Kalistan

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A Brief History of House Ananto's 4th and 5th Dynasties, 5148 - 5689

(Continued from above)

The late Emperor Fredrick IV Ananto and Empress Jennifer I Ananto

The Fifth Dynasty, War and Recovery
Over the course of the Fifth Dynasty, the descendants of Carolina I Ananto have ruled Kalistan with an iron fist. As much as the Fourth Dynasty was characterized by a desire for peace and cooperation, the monarchs of the Fifth, Kundrati Dynasty do not shy away from conflict, war, embargos, and pugilism on the international stage. They desire peace, but do not possess the grace and aloofness of the monarchs of the Fourth, or Gaduri Dynasty. They are therefore either the subject of begrudging friendship or bitter hatred, and either way, Kalistan's existence as a global power quickly became very unsustainable, especially in light of the rise of an upstart nation to the north which has seemingly and effortlessly eclipsed Kalsitan over the last century.

The Red Bass War of the 5590s between Beiteynu and Xsampa ended climactically with the loss of a good portion of the Beiteynese Fleet, and then sometime later, with the deployment of a nuclear weapon by Beiteynu against the nation of Xsampa. Many nations, like Kalistan strongly condemned and diplomatically and economically isolated Beiteynu while several other nations nearby took the opportunity to invade Beiteynu and part it out to their own empires. But the latent instability in the system continued to be an issue as a new dark force rose in Kundrati. By 5584, Kalistan was calling for international sanctions against the human rights abusing Legion force in Kundrati who was rounding up its citizens en masse, forcing them into slave camps, and denying them basic civil rights. Kalistan supported the more moderate and establishment KPP in the subsequent civil war, but only a few other nations did. It seemed that if they couldn't gain some additional territory out of the war, most Terrans will at best turn their back on the conflict and tend to themselves.

Kalistan carried the burden of containment of the Legion for decades following 5584. Meanwhile, other nations either mocked Kalsitan's efforts or outright undermined them. It is known that despite a Kalistani embargo, Narikaton, one of the ultimate beneficiaries of the the dismantling of Beiteynu following the nuclear attack, traded with the Legion the entire time. Beiteynu, for its part led an international disinformation campaign which outright refuted Kalistani allegations of massive and gross human rights abuses in Kundrati and publicly ran cover for the fascist regime there. Beiteynese targeting of Kalistani efforts to contain Kundrati possibly had something to do with their resentment of Kalistan's possession of the Kundrati Diamond, but that's just one idea that tends to be floated by people like AYIC, who maintain that there is this shadowy ancient war between different powerful families that nobody can see or know about but somehow have the ability to play the world like their own little chess board. Likatonia allied with Kundrati and utilized slave labor in their own development provided by the Kundrati Legion. When the KPP finally collapsed, Kalistan was left without a partner in the region, and pulled back into the Mad Dog.

During this time, Carolina I Ananto was able to resolve her differences with Luthori, for the most part. She opened Embassies in Zardugal and in Mordusia during this time, and she established contact with the new royal family that appeared in Egelion after 5589 and began the transition of that nation from inert republic to Absolutist Monarchy. As much as Carolina sought to focus almost exclusively on Seleyan and Anantonese affairs, Kalistan was continually pulled back into the rest of the world's drama. Following the inexplicable nuclear detonation in Xsampa in 5599, Kalistan named Beiteynu and all its successor states, utimately, personna non grata in Kalistan. Kalistan's relations with Kundrati and their allies in Likatonia continued to deteriorate for the next ten years until Carolina I Ananto's retirement, and the crowning of Empreor Fredrick III Ananto.

Fredrick's reign was defined by Kalsitan's war with Kundrati. As much as Kalistan tried, it could not escape the constant provocation of Kundrati, the deafening and complicit silence by much of the world in light of the screams of the oppressed in the land of Carolina's birth, and the brashness and impunity of the Kundrati Government toward its neighbors and enemies. The catastropic Artanian Sea Campaign, which was at most a pyrrhic victory in Kalistan, saw Kalistan's fourth fleet sunk to the bottom of the Artanian Sea, where it still rots today, marking the absolute limit of Kalistani imperial projection in the world to date. The remnants of the Kalistani First Fleet limped back to Lodamun where they sat the rest of the first phase of the war out.

