History of Cattala

The History of Cattala is extensive, with the country seeing war, invasion and conquest as far back as 950BC. Ruled by foreign powers including the Phoenicians, Greek Empire, the Roman Empire and the Byzantine Empire until the first Celestinian monarch, King Roger Celestine, established an independent kingdom in 995AD, which his dynasty controlled continuously until 1815 and a century of imperial rule.

A prominent trading point in the Mediterranean, Cattala has long been a crucial island in the geopolitical struggles of the region. Under the House of Celestine, ruling from their eponymous capital, the kingdom became a successful agrarian society with a strong defensive navy and domestic army, which was frequently used to crush internal opposition until the 16th century, when the failed Golden Revolution saw significant reforms introduced by the monarchy to weaken local lords and abolish the federal-feudalism hierarchy.

A seismic shift in religious following occurred in the late 16th and early 17th century, due to the Cattalian Inquisition. A failed attempt by the Holy See to prosecute individuals accused of crimes related to religious doctrine and alternate religious beliefs, it ended in the excommunication of the monarchy and the Bishop of Celestine, with the local Church and the Crown leading a schism from the Catholic Church. All Cattalian cardinals and officials were withdrawn from Rome and an independent Church of Cattala was founded.

The ruling classes were ousted from power after the 1814 Treaty of Paris gave the British control of Malta, and the Royal Navy threatened the southern coast. Despite the upheaval of a colonial takeover, Cattala flourished and its population and wealth rose significantly thanks to trade with the Empire. Industrialisation began for the first time under British guidance but was abruptly halted when Italian unifiers invaded the island in 1860. It took the upheaval and suffering of the First World War to spark a revolution and violent independence from Italy in 1918. Financial, military and political support for the rebellion from the claimant to the crown ensured the restoration.

The Second World War made Cattala a key target of both the Allies and the Axis powers. Italian fascists bombed Celestine in 1940, damaging 4000 homes and Parliament, threatened to bomb Jennai and forced the King to abdicate after 22 years in power. The royal family was executed in Rome just days later. Occupation lasted three years, despite widespread disruption from guerilla armies, until a land invasion by British and American forces recaptured the island.

After the end of the war Cattala underwent a rapid modernisation and rebuilding process, as well as social upheaval. A cadet branch of the extinct Celestine's was found and the new King elected by referendum in 1949. Industrialisation and the growth of cities since the war has changed the economic landscape of Cattala and made it a wealthy, independent kingdom.

Ancient History
After the last Ice Age, Cattala was cut off from the rest of mainland Europe, as it lost its land link with Sicily and mainland Italy. In 950BC the first writings about Cattala have been discovered, from a period of roughly three hundred years of rule by Phoenician traders, whose rule overlapped with that of Greek settlers who in 750BC founded a colony on Cattala’s east coast, and farming became a strong industry in the colony. In Roumeli, the Greek influence was much higher than on Cattala's mainland. However after the Romans took over both Sicily and Cattala in around 200BC, the country became part of the Roman Empire, and remained so for 700 years. Christianity amongst the largely rural population of the country grew rapidly, but growth was mainly limited to the south-west and far eastern regions of the country, with the centre a deeply forested area that was uninhabitable. The name Cattala was chosen for the country, because many Roman soldiers incorrectly believed they were actually in the Spanish region of Catalonia after being misinformed by their generals.. After the fall of the Roman Empire, the control of the province changed hands many times until the Byzantine Empire took control of the islands in 535 AD, and remained so until the 10th century.

