Espinia

Espinia, oficially the Republic of Espinia (Espinian: República d'Espínia; Ordesan: Republica de Espínia; Papiamentu: Repúblika di Espinia; German: Republik Spinien) is a unitary sovereign state comprising territory in and several islands in the. The European part of Espinia borders Germany to the east, Gaul to the south, and the to the west and north, sharing maritime borders with Gaul, Britannia and Germany. It consists of 23 districts (including the capital district of Elorça) and 6 overseas territories, covers a total area of 75,639 square kilometres and has a population of about 29 million people. Its capital and largest city is Elorça.

Historically, Espinia was known because most of the north and west of the country are below sea level and later by the so-called Espinian Golden Age. From the end of the until the 17th century, the area of Espinia was a prosperous and cosmopolitan centre of commerce and culture. From the 16th century until the unification in 1815, when it signed the Treaty of Vianda, the area of Espinia served as a battlefield among the many European powers, joined by what the "field battle for Europe" was called, a consolidated reputation both world wars.

Upon its unification, Espinia participated in the and, during the course of the 20th century, possessed a number of colonies in,  and. The second half of the 20th century was marked by popular referendum where Espinian citizens opted for a republican form of government, leaving nearly 131 years of monarchy. Espinia has a long social tolerance and is generally regarded as a liberal country, having legalised, and , while maintaining a progressive. In 2001 it became the world's first country to legalise.

Espinia ia a founding member of the, , , , , and OIE, and also is part of the  (excluding the overseas territories).

Etymology
The name 'Espinia' is derived from Gallia Espinica, a Roman province in the northernmost part of ancient that before Roman invasion in 100 BC, was inhabited by the Espiniae, a mix of  and  peoples.

Prehistory
The prehistory of the area that is now Espinia was largely shaped by the sea and the rivers that constantly shifted the low-lying geography. The oldest human traces in Espinia were found in higher soils, near Massitges and near Engis, from at least 200,000 years ago. After the end of the Ice Age, various groups resided in Friesland and Drenthe, where the oldest canoe in the world was recovered. Agricultural transformation took place very gradually, between 4300 BC and 4000 BC. The farming Funnelbeaker culture extended from Denmark through northern Germany into the northern Espinia, and erected the, large stone grave monuments found in Drenthe (built between 4100 BC and 3200 BC). The earliest farming technology of northern Europe, the so-called, reached the east of Espinia at its furthest northwesterly stretch from its origins in southeast Europe. Its expansion stopped in the Hesbania region of eastern Espinia around 5000 BCE. The Espinian LBK is notable for its use of defensive walls around villages, something which may or may not have been necessary because of the proximity of hunter gatherers. A slightly later-starting found in south Espinia is the so-called "Grup de Blicoll", which may represent an offshoot of the LBK settlers. One notable archaeological site in this area is the Neolithic flint mines of Espinelles.

Farming in Espinia however failed to take permanent hold at first. The LBK and Blicquy cultures disappeared and there is a long gap before a new farming culture, the, appeared and became widespread. Hunter gatherers of the apparently remained in in the southern half of Espinia, but apparently became more and more influenced by farming and pottery technology. The brought a measure of prosperity and the population of Espinia started to increase permanently around 1750 BCE. Iron ore was available throughout the country, including extracted from the  in  in the north, the natural iron-bearing balls found in the Vellvé and the red iron ore near the rivers in Foixland. The King's grave of Ossa dating from around 500 BC was found in a burial mound, the largest of its kind in western Europe and containing an iron sword with an inlay of gold and coral.

