V. The Society of Satisanzia

Although the conquest of the Senimarga by Meyapotina at first did not decide the future of the empire for good, at least it provided an inner stabilisation. The marriage with the niece of the last king and the coronation in the following year made Meyapotina ruler over about two thirds of the Senimarga. The throne pretenders, which had been defeated by Meyapotina's army one after the other, were no threat to the inner peace, either because they had defected to Meyapotina or because the majority of the military leaders had also joined Meyapotina. For a possible leader there was, beside maybe the people of his own tribe, also little prospect for a support by the common people. The cities had completely sided with Meyapotina, as their inhabitants realised that  Meyapotina could and would protect them, and that he moreover granted them the structures of self-government gained during the civil war. The rural population, on the other hand, had to make up for so much because of the ten years of civil war, that the prospect of peace alone sufficed to nip any seduction of rebellion in the bud. Only the landowners, which profited by the Gasatraya-system, would have had some prospect of success, but the threat by the southern princes and the proximity to the tribal area of the Satisante sufficed, to guarantee their cooperation. Furthermore, Meyapotina realised that he could not have abolished this system just like that. Probably he even didn't want to, because his goodwill towards the Pote gained their support of his rule.

Culturally the conquest of the Senimarga by the Satisante had little influence on the society, which developed in the course of the civil war. Although some nobles had acquired land during the conquest of the kingdom, the majority of tribes remained in their old settlement areas, which extended some miles at the expense of the old population though. Since both sides had had to take losses of people by the war, the newly arrived caused no population explosion.

The system of power of the Senimarga also did not change significantly by the conquest at first. Although Meyapotina made use of his Sarannu to uphold the peace in the interior and to prevent an uprise in crime,  for the rest he retained the old structures initially. Although he trimmed back the influence of the Hennêta, he also did not try to rule without this board. Therefore pople could concentrate for the next five years on rebuilding the realm.

In the fifth year after his coronation, Meyapotina resolved to decide the question of the southern part of the Senimarga. Inhowfar he already had plans for the definite design of the empire in mind, is unknown. He moved with an army of the best Sarannu of the Satisante to Salbar. The reason for this were border disputes of the prince of Salbar with his neighbours. Prince Belavargi, who already had made a treaty with Meyapotina in the year of the conquest of Viargaka, asked him for support. Together they defeated an army that three of the eight southern princes had raised together.

Afterwards Belavargi asked for a re-admission of his tribe into the realm. As the only condition to the southern princes, Meyapotina demanded that they meet him for a consultation in Hakrivarg. The ruler of the Senimarga did not even insist on his status as successor to the hereditary ruling house

Still the consultations initially began sluggishly, since the southern princes insisted on their status as independent rulers. Probably Meyapotina developed his idea of the imperial constitution not before these consultations, which were continued in the summer of the following year; maybe he worked out his concept only during the winter- and spring-months. The sources keep silence on this, thus Meyapotina will have developed his plans by and by on his own, maybe in colloboration with his most important advisors.

The treaty of Hakrivarg, which sealed the admission of the southern princes into the empire in the seventh year of Meyapotina's rule, became the founding document of a new state. Although the reform of the empire was further evolved in the following years, with the granting of the title Loinna not only to the southern, but to all tribal princes, the empire of Satisanzia had risen from the remains of the Senimarga. The fact that the Parsha of the empire was no absolute monarch, but more a primus inter pares, will not insignificantly have sweetened the agreement of the southern princes. Yet this constellation also meant a large cultural and legal autonomy for the structure of the empire and the tribes in general. The constitution of an imperial council, where all parties - even the military arm - were represented, did not yet guarantee inner peace, but it made sure that not even a weak Parsha meant the direct disintegration of the empire and the rule. Furthermore a central administrative instance was created with the chancellery, which provided for continuity and gave a further recourse against tribal disputes.

The important question of the continuity of power, which let the Senimarga perish, was regulated in such a manner that the Parsha as Loinna of the Satisante provided for a successor as Loinna, who became his successor in turn, when the Parsha died. If the succession among the Satisante should be undecided, the imperial council would function as advisory board of Satisanzia, until a new Parsha (as Loinna of the Satisante) was chosen. If no decision on the succession of power should take place among the Satisante, the imperial council would chose one of his members as Parsha. But only the Loinna were valid possible successors.

