Ginderlände

Land of Milk and Water

The Ginderlände refers to the riverland, lowland and coastal regions in northeastern Allamar forming the lower basin of the Eldau Delta and the North shores of Mare Nostgard. The first author to describe the Ginderlände was the Allamaren geographer Pierretes, who noted in 287 B.K. that in these regions, "more people died in the struggle against water than in the struggle against men." During the early days empire the region contained a militarized frontier and contact point between Allamar and Fhokki tribes. Later the Ginderlände were incorporated as frontier province of the Empire, stretching all the way to the trading outpost of Jonkerslem. Which was the only over land route through the wetlands to the Cití d'Embas and Sea of Sands. Because of the constant flooding, farming was difficult, which encouraged foreign trade, the result of which was that the Ginderländers were involved in many maritime innovations. Leading up to the development of the Caravel Sailing Ship. To guard against floods, a series of dikes and dams against the water were contrived. And after the introduction of windmills relatively high-lying swampland was drained to be used as farmland. The combination of trademenship and fertile farmlands made that thee Ginderlände grown wealthy and entrepreneurial. The term Ginderlände arose at the Court of the Allamaran Empire, where the lords used the term "die Länder dort Ginder" ("the lands over there") for the Ginderlände as opposed to "die Länder hierso" ("the lands over here") for the Duchy of Gurbungne and the Free County of Gonboerdië, which were part of their realm but geographically disconnected from the Ginderlände. Towards the end of Karlemagne's reign enforcement had reportedly become mild and relaxed regarding religious issues. His successor Prince Karl-Philipp, however, insisted on rigorous enforcement, which caused widespread unrest. Not having the liberal-mindedness of his father, he was a fervent enemy of the Revoltists movements of Jan Kalfèn and the Dopers. Prince Karl-Philipp outlawed heresy in special placards that made it a capital offence, to be prosecuted by the Inquisition, leading to the executions of over 1,300 people between 561 and 604. Karlemagne's empire had become a worldwide empire with large and distributed territories. Control and defense of these were hampered by the disparity of the territories and huge length of the empire's borders. This large realm was almost continuously at war with its neighbors in its Allamaran heartlands, most notably against the Euskunak in the Hochkrete Wars and against the Cití d'Embas in the Southern Mare Nostgard. The Ginderlände paid heavy taxes to fund these wars, but perceived them as unnecessary and sometimes downright harmful, because they were directed against their most important trading partners. Prince Karl-Philipp led a highly debt-leveraged regime, seeing state defaults in 595, 598, 607, and 613. This policy combined with the Inquisition led to the revolt of the Ginderlände. With the collapse of the empire, in 614, the Ginderlände are the scene of the early independent trading cities that marked the economical reawakening of our current era. They are only rivalled by the city states of Renária as one of the most quickly growing populations in The Terrable.