Xaymaca (The Kalmar Union)

The Duchy of Xaymaca, Xaymaca, is a large island dependency of France in the Taino Sea. To north lies the island state of Coabana, to the west the Austro-Bohemian King Rudolph Islands.

The Head of State is the King of France, Charles XIII.

Thanks to its history several languages are used on the island. Xaymacan Taino, French, Basque and Occitan all have official status. Vinlandic, Castillian and Granadan Arabic can also be heard widely in the ports and markets though are declining.

The currency is the French Livre (FLV).

History
Discovered by Vinlandic explorers in the mid-12th century the native Taino peoples eagerly absorbed new technologies and later visitors were impressed by the number of mills on the rivers. Xaymacan marble was well regarded by the Norse in Leifia and many traders made their fortunes shipping the stone northwards. However in general it was largely overshadowed by Coabana and, without assistance or the necessary funds, the various chiefdoms of the island would never form a united state.

Left utterly devastated by the arrival of the Black Death in 1355 the economy collapsed and the previously populous and industrious towns were largely abandoned. By the time European states were regularly visiting the Taino Sea on the way to Mexica Xaymaca was regarded as a haven of pirates and the plague.

After Granada effectively annexed Coabana in 1552 a scramble for the Taino Islands began. While most of the easternmost islands quickly fell to various European and Leifian nations Xaymaca escaped attention, possibly due to its reputation. However eventually it was targeted, in 1568, by the Duchy of Aquitaine, eager to gain a slice of the Mexic silver trade route. Some sources suggest Mexica may have taken the island for itself had a European nation not claimed it first. Spending a significant sum landing a force on the island, defeating the chiefdom armies and then slowly battling the pirates Aquitaine would in fact slowly ruin itself trying to maintain the island. Dismissive of the local peoples and their customs a large number of Basque and Occitan farmers would settle on the island taking over the towns. The Taino were pushed into the rural areas and treated as second class citizens. However the rulers did not get to enjoy their spoils. The Mexic-Leifian and Mexic-Kalmar Wars severely disrupted the trade of the eastern Taino. Meanwhile the money generated by mining and farming was squandered on vanity projects and endless fights against piracy. Disease, debts and madness carried off many members of the ruling family and by the eve of the Iberian Revolution Duke Robert VII was penniless and heirless. Aquitaine proved a pushover to the reinvigorated Hispanic armies of del Olmo and when Robert VII died in 1825 both it and Xaymaca would be annexed by Hispania.

By the Treaty of Milan France absorbed all of Aquitaine's European holdings and by extension took ownership of Xaymaca. 'Aquitaine's Ruin' became 'France's Burden'. The absorption of its new territories in Europe took much of France's attention away from its new overseas lands and Xaymaca was left to mostly govern itself. The natives were still locked out of power however and it would take decades of rioting and revolt to change this. During the Cotton Wars, which led to multiple states declaring independence from Mvskokia, ideas filtered south and an independence movement on Xaymaca gathered significant support. France would narrowly defeat the rebels in 1915 after a short war.

While the population has boomed in recent years and the political situation has quieted down the island is still heavily reliant on agriculture and France provides subsidies. Significant deposits of Bauxite have been confirmed on the island and with new uses for aluminium being found regularly France hopes it will lift the economy.

Government
Xaymaca has limited autonomy from France and a small single-chambered parliament with jurisdiction over taxes and matters of health and education is elected every four years.