Grand Duchy of South Russia Великое княжество Южно-Русское Velikoye Gertogetsvo Yuzhno-Russkoye |
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| Motto: "Великая пограничная территория к северу от моря" "Velikaya pogranichnaya territoriya k severu ot morya" (Russian) ("Great Borderland North of the Sea") |
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| Capital | Sevastopol | |||||
| Official languages | Russian | |||||
| Recognised regional languages | Ukrainian, Crimean Tatar, Moldavian/Romanian, Gagauz | |||||
| Ethnic groups | Russians (82%) Ukrainians (10%) Others (12%) |
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| Leaders | ||||||
| - | Grand Duke | Peter I Vladimirovich | ||||
| - | Head Minister | Oleg Galiaskarov | ||||
| Population | ||||||
| - | census | 3,000,523 | ||||
The Grand Duchy of South Russia (Russian: Великое Гертогетсво Южно-Русское, Velikoye Gertogetsvo Yuzhno-Russkoye) also known as South Russia, is one of the territories of Russia. It borders Ukraine to the West and the Grand Duchy of Moscow the north and the Grand Duchy of the Caucasus to the South.
The origins of South Russia as an autonomous political entity within the Russian Empire was found in 1920s, amid the civil war by Baron Pyotr Nikolaevich Wrangel. It was established as the South Russian State. Pyotr Krasnov would succeed Pyotr Wrangel, who took on the much-larger role of Generalissmo of Russia.
During the Cold War, the Grand Principality included a larger territory encompassing of the entirety of Ukraine, Crimea, the Caucasus, Rostov-on-Don and Moldova (then-known as Bessarabia). In 1989, West Ukraine (which became the Republic of Ukraine), and Bessarabia became independent as the Republic of Moldova, and the Caucasus became its own Grand Duchy.
History[]
During the Russian Civil War, Pyotr Wrangel established his control in what is today South Russia, where he headed the South Russia Government along with Anton Denikin. However, in seeing that Anton Denikin denied Polish help, by denying Polish independence, he soon sent assassins after Anton Denikin and assumed the role of Head of State of the South Russian government. As the military dictator of South Russia, Wrangel was expected to continue being its local ruler. He fought alongside Pyotr Krasnov.
Interwar Period[]
In the immediate aftermath of the Russian Civil War, Pyotr Wrangel became the Generalissmo of the Russian Empire, now largely shrunken and rump-like. Pyotr Krasnov ended up succeeding Pyotr Wrangel as the Head of State of the succeeding State of South Russia. After the formation of the Autonomous Ukrainian State, governed by Hetman Pavlo Skoropadskiy, South Russia's new borders were limited to Rostov, Cuban and Crimea.
During this period, liberal and progressive leaders worked to transform South Russia into a modern economy after the devastation of World War I, as a result of the reforms by Pyotr Struve. Crimea was turned into both a naval military fortress, as well as a civilian tourist spot and major economic center of South Russia. Via its economic ties with the Triple Entente allies, the United States and the United Kingdom, Crimea was turned in what would become the "Cancun of Russia". Tourists from all of the world came and helped with the development of Crimea. Many wealthy entrepreneurs from the world would come to make investments in Crimea.
The local South Russian economy also held deep ties with the neighboring Autonomous Ukrainian State, who thanks to rich farmland, was actually wealthier than the local Russian population of Crimea. As part of efforts to promote local wealth, many ethnic Ukrainians did business in Crimea, and were often-not, even more wealthier than their Russian counterparts.
Sevastopol and Simferopol became developed cities. Militarily, Crimea became home to the Black Sea Fleet of the Russian Navy.
World War II[]
During the Second World War, Crimea was prone to attacks by the Turks. Although Generalissmo Boris Rezhukin had grossly underestimated the strength of Turkey and its allies, the Turks swept through the Transcausaus. Feeling that the Turks were a powerful and viable ally, the Georgians and Azerbaijanis, as well as many Caucasians joined the Turks, causing the collapse of nearly 3/4 of the entire South Russia Front. Those native Caucasians who remained loyal were either killed in battle, or evacuated.
Crimea was not targeted by the Turks in the beginning of the invasion, it is only in mid-1942, after much sweeping success in the Caucasus that the Turks finally started attempting to lay siege to Crimea, a decision many Turkish and Caucasian generals did not agree with. In 1942, Boris Rezhukin was dismissed as Generalissmo due to his failures, and replaced with Alexander Kutepov. Kutepov divided the original South Russia Front into three fronts, the 1st South Russia Front responsible with retaking Crimea, and the 2nd and 3rd takes care of the Caucasus. The 3rd would later be transformed into the 1st Transcacausaus Front.
The Battle of Crimea ended up in a decisive Russian victory, Turkish and Caucasian forces within it were completely encircled, and cut off from any support as the Turkish fleet had retreated back into Turkey, and remaining Turkish vessels were wiped out by the Russian navy.
