Mezemia

"I'm not sure who our enemies are anymore."

- A Mezemian

The Republic of Mezemia is a newcomer to the international stage, having declared its independence from Radovia at the onset of the civil war in 1921. The early period of the country, when it was known as the Mezemian Council State was a shaky one, with multiple armed clashes between various factions vying for influence, including the old Druthenian aristocratic elite, as well as Radovian elements (both Imperial and Republican) trying to re-integrate the territory. Its capital is the centrally located Viljs, though its largest city is the Mezemian part of Lintirgū (Lindköping).

Mezemia is actually comprised of two distinct but closely related ethnic groups, who refer to themselves and northern and southern Mezemians in the interest of unity. The Mezemians would later become an interesting study into converging cultures, as the two groups would slowly merge towards a "combined" Mezemian culture.

General information
The flag of the republic is a tricolore that represents the three ethnic groups in the country: green for Mezemians (northern and southern), white for Radovians, and blue for Druthenians. The three colours also represents the forests, the purity of peace, and the sea respectively.

History
While Mezemian state entities have existed throughout history, they have always been under the whims of some foreign elite - most often Druthenian, Zvogorian, and Radovian - until the independence declaration in 1921.

A shared sentiment between the foreign rulers of the region was the disinterest in the differences between northern and southern Mezemians. To the ruling elite, they were just peasants that spoke a strange language, and would at most identify the two different groups as having very different dialects. This mindset would inadvertedly be the "beginning" of the unified Mezemian national identity.

1700's
Mezemia was once part of the greater Zvogorian-!Romanian union, which collapsed spectacularily in the 1700's. The Mezemian lands would then coalesce into various smaller states, often ruled by a Druthenian and/or Zvogorian elite. The Druthenian elite mostly resided in the city of Lindköping, or Lintirgū as it is known in Mezemian.

1800's
Much like Satímaa, Mezemia would become a diplomatic battle ground between Rdovia and Druthenia. Unlike Satímaa however, the two powers never committed to a military confrontation in the region, letting the smaller Mezemian political entities do the fighting instead. In the end, the Radovian-backed "Mezemian governate" would incorporate most of the region before being absorbed into Radovia proper: the coastal cities would however elect to be annexed by Druthenia (if they weren't already a part of them), much to Radovia's dismay.

When the first Satímaa war began in 1872, these cities were besieged and later occupied and annexed by Radovian forces, completing the Radovian conquest of Mezemia. After the war, the Radovians would attempt to out-manouver the Mezemo-Druthenian aristocracy that was consistently hostile to the rule of Sirev, which did little to improve their opinion of Radovian rule. The Mezemian population was also very upset with the encroaching imperial rule, as well as the recently introduced policy of radovification.

Great Eidoran War
Many Mezemians found themselves fighting for the Imperial army during the war, mostly through conscription. While Mezemians weren't happy under Radovian rule, they were also very suspicious of the Vangerist ideals of the Commonwealth. Only a small number of Mezemians would join with the Red Radovian army in the hopes of securing an "independent" socialist Mezemian state.

Independence war
Even just before the mutiny of the Radovian 3rd army and the beginning of the civil war, dissenting Mezemians had already taken up arms as the "Forest guard" and waged a guerilla war on the Radovian military presence in the region.

As the civil war began, two things happened: first, the Mezemo-Druthenian upper class in Lindköping (Lintirgū) used their wealth and connections to essentially coup the Radovian rulership out of the city and establish their own provisional government. Secondly, groups of notable Mezemians wrote a manifesto of resistance towards their Imperial overlords, sparking a wave of volunteers to a now newly formed resistance called the Mezemian Freedom Front (MFF). Together with the Forest guard, the MFF and the Lindköping Provisional Government (LPG) would form the united Mezemian Freedom Council, with the stated goal of liberating the country. However, the three groups did not see eye to eye in many issues: the MFF had the broadest ideals of a unitary Mezemian republic, which clashed with the Forest guards' often libertarian, anarchist, and socialist sympathies - the LPG meanwhile was quite clearly working towards a Mezemo-Druthenian led fiefdom with them at the top of the hierarchy. But for now, the alliance had been formed and the enemy was clear.