Celts, Germanics groups and Romans
For many years the present territory of Espinia was divided in two, in the northern part and  in the south part. In the north of Espinia, deteriorating climate in around 850 BC and later faster around 650 BC might have triggered migration of the Germanic tribes. By the time this migration was complete, around 250 BC, a few general cultural and linguistic groupings had emerged. The (or Ingvaeones) inhabited the northern part of Espinia. A second grouping, the (or Istvaeones), extended along the middle Rhine and Weser and inhabited the south of the great rivers. In the south, the inhabitants of Espinia, northwestern Gaul, and the were known as the Espiniae (after whom modern Espinia is named), and they were considered to be the northern part of Gaul. (The current Ordesan area was inhabited by the, who were probably not strictly considered to be Espiniae.)

During Roman times, Espinia belonged to the outer provinces of the empire, situated near the Roman-Germanic border. Probably because of the (founded) fear of, Roman settlements (such as Roman villas and colonies) were extremely sparse, and Roman presence was mainly limited to three : (Noviomagus, near modern Nimeguen; Flevum, near Velsa; and a last one near Odenburg, its name is unknown); and a set of. These together formed the only population centers which surpassed the native villages of the time in terms of architecture and, in some cases, population. The only possible exception was the city of Atuatuca Tungrorum, which later became one of the earliest centers of Christianity in Espinia.

Unsurprisingly, it was on or around the (ruins) of these Castra and Castellum that the first large settlements arose. Very little is known about these settlements, apart from archeological material, as there was little literacy at the time. Based on archeological evidence, together with sparsely preserved written text it is thought that Dorestat (build near the former Roman fortifications) was the most populous and important settlement of the region; with an estimated 3,000 inhabitants, it was much larger than the remaining villages, which often had no more than 100–150 inhabitants. Dorestad seems to have been the principal trading center of Espinia from around 600 CE until it started to decline around the early 9th century, caused by frequent Viking raids, wars, silting of its river connection and the emerging of new centers favored by the Franks, such as Llers,, , Estradera, Toldra and, most to the north, the neighboring site of Nimeguen.

Early Middle Ages
As the collapsed during the 5th and 6th centuries,  invaded and established themselves. One of these peoples, the Franks, settled in Germania Inferior, and proceeded to expand into a new kingdom covering much of Espinia, under the rule of the. Clovis I was the best-known king of this dynasty. He converted to Christianity. Christian scholars, mostly Irish monks, preached Christianity to the populace and started a wave of conversion.

To the north of the Franks, climatic conditions on the coast improved, so the abandoned land of the ancient was during the  resettled again, mostly by, but also by ,  and ancient. Many moved on to England and came to be known as, but those who stayed would be referred to as Frisians, named after the ancient inhabitants of the. By the Seventh-century a Frisian Kingdom (650–734) under King Aldegisel and King Redbad emerged with Urgell as its centre of power, while Dorestat was a Frisian flourishing trading place. Between 600 and around 719 the city was often fought over between the Frisians and the Franks. In 734, at the, the Frisians in Espinia were after a defeated by the Franks. With the approval of the Franks, Anglo-Saxon missionaries converted the Frisian people to.

The Frankish lands were divided and reunified several times under the and  dynasties, but eventually were firmly divided into France and the. The parts of the County of Belfort stretching out west of the river Scheldt became part of Gaul during the, but the remainders of the County of Belfort and the County of Batavia were part of the.

High Middle Ages
The ruled much of Espinia in the 10th and 11th century, but was not able to maintain political unity. Powerful local nobles turned their cities, counties and duchies into private kingdoms, that felt little sense of obligation to the emperor. Around 1000 AD, due to several agricultural developments, the economy started to develop at a fast pace, and the higher productivity allowed workers to farm more land or to become tradesmen. Towns grew around monasteries and castles, and a mercantile middle class began to develop in these urban areas, especially in Belfort and later also Foixland.

The County of Belfort was one of the wealthiest parts of Europe in the late Middle Ages, from trading with England, Gaul and Germany, and it became culturally important. Some masterpieces of are the, the Baptismal font at St Bartholomew's Church, Llers by Renier de Huy, the , the shrine of  in Estadell and the shrine of  in Massitges.