Timeline of events
995 AD: Roger Celestine crowns himself King of Cattala after destroying Arab fleet in Ionian Sea 1015: Celestine army conquers castle stronghold of House Garlas and raise it to the ground. 1021: King Roger dies and is succeeded by his son, William. 1023: King William conquers the realms of House Calleas and House Blais. 1035: William forces House Scavallo into pledging fealty. Cattala is united under House Celestine. 1062: Alain the Princemaker splits the kingdom into seven principalities, with House Celestine remaining the overlords. 1114: King William II conquers Roumeli and secures total rule over the Cattalian islands. 1215: Damego War begins as Prince Tyrheni VI declares Jennai independent. 1218: Ceasefire is signed in Monte Calida. House Tyrheni pledges fealty to the King once again. 1224: First Roumelese War begins as House Tyrheni invades Roumeli after a marriage request is rejected. 1225: House Tyrheni withdraw from Roumeli as House Maietta of Hellas depose the ruling family of Roumeli. 1246: Maiettan War of Succession occurs after the death of Prince John Maietta. Princess Caterina Maietta emerges victorious. 1247: War of the Vine begins as House Maietta declares war on House Scavallo and House Sallea. 1251: House Calleas enters the War of the Vine, occupying the lands of the deceased House Sallea. 1258: King John the Red declares Hellas independent. He is killed four days later by an assassin from House Celestine. 1259: Treaty is signed by House Maietta, Calleas, Scavallo and Celestine, ending the War of the Vine and resolving the Sallea succession. 1260: House Kadra and House Vaas rebel against Maiettan rule in Roumeli, starting the Second Roumelese War. 1265: House Celestine joins the Second Roumelese War, destroy Maiettan and Kadran armies and grant House Vaas the Principality of Roumeli.

Pre-National Control
During the Byzantine era, Cattala was ruled by knights and wealthy families that were loyal to the Emperor. The wealthiest and most dominant of these was the House of Celestine, which after Sicily was handed to the Arabs by King Euphemius of Sicily, rose up and prevented the Arab fleet from landing in Cattala to claim the island. The Celestine's, together with the Aroe's of Fieranti, met the ships of the Arab fleet in open seas and fought for control of the harbour in the south of the island. The Celestine fleet took three days to sink the entire Arab flotilla off the coast, and no soldiers landed in Cattala.

Following the decimation of the fleet off the coast of modern-day Calora, the Emir of Tunisia gave up his claim to Cattala. Roger Celestine was crowned King of the newly-independent Cattala and used his wealth and popularity amongst all noble houses to increase living standards and agricultural growth in the country until his death in 1021. His son, William the First, led the country to a stronger independence from Sicily, which ultimately resulted in the Kingdom being independent for another eight centuries.

Unification of Cattala
Despite claiming the throne of the entire island, neither Roger nor William Celestine actually controlled all of Cattala. House Celestine controlled the south west of the island, and numerous other noble houses and lords held land across the island. House Aroe, controllers of Fieranti province, pledged fealty to the Celestine's in 994 AD. House Garlas refused to support the Celestinian claim to the crown and declared themselves Princes of Garlas. King Roger marched a host of 10,000 men through the forests and sacked the city, and obliterating House Garlas' army.

The story of the brutal treatment of the Garlas dynasty was spread across the islands and when King Roger died in 1021, many lords hoped that his son would not repeat such an atrocity. However King William raised an army three times the size of his fathers and marched through Aroe land, and arrived at Allais. Here, William's army met the small garrison of House Callea's border town. The Lord of Calleas saw the vast host and pledged fealty to the King at once. Neighbouring House Blais, surrounded by allies to the Celestine's, also pledge fealty.

By William's death, all of the noble houses of Cattala had pledged fealty to the crown and only House Garlas had been fought against and defeated in battle. William's son, Alain the Princemaker, feared the houses rebelling against the Celestine's and granted six other houses the positions of Royal Houses and made their most powerful members the Princes of Cattala. Alain had created the early system of Cattalian feudalism which led to the foundation of the Seven Principalities. This new feudal Cattala was based on the system that he had encountered whilst travelling in France and Britain.

Bronze War and Capture of Roumeli
Roumeli's Kings had remained independent of Cattala despite the Celestine's pledges of peace and prosperity under their rule. The island itself was divided into several small kingdoms, and any signs of one king considering allegiance to the Celestine's would have resulted in island war. It was the northernmost King of Roumeli, King Bronze, who began the first war with Cattala. He was named Bronze because of his desires for gold, despite the fact he couldn't afford it, so he often ended up using bronze instead. King Bronze invaded the Ontano islands, ruled over by the Scavallo family. Ontano was captured and the Bronze army attempted to attack the mainland. The Scavallo lands were vassals of the Celestine kingdom and the family appealed to their king for assistance in protecting his realm. The Battle of Piaré was held on the south east coast of modern-day Lessito, and resulted in a massacre of the outnumbered Bronze troops by Scavallo and Celestine armies. King Bronze lost 80% of his army in one day's fighting and returned to Roumeli humiliated.