In retaliation for the attack, Kundrati worked with its allies in Likatonia to launch horrific Chemical weapons attacks against Kaliburg, Eshar and Port Swedes on the night of Aug 10-11, 5612. The rockets used had been designed by Beiteynu and were obtained through the Equifund by Kundrati, leading many in Kalistan to suspect that Beiteynu had been behind the attacks, as the former government of Beiteynu was fully and openly in support of the fascists in Kundrati for no apparent reason. The attacks murdered more than 40,000 Kalistanis as they slept, and initiated the invasion of Likatonia by Kalistan and Lodamun in retaliation for the attacks, with the aim of neutralizing a key Kundrati ally permanently.

During the war, it is known and admitted that Kalistan committed hundreds of war crimes against the citizens and the infrastructure of the nation. The violence was so bad that Lodamese Commanders agreed to a ceasefire proposed by the Likatonians, who surrendered unconditionally to the advancing forces, before Kalistan could proceed to lay waste to the entire nation. Kalistan later initiated a truth and reconciliation commission, which convicted hundreds of Kalistani Regulars for their actions during the war, and paid reparations to Likatonia for the violence. Kalistan is one of the few nations ever to fully admit to war crimes in a conflict setting.

During this period, Kalistan strengthened ties with Dolgava and Hutori, as well as Egelion, whose King married Lady Nicole Catalina Ananto-Bjorksdattir, thereby guaranteeing that all future Egelian Monarchs, as well as any children from royal outmarriages, which Egelion is fond of, will be indirect descendants of Fredrick Guerra-Ananto. Also during this period, Kalistani royals acquired their fondness for surfing, with the Empress Consort Monica Ananto-DeLaurentis being the first member to fully and enthusiastically embrace the sport. As Fredrick III Ananto's reign neared an unexpected end, the Crown seemed to be moving toward the establishment of more democratic governance, both at the local level as well as allowing some experimentation with it at the national level. Kalistani duchies, however, became a hereditary title.

The war torn era of Fredrick III Ananto came to a tragic end when Fredrick was killed in a plane crash on a flight from Gendaris to Lhasa. His daughter, the new Empress Mary I Ananto was still in National Service when the crash happened, and Fredrick's sister Michelle Ananto-Sandoval became Princess Regent. Soon after losing the Emperor, the Dynasty lost Carolina Ananto-Hulanevek to pancreatic cancer. While these losses were sad, within a few years, Mary Ananto ascended the throne as Empress Mary I Ananto. She immediately set out to make the nation a glittering Empire. Jewel acquisition and setting hit an all time high, and over the course of her reign, she had an entire dress made of diamonds and rubies, and a much more elaborate dress composed of a mosaic resembling a peacock, made of thousands of precious stones. But her piece de resistance was the Imperial Seat, which is a solid silver throne encrusted with precious stones of all types, inside a full solid silver pagoda that is similarly just encrusted with diamond, rubies, saphires and emeralds, and which features amethyst most prominently. The Imperial Seat is where all formal Audiences take place.

The beginning of Mary's Glittering Empire saw a resurgence in prestige pop music and couture fashion. It also saw the rise of professional modelling as a career in Kalistan. Regretably however, by 5637, Kalistan was back in a war. The rest of the world finally discovered the truth about what Kalistan had been fighting almost completely alone for more than 40 years, that Kundrati was a dangerous fascist rogue state which needed to be completely neutralized. Several nations now including Luthori, Davostag and Hutori as well as Kalistan invaded Kundrati, wiped out the Legionary high command, and accepted peace. Kalistan, whose presence in Kundrati was only supported to be in a support role, departed the nation, and then without fully decapitating the Legion, or de-legionifying the nation, the other countries left too, ensuring Kundrati would suffer another twenty years of misery under uniquely bad government. Around this time, Kalistan also pointed out the beginnings of its ongoing rivalry with Egelion.

