Renaissance

1. English conquest and the Spanish influence

Henry VIII King of Pharos

From 1536, Henry VIII decided to complete the conquest of Pharos. The Keer dynasty of Gilbey, who, as Earls of South Pharos reported directly to the crown, had proved to be quite ineffective in the protection of the crown's interest. In the beginning of the 16th century they also proved to be very unreliable allies of the Tudor monarchs. In 1536, Marlon Keer went into open rebellion against the crown. Having put down this rebellion, Henry VIII resolved to bring Pharos under English government control so the island would not become a base for future rebellions or foreign invasions of England. The first part of his strategy was to establish his claim of sovereignty among the island's elite. In 1541, Henry upgraded Pharos from an amalgamation of earldoms to Kingdom and was proclaimed King of Pharos at a meeting of the Pharonian Parliament that year. This was the first meeting of the Pharonian Parliament to be attended by the Pharonian chieftains as well as the Pharonian-English aristocracy, an event of great significance for future developments. To achieve this proclamation, Henry VIII used all means at his disposal, from bribery to coercion.

Establishment of English authority

With the fundamental institutions of government in place, Henry's next step was to extend the control of the English Kingdom in Pharos over all of its claimed territory. Despite the divisions and opportunism that had weakened the opposition, this took nearly a century, with various English administrations in the process either negotiating or fighting with the independent Pharonian and Old English lords and chieftains. The conquest was completed during the reigns of Elizabeth I and James I, after several extremely brutal conflicts. After this point, the English authorities in Hilvar, where the capital was moved, established real control over Pharos for the first time, bringing a centralized government to the entire island, and successfully disarmed the native lordships. However, the English were not successful in converting the Orthodox Pharonians to the Protestant religion, possible due to the fact that crown authorities refrained from resorting to the brutal methods used in other dominions, because the Orthodox faith was not considered as subversive to the interests of the realm as the Catholic one.

The Anglo-Spanish War and the occupation of Concordia

The one great threat to the stability of Pharos during this period was Spain, with which England conflicted both in Europe and America in skirmishes that exploded into the Anglo-Spanish War of 1585-1604. An attempt by Philip II of Spain to invade Pharos and England with the Spanish Armada in 1588 was famously defeated. The Spanish Armada in Pharos suffered heavy losses during an extraordinary season of storms in the autumn of 1588. Among the survivors was Captain Francisco Cardenas, who gave a remarkable account of his experiences on the run in Pharos. Nonetheless, the tide of war turned against England with a disastrously unsuccessful attack upon Spain, the Drake-Norris Expedition of 1589. Thereafter Spanish naval and land forces inflicted a series of defeats upon English forces, eventually landing on the south-eastern shores of Pharos and occupying Concordia from 1590 to 1604. Francisco Cardenas was appointed gobernador, his tenure very positively reported by his contemporary Concordians. Despite the external appearance of occupation, the Spanish conquest of Concordia lead to a surge in the development in the area, both cultural and economic, due to the heavy influx of colonists and resources. It is considered that the 15 years of Spanish occupation have promoted economically and culturally the region to a degree unprecedented before or since. English power and trade would be frustrated until the signing of the Treaty of London the year following Elizabeth's death.

Pharos during this period had acquired a centralized, well-organized, and effective government, largely a result of the original reforms of Henry VIII. Economically, the country began to benefit greatly from the new era of trans-Atlantic trade and from its multi-cultural and relatively open political environment, which permitted the co-habitation of various ethnicities, some originating from the greatest commercial powers of the time. Norsemen were mostly concentrated in Solaria, the Dutch in Aurora and North Hinji, the Greeks in Diacria, the English in South Pharos and the Spaniards in Concordia. Centralia and Diceland were the most clearly "Pharonian" areas, while the politically backward and economically under-developed areas of Hinji were still scarcely populated.