The attack by a Roumelese infuriated King Roger II, who ordered his army to cross the Roumeli Strait and conquer the island by force. When the troops arrived, the four remaining Kings of Roumeli immediately surrendered and pledged allegiance to the Cattalian monarchy in 1114AD. Roger Celestine the Second now had complete control of the Cattalian islands.

Damego War
By 1215, the Celestine monarchy had vast wealth and control of every region in the kingdom. Feudalism had made the family dominant economically, politically and militarily. However, the island was split into seven principalities, each ruled by a different noble family. The Celestine's ruled modern-day Amosseri province, but every other family pledged allegiance to the Crown of Cattala, and therefore the Celestine family. The second-most wealthy and powerful family was the Tyrheni of Jennai. Historically they had dominated all of southern Cattala, and once built an entire city in one month and named it Gennaio, after the month it took to construct using slave labour. This city became Jennai and was a vital trading post between the farming communities in Lessito and the major cities of Celestine and Calora.

Prince Tywin the VI came to the throne of Jennai in 1216 and immediately removed the Royal Insignia from the coat of arms and flag of his principality. This was considered treason by the Crown, and the six other principalities were appalled by the action. It was the first time any household had rebelled from the Celestine rule in nearly 200 years and war in mainland Cattala became a real prospect. King Augustus Celestine publicly executed the Tyrheni princess Cecily, who was engaged to his fifth son, in revenge for the act of treason committed by Prince Tywin. The Tyrheni declared war and forces immediately attacked the Celestine outpost of Damego, the first battle of the war and the place for which it is named after.

Tyrheni forces quickly moved across the border into modern-day Amosseri, and sacked dozens of villages along the way. From within Royal Celestine's gates, it has been written that "the fires of a hundred towns choked the sky with the black smoke of Tyrheni treason". The Celestine army was slow to respond to the rapid advance of Tyrheni's troops, and within three days they had reached the gates of Celestine. King Augustus' Royal Guards, the elite soldiers of the king, fiercely defended the city and managed the halt Prince Tywin's advance. Reinforcements from elsewhere in Amosseri arrived and forced the Jennaian army into a retreat.

A major battle was held in Damego once more, the Second Battle of Damego, in which thousands of soldiers from each side were killed. Victory was uncertain, as it appears both armies withdrew after two weeks of fighting. The Aroe's of Fieranti, rulers of the major city of Calora, were close allies of their southern neighbours, the Celestine's. Prince Bryn Aroe was married to King Augustus' eldest daughter and he sent several battalions of cavalry and infantry to serve at the King's command. A surge forward by the Celestine-allied army pushed the Tyrheni troops back to their own border regions and begun two years of war.

A stalemate occurred on the border, and a series of bloody battles were held on the boundary between Celestine and Tyrheni lands over a two year period. The Battle of Vameria severely weakened the Fieranti army, and led to their withdrawal from the conflict. After nearly three years of war, and the loss of thousands of men, King Augustus and Prince Tywin agreed a ceasefire in Monte Calida, with Jennai being forced to pledge allegiance to the Celestine's once more.

First Roumelese War
Main Article: Roumelese Wars

Following the Tyrheni failure to declare independence, Cattala was unified as one kingdom. However it wasn't a peaceful union - the southern and eastern principalities were fierce rivals and each wanted to expand their borders and dominate the plentiful lands south-east of Jennai. The Roumelian heir, Prince Kadra, refused to marry the daughter of Prince Tywin VI in 1224. The Tyrheni launched a naval attack on Roumeli and pillaged the key towns of Guila, Lassinia and Porphyr within two days. The Principality of Hellas declared war on Jennai and launched a counter attack in northern Roumeli, in support of the Kadra monarchy. The House of Maietta was a powerful northern monarchy, that had dominated Hellas for five centuries and had the largest navy of the Cattalian principalities. The Tyrheni troops retreated to the razed town of Guila in the far south of Roumeli, and were forced to leave the island entirely. It was the second major defeat for the Tyrheni in six years. The Maiettan army took over all of Roumeli by force, and executed Kadran soldiers. Prince Kadra fled to Celestine and was deposed as the Hellas Principality annexed Roumeli.

