Algarve
From Turtledove
[edit] Historical/Plot Overview
Algarve was a kingdom of Derlavai in the Darkness Series. It was an important participant in the Derlavaian War and represents Nazi Germany within the events of the series. It was ruled by King Mezentio for most of the Derlavaian War and Algarvian viewpoint characters include Tealdo, Trasone, Bembo, Sabrino, and Lurcanio. Its capital was Trapani. Algarve's placenames are taken from Italy and its people speak Italian.
Algarve's history parallels that of Germany in our world. Its history begins with the so-called Algarvic tribes that inhabited most of south-central Derlavai centuries (or possibly millenia) before the events of the series. These tribes caused the dissolution and destruction of the ancient Kaunian Empire (whose history parallels that of our world's Roman Empire). "Algarvic nations" are those nations whose culture and customs descend from the Algarvic Tribes, and include Sibiu and Lagoas as well as Algarve. In the absence of the Kaunian Empire, the Algarvians carved numerous nations for themselves, achieving unification only as the Thaumaturgical Revolution (which parallels our world's industrial revolution, but with magic in place of technology) swept Derlavai. The new nation of Algarve and its former constituent duchies and counties and princedoms held deep-seated animosity towards the Kaunian kingdoms to the east, and harbor special resentment towards the Kaunian remnant in its north-western western neighbor, Forthweg (these Kaunians represent Jews scattered across Eastern and Central Europe in our world). In any event, these nations eventually fought the Six Years' War, paralleling our world's World War 1. This war presumably was caused by a combination of militarism, alliances and power politics, and general international unrest that parallels the real-world causes of the First World War. This war's course and decision parallel the events of the First World War, with Algarve being defeated by the coalition of its enemies (Unkerlant, Valmiera, Jelgava, Sibiu, Lagoas, and, presumably, Kuusamo as well Kuusamo's role in the series follows that of the United States in our world).
As a result of the Six-Years' War, Algarve was forced to cede territory to its victorious foes. The Marquisate of Rivaroli (which represent's our world's Alsace and Lorraine), the Duchy of Bari (which represents a combination of the Rhineland, Austria, and the Sudetenland), were separated from Algarve, with the former being annexed by Valmiera and the latter being constituted as an independent Duchy with a puppet government controlled by the Kaunian kingdoms. Many of Algarve's northwestern-most provinces were added to the newly-created Kingdom of Forthweg (whose history parallels that of Poland in our world). These events left a strong feeling of resentment in the Algarvian people and set the stage for the events of the Derlavaian War, similar to the way our world's first World War caused its second.
Some unknown time after the Six Years' War (though presumably around 30 years or so, which is the time difference between our world's World Wars), Algarve had rebuilt its military power, and the fiery young King Mezentio ascended to the throne after his father died. The world also saw the large-scale taming and use of behemoths (which represent tanks) and dragons (which represent aircraft). Algarve annexed the Duchy of Bari and sent in its army to enforce that action, prompting Algarve's old enemies, Sibiu, Valmiera, Jelgava, and Forthweg, to declare war on Algarve. Lagoas would declare war when the Valmieran offensive failed. The war began slowly for Algarve's allies, but Forthweg collapsed against the first determined Algarvian offensive (paralleling the real-world fall of Poland. Unkerlant invaded Forthweg from the west, paralleling the real-world Soviet invasion of Poland. Next, Sibiu collapsed from a surprise attack reminiscent of the German invasion of Denmark and Norway in our timeline. Next Algarve launched an offensive into Valmiera through the rugged country of the northern frontier, paralleling our world's Battle of France. Valmiera collapsed in a few months and surrendered to the Algarvians, who promptly re-annexed the Marquisate of Rivaroli. Jelgava is defeated by a large-scale airborne offensive, with Algarve's dragon force flying its troops over the mountains. This parallels the Balkan campaign and the Greek campaign in our world. Algarve lends support to Yaninan troops battling those of Lagoas in the Land of the Ice People, paralleling the real-world North African battles.
Next, Algarve sets its eyes on Unkerlant. In a move paralleling Operation Barbarossa, Algarve and its ally Yanina launch a massive offensive into Unkerlant. The attack is a strategic and tactical surprise. Large numbers of Algarvian and Yaninan troops (probably around 4 million, the approximate number of Axis troops who participated in the real Barbarossa offensive) cross the border, heavily supported by dragons, behemoths, and egg-tossers. The offensive begins almost perfectly, with massive casualties inflicted on the Unkerlanters. A stall in mid-autumn, however, prompts King Mezentio to begin a new phase of the war. Captured Kaunians from Forthweg are taken to "victory camps" and killed. The life-energy from these slaughters is used to fuel magic which breaks the Unkerlanter lines and enables the Algarvians to take the offensive again. However, the slaughters bring Kuusamo into the war against Algarve, paralleling the US entry into World War 2. The new offensive swept west across the plains of Unkerlant, reaching the suburbs of the capital, Cottbus, as the fearsome Unkerlanter winter began. The attack was halted outside the capital, where Tealdo (an Algarvian viewpoint character) and some of his squadmates were able to see the spires of King Swemmel's palace in the distance. Tealdo is killed in the subsequent Unkerlanter counteroffensive and his thread is carried on by Trasone. The Algarvians lose the Battle of Cottbus and do not knock Unkerlant out of the war.