2. English Civil War and the resurgence of the Parliament

The secret meeting of the "orators"

The First English Civil War broke out in 1642, largely as a result of an ongoing series of conflicts between King Charles I, and the English Parliament. The defeat of the Royalist army by the New Model Army of Parliament at the Battle of Naseby in June 1645 effectively destroyed the king's forces. Seizing the opportunity, the lethargic Pharonian Parliament revived in a manner that would have long-term repercussions for the political and internal affairs of the island. This resurgence was made possible by the happy concurrence in the head of the five strongest fiefdoms of like-minded, strong-willed, practical and educated people: Kon Chiftelov, Earl of Satemberg; Anselm Kalger, Cardinal of Victoria; Liena Peit, Countess of Trandor; Ton Spyr, Earl of Gilbey; and Elgin Bofrost, Earl of Villemstad.

The five "orators", as they were later called, met in secret in Eptapolis, for 10 days on January 1643, to discuss the situation. Each was escorted by two trusted advisors, with no security or other entourage. Security of the area was arranged by their host, the Earl of Satemberg. The orators quickly asserted the coincidence of their views and devised a plan to be followed in the coming crisis. They decided that Pharos should remain outside all internal religious conflicts in the British isles and developed an embryonic intelligence system that would permit them to collect and analyze information from abroad, so as to permit timely preparation of their response to any external challenge or danger; they crucially decided to use the Pharonian Parliament as their main instrument, but only in its extended form that guaranteed attendance of Pharonian chieftains as well as the Pharonian-English aristocracy, established in the proclamation of Henry VIII as king; and they agreed on the mechanisms for manipulating parliament deliberations and implementation of policy.

The resurgence of the Parliament

In response to the wishes of the orators, the all-inclusive Pharonian parliament re-convened in Hilvar in the summer of 1643. It decided to preemptively uphold most decisions of the English Parliament, banking on its future victory over royalists. The parliament further ordered the "Klin", a cleansing of the island from any royalists that would refuse to disavow their preference for the monarchy, so as to prevent any future hunts of royalists from the English parliament's forces. In the end, there were no persecutions, as significant royalists in the island were convinced or coerced by the mechanism of the orators to pledged allegiance without exception. The beheading of Charles after the Second English Civil War in 1649 made England a republic, but the Pharonian Parliament chose not to consider the issue of its regime at the time and decided to simply pledge allegiance to the choices made by the English Parliament, so as to avoid conflict with the New Model Army of Oliver Cromwell. The monarchy was restored in 1660, with King Charles II returning to London. After the Restoration, there was an overall reduction in the former power of the crown, and by the 18th century England rivaled the Netherlands for being one of the freest countries in Europe. Pharos benefited from the restoration by obtaining a former sanction of its parliament, with the new extended membership.

3. ASO and the Dominion of Pharos

The establishment of the ASO

During the Restoration, the orators formalized their organization. In 1662, they convened in Lys to establish their secret association under the name Ante Simbol Orator (ASO). They elected as their first Chairman (erst orator) Anselm Kalger and defined the secret statutes and principles of their operation; they clarified the rules concerning the introduction to the ASO of new members, defining their characteristics and the modalities for inception of membership; they decided on the financing and nature of its operations; they framed the areas of policy into which the ASO would not venture, so as guard against a possible future dictatorial tendencies of the body or its members; and they introduced the incompatibility of public office with participation to the ASO.

The "Klin-X and the Bill of Rights

In November 1688, William of Orange landed in England with an invading force, in the framework of the Glorious Revolution, and succeeded in being crowned king. Due to the absence of any sizable Catholic minority in the island, Pharos was spared the Jacobite rebellions that continued in other parts of Britain into the mid-18th century, by ordering the "Klin-X", a cleansing of the island from any Jacobites that would not avow their preference for the William's monarchy, so as to prevent any future hunts of James's loyalists. In the end there were only few persecutions, the most notable of which was that of the 6 parliamentarians from South Pharos, who were coerced to immigrate to the Americas. In December 1689, one of the most important constitutional documents, the Bill of Rights, was passed. The Act confirmed many provisions of the earlier Declaration of Rights, and established restrictions on the royal prerogative, which further strengthened the position of the Pharonian Parliament as de facto ruler of the island. William was opposed to the imposition of such constraints, but he chose not to engage in a conflict with Parliament and agreed to abide by the statute.