Cold War[]
During the Cold War, Generalissmo Alexander Kutepov removed autonomy rights for the Caucasus, and it was re-integrated under the control of what would, become the Grand Principality of South Russia. Sergey Belosselsky-Belozersky, was crowned as Serge I Konstantinovich, Grand Prince of all South Russia. However, he took on a constitutional role, as he was, aging, the local Senate was controlled mostly by World War II veterans, and it is mostly Marshal Constantine Kromiadi who made local military and policing decisions. Russian princes and dukes were placed in high royal positions in Azerbaijan and Georgia as punishment for having sided with the Turks. The only exception was Dagestan, since it had remained loyal to the Russian state, received no reprisals, and as a matter of fact, was promoted in all facets to make an example of loyalty.
This doubled the size of South Russia, and now with the rich oil fields of the Caucasus back under Russian control, magnates immediately exploited it, and it become of the largest oil-producing states within Russia. South Russia's pipelines were used to transport oil, gas and energy to neighboring Turkey, as well as Greece. This saw the resurgance of the Wrangel family, and their significant ties to South Russia. Baron Pyotr Wrangel II became an instrumental role in helping modernize South Russia. For his contributions, he was later crowned a Prince of Crimea, where Crimea was switched from being a Governorate to a Principality.
Again, the Caucasus become of the wealthiest regions in the Russian Empire. Crimea resumed becoming a favor summer destination for many. In 1949, the Crimea Grand Bridge started construction, and was completed around 1953 in order to easily funnel goods and workforce manpower from the mainland. Many Cossack nobles, Russian and Ukrainian alike, owned properties in Crimea, Crimea soon had the largest Ukrainian population outside of the Autonomous Ukrainian State.
The Principality of Georgia was home to a wine-making industry, where the local wine made their way to fancy restaurants and eateries all across South Russia, especially Crimea, which became home to the Annual Wine Festival.
Post-Cold War[]
During the Tumultuous 1990s, events in Crimea were pretty eventless. Since Crimea was never part of the Autonomous Ukrainian State, there is no reason for Ukraine and Russia to content over it. However, fringe UNA-UNSA groups in western Ukraine, who in this timeline have no credibility and are nothing more but terrorist agitators, have conducted numerous attacks on the Grand Crimea Bridge and the border with Kherson. This has prompted the Russian Parliament to approve using the military to conduct border security checkpoints.
In 2003, Azerbaijani terrorists conducted a bombing attack on Sevastopol, kidnapping 350 civilians. After a gunfight between the local paramilitary forces, and the Royal Crimea Cossack Host, a total of 15 separatists were caught, and 285 civilians rescued. However, the Russian and Turkish governments cooperated in apprehending the terrorists, with two military operations conducted by the Russians in the Caucasus, and another one within Turkey by the Turkish Special Forces, where the remaining civilians were being taken to. The Turkish government extradited them back to Russia.
In 2005, Prince Ivan Wrangel, who chose to wield civil power, went on an aggressive attempt to further-modernize Crimea, similar to Prince Mikhail Xishan of Manchuria, by utilize underwater transit system which would connect Crimea to Romania, Greece and Turkey. He made extensive deals with Japanese entrepreneurs to have an underwater maglev system in Crimea. He soon part of the Royal Bureau of Transportation.
Demographics[]
Ethnic Russians form 80% of South Russia's population, Ukrainians, Moldovans, Baltic Germans, Georgians, Greeks and Gagauz. Crimean Tatars now make up a minority in the Principality of Crimea, despite being native to Crimea. The great majority is Russian Orthodox, 92% with Lutherans and Muslims make up the rest. The small German population, mostly Baltic Germans, form the Lutheran population, while Tatars form the Muslim population.
The majority of ethnic Ukrainians live in the northern parts of Crimea, in the city of Armyansk (which is 75% Ukrainian), and Bromzavod (60% Ukrainian). The city of Tiraspol is considered one of the great cities, since Russians, Ukrainians and Moldovans all inhabit the city, at roughly equal percentage, around 25%. Ukrainian and Moldovan are both co-official to Russian in the Transnistria Oblast, while Gagauz is co-official in the Gagauzia Oblast.
Economy[]
The economy of South Russia is one of Russia's most important, and is considered one of the most economically-active regions of Russia. It is also heavily tied to that of neighboring Ukraine, where many Ukrainians continue to do business in Crimea. Citizens from both nations work and do extensive business and contact in one another's nations, given that Russian is co-official in Ukraine. Yugorosskitrek, owned by Prince John I Alexandrovich of Crimea, is the primary international transit system between South Russia, which connects it with Ukraine, as far as Romania and Serbia.
Crimea is considered a tourist hot spot in Russia, and draws in the same amount of tourists akin to Cancun in Mexico or Bali in Indonesia. The Arabat Spit geographically is a small strip of land that divides South Russia from Ukraine, where contact between Russian and Ukrainian citizens is almost daily.
In addition, the Gagauzia Oblast is home to the Russian Empire's wine industry, and is considered a wine capital in Russia, along with the Principality of Georgia. In addition, tourism is also heavily important in South Russia, with the region rich in history, home to many historical palaces and venues. Crimea is a popular "summer spot" and vacation getaway place in Russia.
Transportation[]
South Russia, via Crimea has a rich transportation system. The Grand Crimea Bridge (Большой Крымский мост) connects Crimea to the rest of the Russian mainland.
Education[]
Principalities & Governorates[]
- Crimea
- Luhansk
- Donetsk
- Rostov
- Transnistria and Gagauzia
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