Aale

Aale, officially the Grand Duchy of Aale (Aalen: Grosshärgzööge Aale) is a sovereign nation governed as a parliamentary constitutional monarchy in northwestern Avanor. The nation is bordered to the north by Gelenia, to the east and southeast by the Midlands, and to the west and southwest by Caliane. With a land area of LAND AREA, the nation is the third smallest nation in Avanor, and has a population of 3'175'593, the third smallest on the continent. The capital and largest city is Aale, though other cities include Schletthause, Windenheim, and Kolter.

Aale for most of its history was a duchy that was tied to the Midlandic crown. Conquered during the Midlandic wars during the middle ages, Aale served as a vitally important market town, and was one of the consequential centers for producing electors to the Reichstag to elect the Kaiser of the Midlands. The nation's location at the meeting point between the Gelenian, Caliantene, and Midlandic peoples caused it to become an important trade hub, and often found itself traded back and forth between Caliane and the Midlands throughout their wars in the 1600s and 1700s. Aale became an official Reichstaat in 1759, bringing with it expanded independence. The region's cultural and linguistic uniqueness began to breed nationalism within the population throughout the 1800s as other midlandic nations began calling for their independence from the crown. When the Midlandic Empire was disbanded in 1823, both the new Midlandic government and the Caliantene government wanted Aale to become their new province, and demanded Gelenia intercede as a mediator between them and organize a referendum, who gave the people three options: Independence, become Midlandic, or become Caliantene. According to official results, Independence gained a razor thin majority of 48.89% of the vote, and so became an independent nation, with the new nation choosing the House of Halle as its new ruling family, becoming the Grand Dukes and Duchesses of Aale. The nation's vineyards, steel production, and manufacturing led to a surge in economic growth, especially as the nation strengthened its ties to the Midlands with free trade agreements in the 1840s. The nation's population stabilized, and the University of Aale became an important scientific centre. The nation experienced massive union strikes in the 1850s and 1860s, and as such the Grand Duke Heinz II granted the establishment of a parliament, and the institution of workers protections and rights throughout the nation. In the Great War, Aale remained neutral, but was occupied by Caliantene troops throughout the war, with some records showing they planned to annex the region after they won the war. However, in the Alscheid Accords after the war, Aale was confirmed an independent state. The nation continued to export its steel, coal, minerals, and wines throughout the world after the war, and after the discovery of nuclear power in 1889, the nation became a leading nation in nuclear powered, using a combination of renewable sources and nuclear power to become the first nation to end its use of non-renewable energy. The nation joined the Union of Nations in 1885 and the Avanor Union in 1889, while it was one of the pioneering nations advocating for a common currency in the Credit Argent in 1901. The nation began to become a hub of innovation, and its economy transitioned from one based on purely manufacturing, to one based on a mixture of high tech development and research and export of high tech goods. The 1917 financial crisis hit the nation hard, but through a well coordinated response from its government, the nation recovered its lost growth by 1918, the quickest recovery of any nation.

Aale today is a nation with a high level of economic, political, and civil liberties guaranteed through law, the constitution, and the nation's participation in several international organizations and treaties. Additionally, the nation has a strong presence on the international stage - though being small in size and population, it is a member of the Avanor Union and the Union of Nations, and is the seat of the Avanoran Parliament and Commission.

Prehistory
According to archeological records, the first humans to settle in the Aale region migrated there in approximately 10'000 BCE. Records indicate that many of those that migrated into the region lived along the banks of the Rhent River, and spoke proto-thanic, likely being closely related to the people that inhabited the Midlands at this time. During the classical period, the region was home to numerous incursions by the ever expanding Avanoran Imperium. As the tribes of the region continued to raid and pillage cities, villages, and estates in Caliane, the Imperials constructed numerous forts along the border region with Aale, and constantly built roads and bridges throughout the region to help move their troops who patrolled the area - allowing for the settlement of numerous classical settlements which would lay the groundwork for future cities in Aale: most notably Schletthause, Kolter, and Aale itself.

