South Tussenland: Difference between revisions

Immediately after independence, Afro-Amerikaner revolutionary leader, Jan de Bodtsappe, adopted the Fon name of Tegbesoe and installed himself as the ''Protector'' of South Tussenland. With a colonial map of South Tussenland, he divided the country into six parts (called ''gemeentes'', or communities). Each gemeente was given to six of Abajomie van Tussenland's most loyal disciples to lead. Rulers of the gemeentes ordained by Tegbesoe as "Elders" were responsible for overseeing the governance of their respective communities and the propagation of Zoekerist philosophy. Tegbesoe's rapport with the six disciples, the blacks, the minority native population, and New Spain granted him the legitimacy to rule South Tussenland.

During this time, the Kingdom of the Netherlands acknowledged that a separate government had formed in the South, as the treaty of the 2nd Dutch-Spanish War had stipulated, but was stubborn to recognize the new nation's government. The Kingdom of the Netherlands maintained that South Tussenland was still a rightful part of Dutch Tussenland. Because of this, they established no formal relations and trade with the new nation. However, Tussenlander merchants were still able to bypass the trade ban by indirectly trading through intermediaries, particularly the Irokees traders of [[Irokesenland]], a Dutch protectorate at the time. This led to historically friendly relations between South Tussenlanders and the Irokees.

The new government put [[Zoekerism]]'s "three pursuits" at the center of government: the pursuit of truth, freedom, and homeland, resulting in a flourishing culture in philosophy and education that complemented their religious beliefs. Historians often refer to this development as the Zoekerist renaissance. As a result, several South Tussenlander artists and writers rose to prominence during the late 19th century. The intertwining of the government and Zoekerism was further solidified after Tegbesoe established the Zoekerist Church, officially called the Church of Second Ascension, in 1856. Tegbesoe made Zoekerism the official state religion in the same year.

Tegbesoe was wary not to upset South Tussenland's heavily Catholic neighbors, New Spain and Florida. To appease Spain and maintain support, Tegbesoe ensured that Zoekerism would not spread beyond South Tussenland. Instead, Tegbesoe promoted "spiritual development at home," a doctrine that is codified in the earlier Zoekerist Church's theology.

After a few years, Tegbesoe grew dissatisfied with the Church's organization. There were many prospective Zoekerist priests, but Tegbesoe deemed very few spiritually mature enough to become one. Tegbesoe was also dissatisfied with the unstandardized and disuniform teachings of the Zoekerist Church. To combat this, Tegbesoe began writing the Enchiridion of Faith, a religious text summarizing Zoekerist doctrine, principles, and practices. In 1861, he published his writings and reformed the Church to align with the Enchiridion, creating a new church constitution. He also established the Theological Council, the official authority of upholding Zoekerism and its beliefs. The Theological Council was made up of thirty members, each selected by the elders of South Tussenland. The Theological Council would also be responsible for appointing new elders to lead the gemeentes should vacancies happen due to illness or death (requiring the approval of Tegbesoe) and the appointing of new priests.

However, in a few years, the Theological Council took a radical turn. By 1862, the Theological Council was unevenly split between two factions: (1) the Exclusionists, who wanted to keep Zoekerism within South Tussenland, and (2) the Salvationists, who wanted to "spread Salvation" beyond the borders of South Tussenland. Salvationist theology was dominating the Theological Council, even in direct contradiction with the Enchiridion. With his declining health, Tegbesoe grew worried that the Theological Council might elect a Salvationist elder to succeed him as the new Protector upon his death. He knew he needed to do something to prevent this. In an unprecedented move, Tegbesoe explicitly announced on March 3, 1864, that he selected a successor to succeed him upon his death. He chose Kodjo de Heylig, the Elder of Acola-Pisa, and an exclusionist as his successor. This upset the Theological Council, which did not recognize this succession.