War of the Vine
Main Article: War of the Vine

In 1246, Prince Louis Scavallo and Princess Eliza Sallea married, unifying the two houses. Eliza's sister, Caterina, was already married to Prince John Maietta of Hellas, supposedly ensuring peace in the northern principalities for decades to come. Prince John died suddenly several months later, sparking the Maiettan War of Succession, which ended in famine, mass death and Princess Caterina declaring herself Princess Regent for her son, Prince John Maietta. The Regent requested food supplies from Lessito, but was rejected by Prince Louis. The Princess faced a second rebellion but called her banners and launched a surprise attack on the Scavallo territory of Ontano, pillaging most of the island's coastal communities and the navy bought a year's worth of crop back to the starving principality. House Scavallo declared war on Hellas and invaded the islands, killing thousands. Caterina was captured and bought to Ontano to face justice before Prince Louis and her own sister.

Princess Eliza denounced her sister in Ontano and watched her sister burn to death. Their father, Prince Carlos Sallea, committed suicide after his two children bough shame upon his house. Louis Scavallo claimed the lands of House Sallea for his own, but House Calleas, a wealthy house from modern-day Monte Calida, moved its main army north and captured the Sallean capital of Tirera within a week of Carlo's death.

A siege of Tirera by the Scavallo army occured between 1251 and 1253, whilst skirmishes between Hellas, Lessito and Monte Calida provinces lasted for another five years, until Prince John Maietta raised a rebel army and declared himself King of Hellas, reigning for four days before he was stabbed by an assassin from Celeste. Crown Prince Alfonso organised a peace treaty between all four houses in 1259. It was signed in Tirera. House Calleas was granted more land to the north of their principality, whilst Scavallo was granted eastern lands of House Sallea and the city of Tirera. House Maietta was pardoned.

Roumelese Civil War
Main Article: Roumelese Wars

Roumeli continued to be occupied by House Maietta for twenty years after the Southern War. After the end of the Maiettan War of Succession, the House was weakened even in Hellas, and massively so in Roumeli. Its hold on power was reliant on the support of local dukes and lords, and in 1260 this was broken when the former royal house, House Kadra, joined forces with House Vaas and sacked a garrison of Maiettan troops. House Maietta began a ten-month naval conflict with the rebel houses, who united with numerous smaller cities and towns across Roumeli in opposing the foreign rule. Trade in the Roumeli Strait and Ionian Sea was massively disrupted for most of 1261. As spring approached the next year, a Royal Galley from Celestine was sunk by rebel forces. House Kadra was stripped of its status as Lords Imperial of Roumeli and a flotilla of Celestinian warships swept around southern Roumeli and blockaded the stronghold of House Vaas, Porphyr. House Vaas was forced to withdraw from the war and pledged fealty to the Crown of Cattala once more.

As the war continued into a third summer, House Maietta launched a counter attack in southern Roumeli and breached the lands of House Vaas. Porphyr's defences were overwhelmed and a large battle occurred between Roumelian and Maiettan armies north of the city. The battle lasted for three months and led to the pillaging and devastation of large amounts of House Vaas' territory. The Crown received a plea from House Vaas for intervention as winter approached, and House Celestine joined the war. An army twice the size of both rebel and occupying forces was landed in Porphyr's harbour and stormed the battlefield, destroying both Maiettan and Kadran camps within three days. The army moved north and launched a surprise attack on further groups of Kadran and Maiettan soldiers. House Maietta surrendered outside Thermopylae less than a month after House Celestine joined the war, in 1263. The Celestinian army, buoyant after crushing the Maiettan forces, stormed Thermopylae and razed most of the city to the ground. All heirs to House Kadra were slaughtered and the Lord of Roumeli had his head hung on a spike above the ruined city.

House Vaas was elevated to Lords Imperial of Roumeli following the elimination of House Kadra. House Maietta's dominance of the kingdom's waters was over, and House Celestine had cemented its position as the ruthless and unrivalled rulers of Cattala.

