The Enlightened Era

The First Empire of Infiny - 64 years

Senai III’s reforms turned Infiny into a Constitutional Empire with an executive, legislative and judiciary branch. The executive branch was headed by the Emperor and his successors. The legislative branch was the Sobiraniya, being split into two cooperating institutions; the Council of Representatives (Prestavite) and the High Council (Senata). The judiciary branch was headed by a few judges, appointed by the Emperor and approved by the High Council. The new system, for which Senai III gave up some of his own might, transformed Infiny rapidly into a safe haven for political critics and brought great cultural, and gradually also economic, prosperity to Infiny. Even though Kush had been ruined by the Ossoumese and Hidaybu had been swarmed by Arabs, Elliniko had managed to build a civilization that had withstood the times and that had reached new political heights. In the early 1780s, the Enlightenment had entrenched itself in Infiny, and it made moves to recognize the other major enlightened nation outside of Europe at that time, the fledgling United States of America.

Between the 1750s and 1780s, Infiny started asserting itself as an enlightened Empire and engaged in diplomatic world struggles. It supported the Enlightenment and the people ruling themselves under a fair system. Infiny adopted the saying innocent before proven guilty. Militarily, it was still unable to compete with the European powers. However, Infiny started modernizing by importing bayonets from Europe. Navally, Infiny was no match for the Europeans, more precisely the British, who dominated the seas. In 1789, the French Revolution transforms France into a nation where the Enlightenment was rampant. Using the chaos in Europe, Infy seized back a number of coastal trading posts, especially the French ones, who were unable to defend the trading posts, and even the Labyrnnan ones, who were warring with the chaotic French. The Infinian trade ships, however, were mostly seized by the British and the Labyrnnans, who controlled more of the Indian Ocean than the French did. As such, resentment similar to the United States at the time rose in Infiny. It eventually led to Infiny aligning itself with one of the major powers. The Empire chose France.

Although Infiny had retaken French trading posts, relations with the British deteriorated a lot faster. Infiny pursued neutrality, which positively as both the French and the British were allowed to trade with the Empire. Although the Infinians allowed French and British vessels in their waters, both the British and the French captured Infinian merchant ships constantly. Feeling harassed, Emperor Senai IV attempted to negotiate a treaty with both the French and the British at the same time. A diplomatic entanglement is what followed. The key players are Infinian diplomats Natalya Qaladlo and Lyudmyla Iqra, the Infinian ambassadors to Paris and London respectively. It was considered strange that women occupied important positions in Infinian diplomacy, however, Infiny had developed different gender roles throughout history, allowing women to reach important positions such as these. Other important diplomats were Sir Richard Harris, the ambassador from the United Kingdom to Infiny, and Jacques Genêt, the ambassador from the French Republic to Infiny. Qaladlo and Iqra were dispatched with the mission to negotiate agreements between the nations and Infiny in order to stop the harassment of Infinian ships and solidify Infinian neutrality. The year is 1795 when negotiations with the British decisively fail. The British Ambassador to Infiny, Sir Richard Harris, delivers an ultimatum to Infiny, demanding it ceases trade with France. As the Infinians refused, the United Kingdom decides to back Labyrnna in several crises regarding the nations’ trading posts on the Infinian coast. Natalya Qaladlo returns to Infiny and gets an affair with the French ambassador in Mogadishu, Jacques Genêt. She persuades him to back the Infinian side during the pseudo-wars with Labyrnnan trading outposts. Genêt promises her the full backing of the Directory of the French Republic.

For several years, the pseudo-wars continued until they escalated in early 1798. Although the tension with Labyrnna was resolved through a treaty, Infiny and the United Kingdom remained in great tension with one another. The War of the First Coalition had ended in Europe and in that same year, the War of the Second Coalition had erupted. Seeing an opportunity to regain lost lands, Emperor Senai IV used the good relations with the French to reconquer lost territories. He instructed Lyudmyla Iqra, the Infinian Ambassador to France, to seek an alliance with the French. She managed to sign an alliance with the newly formed Directoire, which would be known as the Enlightened Alliance. The war came at a strategic time. The French general Napoleon Bonaparte was busy with his campaigns in Egypt. Senai IV’s armies swept through an off-guard Ossoum, taking back the entirety of the east bank of the Nile, including one of the three sacred cities of Infiny, Meroë. The victory of taking Meroë was a tremendous moral boost for the Infinian armies, which swept into Egypt. After already defeating the Ossoumese at Adahisi, it defeated a joint Anglo-Ottoman force at Luxor. However, France had trouble reinforcing Napoleon after the French defeat at the Battle of the Nile in 1798. After supposedly reaching Napoleonic forces, the French and Infinian armies suffered a large defeat against the British and Ottomans at the Battle of Suhai in 1799. It forced Infinian units to retreat to Infiny in order to resupply. However, caught off-guard, it was attacked by Ossoumese units and nearly decimated. After this dramatic defeat, Infiny was forced to sue for peace. It was forced to end its alliance with France and grant Ossoum land, and the borders became close to what they are now. Even though Infiny’s part in the French Revolutionary Wars were over, Emperor Senai IV personally attended Napoleon’s coronation as Emperor of the French in 1804. Even though Infiny remained neutral throughout most of the war, unable to join France and forced to give concessions to the United Kingdom, it was still hit indirectly by the Congress of Vienna. Infiny’s neutrality safed it from losing more. However, due to France’s almost complete annexation by Labyrnna, Infiny was left without a single ally to guard it against European expansionism. As Orange-Bourgogne started to colonize Ossoum, Infiny was slowly moving towards a terrible fate. Infiny’s Enlightened society put the nation at odds with almost every western nation except the United States. Infiny’s new diplomatic position marked the start of the Solitary Era.