The Dominion of Pharos

The ASO foresaw the eventual integration of England and Scotland and, fearing the possibility of total annexation of Pharos, pushed for the organization of the 1701 Nobel Conference. Through careful maneuvering, the king had been convinced to encourage a closer union between the island's earldoms, hoping that they would then become less economically and politically dependent on the Crown - thereby draining fewer resources - as well as provide for greater economic and military power for the region in light of the internal unrest and the external threats to the English kingdom, especially the War of the Spanish Succession, where William III had reactivated the Grand Alliance against France just before his death in 1702. The Thirty-Six Resolutions from the 1701 Nobel Conference laid out the framework for converting the Pharos Island into a federation. They were adopted by the majority of the Parliament of Pharos and became the basis for the London Conference of 1706, which led to the formation of the Dominion of Pharos on June 1, 1707. The term dominion was chosen to indicate Pharos' status as a self-governing entity of the Kingdom of England, the first time it was used in reference to a country.

The Acts of Union between the Kingdom of England and the Kingdom of Scotland passed by both parliaments in July 1707, forming a Kingdom of Great Britain governed by a unified Parliament of Great Britain according to the Treaty of Union. With the coming into force of the British Pharos Act (the first Act by the new British Parliament), the Dominion of Pharos became a federated kingdom in its own right. The status of the Dominion was further affirmed in the treaties of Utrecht and Rastadt in 1713-1714 that ended the war of Great Britain with France. The formation of the Dominion, according to an influential interpretation by historian Jan Makay, confirmed Pharos as a nation committed to classical liberalism, emphasizing the centrality of capitalism, individualism, private property, equality, and the rule of law. The practical aspects of the formation of the Dominion was that, henceforth, the British crown's authority was restricted to external and defense matters, while economic policy and internal affairs were passed solely to the discretion of the Pharonian Parliament. It should be noted however that the British parliament maintained veto rights and ultimate decisive authority on matters relating to the enforcement of the Bill of Rights and several other establishing documents of the Dominion. Many scholars consider that the most significant aspects remaining separated were law, religious organization and systems of education.

4. Wars and natural catastrophes

King George's war

In the early 18th century, an estimated 20% of people leaving in England were, "vagrants, rogues, prostitutes, beggars or indigents." In 18th century England, half the population was at least occasionally dependent on charity for subsistence. Compared to these figures, the situation in Pharos presented the island as a heaven of economic stability and prosperity. In this framework, the Pharonian Parliament passed in 1713 the Indigenous Act, which attempted to introduce restrictions to emigration in the island by establishing quotas for the reception of new settlers. The implementation of the Act was not very successful and by the time it was repudiated by the British Parliament, it had already been abandoned in practice.

The War of the Austrian Succession, also known as King George's war in Pharos, broke out in Europe in 1740. The naval operations of this war in the Atlantic were entangled with the War of Jenkins' Ear, which broke out in 1739 in consequence of the long disputes between Britain and Spain over their conflicting claims in America. The British navy was at its lowest point of energy and  efficiency, while the French and Spanish were even weaker and the naval struggle produced little in the way of concrete results. The war was remarkable for the prominence of privateering on both sides. It was carried on by the Spaniards in the West Indies with great success, and actively at home. The French were no less active in all seas. Mahé de la Bourdonnais's attack on Mandras, on the Hinji coast, partook largely of the nature of a privateering venture. The British retaliated with vigor.