Golden Revolution
Main Article: Golden Revolution

In September 1525, King Lucius announced a series of measures to curb the powers of the regionally-dominant principalities, who had been unpopular with the Celestinian court for several decades and were seeking to erode the power of the King. Strict new laws were introduced that led to discontent amongst the other royal houses of Cattala, but outcry from the Tyrheni prince, Giovanni of Jennai. Giovanni, like numerous Tyrheni before him, rose up in rebellion and declared his lands independent of the Celestinian monarchy.

The King, known for being a steely and determined ruler, ordered his fleet to attack the port of Jennai, the centre of Tyrheni power and the city that was built in one month by Tyrheni slaves in the 12th century. A naval battle ensued as the two powers battled in the harbour and both sides lost dozens of ships. Documents from the city's scholars state that the citizens of Jennai could see fires burning out at sea "through night and day, for weeks and weeks" as the battle raged.

During the naval fight, House Celestine had been preparing their army for an attack on Jennaian soil. This was launched in March 1526, when several border towns were razed and holdfasts destroyed. There was no Tyrheni response to the attacks, as their armies were located on the northern border with Monte Calida, a territory ruled by the Seguno family. They refused to pledge fealty to Prince Giovanni and referred to him as Lord Giovanni, his title when presented in Amosseri. This slight angered the short-tempered Tyrheni despot, who invaded Monte Calida and forced the province's rulers into exile. The army of Monte Calida withdrew to Fieranti principality, and allowed the Jennaian forces free reign over their land.

With his principality now stretching far north into the border lands with Fieranti and Lessito, Prince Giovanni attempted to persuade the lords of Roumeli and Lessito to support his cause, in return for his recognition of their territorial independence. By 1530 the Tyrheni forces had split Cattala down the middle and controlled all trade from east to west, except via the sea. This ended when the Ionian Islands were conquered and all trade in northern waters was controlled by the principality. However the alliances failed to be agreed upon, as House Vaas signed a naval treaty with King Lucius and declared war on Jennai, and House Celestine signed a secret import order of food from House Scavallo, securing their support in the war.

A coordinated invasion of Tyrheni-occupied land began in the autumn of 1531, as House Aroe of Fieranti joined the war and invaded the northern lands of Monte Calida and swept southwards through Monte Calida and Crown troops invaded the westerlands of Jennai once more. In Jennai, House Vaas began attacking the port and Ionia was conquered by Roumelese soldiers.

Jennai and Monte Calida were abandoned by Tyrheni troops and the Prince, who all fled to the relative safety of the eastern reaches of the principality. House Scavallo had not declared war on the flailing rebels yet, whilst their secret treaty with Celestine remained hidden. With the remaining Tyrheni host camped less than 50km from the Lessito border and three other royal houses closing in, House Seguno announced the treaty and launched an attack on the camp. Prince Giovanni was taken hostage and sent to Celestine, where King Lucius dethroned the rebel lord and had him executed.

The war ended when Jennai was captured by King Lucius and his White Cloaks, who raised the flag of Celestine over the abandoned castle and port. House Tyrheni was stripped of all titles and land and forced into exile soon after. But the biggest outcome of the war was the announcement King Lucius made in Jennai, when he repealed the titles of all six other principalities and restored the absolute power of House Celestine, that had been handed to other houses in the 11th century. Victors of the war were made Lords Imperial of their provinces, but Celestinian princes were installed as Dukes across the former principalities, with absolute power vested in them. A Council of State was created, led by the King and his dukes from across the realm. This was later expanded and eventually became the Parliament of Cattala.

1800 - 1814
In the first decade of the 19th century, peace in Cattala remained despite ongoing wars across Europe, mainly fuelled by Napoleon Bonaparte. The House of Celestine, having ruled for nearly 800 years now, had named and created the capital city after their surname and had built a high-class Mediterranean city home to around 50,000 aristocratic families and foreign diplomats. Much of the population lived in farming communities spread across the country, from the southern Ontano Island, up to the eastern Almae province and along the coast up to the military base of Porto D’Italia which was commissioned by the current King, Harold.