In 5641, Lodamun peacefully separated itself from the Anantonese Empire over a desire to pursue an entirely independent foreign policy, and in 5642, Kalistan began talks to normalize relations with Baltusia after centuries of complete estrangement. Kalistan also strengthened trade and cultural exchange with Xsampa whom it had first approached following its nuclear attack by Beiteynu and its conventional attack by Kundrati at the start of the Artanian War. The Glittering Empire Project continued on with the rise of and support for the Supermodel in Kalistan, with Kelsey Ryan being named Kalistan's first supermodel. There was also a stronger push for democracy, with a temporary lifting of the Single Party Law and the short proliferation of multiparty democracy in the National Assembly, before it became clear that once more fascist and anti monarchists forces were exploiting democratic institutions to hurt the nation.

In 5650, Empress Mary I Ananto became the first Kalistani Monarch to visit Athosia since the Anantan Empire. She was there to greet the new King, George Alvarez, who was a member of the Alvarez line. This meant that a Descendent of Fredrick Ananto now held title to Athosia, and was seemingly the culmination of the Ananto Family Passion. Alas, it was not to be, though. While Mary did acquire title to a significant tract of coastline along the shore at Playa de Paz, the rest of Ananto remained outside of her direct control. Soon, the Government of Baltusia placed the King under House Arrest and he eventually fled to Kalistan, where he lived the remainder of his life trying to help Athosians integrate into Kalistani society. The dream slipped away as it was about to be grasped.

By 5661, democrats who were being whipped up by anti-monarchist factions has begun widespread civil disorder throughout Kalistan, and the National Government ended up revoking the multi-party privileges they had tried to extend to the people of the nation. Mary was in full support of the reversal, and she was becoming more and more conservative as she got older. To buy off democracy advocates the Government passed the City Act which enshrined local autonomy in Free Cities, but essentially ended any hope for democratic governance for the rest of the nation. Immediately, Kalistan was hit with another international relations crisis--The Egelian seizure of a naval base in Meriath. The Empress was caught without a viable response in this instance- but its lack of ability to formulate a policy response in light of a catch 22 showed how far Kalistan had declined in power from its zenith at the end of Carolina's reign. Egelion won simply because Kalistan could not respond effectively and did not wish to risk war. Echoes of this fait accompli would be seen later during the Keris War, where Egelion hoped they could successfully invade and annex part of Kizenia without Kalistan noticing until it was too late. Kalistan was ready with its response to Egelion's efforts to encircle the Empire, then, but nearly missed the window again.

During Mary's later reign, Kalistan saw major improvement in its relations with Valruzia whom it had helped with the validate the results of its first few post dictatorial elections. By 5665, Kalistani social scientists were using the word retrenchment in relation to Kalistan's foreign policy, as it slowly either pulled back from the world, or was actively being pushed back by more than a couple nations. Kalistan's use of the word retrenchment sent alarms ringing off across Terra, because nations scrambled to understand what the world would look like when they could no longer rely on Kalistan to serve as their lightning rod. The alarm was echoed later when Mary's successor, Fredrick IV moved the policy from optimistic internationalism to explicit retrenchment, so much so that several nations complained that Kalistan was in danger of becoming a pariah state because it was rejecting the global order that others required Kalistan to adhere to so they could reliably pressure and condition Kalistani action globally.

In 5665, the era of the Supermodel also hit its zenith as the Crown Prince, Fredrick IV Ananto became engaged to Super Model Jennifer Connor. The two would marry in Eveari in 5668. The Glittering Empire also met its peak as House Ananto passed the ₭1 Trillion Imperial Ruble valuation in 5667, a combination of assets, investments and holdings. Empress Mary became the wealthiest Kalistani to ever live when the results of that year's audit were publicly announced.

Mary announced her retirement and stepped down from the throne in 5672, ushering in the last Ananto Emperor and Empress yet crowned. The Dual Monarchy of Fredrick IV Ananto and his wife Jennifer I Ananto was initially marked by 10 years of attempting to travel, to reach out, to rebuild connections, to improve trade, and to build new bridges. They did have some success, but ultimately, their short reign was marked by far more disappointment than success.

