Union of Skara
| Historical Nation | |
|---|---|
| Union of Skara Skara Samverkan | |
| Flag | Coat of arms |
|
[[File:|100px]] |
| Motto: | |
| Anthem: | |
| Locator map | |
| File:UoS Map.png | |
| Capital city | Skara |
| Largest city | |
| Official language | Scarch |
| Other languages | Middle Stoldavic dialects and regional languages |
| Ethnic group | |
| Religion | Sunnist Orkanan |
| Demonym(s) | Skaran |
| Government | |
| Government Type | Confederation |
| Kansler | |
| Legislature | Skarasamlingen |
| Establishment | |
| Union of Skara | 6525 |
| Area | |
| Population | |
| Economy | |
| Economy type | Mercantilist |
| Predecessor Nations | |
| Successor Nations | |
| Greater Stoldavic Empire | |
| Other information | |
| Time zone | +3 |
| Driving side | right |
The Union of Skara (Skara Samverkan) was a commercial and defensive confederation of merchant guilds and their market towns that dominated trade along the (mainly northern) coast of Stoldavia. It is difficult to define it as a nation state, because it was an amalgamation of city states, as well as merchant cities and fiefdoms that were part of other nations. During its existence, roughly between 6500 and 6900, some parts functioned as an independent nation, while other areas shifted in and out the trade alliance. The Stoldavic town of Skara was leading the unification effort from the 65th century on. The Union expanded during the 66th-69th centuries and ultimately encompassed nearly 200 settlements across seven modern-day countries.
It originated from various loose associations of Skaran traders and northern Stoldavic towns like Hinnaarum, Kungsvik, Aamynningen, Talpaa, Nabben, Östervik and Aalesund, formed to advance mutual commercial interests, such as protection against robbers. These arrangements gradually coalesced into the Union of Skara, whose traders enjoyed toll privileges and protection in affiliated communities and their trade routes. Economic interdependence and kinship ties between merchant families, who held important positions in towns, led to deeper political integration and the removal of obstacles to trade.
It was mainly governed as a merchant republic with representatives from the participating territories and cities. Given the fact that crafting and trading guilds were dominated by extended family stims, the government of the Union of Skara had all the characteristics of a federative monarchy as well. It also had a clear military component, with a joint navy defending merchant interest. The Samverkan, literally meaning cooperation, got its name from its capital Skara, currently a city state within Vittmark
History
The general assumption today is that Skara Samverkan evolved as a supranational entity in northern Stoldavia in the late 64th century as a result of the development of the cog ship. The loading capacity of the cog was roughly two to four times larger than that of the knarr, which was the most commonly used trading vessel at the time. As a result, the transportation of goods became dominated by Skaran cogs, and with that the Skaran traders.
As such, the town of Skara managed to develop out of the dark Migration Age as a trading hub. The merchants of Skara became influential people in a larger region. Skarans built warehouses in nearby towns, and with the wealth acquired the were able to buy properties in more far away coastal towns and river towns. This way, Skara became the focal point of a loose alliance of trading cities and towns, which dominated northern and eastern Stoldavia for many centuries. Skara managed to monopolise the trade in certain goods, like trunkbull wool and timber. Skarans prohibited the building of saw mills, for example, so that timber had to be shipped to Skaran mills in the valley basin of present day Ådalen.
The Union of Skara evolved into the Greater Stoldavic Empire, once expansion of trade interests further south required a more encompassing nation state than a confederation of trading towns. The marriage of Råger Mellanhand with princess Caroline Ostburg ultimately meant the end of the Union, which was completely integrated into the new empire by the 6950's. Officially, the Union of Skara as an agreement with several city governments and local nobility was never revoked in about 20-25 cases, which would mean that the Union is active today.
Participating cities
- Ålesund
- Åmynningsås (as Aamynningen)
- Hagneå
- Hinnårum
- Kungsvik (currently Östervallen)
- Nabben
- Talpaa
- Östervik
TBA
Legacies
The Union of Skara left imprints of its culture all over Stoldavia and even Thultannia, many of them surviving up to today.
