Category:Aragonia

=Overview=

The Kingdom of Aragonia is recovering from being almost overrun by the Carthaginian empire, (also called "Moors" or "Moros") and their government is returning to its former strength. Little by little. Their way of government is feudal, with four different families maintaining a strong rule of each province, the Archiduques of Viana, Asturias, Castilla and Lusitania, and the Rey, who heads the Royal House of Aragon in Viana and supersedes all the Archiduques in the provinces. It is said that the House of Aragon has had ties to Terre D'Ange for long enough given its proximity to Siovale and a certain amount of intermarriage that might account for their longevity if not a lot more. Their emblem is a Golden Lion.

Far different from their neighbors in Terre d'Ange, they do not live by the credo of "Love as Thou Wilt" nor do they have the sexual mores of the Night Court, probably because their inheritance is patrilineal and patriarchal societies will have strong taboos regarding monogamy and infidelity. Many of the countries that held to the tiberium model during their expansion share this trait, and the House of Aragon is said to be descendants of such.

=History=

Albanian Influences
Of Albanian origin, memory and history speak of the first people that settled the Aragonian lands as different Albanian groups, the Iberians, the Lusitanians, the Gallaecians and other smaller cells.

Tiberian Influences
There was the Tiberian expansion as it was mentioned in the books, but it didn't reach as far nor did it settle as deep as it has in real world history. The actual waves took most of the eastern and southern part of the peninsula but did not manage to reach the northwestern coast. That means that the Albanian culture can be a lot more prevalent the further northwest one goes.

Carthagenian Influences
The south of the peninsula belonged to the Carthagene empire since before the Tiberium expansion, but when the Tiberium Empire started to break apart the Carthaginese became more and more enticed by their northern borders. A loose alliance with Ephesus marked the growth of their power. When lack Terre D'Ange had its crisis during the last of the De la Courcel dynasty, the moors took their chance that the D'angeline lack of leadership would have left it in little to no condition to assist Aragonia.

In the latest events, their advances have been pushed back all the way to their original stranglehold and further, but Carthage still maintains a somewhat tenuous hold of the southern part of the peninsula.

=Culture= Aragonians are in general tough, proud people. As for physical appearance most Aragonians are fairly swarthy and olive-skinned, with dark-colored hair. They favor loose-fitting clothing, though their Royal Court fashion styles widely mimic D'Angeline fashion; whom they admire and somewhat envy. They're certainly no strangers to hard work; an honest day's work is one of the primary tenets of their society, a necessary evil considering the roughness of their landscape. They are honest people however, and prefer bluntness in diplomacy compared to the often flowery and poetic language of other nations. Most Aragonian males will know how to wield a weapon of some kind thanks to the several years of mandatory military training each province requires of their citizens.

Gender equality does not exist in this country nearly as much as it does in Terre D'Ange or Alba and Eire. Much like their caerdiccan counterparts the Aragonian have a patriarchal mindset, and women are as much property as they are trophies, chattel and trade subjects. This doesn't mean that a woman is entirely powerless, some have been known to rise on the impulse of intellect, cunning, beauty and/or hard work to the highest positions of society. Whenever they do so, though, it is a precarious standing, and they must be very careful to not give those waiting eagerly a reason to act and pull them down. By the same measure, aragonian law dictates that women do not own property or coin of any kind, anything they earn, make, use or produce belongs to their caretakers, be it father, husband or son.

=Titles of Aragonia's Nobility=

=Religion=

Celtic Beginnings
Similar to the Alba and Eiran religion, the Celtic Polytheism was the original cultural movement of the Aragonian ancestors. Druidic and nature-related, it had close ties with the supernatural and spiritual world. While not given human form, everything was considered to have its own spirit and personality, from the sky to the storm, to the dark caves underground, and they would be mediated with by the druids, bards and mage-singers. This was never completely lost through the ages, but its purest form can be seen in the rural areas, more so the further northwest one travels into the peninsula.

Tiberian and Moorish Additions
With the arrival of the Tiberian forces and subsequent occupation, the two cultures became fought and incorporated to each other without quite becoming one or the other. Tiberian religion and its polytheistic pantheon mixed in the local legends with the forces of nature one by one, giving the previously wild manifestations new anthropomorphic forms. That is how in some places the wind became Aeolus, the storm became Jupiter, and in others, it was the other way around. Beliefs varied a lot, with the strongest Tiberian acculturation towards the southeast of the peninsula, and the weakest one on the northwest.

The Carthaginian occupation brought in itself another look at the gods, with their triad of Baal, Tanit and Eshmun bringing even more variety to the pool. On the other hand, and particularly towards the border with Terre d'Ange, the belief in the angels and the one true God has been strong for quite some time, which makes the religious outlook of the country look even more confusing to the casual onlooker. That is probably what is making it so very easy for the Yeshuites to gain a foothold as they have been doing of late.

Yeshuite influences
For a long time, Yeshuites have been roaming the world at large. Upon Carthaginian ships, on horse or on foot, they easily find their place in towns with their strong moral codes and the unerring faith that makes them who they are. The level of acculturation in Aragonia makes it easy for new faiths to be introduced up to a point, and that has already been done. Followers of Yeshua ben Josef have settled themselves in the most populous cities, their message stronger by example than by preaching though there is some of the latter now and then. In Amílcar itself, some of them occupy some powerful positions, the frequent rumors of there even being close advisors of the Rey who follow the path going mostly unchallenged.

=Geography= With its mainly warm and dry southern Mediterranean coasts, cooler, wetter and wilder northern Atlantic coasts, lower southern and higher northern inland plains, semi-deserts in the south west and a series of high mountain ranges including the Pyrenees, Cantabrican range, Sistema Central and Sierra Nevada amongst others, supports a massive diversity of habitats.

=Climate= The climate in Aragonia is extremely variated. It is also one of the sunniest and hottest countries in this side of the world. But inland and in the mountains, with numerous peaks and ridges, it can also be cold at times. Given the enormous extension of the country, a typically continental climate is seen in some areas though the majority of the country is considered to be under the influence of a Mediterranean climate.

=Aragonia=