At that time Calora was a port town, home to fishermen and the middle classes of Cattalian society. Jennai was a booming industrial city, and was home to around a third of the population of the country. Most people lived in poverty in Jennai, and worked in factories producing clothing and goods to be sold in Celestine and in mainland Europe.

1814 – 1860
But the 1814 Treaty of Paris gave the British Empire control over the nearby island of Malta, leading the vast Royal Navy to threaten the shores of the Kingdom. Warships surrounded the south and east of the country, and King Harold VI of Cattala was forced to abdicate the throne and Cattala was declared a British Colony, with the current Royal Guard (Head of the Government) being replaced by a Governor.

For the next half century, over 200,000 British citizens emigrated to Cattala from across the Commonwealth, and the population rose to 750,000. English became the main language of the colony, and British culture spread rapidly around the islands. The port in Calora became a hub for aristocracy arriving from the UK and Canada, and the town sprawled into a vast city and moved further into the countryside. Ontano Island’s agricultural industry boomed local delicacies became popular with the wealthy immigrants, and the island's population grew as two central towns, Aldoak and Brunswick, were built. Both became important trading ports for food goods transported to Jennai and Malta.

Porto D’Italia was closed by the British navy, and much of Cattala’s military was relocated to the British base in Malta, whilst Jennai continued growing as British industrial magnates invested in railways and manufacturing in the city and the population rose above the 200,000 mark. However, neighbouring Celestine had lost its status as the seat of the Royal Family, and investment moved away to the more desirable cities of Calora and Jennai, which resulted in the population falling and the city losing its aristocratic status. Vittoria, a suburb north of Celestine named after the Queen of England, was built and paid for by architects and Prince Amadeus to try and restore the prosperity of his birth city. But the flight of trade and people continued, with many actually leaving for the new town, ironically.

1860 – 1900
However the age of imperial expansion in Cattala shuddered to a halt in 1860 when Italian nationalists, buoyant after seizing control of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies earlier in the year, invaded from Ontano Island and Calora Harbour, destroying all of the villages and towns in the southern islands, including Brunswick and Aldoak. Calora Harbour was captured and shut down by the Italian Navy, as the British forces rested in Malta, unaware of the ongoing situation. Within a week strategic locations across Cattala were under Italian control and a treaty was signed with the furious British Crown to hand over the dominion to the Kingdom of Italy and the Governor was hung.

But the son of King Harold, Prince Amadeus, attempted to gather a military to fight off the Italian invaders and protect the chance of his family returning to power. But Amadeus was nearly 50 when the Italians invaded, and his small militia was vastly outnumbered. Public support in Celestine and Calora was high, and the King of Italy was concerned of a possible backlash if the deposed royal family was defeated by force. So a peace treaty was signed, and a small province was given to Amadeus along the Celestine town border, ultimately controlled by the Italians though.

The end of British rule was abrupt and shocking for those that moved to Cattala from the rest of the Commonwealth. A vast majority of the trade from the islands was with the Empire, and over 50% of the population became unemployed within the first decade of unification with the mainland. Agriculture was severely damaged by droughts throughout the early 20th century, which crippled the economy and poverty spread rapidly across Cattala and Celestine. Calora Harbour closed down, Jennai became a slum city for hundreds of thousands of unemployed poor and the only successful area was the military base and capital city, the rebuilt Porto D’Italia, now located in the south to fend off any invasion from Malta.

1900 - 1939
Prior to the Great War, Cattala continued to be under strict Italian rule, which continued to cripple the economy and faith in the Government continued freefalling. In 1912, many Cattalians left the country to move to the newly-captured island of Rhodes, now a strong ally of the country. During World War One however, all young men were drafted into the Entente, which led to vast casualties for the Cattala Regiment. The losses



were atrocious, with over 100,000 men killed, missing or left behind. The outrage that had been boiling up for generations bubbled over, and riots were reported across the country. The President of Cattala, who simply reported back to Rome and not the people, was captured and burnt to death, over 50 police officers and troops were shot dead during the winter of 1917/18 and the Union Flag, a symbol to the impoverished Cattalians of a brighter past, was hoisted above the former Royal Palace, Victoria Palace, in Celeste, and Prince Amadeus’ son took the throne as King Charles III.

