Second Merick Isles Empire (1906 - 1952)



Restoration of Emperor Florintinus Micèll  The collapse of the Communist State of Merick (CSM) in 1906 at the hands of army forces lead by General Samuel Fletcher resulted in yet but another period of martial law in the history of the Merick Isles. From January through May, 1906, military leaders argued over what the next government shall be composed of.

Finally, on June 12th, 1906, it was agreed that Emperor Florintinus Micèll would be restored to power. While Micèll was not the most popular Emperor in the minds of the people, he did devote most of his time as former Emperor to increasing the military. It is because of that one single fact that most historians agree that the Military Command of 1906 choose to restore Micèll instead of appointing one of themselves.

Florintinus Micèll returned to the Merick Isles on the 15th of June and was formally restored to power. Florintinus Micèll: Reforms  Whether Florintinus Micèll truly changed during his exile, or whether he truly feared for his life following his restoration, we do not know. What does stand as fact is that following his restoration to the throne on June 15th, 1906, Emperor Florintinus Micèll began implementing a vast series of reforms from 1906 through his death in 1932.

Public Sanitation & Water Systems '''

<span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;">Public sanitation and water systems had for centuries been the pinnacle of the Merick Isles, some systems even dating back to the arrival of the first Cyronic settlers during the early 900s. Systems like these had grown and shrunk throughout the history of the Empire, but never once had they failed to bring clean water and sanitation to urban citizens until the late 1800s.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:12pt0in;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;">Possibly convinced by the new types of systems emerging in specific areas around the world, the Merick Isles Government officially ditched the aqueduct-bathhouse system for a more modern reservoir-pipe system in 1882. While these systems were being developed very rapidly, all construction came to a halt with the break out of Kyromanian War in 1895. This did not begin again with the CSM, and instead the whole nation sat near wells and rivers until August 1906 when Florinintus Micèll reenacted the building system.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;border:1ptnonewindowtext;padding:0in;">Public Transportation '''<span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;">Starting in 1909 with the <span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;">  <span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;border:1ptnonewindowtext;padding:0in;">Citizens Transportation Act <span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;">  <span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;">(CTA), a vast number of street cars and early buses emerged on the urban scene. These vehicles provided cheap transportation to and from factories for workers. Most early automobiles were too expensive for the average man to afford, and those that were not still suffered from a lack of refueling stations and maintenance shops that would explode in the later decades.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:12pt0in;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;">Also impacted by the CTA were the vast numbers of railroads in the Merick Isles. The railroads were re-privatized after the fall of the CSM and each company was eager to get the newest equipment. Railroads were given loans by the Merick Isles Federal Bank and were able to buy, fix and service new locomotives and track lines. <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:22.5pt0in2.4pt;line-height:15.75pt;border-style:none;padding:0in;"><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;">Second Kyromanian War (1909 - 1912)  <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:4.8pt0in6pt;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;">Under the terms and conditions of the Marshal Treaty of 1998, which ended the Kyromanian War, the war between the Merick Isles and Kyro was to be accepted as over only because Florintinus Micèll was removed from power. While this treaty was widely accepted in the Kyro Empire throughout the duration of the CSM, the collapse of the CSM and restoration of Micèll to power was considered by Kyro to nullify the Marshal Treaty.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:12pt0in;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;">In total secrecy, the Kyromanian Government decided on in 1906 that they would start rebuilding their military for a strike on the Merick Empire. The resulting war which followed began in 1909 which the Siege of Fort Agmund on the 6th of April. Kyromanian warships bombarded the lone fortress for 32 hours before launching a failed marine assault. While the Merickian forces secured victory, they were unable to destroy the Kyromanian Armada, and thus the 2nd Kyromanian War was under way.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;">Emperor Florintinus Micèll received news of the attack and was outraged. However, in an odd move which possibly has its roots in the early successes of   Adorjan Ottavio in the late 1200s, Micèll ordered the military to focus on demolishing the Kyromanian Navy instead of invading Kyro.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;border:1ptnonewindowtext;padding:0in;">Minor naval engagements and Kyromanian invasions of Merickian outer islands would serve to fill in the war until the summer of 1912. By this time, 6 cruisers ordered by the Imperial Navy in 1909 were completed, and a vast armada was gathered to crush Kyro's navy and any chance of invasion thereof. <span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:12pt0in;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;">On August 15th, 1912, Micèll's plan gained some headway. Kyromanian Field Marshall Simon Kocliov led a massive armada of over 200 ships and over 30,000 marines on an assault of Funis Island. This assault, which would have proven successful and placed Kyro within striking distance of Victoria Island, was instead cut short. An armada of 60 Merickian warships, led by Admiral James Green, intercepted the other armada and engaged in one of the most intense naval engagements in the Merick Isles history.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:12pt0in;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;">Hours of fighting would end in the complete destruction of the Kyromanian Fleet and the deaths of more than 40,000 sailors and marines compared to only 75 dead and 346 wounded from the Merickian side. This victory is attributed to the vast technological superiority of the Merickian Navy compared to the Kyromanian. While wooden sailing ships and Ironclads created the bulk of Kyro's navy, the Merick Isles navy consider of all metal cruisers, light cruisers, frigates and the occasional Ironclad.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:12pt0in;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;">The 2nd Kyromanian War came to a close following the victory at the Battle of Funis Island. A treaty was struck by the Kyromanian government to end the war in exchange for all stolen islands and another 5 atoll chains to south west. <h2 class="MsoNormal" style="margin:12pt0in;line-height:15.75pt;"> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:15.75pt;border-style:none;padding:0in;"><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;border:1ptnonewindowtext;padding:0in;">Role of the Merick Isles in WWII <span style="font-size:17pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;">

