Kardashtuku has a seven-party system

Language and Culture

Kardashtuku is widely considered a Turkic nation. Its people commonly celebrate Turkic tradition and heritage. Although, this isn't to say that Kardashtuku doesn't share much with many other cultures. Because of Kardashtuku's location in Europe, it garnered massive influence from both Slavic and Germanic languages, religions, and cultures. A sizable percentage of Kardashtuku adhere to the Christian and Islamic faiths, but the majority describe themselves as agnostic or atheist. While the Muslim population still makes up a large part of Kardashtuku, it experienced a decline over the 19th and 20th centuries. 

After the fall of the Soviet Union, the language of Kardaka steadily switched from the Cyrillic to the Latin alphabet. Kardashtuku even pulled many letters from Turkey's alphabet. One thing to note is that modern Kardaka is not considered a Turkic language by many academics. The government of Kardashtuku began to construct Modern Kardaka in the 1800s to reform the language of Kardashtuku. Because of the nation's linguistic diversity, people began to use Russian as a unifying language, so the government created modern Kardaka to displace Russian influence and instill national pride. 

Modern Kardaka draws influence mostly from old Kardaka and other Kipchak languages like Kazakh, but it also has many loan words from Slavic, Germanic, and Romance languages. Sentence structure is often in the Subject-Object-Verb format, but it is possible to write it in the Subject-Verb-Object format. It is also an agglutinative language.

Old-Kardaka was a Turkic language largely in use within the Kardashtuku kingdom from the late 1500s to 1945 when Kardashtuku was annexed into the Soviet Union. Under the Soviet Union, the already long-endangered language went completely extinct and Russian took its place. Old-Kardaka was already almost extinct anyway, and around the end of the 1800s, the Kardashtuku government was already constructing New-Kardaka, which would be used to eventually replace Old-Kardaka. New-Kardaka was based mainly on Old-Kardaka but was influenced largely by other languages. Once the Soviet Union collapsed, large anti-Russian sentiment led to the complete implementation of New-Kardaka. Eventually, Kardaka would overtake Russian as the most spoken language in Kardashtuku. Old-Kardaka was comparable to languages like Tatar and Bashkir and was a part of the Kipchak family of Turkic languages.  New-Kardaka has similarities to other Turkic languages but its status as a constructed language makes it not technically Turkic.

Etymology

The name Kardashtuku is an Anglicized version of the Kardaka name, Kardiştüğü, which is pronounced more like 'Kard-ish-to-who.' This name was coined by scholars when the Kardaka Empire was first founded. Since it was only known by its ethnic name, the Kardaka, its political name was half-improvised. It was originally called the Kardiştaharzusu, meaning something along the lines of "Kardaka-desired-appetite" because of their expansionist policies. This name became Kardişarzusu, then Kardişuzu, then finally Kardiştüğü. 

Now, on the etymology of "Kardaka," it goes back to when they first settled the land. One debunked theory stated that it derived from an old Turkic word for brother, "kardeş." Another more recognized theory is that it derived from Old Turkic for "blood in the snow" (Qarda qan) and evolved from there. It's also possible for it to have derived from "in the snow" alone (Qarda). It's unknown what the actual etymology for Kardaka is. 

Early Settlement (1000s–1400s) 

The Kardaka Turks were the original people of Kardashtuku. During the eleventh century, they mass migrated from the central Asian steppes to where Kardashtuku is today through the Cuman-Kipchak confederation.  Kardashtuku, as a political entity, was formed around 600 years ago after splitting from the Golden Horde and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. The early history of Kardashtuku saw a constant state of war that came close to destroying the nation. The first big nation Kardashtuku allied with was Novgorod, and they soon united under Kardashtuku-Novgorod. Novgorod slowly became more unstable, and eventually, Kardashtuku would drop the name "Kardashtuku-Novgorod" and fully form the Empire of Kardashtuku.

Imperial Expansion (1400s–1549)

Kardashtuku would start a militarist tradition of aggressive expansion. All this led to the conquering of land in Germany, Turkey, the Caucasus, and some parts of Scandinavia. One key factor in its success was its highly effective calvary they referred to as the Silver Sword. They would also hire large amounts of mercenaries and give promotions based on skill rather than lineage. 

They later allied with Hungary, which at the time was the second most powerful nation in Europe, holding control over the entire region of the Balkans. 

At the time, most of Italy was divided into many small nation-states, and Kardashtuku saw this as an easy chance to expand, so they invaded through the south and were pushed to a halt at Rome. The Italians started using guerilla warfare against the Kardashtuku Empire. They were standing their ground well against the behemoth; however, Kardashtuku sent troops through the Alps and destroyed the remaining (professional) Italian army. Guerilla warfare in local populations became a strain on Kardashtuku's expansion over the years.

France, the Ottomans, Spain, and the remainder of the HRE had their independence threatened by the Kardashtuku Empire, but what happened in Northern Italy showed weakness in Kardashtuku. The Ottomans negotiated with several European powers to form a coalition against Kardashtuku. They all began their invasion around 1549.

Kardashtuku was crushed by this and had to surrender. It would lose most of its land but be allowed to keep its king.

