Bagelonia
Overview
Bagelonia was the oldest state in the eastern half of the map. It was led by 06Smg05. The Bagelonians were not a particularly industrious people--contrasting with the expansive public works initiatives of neighboring Goomlandia and the Sylvian Union, Bagelonia's development was almost entirely concentrated in the leader's estate with few works over the rest of Bagelonia.
History
Founding Period
Bagelonia was founded at the beginning of the Founding Period, only a few hours after the initial hosting of the server. Its economy and way of life at that time, and throughout most of server history, has remained the same, with subsistence agriculture and small-scale ranching being the source of most economic activity.
Middle Period
Bagelonia participated in the Order of Icedale-Rhett Crusade on September 14th, 2019, with 06Smg05 firing at AbstractEgg when he was killed the first time. 06Smg05 was later killed by AbstractEgg's hundreds of tamed wolves.
Bagelonia was the target of the Montrosian Cultivation of the Bagelonian Swamplands on September 15th, 2018, where FlyingGMM, declaring Bagelonia's farming methods too inefficient, incurred upon Bagelonia's sovereignty by filling in the swamplands in front of 06Smg05's house against his will and seeding the new land with Montrose's preferred crop, potatoes.
Coalition Period
Bagelonia was a constituent of the Prosperity League, and joined it when it was formed. It was the only state in the Prosperity League not to join the Sylvian Union.
Repopulation Period
Throughout the Repopulation Period, Bagelonia came into slight border conflicts with Goomlandia, even going so far as to build a wall along their border. Historical maps drawn in the First Era also displayed Bagelonian claims extending into lands held by Goomlandia and later Goomnest. This set the stage for the Bagelonian Question.
The Bagelonian Question
Main article: Bagelonian Question
Late Period
After their victory over Goomlandia, Bagelonia went relatively quiet. They joined the Mesa Convention, helping define the borders of the mesa nations, including newcomers such as Grove Tribe and New Mesa. Some time later, they joined forces with Richard, forming the nation of Mesadonia. However, this project was eventually unsuccessful, and Mesadonia disbanded, with most of its lands going to Goomlandia and some to Fianna. The leadership of Mesadonia then formed Mesadonia2 far off in the south.
Geography
The terrain of Bagelonia was mostly made of a mesa plateau, with a small amount of swampland to the north and a river delta to the southwest. However, all development in Bagelonia was concentrated in the aforementioned swampland, with the exception of a small, uninhabited "frontier outpost" in the river delta.
Inhabitants
Political Alignment
Bagelonia touted a vibrant blend of Western and Eastern culture. As an older nation, it had many sympathies with so-called "old-world" ideas espoused by those in the Western sphere, but as a nation firmly planted in the East their exposure to Eastern culture and close ties with Eastern nations gave them just as much sympathy toward their "new-world" counterparts. It has been analyzed as "geographically Eastern but culturally and historically Western."[1]
Contemporarily, Bagelonia's non-political nature had allowed them to never overtly align themselves with either bloc, but this did not keep both sides from claiming the eclectic nation as one of their own. The traditionalist West claimed that Bagelonia's age and historical ties make Bagelonia a culturally Western state as compared to the newer Eastern nations, and cited the wall-building which took place on the Bagelonian border as evidence that Bagelonia considered themselves separate from the Easterners. In addition, they felt that Bagelonia recognized the West as industrially, economically, and organizationally superior, and would have aligned with the West if push came to shove.[2]
However, the Eastern nations claimed that their ties were far closer in the there-and-then, and that Bagelonia had been subjected to imperialism by the West (see HUM Trading Bazaar) which the East, specifically Goomnest, decried vehemently. They believed their constant contact and trade had built a relationship which is stronger than that of the West's, and participated regularly in joint efforts with Bagelonia (such as the construction and maintenance of the Goomnestian Bageltown, named in Bagelonia's honor) which suggested a far stronger working relationship.