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<span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;">The outbreak of WWII in 1939 was led to a major debate among the politicians in Palma Arbor over what side the Merick Isles would be allied with, if any at all. Loose alliances with Great Britain and high seas conflict with Imperial Japan put many in favor of the Allied powers. However, due to the Constitutional Monarcho-Facisim that was the  <span style="font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;border:1ptnonewindowtext;padding:0in;">Micèll Dynasty of the early to mid 1900s; loose alliances with Italy and Germany had also been formed. <span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;"> ===== <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:18.4pt;"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;border:1ptnonewindowtext;padding:0in;">The Invasion of Poland by Germany in 1939 and the combination of increased British and Japanese presences in the Cyrotic Ocean stuck the Merick Isles in a dead neutral, a major victory for the few isolationists. This state of neutrality was backed up by the Neutrality Act of 1939 which stated that the Merick Isles would sell military goods to any nation willing to pick up the goods or provide a military escort of Merickian merchant marines. <span style="font-size:11.5pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:6pt0in2.4pt;line-height:18.4pt;"><span style="font-size:14.5pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;">Entrance of the Merick Isles into WWII

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:18.4pt;"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;">Neutrality between the Allied and Axis powers was the defined state of the Merick Isles when 1940 rolled around, but that was soon to change. British owned Inyursta to the south-west of the Merick Isles sought out supplies from the Merick Isles to help fortify the region. This event was allowed under the Neutrality Act of 1939, but put a major dent in Japanese-Merickian relations, which would come to be exploited by the enemy of the late Florintinus  <span style="font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;border:1ptnonewindowtext;padding:0in;">Micèll. <span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:18.4pt;"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;border:1ptnonewindowtext;padding:0in;">In secret meetings throughout mid-January to early February, the Kyro Empire made a secret behind-the-door deal with Japan regarding the destruction of the Merick Isles. On February 4th, Merickian artillery batteries along the coast of Rerno Island were assaulted and pulverized by a combined Kyromanian-Japanese naval force. Surprised Merickian military brass had left the strategically important island of Rerno relatively un-guarded by a naval force worthy of combat, and suffered because of it. <span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:18.4pt;"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;border:1ptnonewindowtext;padding:0in;">February 10th, 1940, after 6 days of naval and air bombardment the Kyromanian forces beacheaded 60,000 soldiers on Solotue Beach on the eastern side of Rerno Island and secured the entire island by the 16th. <span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:6pt0in2.4pt;line-height:18.4pt;"><span style="font-size:14.5pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;">Stalemate: 1940 - 1944