The frontline stabilizes before spring. The roads and plains of Unkerlant become a hopeless morass of mud, impassable by troops and behemoths alike. This hiatus in the fighting enables the Algarvians to stabilize their front and mass new reserves. The Unkerlanters open the summer campaigning season with an attack on the city of Aspang, near the border with the Duchy of Grelz. This attack is cut off and decisively defeated, presumably with heavy casualties as in our real-world battle of Kharkov. Unkerlanter forces retreat southward, toward the Wolter River and the city of Sulingen. The Algarvian campaign in the south is intended to capture the Cinnabar-rich Mamming Hills. Cinnabar is an important resource in the world of Derlavai, because it grants dragons more powerful fire-breath.
Similarly, the battle for the Land of The Ice People escalates, with Algarve deploying a field army against the Lagoan troops there. Kuusaman dragonfliers and soldiers enter the battle as well, paralleling Operation Torch in our world. The Algarvians seek to wipe out the Allied forces on the Southern continent by using their slaughter-fueled magic. The spell backfires because magic works differently in The Land of the Ice People than on mainland Derlavai, destroying the Algarvian forces there instead of their Lagoan and Kuusaman enemies.
Meanwhile, in Unkerlant, Trasone and his unit are part of the massive Algarvian attack on Sulingen. The Unkerlanters defend the city to the last man, and King Mezentio shows a similar willingness to sacrifice his army for the city, meaning that the Battle of Sulingen parallels the Battle of Stalingrad in the real world. The Unkerlanters launch a winter counteroffensive that cuts off those Algarvians in and around the city; subsequent relief attempts fail and the front stabilizes with Unkerlanter forces having retaken Durrwangen. King Mezentio decides to stake everything on a massive offensive to cut off the "Durrwangen salient", similar to the real-world Battle of Kursk. The attack fails and Algarve's reserves of behemoths, men, and dragons are expended. Unkerlanter offensives quickly retake most of their lost territory. Kuusamo and Lagoas liberate Sibiu from its Algarvian occupiers. They then land troops in Algarvian-occupied Jelgava, paralleling the real-world operation: Overlord.
With its enemies closing in from both west and east, Algarve continues its genocide against those Forthwegian Kaunians under its control. Algarvian troops launch a parallel of the Battle of the Bulge in northern Valmiera, which collapses. Next, Unkerlanter offensives into Yanina prompt that nation to realign itself with Algarve's enemies. This strands large Algarvian forces. The Unkerlanters launch an enormous offensive in Northern Unkerlant which takes them to the original start-line of the Algarvian offensive three years before (paralleling Operation Bagration in real life).
Unkerlanter forces continue eastwards and ultimately reach the line of the Skamandros River, finally launching an offensive over it which encircles Trapani and reduces most of that city to rubble in the process of reducing it. With the allies having overrun most of Algarve, King Mezentio orders Sidroc, a member of the Algarvian-aligned Plegmund's Brigade and a viewpoint character, to kill him. When Sidroc does so, authority is transferred to Mainardo, Mezentio's brother, who surrenders unconditionally to the allies, ending the Derlavaian war in the east.
It is probable that the victorious allies will create a political settlement for Algarve similar to the real-world partitioning of Germany.
[edit] Society
Algarvian culture resembles that of Italy in our world. Its people are red-haired and fair-skinned, with mostly green eyes. There are Kaunians scattered throughout northern and eastern Algarve. Their food and music resemble those of Italy in real life. Algarve is an absolute monarchy, but actually exhibits more democratic characteristics than many of its enemies. Algarve has a powerful nobility, like its Kaunian counterparts, but the commoners are not oppressed. The Algarvian military is similarly open. This parallels the real-world Wehrmacht, in which initiative from the lower ranks was always emphasized. Although many Algarvians believe that Kaunians are an ancient enemy and that the Kaunian genocide is Algarve's long-deserved revenge against its Kaunian oppressors, there are some who condemn the massacres. An underlying irony in the series is that much of Algarve's social, political, and cultural foundation comes from the hated Kaunian Empire.