Paired with Druthenian material, logistical, and leadership support, the MFC would strike crushing blows against the depleted and inexperienced Radovian forces in the region. Towards the end of 1921, Imperial forces had almost been completely pushed out of Mezemia proper, and the two sides settled in for the winter to lick their wounds. In Lindköping, this time was spent negotiation between the MFC members, which only served to strengthen the mistrust between the groups. However, before their armies could come to blows, the Imperial Radovian army launched a counterattack in early 1922. At the same time, the Greater Radovian Republican Army (GRRA) demanded the return of the Mezemian territories, which the MFC promptly refused, resulting in yet another invasion from the south.

The invasion of two armies would seriously threaten the young independence movement. Druthenia began to take on a much more hands-on approach in their support, even sending many "volunteers" to fight for the LPG as well as intensifying the delivery of war material. The MFC was however well aware of the problems at hand, and decided to play the two Radovian sides - the Imperial army in the northwest, and the GRRA in the south - against each other. A plan was drawn up to lure the two armies towards the village of Pilsas in the hopes that they would began fighting each other. The plan was a success, and by late 1922, the two exhausted Radovian armies were forced to retreat in the face of a renewed MFC offensive, though they remained in Mezemia.

Lindköping crisis
By late spring in 1923, the MFC launched yet another offensive, successfully throwing out the GRRA from the country. The Imperial army was more stubborn in its defense, but was slowly forced back. But now all was well and good for the Mezemians: back in Lindköping, the LPG was planning a coup to overthrow the MFF leadership and assume complete control of the country and the war. The MFF eventually found this out, and promptly laid siege to Lindköping in what would become known as the Lindköping crisis. The MFF demanded the LPG leadership to turn themselves in, though they refused, instead preparing the city for potential battle with their foreign allies.

The Druthenians, concerned that the foolishness of the LPG and MFF would undo their hard work in kicking the Radovians out of the country, decided to intervene directly. In the early summer of 1923, Druthenia directly occupied Lindköping and other coastal cities in Mezemia. What little resistance was offered by the MFF and some LPG elements were swiftly swept aside by the experienced and professional Druthenian forces. At first this was seen as a major victory for the LPG, but the Druthenian forces would confine the remaining leadership of the organisation in Lindköping. Additionally, the militaries of the LPG and MFF was forcibly combined, and the MFC was put under the strict surveillance of Druthenia. The Forest guard was unhappy with this development, and would begin to conduct low-level guerilla warfare against Druthenian elements.

There would be little in terms of conflict with the Imperial Radovian army. In spring 1924, before a new MFF offensive could be launched, the remaining Imperial forces abandoned the country to fight the civil war elsewhere. Another attempt by the GRRA to seize the country began at the same time, which was thwarted by the MFF and Druthenian forces.

Proclamation of the Republic
On August 24th, 1924, the treaty of Viljs was signed. This treaty involved representatives of the Radovian Republic, as well as Druthenia and the leadership of the LPG and MFF. The treaty formalised a peace between Mezemia and (Republican) Radovia (while Druthenia did make peace with the Radovians during the same time, it was under a different treaty), as well as establishing the border between the two countries. The city of Lindköping was also divided between Mezemia and Druthenia, where the latter received the Druthenian-majority old town. However, the entire city would remain under Druthenian occupation until the next year.

Paralell to this arrangement, a rushed declaration of a Mezemian Republic was formalised on the evening of the 24th, shortly after the treaty of Viljs was signed. The declaration and the new country's constitution had been pushed into completion by an anxious Druthenia, which led to many issues and questions remaining as to the quality and rigidity of the constitution, which was meant to ensure a democratic republic. This would eventually lead to political troubles down the line.

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 * The northern and southern Mezemians are analogous to Latvians and Lithuanians, respectively
 * The presence of the Mezemo-Druthenians is analogous to Baltic germans