A month later, on April 1, 1864, Tegbesoe died in his residence within the temple of Elegasthaven. Several close friends and followers were present during his death. Shortly before his death, he had given the Holy Scepter to Kodjo de Heylig, an exclusionist elder from Acola-Pisa, signifying a transition of leadership within the Zoekerist Church and state (under the Zoekerist constitution: "''he who holds the sceptre holds the duty to shepherd and lead the children of God toward salvation''"). The Theological Council was made aware of this the following day. They did not recognize Kodjo de Heylig as the new Protector of South Tussenland and instead convened to elect a new Protector. They selected a Salvationist Elder, Piet de Kotter, as the new protector. However, without the Holy Sceptre, this election became moot. The Theological Council refused to convene in the Temple of Elegastland and resume their duties in protest in the next few days. They demanded that Kodjo de Heylig step down as protector and abdicate to Piet de Kotter. However, this would not come. Instead, Kodjo de Heylig purged the salvationist members of the Theological Council.

Disgruntled, Piet de Kotter and his followers condemned the Church of the Second Ascension and Kodjo de Heylig for breaching the Enchiridion's principles. Piet de Kotter exiled himself in fear into the black communities in western Virginia, with a few disciples following him. He arrived in Cherokee, Virginia, on August 3, 1866. He would remain in exile in Virginia for seven years, during which he founded the Zoikerist Church of Virginia (ZCV), the first Zoekerist institution in Virginia (before this, Zoekerist theology had already made its way to Virginia, but no official church to represent it). Several of de Kotter's more extreme followers who stayed in South Tussenland renounced their allegiance to the Church of the Second Ascension and broke off and formed a new Zoekerist denomination, the Church of Holy Salvation, in October 1867. De Heylig did not recognize this new church, which he called merely a secret club. He outlawed gatherings of the new church and alienated its members, slowly pushing them towards radicalism.

===== Massacre at Ampoekoe Banquet (1869) =====

Kodjo de Heylig, at this point, had already ruled South Tussenland for seven years, at the age of fifty-six. His government had become heavily exclusionist over the years and alienated from South Tussenland's educated elite and upper class. However, he was able to maintain power for so long due to financial and military support from Spain (in the form of weapons and armaments) and his popularity among the poorer subjects of South Tussenland. Kodjo de Heylig was seen as a champion of the poor and embodied what his followers called the "charitable spirit of Jesus." One such event the government that expressed its charity was the monthly banquet. It is one of the few events that the Protector himself and all members of the Theological Council appear in public in a ceremonial dinner, where food is prepared at a public banquet in front of the Elegasthaven Temple (seat of the church and government).

On July 1, 1869, a crowd had already gathered in front of the temple for the banquet. What they didn't know was that within the crowd, a radical mob had already blended themselves in, armed with weapons presumably obtained by the Salvationist church from Irokees merchants. Before the veneration of the Winti (a Zoekerist ceremony before celebration) could commence, crowd members suddenly fired at some of the priests from the Theological Council. Chaos ensued within the crowd. The guards stationed at the event could not identify friends from foe within the crowd, leading some guards to open fire to protect the Theological Council. The event led to the death of seven members of the Theological Council and wounding sixteen other priests. Over a hundred people from the crowd had died. The event catalyzed the shift of public opinion against Kodjo de Heylig and his "ineffective" government, while the Church of Holy Salvation was rapidly gaining followers. The event would be the first of multiple riots and skirmishes that spread from 1869 to 1871. The situation became so terrible that Kodjo de Heylig had fled to New Spain in July 1871, unbeknownst to the public, until a few days later, the Elegastland temple was stormed after a mob demanded to see Kodjo de Heylig.

===== Return of Piet de Kotter to South Tussenland (1871) =====

Piet de Kotter, who was still in Virginia at the time, had learned of the events that spiraled out of control in South Tussenland and had decided to return home. Upon arriving in South Tussenland, he was greeted by a crowd elated to see his return. The crowd was made up of radical salvationists, Zoekerists disillusioned with the government, and elite members. Piet de Kotter had written in his private journals that he was "disgusted" with the mob's actions but did not reveal his true sentiments as that would turn public opinion against him. Instead, he lauded the efforts of the mob, saying they were "justified." On August 29, 1871, Piet de Kotter was proclaimed the new Protector of South Tussenland. Piet de Kotter had established reforms that made him popular with the public, such as establishing the Assembly of the People, which served as an advisory board to the church government. The elders of the six provinces eventually switched allegiance to Piet de Kotter, afraid that they might lose their power and influence otherwise.