavery patrols, the West African Squadron was decreased in both size and importance with less Naval vessels making use of the Oranjestadt supply base and for a while there were rumours that the naval base would be closed down but in 1899 a Wireless Telegraph station was added to the establishment, receiving and relaying signals
1899 – 1902 During the Second Boer War a hospital was established to handle the wounded casualties. Firstly they were stabilised in the Cape colony then when they were fit enough were evacuated by ship to the Isles for further treatment until they were fit enough to travel the long distance back to Britain
1914 – 1918 During World War One convoys around Africa were routed and controlled from Oranjestadt, and the supply base serviced ships from all of the allied Navies, the Isles supplies a Regiment of volunteers, The Forlorn Isles Light Infantry, to the British army and fight on the Western Front. They take heavy casualties during the Battle of the Somme and the survivors are shipped back to the Isles to guard the Naval Base for the rest of the War
1919-1938 In the interwar years an airfield was built on Ilha Grande and the RAF based a squadron of search planes at it. The old and obsolete defences were replaced with modern bunkers supplied with large naval guns taken from decommissioned warships.
The depression of the 1920’s hit the islands economy hard, with the plantations and farms finding it hard to export their produce and the reduced military expenditure hitting the merchants who made a living supplying the needs both professional and recreational of the British soldier’s, sailors and airmen
With the accession to power of Adolph Hitler and the Nazi Party in Germany in the 30’s, military expenditure again increases. Submarine pens are added to the Naval base, the old WW1 vintage biplanes at the airfield are replaced by more modern craft which are joined by Sunderland flying Boats and anti-aircraft defences are installed around the Isles.
Rodrigo “Rod” Nunes, who claims to be a direct descendant of Felix Nunes decides to try and re-open the ancient Gold mine hoping that modern technology will them to get at the remaining ore and starts touting for investors
1939 – 1945 As in the first War, the Isles play a vital role in co-ordinating, controlling and protecting convoys. Hard pressed escort vessels visit the Isles for R&R, whilst the dockyards refit and repair their ships. Merchantmen form up their convoys in the waters surrounding the Isles Sunderland Flying Boats and other RAF planes launch from the Isles to search for German Surface raiders and U-Boats and the Submarine Flotilla helps to starve the Axis forces in North Africa of supplies by hunting and sinking their supply ships. The Forlorn Isles Light Infantry is reactivated and sees service in the Western Desert and Italy
1946 – 1962 Rod Nunes finally has enough investors to reopen the Gold mine, drain the old tunnels and shore them back up then using new machinery start to mine the remaining Ore. The British Navy is drastically reduced in size and most of the Naval facilities are Mothballed
In the 50’s a small but vocal Independence movement is born, during the course of the decade they grow in numbers and influence. In 1958 the British government agrees to discuss granting the Isles independence but negotiates to keep the use of the Naval base. After several years of discussions it is agreed that the Forlorn Isles will become Independent, join the commonwealth and also have the status of a British Protectorate, allowing them to keep RAF planes in a section of the airfield, which has been expanded in size and also houses a civilian airport, access to the Naval Base for 99 years and to base a small army force in the Isles. Independence day is set for 10th August 1962
1962 – 1982 The Government of the Forlorn Isles negotiates with the United States of America and agrees to allow their Navy access to the Naval Base and to base a small permanent detachment within it in return for an annual payment of money, said payment to be renegotiated every 10 years.
The Forlorn Isles Light Infantry is expanded into the Forlorn Isles Defence Force and an Artillery arm is added, the Gunners travelling to Britain to be trained at the home of the Royal Artillery, Woolwich Barracks in London.
The Royal Forlorn Isles Navy launched its first ships, acquired from the British, a Corvette called the HMFIS Admiral Valentine which serves as the flagship and three large patrol craft, HMFIS Principal, HMFIS Grande and HMFIS Menor
The Isles begin to market themselves as a holiday destination that can offer something for every taste, from family holidays to party holidays for singletons and historic tours
During the Falklands Crisis in 1982 British Naval ships sail from the Isles to enforce the Exclusion Zone around the Islands
1987 - The Islands celebrated the Silver Anniversary of their independance with a series of events beginning in January and ramping up to a week long carnival and street party in August. The events are heavily touted overseas to attract tourists and foreign investment
1990 - 1991 During the Gulf War the Islands for the first time in their history since Independance sent a small detachment of their troops to join the Allied coalition in Saudi Arabia. The Goverment of the Island had them placed under the command of the British Forces and insisted that they werent to be used in Combat Duty. The British agreed and asigned them to the role of Guarding the POW cages that were constructed to hold any Iraqi troops that were captured, freeing up the British troops who would have been assigned to this for Combat roles
2000 - 2008 The Islands started the New Millenium with a massive party again touted heavily overseas for tourists. Foreign Investments poured into the Islands developing the tourist hubs around the three main cities, but the numerous small villages, settlements and towns throughout the rest of the Islands began to lag behind in infrastructure and investment. Discontent began to grow amongst the poorest inhabitants
The Islands stayed out of the Invasion of Afghanistan in 2001 but sent declarations of support to both the US and UK governments. In 2003 the FIDF did contribute a small party to the Invasion of Iraq, this time they sent a Battery of Artillery to take part in the fighting along side the soldiers who were once again assigned to guard the POW camps and supply bases
The Global Financial crisis of 2007-2008 came as a severe shock to the population and government of the Islands as foreign investment dried up almost overnight, with some financial institutions trying to claw back the money they had already invested in the economy. Numerous holiday parks and hotels in the process of being built were abandoned half completed, with their structures left to rot. The government was forced to cut back on services and increase taxes, 'Austerity' was the new buzzword in government causing further ripples of unrest amongst the poorest native inhabitants. The only saving grace for the islands economy was that the price of gold began to skyrocket, meaning that the old Gold mines assumed an importance out of all proportion to their size. Geologists began a systematic search of all three islands to find if their were other veins of Gold that had gone so far undiscovered
2012 - 2017 The 50th anniversary of the Islands independance dawned with Tourism only slowly begiining to recover after the Financial crisis and with Austerity still in affect. To the poorest of the inhabitants hard left philosophies began to grow more attractive, thoguh some in their search for someone to blame turned to ultra nationalist right wing causes. Politics became increasinlgy polarised between young and old, rich and poor with more people gravitating towards the more extreme ends of the political spectrum. The Legislature became logjammed as the adherents of the opposite ends of the spectrum became unwilling and unable to work together. The population became more and more disillusioned at the failure of politicians to get anything done.
2018 - Struggling to control the Islands growing Public Debt the Goverment of the islands announces a new package of Austerity measures in the years March Budget. These measures would come into affect in the beginning of April and were passed, and to the fury of some of the population also annunced were a series of tax cuts and incentives designed to revitalize the islands still suffering tourism industry. Left Wing Idealogues denounce these measures on the street and in the papers as an attack on the poorest of the poor and begin to call for all foreign owned assets on the islands to be brought under goverment control. These calls are denounced equally forcibly by Right wing Idealogues. Riots break out in a number of locations with rival groups of protestors attacking the police, institutions and each other