The first was a very halting reopening with Kundrati. The first steps on Kalistan's part were not really followed through on Kundrati's part, leaving Kalistan waiting for years before it could go ahead with its slow walk overture. A similar situation existed with Luthori. And the Kalistani Chancellor's strong anti-communism actually damaged relations with communist and socialist nations. Kalistan ultimately took a harder stance against the incarceration of Egelion's queen than Egelion did, and a harder stance against its old friends' position on Yeudis than much of the world did. It was also alienated from its old partners in Xsampa due to their proposed annexation of part of Beiteynu. In its effort to both make friends and remain a relevant voice in world affairs, it did neither.

So it was no surprise, in Kalsitan at least when, after 10 years of failure to obtain anything by playing the world's game by their rules, Kalistan reverted to form and decided to play it once again by Kalistani rules. Bu 5682, Kalistan was declaring internationalism dead in Kalistan, and was getting sandblasted internationally for saying so. But before that could happen, Kalistan was once more almost outflanked in Kizenia as a military coup overthrew the legitimate monarch of Kizenia. Kalistan responded immediately by deploying the First Fleet to the edge of Kizenian Sovereign waters, and making it known that Kalistan was prepared to intervene. As soon as the first Trigunian troops entered the nation, Kalistan occupied the two southern cities of Luncasi and Deltabor. The two Anantonese facing cities had significant Kalistani expatriate populations there, and Luncasi provided a good debarkation point for Kalistani aid to the Egelian War effort.

The war was successful, but it quickly became apparent in Kalistan what it had been about. Egelion sought to opportunistically claim the Kizenian throne for itself and annex a strip of land in the far north. The Anantonese Empire said it desired to see NEKK free of all foreign influence, but supported the annexation because Kalistan would have liked to use that as a precedent for its own resolution of claims in Athosia. To wit, Egelion changed its reparation scheme, rejected the northern annexation, but placed its own king on the throne of the Kizenian Monarchy, quickly declaring an Empire in Keris. Kalistan, however pushed for some equity to rebalance the radically unbalancing act of Egelion declaring an empire over Kizenia and Trugunia, based out of Altea. Kalistan obtained concessions in Luncasi to be able to lease a military base in the city, which was not there yet, but which Kalistan has now completed as an effort to prevent a similar expansion of Egelian naval capacity further along the Anantonese Coast.

In 5684, Kalistan came to some terms with Tel Bira over outstanding grievances relating to the Kundrati war. Kalistan kept its side of the deal, Tel Bira has not to date kept their side of it. The next year there was finally a little movement on Kundrati. Later that year, Emperor Fredrick IV Ananto became the first Kalistani Monarch to set foot in Kundrati Mainland since Carolina left it as a six year old girl. He, his wife and their two sons never made it back him: their plane crashed in the Mad Dog Ocean, killing them all, and leaving the minor princess Carolina-Katherine Michelle Ananto-Connor an orphan in the care of her Aunt, Nicolette Ananto.

The Legacy
The Fourth Anantan Dynasty was about building and growth. The Fifth has been about tragedy and decline. The Fifth Dynasty was founded by an assassin's bullet. Tragedy has followed this family moreso than most families. There have been a lot of successes, mostly due to the strength of character and courage of convictions possessed by Kalistani Monarchs of the Fourth and Fifth Dynasties. Kalistan will always be a relevant nation. It will not always be an arbiter on the International Stage. But as our new Monarch prepares to take her place among the most singularly powerful people on this planet, it is certain that she will be of some consequence. The Princess Regent, who has governed for four years, has already made more peaceful connections than her predecessors did in thirteen. She's repaired a lot by standing against the excesses of some of her advisors. She is committed to peace, and she is sworn to the idea that she wants to hand her niece, who she adopted as a daughter after the Late Emperor and Empress perished, a peaceful and prosperous Kalistan.

The Princess Regent said she intended to maintain her brother's policies. But she has already radically altered the trajectory this Empire was on under the later co-monarchs, for better or worse time will tell. She has calmed the stock market. She has improved the living standards of Kalistanis. She has not engaged in hostilities. She has welcomed nations from around the world to Kalistan when they wouldn't step foot in this nation before. She has passed the Hulanevek out of Ananto control for good. It is possible that things can get better for our Nation. Perhaps she can live up to the dream Fredrick IV Ananto once had about Kalistan at peace with its neighbors and respected globally. It certainly seems like she is trying to succeed, where her brother had failed. Only time will tell what the next Ananto faces.