Lapathiyan History

Lapathiya was first settled by the Southern Slavs in the early ages of Strangereal. Where they came from is a source of contention, but it is clear that the area was occupied by them for at least 800 years before the formation of a unified Lapathiyan state, making Lapathiya over 1,000 years old.

Madanhoff became one of many petty kingdoms of the Lapathiya, however the country was unified at the Battle of Karlon in the year 810. Under the Azimovs, Lapathiya would become an autocratic state under a Tsar. A second important family during this time were the Kerenovs, rulers of Malenbad. Federic Azimov united the country in Lapathiyan Year 810, following the Battle of Karlon where the rebels of the southern provinces were defeated once and for all. One noble, Ivan the Proud, refused to bow to Federic and was beheaded. His estates became the province of Malenbad and were gifted to Alexis Kerenov, the maker of the Lapathiyan crown on the model of a battle helm worn by Federic.

The Revolution

In 905, Lapathiya went through the first revolution in its history. The monarchy had taxed and starved the people into oblivion, and the army had grown powerful and corrupt. Tsar Federic IV was hit by a rotten tomato on an imperial foray. The man was shot by guards, prompting a riot. During the wave of anti-monarchist fervor, the greedy Lapathiyan generals couped the capital and restored order. Their leader was General Kaluk, a man who shaved his entire head and eyebrows so he would not appear to age. Alexis Kerenov fled the country, still bearing the Lapathiyan crown, but Nicholas, the oldest son of Federic, was murdered at a train station. Federic himself was shoved off a balcony while the army ransacked his palace. General Kaluk and the 29 other Generals (among them, Lubasky, Komorovsky, and Fyodor Kerenov, a cousin of Alexis) set about turning Lapathiya into a fully totalitarian state, but they were interrupted by the Red Revolution of 967.

The Red Revolution

Sixty-two years into the military junta, the underground Communist Party launched a daring coup under the leadership of philosopher-turned-revolutionary Vladimir Dabrova. Kaluk fled to Malenbad and a civil war began, which the Communists won by 970.

The Lapathiyan Communist regime was centered on worker's councils in major cities, known as Sovyets, all of which were under direct supervision of the Madanhoff council led by Dabrova. The country was radicalized during the times of civil war and rapid industrialization, between 967 and 979. At their height in the 970s, the anti-bourgeois militias conducted a "perpetual revolution" and "Red terror" across the land that resulted in the deaths of tens of thousands. In the 1000s, despite Dabrova's best efforts, the command economy slowly began to collapse under its own weight and the people became poor and desperate.

The Revolution of Dignity

In 1010, the Communist government was overthrown when protesters took to the streets to demand better conditions. This became the bloodless Revolution of Dignity. The protests grew more and more unhinged, bordering on riots, until Alexis Kerenov (the great-grandson of Alexis Kerenov who fled into exile with the Lapathiyan crown) led the storming of Dabrova's personal residence. The dictator suffered a serious breakdown and was allowed to flee into exile, an old and broken man.

Lapathiyans will always face challenges, but now that the country has been democratized there is a chance for freedom at long last.