Language
The Skaran version of the Northern Stoldavic languages known as Scarch became the lingua franca of northern Stoldavia and parts of Thultannia. At that time, the language had more in common with what today is called Mountain Stoldish than the one currently used Wortsproke. Much of the vocabulary is still found in many languages in the region. Scarch was written in modern runic.
Religion
With the influx of Skaran traders in many coastal cities, Sunna Orkanan communities were founded all over Stoldavia. These communities coexisted with local interpretations of Interventionist Orkanan. In cities and regions that were governed by Skara, Sunna Orkanan became the state religion. Sunna Orkanan is a direct predecessor of Mellanhand Orkanan, most of the belief system and rituals are identical, only the structuring of the clergy is different. Therefore the Greater Stoldavic Empire had a widespread system of places of worship and governors in coastal cities once it conquered Skara in 7XXX. Sunna Orkanan still is present as a minority religion in Skara.
Measurement units
Since trading became standardised within Samverkan, the units of measurement have become a common denominator in large areas. Some of the units used during the Union of Skara are still in use today, in everyday language but in some places even as official measuring units.
Length
This goes also for building measures, fabric lengths, distances, etc. Large parts of Vittmark primarily use the Skaran system up to today.
- kot (fingerbone's width, appr. 1 cm)
- thumb or tum (5 kot = 2 tum, 2.5 cm), also verktum
- foot, fuss or fot (foot, 12 tum, 30 cm)
- ell, aln (2 fot, 60 cm), also used in "double ell" (120 cm)
- reich, bereich, räck or räckvidd (range or reach, 3 feet, 90 cm) - Rack rail is synonymous to narrow gauge railway in many parts of Stoldavia.
- fathom or famn (2 räckvidd, 3 aln or 6 feet, 1.80 m) - Fathom rail is the basic broad gauge railway of Ådalen, Vittmark.
- stång (10 feet or 5 aln, 3 m), also stong, used in measurement of land.
- rev (10 stäng, 30 m), also ref, used in measurement of land.
- stenskott ("stone's throw", about 50 m), also sten, used in measurement of land.
- pilskott ("arrow's range", 5 stenskott, 250 m), also pil, used in measurement of land and distance.
- verst (4 pilskott, 1 km), also werst, virst or wirst, used in distances
- timmesgång ("one hour's travel", 5 verst, 20 pilskott, 100 stenkast, about 5 km)
Area
Even today, a standard cargo pallet measuring 90x120 cm is based on the Skaran units "fathom by double ell", and as such the standard container measuring two pallets wide can also be traced back to the Union of Skara.
Volume
Volume units are divided into fluids and solids, but the Union of Skara was the first to create a fixed connection between those. Basic measuring unit was the standard Scara Barrel, also called Skaratunna. Present day barrels still are around the same size, appr. 120 - 150 litres.
- Scara barrel or Skaratunna (123,4 l)
- ask (1/16th tunna = 7,85 l)
- can or kanna (1/48th tunna fluid = 2,57 l = 1/28th spann solid)
- kappa (1/16th spann, 4,5 l)
- dry barrel or torrtunna (1/12th spann, 6 l)
- bushel, Scheffer or skäppa, also called halvspann (1/2 spann, 36 l)
- spann (litt: "bound", 72 l) * tön (6 spann, 432 l)
- parm (litt: wagonload", 40 tön or 240 spann, also defined as 3x4x2 räck cubic, 17,81 m3)
Smaller units of volumes are defined as fractions of kanna or kappa, like a femtekanna (0,514 l) or a tiondekappa (0,450 l) of beer. A fifth still is in use in everyday language.
Weight
Weight units used in Skara included:
- scale pound or skålpund (appr. 425 grammes)
- mark pound or markpund(20 scale pounds = 8.5 kgs)
- hundredweight or hundring (100 skålpund = 42,5 kgs)
- ship pound or skeppund (20 mark pound = 170 kgs)
- shipload or skeppslast (10,000 skålpund = 500 markpund = 100 hundring = 25 skeppund = 4225 kgs)
Smaller units were defined in fractions of the scale pound: * Quarter or kvart (1/4 scale pound, appr. 100 grammes)