The economy struggled through the first decade of the 20th century, and slowly grew in the second. After the war, the population began falling as the remaining wealthy families left; fearing Italian occupation again and the ratio of men to women became increasingly unbalanced. King Charles the Third pushed for assistance from the British Crown, but the rapid decolonisation of the Empire resulted in little assistance from London. Harvests and the weather picked up again during the 1930s, and many rural communities benefited from the new generation not leaving for the slum cities, as thousands decided to stay at home as rumours of cholera and disease along the coast kept them away. Celestine once again became the capital city, and the rebuilding process began on the near-abandoned province. But the next war, would be even worse for the country.

1939 - 1945
The beginning of World War Two unnerved many Cattalians, with tens of thousands more fleeing the country. For the first year very little happened to the country, and many thought that the war wouldn’t reach them. However in 1940 hundreds of Italian bombers attacked Celestine and destroyed the military base to the north of the city, wiped out the southern harbour and severely damaged over 4000 homes, shops and Government offices, including the Parliament. German U-Boats and Italian naval submarines surrounded Jennai City and threatened to flatten the biggest population centre in the country unless King Charles surrendered.

The King evacuated his family to a small harbour in Porto D’Italia where they were secretly picked up by a small British plane, which was shot down by the Italian navy. Charles the Third was flown to Rome aboard Royal Cattala Airways flight SFTPOC1, a special war coding that hid the message “Sacrifice For The People Of Cattala”,where he was repatriated with his captured family and they were executed. For the next three years Cattala was under the control of the Italians, who turned much of the countryside into air bases and training camps for Nazi and Fascist troops. An influx of German and Italian military personnel concerned the general population, especially in cities like Calora and Jennai which were expected to be prime targets for Allied bombing raids.

As the war continued, British and American forces battled the axis frontline in Africa, and in 1943 the Italian troops were pushed back into Cattala where hostile and impoverished islanders assisted the allied soldiers with medicine, food, shelter and ammunition as both the Amadeus Resistance Army (named after the anti-Italian prince) and the British 8th Army battled with the fascists for months until the withdrawal when the British/Canadian/American coalition moved into Sicily on July the 10th 1943.

The former colonial master had, for the second time in 50 years, rescued Cattala from Italian annexation. Propaganda posters were shown across the UK and Cattala depicting a triumphant Britannia rescuing a near-death Catherina (national personification) from a furious and vast Italia, who is wearing the Nazi colours.

1945 - 1958
The end of the war signalled the beginning of a decade-long rebuilding period for Cattala. After the war, much of the island’s infrastructure had been destroyed by bombing and the German retreat. The country was deeply impoverished and many thousands of children did not get a primary school education during the 1940s due to the war and the rebuilding process. The Prime Minister at the time was Lord Chancellor Harrison, who visited London on several occasions during 1945 and 1946 as discussions with Clement Attlee over the future of Cattala continued.

Attlee and his British Government agreed with Lord Harrison that the people of Cattala should choose whether or not to rejoin the newly-created Italian Republic, or reinstate a monarchy. The latter was always seen as more popular, due to strong hatred of Italy amongst the general public. Britain and America both assisted in the redevelopment, with hundreds of millions of sterlina loaned to the country during a ten-year period. Due to this vast investment, and the way the British troops were sacrificed to free the island from occupation, England was seen as the saviour of the nation and the English language became extremely popular, an effect that led to Cattala becoming an English-speaking country.

By 1948, Celestine had been partly rebuilt, under the new name of Celeste, and over a million buildings rebuilt or restored. Jennai’s ports were once again operational and entirely new residential complexes were built in the destroyed city centre. Calora was also assisted, as homes were saved and repaired after bombing raids broke seawalls and canal sluices, which resulted in flooding across the city. All of the major military bases were shut down.