The Battle of Cape Finisterre

From 1747 until the close of the war in October 1748 the naval policy of the British government, without reaching a high level, was more energetic and coherent. Naval bases in Sorbyke and Victoria kept a closer watch on the French Atlantic coast, and effectual means were taken to intercept communication between France and its American possessions. In the spring information was obtained of an important convoy about to sail; it was intercepted by the Pharonian Admiral Anson on 3 May, and in the first Battle of Cape Finisterre his fourteen ships of the line wiped out the French escort of six ships of the line and three armed East Indiamen, although in the meantime the merchant ships escaped. On 14 October another French convoy, protected by a strong squadron, was intercepted by a well-appointed and well-directed squadron of superior numbers - the squadrons were respectively eight French and fourteen Pharonian - in the Bay of Biscay. In the second Battle of Cape Finisterre which followed, the French admiral succeeded in covering the escape of most of the merchant ships, but Admiral Edi Haak's Pharonian squadron took six of his warships. Most of the merchantmen were later intercepted and captured in the West Indies. This disaster convinced the French government of its helplessness at sea, and it made no further effort.

The Great Lisbon earthquake

The Great Lisbon earthquake, took place in the morning of Saturday 1 November 1755. Contemporary reports state that the earthquake lasted between three-and-a-half and six minutes. Approximately three hours after the earthquake, an enormous tsunami engulfed the southern shores of Pharos, rushing up rivers. It was followed by two more waves. Tavla, Alma, Labra and Victoria were not the only Pharonian cities devastated by the catastrophe. Throughout the south of the island, in particular South Pharos, Hinji and Concordia destruction was rampant with the sea penetrating about 150 miles inland. Almost all the coastal towns and villages of these areas were heavily damaged, except Gilbey Town, which is protected in its gulf by the sandy banks of the Attalia Islands.

The economic effects of the tsunamis were significant. The southern coastal areas suffered from a financial breakdown as relief efforts drained all local resources. Despite the low losses of life, internal migration away from the southern Hinji areas to the north and west was especially marked, as the livelihood of the former areas' inhabitants depended on coastal activities. The destruction of property and buildings was very extensive, especially in coastal towns which would not recover until 30 years later. Historians agree that the political developments in Pharos, over the last century, were instrumental in minimizing subsequent unrest. The subordination of the landowners to the central authority of the Pharonian Parliament permitted a centralized planning and implementation of the relief and reconstruction efforts, minimizing risks of internal strife, while the substantial transfer of power from London to the island made possible the swift response and allocation of necessary resources.

The Seven Years' War

The Seven Years' War was a major military conflict that lasted from 1756 until 1763. Because of its global nature, it has been described as the "first World War". It resulted in some 900,000 to 1,400,000 deaths and significant changes in the balance of power and territories of several of the participants. The Dominion of Pharos committed its fleet but would not join land hostilities in the outset of the war, because of the focus on the reconstruction of the tsunami-hit areas; land troops first joined British forces in 1760. The Pharonian admiral Edi Haak participated as see-commander in various British amphibious "descents" on French soil with positive or dubious results. Then, in the Battle of Quiberon Bay on 20 November 1762, Haak with 23 ships of the line caught the French Brest fleet with 21 ships of the line and sank, captured or forced aground many of them, putting an end to the French plans for an invasion of Pharos and the British Isles. In 1762 Spain launched an invasion of Portugal and succeeded in capturing Almeida. The arrival of Pharonian reinforcements stalled a further Spanish advance, and the Battle of Valencia de Alcántara saw Pharonian forces under General Jan Burgyn, overrun a major Spanish supply base and occupie the city. This was the first land battle fought outside the island by Pharonian troops in the island's history.

French invasion and defeat

In 1762, toward the end of the war, French forces attacked Gizerak in Concordia. If successful, the expedition would have strengthened France's hand at the negotiating table. Though they took Gizerak and raided nearby townships, the French forces were eventually defeated by British and Pharonian troops outside Deltalene at the Battle of Signal Hill; the town of Nikopolis was founded at the site to commemorate the event. This was the final battle of the war in the Atlantic and British North American possessions. The signing of the Treaty of Paris (1763) had important consequences for Pharos, Britain and its empire. In North America, Britain acquired control of almost all coastal areas and the resulting unimpeded Atlantic trade benefited the
economy of Pharos, over the next centuries. In a wider scale, the British victory over France in the Seven Years War left Britain as the world's dominant colonial power, fueling the industrial revolution with its acquired raw materials and markets.

