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South Tussenland: Difference between revisions
Fleshed out 1855-1864 history, up to the exile of Piet de Kotter and establishment of the Zoekerist Church of Virginia. TODO: Piet de Kotter's return to S. Tussenland and transition to republicanism.
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(Fleshed out 1855-1864 history, up to the exile of Piet de Kotter and establishment of the Zoekerist Church of Virginia. TODO: Piet de Kotter's return to S. Tussenland and transition to republicanism.) |
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=== Post-Independence (1855-present) ===
==== Theocratic Government (1855-1911)
===== Reign of Tegbesoe (1855) =====
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 refused to recognized the country. It maintained that South Tussenland was still a part of the colony of Dutch Tussenland. Because of this, no official relations were established between the Tussenland Colony and the new country. Despite this, Tussenlander merchants were still able to bypass this and trade with the new country, but indirectly through middlemen, particularly the Irokees traders of the Dutch protectorate of Irokesenland directly to the north of the country. This led to historically friendly relations between South Tussenlanders and the Irokees.▼
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", and were responsible for overseeing the governance of their respective community, as well as the propagation of Zoekerist philosophy. Tegbesoe's rapport with the six disciples, the black and 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
The new government put [[Zoekerism]]'s "three pursuits" at the center of government: they are the pursuit of truth, freedom, and homeland. This resulted in a flourishing education and philosophy culture, that complemented their religious beliefs. Historians often refer to this development as the Zoekerist renaissance. Several South Tussenlander artists and writers rose to prominence during the late 19th century.▼
===== Foundation of the Church of Second Ascension (1856) =====
[[File:Zoekerism.png|thumb|178x178px|Emblem of the Church of Second Ascension]]
▲The new government put [[Zoekerism]]'s "three pursuits" at the center of government:
Tegbesoe was wary not to upset South Tussenland's heavily Catholic neighbors, New Spain and Mexico. In order to appease Spain and her support, Tegbesoe ensured that Zoekerism would not spread beyond the borders of South Tussenland. Instead, Tegbesoe promoted "spiritual development at home," a policy that would be codified in the Zoekerist Church.
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. Along with this, he 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.
===== Tensions between the Salvationists and Exclusionists, and schism within the Zoekerist Church (1864) =====
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, who 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 gave 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 next morning. They did not recognize Kodjo de Heylig as the new Protector of South Tussenland, and instead convened to elect a new Protector. They elected a Salvationist Elder, Piet de Kotter, as the new protector. However, without the Holy Sceptre, this election became moot. In the next few days, the Theological Council refused to convene in the Temple of Elegastland and resume their duties in protest. 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 their breaching of the principles in the Enchiridion. Piet de Kotter exiled himself into the black communities in western Virginia, with a few disciples following him. Several of de Kotter's 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. Meanwhile, Piet de Kotter 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 (prior to this, Zoekerist theology had already made its way to Virginia, but no official church to represent it).
After Mexico's independence in 1881, both Mexico and Spain fought over influence in South Tussenland. When Spain's power in the Americas waned in the late 19th century, South Tussenland started to lean to Mexico for support, and later in the 1890s, Britain, who had just recently established a presence in Cuba after helping the Cubans defeat the Spanish in the 1894 Cuban War of Independence. In 1906, the newly independent Federation of Tussenland established ties with the theocratic government of Tussenland. Despite having established basic diplomatic ties, the Emperor of Mexico warned South Tussenland to be wary of Tussenland's intentions, as they were on a position geographically strategic to Tussenland (mouth of the Mississippi River). Despite this, Tussenland and South Tussenland signed a pact of non-aggression.
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