As the Gaardic people began migrating westwards in the 400s and 500s CE and a wave of Thanic peoples migrated westwards ahead of them, Aale was at the forefront of the migrations as a borderland between the Imperial world and the Thanic people. Several conflicts between Thanic tribes and the mercantile families of Caliane resulted in thousands of deaths throughout the region. Eventually, with the unification of the Caliantene by the kings of Calise, the Thanes were pushed back to the middle of the continent, and in Aale many Thanes settled along the valley of the Rhent once more: forming villages and towns in the hilly countryside.

Low Middle Ages
Aale as an entity began developing its own unique identity in the low middle ages. The Auene and Thanic peoples who moved into the region, saw their languages merge and blend over time as the two groups intermarried and lived with one another. Many linguists believe the language of the Aalen people developed in this time, though many historical scholars referred to the Aalen language as a "dialect of the larger Midlandic language", rather than as an its own language, leading to some speculation that the language resembled the Midlandic tongue more than the Auene one even by the low middle ages.

On the Rhent River, the city of Aale had sprung up during the classical era as a market town. But as the centre of the continent developed, and the river was used for increased trade, the city became a vital hub for commerce, as well as a major population centre. Additionally, when the Temple of Aale was constructed in the city in 918 CE, the city became an important administrative centre in the region - as all affairs dealing with the administration of the faith took place within the city. This caused a massive population explosion, and the beginning of the Duke of Aale as an official office.

During this period, the duchy's sovereignty was hotly debated. Wars over rights to the region were fought between the Kings of Limberg and the Kings of Loire over the region. The duchy changed its allegiances several times between the two powers, and this shift in administration between the two caused for the region to have a blended culture and tradition in terms of law and custom between the Midlandic and Caliantene cultures.

High Middle Ages
The High Middle Ages began in Aale with the crowning of Duke Reiner Von Schlettstein in the Aale Temple in 1135. All previous dukes of the region were not chronicled by historians. While several names of dukes and kings of the region have been floated around in local legends, the existence of many previous rulers of the Duchy before Reiner I cannot be definitively proven.

Throughout the 1100s, the city of Aale extended its dominance over the surrounding towns, farms, and territories, solidifying itself as the capital city of a moderate sized territory. The duchy became ever more closely attached to the politics and economy of the Midlands throughout this period. As trade throughout the Rhent River boomed, and Aale's related culture made interactions between the two populations common. Meanwhile, the country continued to ally itself with the Loire through marriage alliances and pacts on several occasions, with Aale often being considered as a first line of defense against a Midlandic incursion.

It would not be until 1295 that the Second Rhent War between the Midlandic emperor Rudolf III and the Loire king Gustave VI brought conflict to Aale's doorstep. The war lasted four years, and eventually resulted in a Loirene invasion of Averra, which was quickly repelled, while Aale was conquered by Rudolf III's forces. In 1299, the Treaty of Breçon resulted in Aale becoming a Reichstaat of the Midlandic kingdom, loosing its sovereignty as an independent realm. It was Rudolf III who marched into Aale with an imperial procession behind him, anointing his own Duke of Aale, Reinhart II, to secure the Aale people to his throne. As an elective monarchy, the Midlands granted the right to elect future emperors to the Duke of Aale, as a high nobleman of the realm. Additionally, the duke was welcomed to sit in on a national diet of noblemen from across the empire known as the Reichsrat, advising the emperor and his advisors on the administration of the realm.

The 1300s saw a period of famine, brought about by several flooding events of the Rhent River. With these crop failures due to continuous flooding, several peasant riots gripped the nation during the reign of Duke Otto IV. The first of these revolts, the Peasants Revolt of 1301 in Aale, protested the government's refusal to provide bread for the starving poor, meanwhile others in 1319, 1321, and 1329 began protesting for greater political and civil freedoms, as well as demanding the government be held accountable for the abuses of the poor during the peasant revolts. It was on this backdrop that the Reformation began - calling for democratic government, self determination, and the idea that the sovereignty of a nation and its government came from the people, not a monarch or ruling family.