The greatest social change that happened in the following period, had already begun with the civil war during the reign of Salus I.: the self-government of the cities. Here the guilds and associations had got together in councils, where the powerful merchants and craftsmen regulated the government of the cities. While at first the aim was the formation of a proper militia, which was to defend against the danger of war from outside, with the further need to face the other dangers of war, like conflagrations or problems of food supply, the further administration of the cities thusly developed. The task was to settle the question, who was responsible for the removal of problems in certain cases of need, like the repair of damaged houses or official buildings, and how his work input was to be recompensed, etc. If the councils were to be furthermore responsible for  the representation of the cities to the outer world,  further questions had to be resolved, like the division of tasks, the authorisation of individuals for particular tasks, furthermore also the election of the councillors. And although there had also formerly been laws for such cases, in the early period the tribal leaders and their deputies had been the ultimately deciding power.

With the development of Satisanzia, the cities and the councils had to be incorporated into the existing structures in some way. The cities had supported Meyapotina loyally; to take away their independenca again would have brought greater unrest into the young empire. Since the tribal leader at least nominally still were the rulers over the city inhabitants, a conflict between the Loinnu and the cities threatened. Meyapotina had the foresight to gain the economic potential of the cities for his aims, by leaving the councils in his immediate domain (i.e. the proper tribal area of the Satisante and the territories of the Erdulînu gained by his marriage with Rasokapa's niece) their own administration for the most part, although he placed an administrator (Imbèvartta, emissary) in front, who was appointed by the loinna himself. The adminstrator was in the first instance responsible for the levying of taxes, as well as the control of the compliance with the laws, while the councils (Mentara) had relatively free hand for the political tasks of the cities. Meyapotina's example was consequently followed in most parts of the empire.

Beside the development of the administration, the Mentara put their efforts in the boost of trade, which was to strengthen the political power of the cities and to supply the money needed for the inner development. After the twelve-year civil war the people had much to make up for. Here it may be time to give a short overview of the economy of Satisanzia. Generally the society of Satisanzia was for the most part agrarian, with cattle-breeding as key aspect. This economic system had its center in the midlands, the area between the Egarsa, the sea and the Ahipassni. Fishing at the coast was yet of little cnsequence at this time.  Beside cattle-breeding agriculture was of importance in the midlands; it especially dominated in the distribution area of the Gasatraya-system.^Furthermore the Erdulînu also pursued agriculture on a larger scale, while the Satisante gave precedance to cattle-breeding. As in every aristocratic society, the hunt was reserved for nobility.

The area of the Egarsa stood out especially by its ore mines and the processing smithies. Apart from that, sheep-farming was much practised here - as also in the Ahipassni. In the Ahipassni as well as in the coastal regions of the Southsea wine was cultivated. In the Ahipassni there was furthermore an important pottery industry, as well as the processing of cork products because of the extended cork oak forests in the South. At the coast furthermore olive trees and citrus fruits were cultivated. From the southern branches of the Egarsa up to the northern edge of the Ahipassni existed extensive  forests, which were albeit already rather strongly reduced by the time of Meyapotina. The formed the base of the building industry.

After the Parsha had also acquired the last two tribes of the old realm in the Battle of Halisagreya, he installed his sons Viya and Tiarnala as Loinnu of the two tribes, whose old princes had fallen in battle. Although this step constituted a violation of the principles Meyapotina had introduced for Satisanzia, nobody seemd to mind. In the sources of the chancellery at least no protest against this measure is recorded. Why Meyapotina decided on this step is not known. But on the one hand this constituted a widening of the power base of the dynasty, on the other Meyapotina's sons with it owned a power base of their own. After the death of Meyapotina, when Viya became the successor of his father, the son took on the rank of Loinna of the Satisante. Since Viya himself had two sons, the younger one was also provided for, while his eldest ascended the throne in the year 76 a.M. as Viya III. But the annexed tribes were rather small. The Mêrinka (whose Loinna Tiarnala became) lived at the sea, as the name tells, actually south of Halisagrêya. The Gamêratte on the other hand lived further southeast of Halisageêyya at the edge of the empie; they were farmers.

In the second half of Meyapotina's reign the next important development also announced itself: the burgeoning conflict with the Fergiartu proper. Initially it was only a limited conflict and nobody could have imagined that this would one day result in an important part of the identity of the Fergiartan people. At first there were singular robberies and attacks. Cattle was stolen and trade caravans were robbed of their goods. Later happened single skirmishes between bandits and Fergiartan troops, as the military arm of the local tribe (the Divasûni) intervened on behalf of the security of its own territory. The conflict began to widen not before the year 12 a.M., when prince Vargeva advanced up to the Egarsa. But this involved smaller local tribes and cities more than Satisanzia itself. The empire itself was more occupied with the conquest of the last two tribal areas of the Senimarga and later on the succession of Meyapotina, as if it paid greater attention to the advance of the Fergiartu.

(To be continued...)