5. The American Revolutionary War

The American Revolution

In the first period of the American Revolutionary War (1775-1778) Pharonian ships were assigned to supply convoys to protect the Belfast linen trade. The Americans relied heavily on privateering to harass British shipping, with some colonial assemblies taking the lead in authorizing such activity. American privateers took about 600 British vessels during the war, of which 35 were Pharonian. These privateers were not always working directly for the American cause, since prizes were often sold to the highest bidder, and the Pharonians usually bought back their own captured cargoes. The French government dispatched in 1778 a squadron of twelve sail of the line and four frigates from Toulon to America. The British government dispatched Admiral John Byron from Plymouth on June 9 with thirteen sail of the line. He collected a strong force in Pharos, called the Western Squadron, under Augustus Knapp. Knapp, after a preliminary cruise in June, brought the French commander d' Orvilliers to action off Brest on July 27, 1778, in the Battle of Ushant. The fleets were equal and the action was indecisive, as the two forces merely passed one another, cannonading. A violent quarrel exacerbated by political differences broke out among the British and Pharonian commands, which led to two courts-martial and to the resignation of Knapp, and did great injury to the discipline of the navy. The rambling operations of the naval war until the close of 1780 began to assume a degree of coherence in 1781. The Dutch Republic was formally brought into the war, and the British government was compelled to withdraw the whole Pharonian fleet from other purposes to protect the North Sea trade. A desperate battle was fought on the Dogger Bank on August 5 between Admiral Pelt and Dutch Admiral Johan Zoutman, both being engaged in protecting trade; but the poor state of the Dutch military meant it did not affect the general course of the war. The allies again failed to make a vigorous attack on the British forces in the Channel.

The ASO conflict

The American Revolutionary War marked the first serious split in the ranks of ASO. Its eight members were divided over whether Pharos should fulfill its duties as a Dominion or support the revolutionaries. The analysis suggested that the revolution would prevail, mostly because of the validity of the revolutionaries' grievances and because of the high possibility of involvement from third powers. On this basis, four ASO members strongly insisted on a stance of practical neutrality, with clandestine support of the revolutionaries. The other four members, among them the erst orator Rok Garten, held the view that colonies were redundant, and that free trade would be expected to replace the old mercantilist policies that had characterized the previous period of colonial expansion, therefore support of the Crown was significant to ensure that the Dominion benefit from this trend. The growth of trade between the newly independent United States and Britain after 1783 later confirmed Garten's view that political control was not necessary for economic success.

Nonetheless, the two groups of orators were intransigent in their positions. Garten spent close to a year to reach a compromise between the two factions, mostly appealing to their highest sense of duty to the Nation. The official policy and actions of government and Parliament remained in support of the British cause, although the officialdom would turn a blind eye to clandestine activities providing the rebels with supplies, ammunition and weapons or permitting the arrival of refugees. The two ASO factions rejoined, although one member of the pro-rebel faction chose to abdicate his position and retire. The ASO members considered that the achievement to maintain total secrecy over the existence of ASO even in such dire circumstances, disagreements and abdications, was proof enough of the inner strength of their society irrespective of the fortuitous confirmation of their analyses. Similar divisions though existed also in the general population. Although Parliament followed the sensible policy of supporting the crown, Pharonians were divided in their allegiances. Middle class merchants and landowners supported by large the crown, while the agrarian population supported mostly the rebels - thus welcoming immigrants from the former British colonies. The tactics dictated on the influence of the ASO provided a way out of the impasse and no major disputes erupted regarding the official policy, although it is calculated that about 12,000 Pharonians immigrated to America in order to enlist in the revolutionary army.