Era of Exploration
During the Reformation, Aale became a centre of learning for both Midlandic and Caliantene thinkers. The University of Aale was the largest centre of this learning - opening officially in 1390 and becoming the main school of thought in the duchy by 1450. During this time, much of the Duchy's population left the country to make new lives for themselves in Larania and Korasha. This exodus saw nearly 30% of the duchy leave for new lands, and today contributes to a large Aalen diaspora. The First Avanoran War

Modern Era
''Aale for most of its history was a duchy that was tied to the Midlandic crown. Conquered during the Midlandic wars during the middle ages, Aale served as a vitally important market town, and was one of the consequential centers for producing electors to the Reichstag to elect the Kaiser of the Midlands. The nation's location at the meeting point between the Gelenian, Caliantene, and Midlandic peoples caused it to become an important trade hub, and often found itself traded back and forth between Caliane and the Midlands throughout their wars in the 1600s and 1700s. Aale became an official Reichstaat in 1759, bringing with it expanded independence. The region's cultural and linguistic uniqueness began to breed nationalism within the population throughout the 1800s as other midlandic nations began calling for their independence from the crown. When the Midlandic Empire was disbanded in 1823, both the new Midlandic government and the Caliantene government wanted Aale to become their new province, and demanded Gelenia intercede as a mediator between them and organize a referendum, who gave the people three options: Independence, become Midlandic, or become Caliantene. According to official results, Independence gained a razor thin majority of 48.89% of the vote, and so became an independent nation, with the new nation choosing the House of Halle as its new ruling family, becoming the Grand Dukes and Duchesses of Aale. The nation's vineyards, steel production, and manufacturing led to a surge in economic growth, especially as the nation strengthened its ties to the Midlands with free trade agreements in the 1840s. The nation's population stabilized, and the University of Aale became an important scientific centre. The nation experienced massive union strikes in the 1850s and 1860s, and as such the Grand Duke Heinz II granted the establishment of a parliament, and the institution of workers protections and rights throughout the nation. In the Great War, Aale remained neutral, but was occupied by Caliantene troops throughout the war, with some records showing they planned to annex the region after they won the war. However, in the Alscheid Accords after the war, Aale was confirmed an independent state. The nation continued to export its steel, coal, minerals, and wines throughout the world after the war, and after the discovery of nuclear power in 1889, the nation became a leading nation in nuclear powered, using a combination of renewable sources and nuclear power to become the first nation to end its use of non-renewable energy. The nation joined the Union of Nations in 1885 and the Avanor Union in 1889, while it was one of the pioneering nations advocating for a common currency in the Credit Argent in 1901. The nation began to become a hub of innovation, and its economy transitioned from one based on purely manufacturing, to one based on a mixture of high tech development and research and export of high tech goods. The 1917 financial crisis hit the nation hard, but through a well coordinated response from its government, the nation recovered its lost growth by 1918, the quickest recovery of any nation.''

Geography
Aale is a nation located along the River Rhent, which bisects the country from north to south before entering the Midlands. The nation is highly hilly, though not mountainous. Most of the population lives in the Alenthal in the centre of the nation, in cities along the Rhent River. In the west of the country, the nation is hilly and forested, while in the south the nation's forests have long since been cleared and on the numerous hills one can find numerous small villages with multi-coloured half timbered houses and vineyards which produce the Aale's many wines. In the east the nation becomes less hilly with more open fields and creeks from runoff down from the hills that run into the Midlands. Major cities in the nation which sit along the Rhent include the capital and largest city, Aale, as well as Schletthause, Windenheim, and Kolter.

Economy
Aale is a thriving service based market economy. The nation has a thriving financial sector, as well as providing wealth management and thriving as a headquarters for low corporate taxation. The nation also has a mining industry, and a heavy focus on the manufacturing of steel. The nation has a thriving agricultural industry: producing dairy and meats (mainly beef, pork, and chicken), while also having a thriving viticulture industry with many countryside vineyards along the Rhent River. With a GDP per Capita of 61’126.