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:6pt0in2.4pt;line-height:18.4pt;"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;">Counter invasions and invasions of Rerno Island occurred 18 times during the span of WWII, with neither side being able to hold the island against enemy attacks. Naval engagements, the primary focus of the Merick Isles military, did not fare well either. Old Merickian ships such as the Albany-Class destroyer were torn into pieces by joint Kyromanian-Japanese forces, and newer vessels such as the Marshal and Atticus Classes out-gunned but did not out number enemy vessels. This lead to a bloody stalemate which was fought primarily around the Merick Isles and Kyromanian home lands.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:6pt0in2.4pt;line-height:18.4pt;"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;">The atoll--hopping campaign of Admiral Felix Consoldo was extremely effective, but the shear amount of atolls that had to be taken prevented the campaign from reaching a true fluid motion. These extremely bloody naval, air and land battles took massive tolls of life, for little gain.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:6pt0in2.4pt;line-height:18.4pt;"><span style="font-size:14.5pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;">End of WWII

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:6pt0in2.4pt;line-height:18.4pt;"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;">On October 25th, 1944, however, this stalemate was finally broken. A massive counter-invasion of Rerno followed by a massive fleet including 4 aircraft carriers, 3 Constance-Class battleships and even one Brutis-Class battleship engaged the massive Japanese-Kyromanian fleet, which was sending forces to invade Victoria Island, only several dozen nautical miles off the small island's coast. The naval engagement lasted 4 whole days until on October 29th, when the damaged, but very victorious Merickian fleet emerged from the smoke.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:6pt0in2.4pt;line-height:18.4pt;"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;">The "Battle of Rerno Sea", as it came to be known, occurred at the same time as the Battle of Leyte Gulf in the pacific theater. Both defeats worked to destroy the Imperial Japanese Navy and remove Japan from the naval war. Losing the support of Japan, Kyro now feel victim to a series of catastrophic naval and army loses as the Merick Isles military pushed further south into the Kyromanian homeland.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:18.4pt;"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;">World War II ended in the Cyrotric Theater on March 1st, 1945 when the Kyro Empire signed the '' Treaty of Rerno. ''The end of WWII came as first a joy to the people of the Merick Isles, then reality set in. Four very bloody years, over 400,000 people lay dead for no reason other than a few hateful words spoken several decades before. World War Two showed the world that the Merick Isles Empire was a true power, but show the Merickian people that things needed to change.

<h2 class="MsoNormal" style="margin:12pt0in;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;">End of the Merick Isles Empire  <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:4.8pt0in6pt;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;">Starting in 1932 with the death of Florintinus Micèll, a massive push for the government to reform and accept republicanism was launched by various organizations. Florintinus Micèll's heir to the throne, Borus Micèll was not a strong leader by far. It is said that Borus was "owned" by the military, and only survived to aid them.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:12pt0in;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;">This massive jump from the Reform Era of Florintinus to the complete lack of care upheld by Borus allowed for the Republicanism organizations to grow like wildfire. With peaceful protests only being shunted by the military, it was yet but a matter of time before violence broke out.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:12pt0in;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;">In 1938 a massive final protest was in store for Borus's government. In Palma Arbor alone, more than 200,000 people hit the streets. Stern military opposition led to many organizational leaders opening declaring that Borus should be killed.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:12pt0in;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;">However, in 1939 the outbreak of WWII stopped this all in its tracks. Unlike WWI, where the Merick Isles did not participate at all, the nation was dragged into WWII as a whole. Nationalism overthrew the desire for Republicanism for the duration of the war.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:12pt0in;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;">Unfortunately for Borus Micèll, the war could only last so long. With the war over in 1945, protests began popping up again and again. 1950 saw the start of 4 armed revolutions, all of which were bashed by the military. Finally, in 1952, every organization and militia arguing for republicanism armed and fought the "Black" forces of Borus Micèll. The war was extremely victorious for Borus throughout the months of June through September, but on the 25th of October rebel forces stormed Palma Arbor, killed Borus, his guard and brought an end to the war in return for not killing 12 high ranking military officials also captured.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;">While republicanism was the obvious choice of government, the founding patriots would argue over exactly how the government should be run until the "Isles of Lostbiti Constitution" was ratified on Christmas day 1952. The new nation was named the <span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;">  <span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;border:1ptnonewindowtext;padding:0in;">Isles of Lostibiti <span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;">, Lostibiti being an Evyent word for Never Failing. However, through use the name of " Isles of Lostibiti"  <span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;">  <span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;">did not go down so well, and led to the nation being renamed <span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;">  ''<span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;border:1ptnonewindowtext;padding:0in;">"Isle of Lost". ''<span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:15.75pt;">