The Referendum of 1949 gave the citizens a vote on whether to bring back some form of monarchy, an independent republic or join Italy. 91% of the voting population chose to bring back a monarchy, with less than 1% voting to join Italy. However the entire Celestine family had been killed by Italian fascists during 1940 and no immediate descendent could be found in the country. Fortunately, Prince Amadeus’ great-nephew had moved to England in 1938, before the outbreak of the war. Marco Bonnicelli became the first King of Cattala from outside the Celestine family name, and received a hero’s welcome when he arrived in Calora before travelling to Celeste for his coronation. During his reign, Bonnicelli received permission from Pope Pius XII to reconstruct the Cattalian Catholic Church, a historic faith that is extremely similar to the Roman Catholic Church, but is more national-centred and sees the Holy See and the Anima Divina della Chiesa as the two leaders of the faith.

During this period Cattala became a United Kingdom, and became a religious democracy when King Marco took the throne and the Cattalian Catholic Church was revived.

1958 - 1987
The Kingdom underwent an economic revolution, following what some described as the 30-Year Revolution. Cattala, pre-war, had been a slowly-growing agricultural island, and had struggled to introduce industry and big international corporations to the region. However once the political system was stable and the British officially released the country, the population grew rapidly and tourism from continental Europe rose sharply as aviation continued to advance.

With King Marco at the helm of the Royal family, the political system continued to evolve and the King pushed for growth of public services and job creation outside of agriculture. The position of Lord Chancellor was changed to “Lord of Celestine”, who took over more of a prime ministerial position than before. The first female leader, Lady Fernandez, led the Government for 6 years and when she stepped down in 1963, the opposition Democratic Party took the biggest share of the vote in the country’s history, a record that still stands today. King Marco died in October of 1963 at the age of 66.

1964 was a year of new beginnings in Cattala, with a new Lord Celestine and a new King, Roger the 16th. Roger never married and led a reclusive life as King, but continued pushing the Government to nationalise industries like the railways and aviation, which has resulted in decades of profits for the country. The economy continued growing rapidly during the 1960s, and the cities of Celeste and Calora expanded rapidly with population in both rising by over 50,000.

In 1970, the country chose to bring the Catholic Conservative (Cattolici Conservatori) party back into power, but a battle for control of the party resulted in a disastrous attempt to destabilise the Government from within. Lord Bertollini held onto power until May of 1971, less than 8 months into his tenure. The election resulted in a shocking blow for the party, who didn’t regain power again until 36 years later.

King Roger XVI died of a heart attack in February 1987, with no son or daughter to take over. His sister, Elizabeth of Almae became Queen, and at the age of 60, is the oldest Royal to take the Crown in Cattala’s history.

1987 - 2000
With Queen Elizabeth of Almae in control of the Kingdom, economic and political stability reigned supreme during the next decade. Despite her age, Elizabeth worked hard to protect the nation and distanced herself from political affiliation, which her brother had failed to do. The population of Cattala continued to rise, as cities like Jennai and Celeste expanded and modernised, with Central Business Districts being redeveloped in all the major towns and cities.

Church attendance, education and healthcare all rose in the 1990s, and the national GDP grew by an average of 2.1% each year. The Democratic Party held power until 1991, with just three leaders from the same party dominating politics between 1971 and 1991. The fall of the Catholic Conservatives continued, and the rise of the People’s Party resulted in a 10-year period of public sector growth, with a sharp increase in spending on the military and national protection. During the 1990s, support for European integration reached an all-time low and protectionism against the EU rose. Economic growth stumbled in 1998 and 1999, when growth of -1% during the latter year resulted in the downfall of the Government two years later.

Queen Elizabeth of Almae died in 1994, and was succeeded by her popular daughter Princess Alexandra, who became Her Grace, Queen Alexandra the Fifth. Alexandra was more impartial about politics than her mother, but was known during her early years as Queen to question the role of the European Union in continental society today. She married Duke Luciano Vaas in 1990, in a wedding that cost nearly £700,000 but was broadcast around the world, as it united the crown of Cattala with former enemies in Roumeli through marriage. Queen Alexandra left the international stage briefly between 1993 and 2000, as she gave birth to and brought up three children. Her sister, Princess Gabriella, became Regent during her time away. In 1995, the White Guards, an arm of the military police, used live rounds on activists who tried to storm the Queen's Suite of King Marco Palace and killed three unarmed activists. The Queen and the Crown Prince, aged 1, were unharmed.