Kingdom Period (1549–1801)

This period is marked by Russian appeasement and obedience. Despite this, many administrative and religious reforms were made, modernizing Kardashtuku. This period of time saw the early secularizing reforms of Fevzi and Cuneyt, which are still hallmarks of the Kardaka political system today. 

First Republic (1801–1923)

The First Republic of Kardashtuku was a parliamentary constitutional republic. This period saw Kardashtuku building relations with several of the major world powers, such as the USA and Russia. This period also saw the beginning of the construction of the new Kardaka language. At the end of this period, in 1923, Kardashtuku became a satellite state of the newly-formed Soviet Union. It was renamed the Kardashtuku (Kardaka) Soviet Socialist Republic.

Soviet Puppet State (1923–1991)

During its time as a Soviet Puppet State, Kardashtuku had undergone a civil war (with the Silver Sword), a rebellion (with Sohes), and an attempted coup (with the Silver Sword again). Luckily, as it was under the protection of the Soviet army, none of these were successful. Kardashtuku during this period saw many of the downsides and benefits that the other Soviet states did. Both of the anthems were written during this period as well. The first anthem of Kardashtuku is called Kardiştüğü Kışü and was written by an unknown person. It was written in 1945 after the fall of Kardashtuku City to the Soviets. The first verse is about Kardashtuku, and the second is about the Silver Sword. The Soviet Kardaka Anthem and the Silver Sword Anthem were written by the same composer years later (named Kardiştüğü Söşıt Juşösin and Çölş Kışü) Kardashtuku was briefly a German puppet state but was eventually reannexed into the Soviet Union in 1945. Kardashtuku had to be very obedient to the Soviets in order to keep its autonomy; however, many citizens still protested for independence. Kardashtuku city was split in half after the Soviet Union stole some territory from them. Sohes started fighting for its freedom in 1976. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Kardashtuku struggled a lot with many extremist organizations like the neo-communists and the Silver Sword.

Second Republic (1991–1999) 

The Second Republic of Kardashtuku was a short-lived republic that formed after the Soviet union collapsed. The main event of this period was the First Kardaka-Belarusian Conflict, occurring right after both states gained independence. The First Kardaka-Belarusian Conflict was a short war that saw Belarus annexing the regions of Belarusian New Hungary and North Kardashtuku. In 1996, Sohes declared its independence and went unrecognized as a foreign territory for years. The republic was overthrown in 1999 by the Silver Sword regime. The regime was able to easily overthrow the government because of the Sohes independence war. It is also worth noting that the king of Kardashtuku at the time had been assassinated by a Sohes extremist. 

Silver Sword (1999–2008)

The Silver Sword was a Fascist political movement in western Kardashtuku (Specifically Zanden County). The movement leaders were the Riscovvs, who claimed to be related to the original royal family of Kardashtuku. The Silver regime was known for its brutality and authoritarian nature. It was also well known that Belarus heavily supported the Silver Sword regime in weapons and in policies. In return for their support, the Silver Sword allowed Belarus to take some Slavic-majority land. There were three attempted revolutions between 1925 and 1998: The first revolution was a failed civil war, the second revolution was called "The Bloodier Sword" or "Ghuğ Hşesioıa Swöğerd"; it was a coup d'etat attempted by the Silver Sword regime in 1963. It was unsuccessful because the mercenaries had been given the go to invade the capital before being fully prepared and instead killed 208 civilians and 23 of the royal guard. The mercenaries were captured and sentenced to death.

Finally, on October 7th, 1998, the Silver Sword found their chance to strike after the Sohes declared independence from Kardashtuku in 1996. The Silver Mercenaries (renamed the Silver Royal Army) had set up on a front line along the border of Zanden County and began invading the surrounding counties. Because the Kardashtuku Royal Army was in Sohes, the untrained militia had a better chance at victory than ever before. The Silver Sword's top general (Lojone) commanded the first army in the center of Zanden and planned to push directly for the Capital city but was halted along the way. Lojone went with a lighting-warfare-esque strategy. He asked each army to take as much land as possible but to stop before reaching the eastern side of Kardashtuku. He created a massive front line that controlled Fisuity County, Laveat County, Zanden County, Silent County, Kard County, New Hungary, and Great County. The Kardashtuku army owned New Poland, Roldof County, Riscovv County, Lintil County, Southern County, and King County. Kardashtuku (having less equipment) fell one year and two months later on December 9th, 1999. The war lasted one year, two months, and two days, for a grand total of 428 days.

Eventually, after Silver troops entered the Capital, Kardashtuku surrendered to the regime, and most of the royal army either joined the SRA or the closest resistance movements. There were eight known resistance movements: The Kardashtuku Royal Resistance, the Kardashtuku Right, the Republican Army Resistance, the Silent Resistance, the Riscovv Resistance, the Zanden Royalist, the King's Army Rebellion, and the Silver Dagger. 

During the Silver Sword Regime, Sohes was reannexed and brutally suppressed. A year after it defeated the Silver Sword, Kardashtuku granted Sohes independence, financially aided them, and gave them military protection to make up for the oppression of the Silver Sword. The aiding of Sohes is a complicated and controversial subject, especially among older people.

Third Republic (2008~)

Beginning around 2006, the United States began supplying resistance movements in major Kardaka cities. On March 12th, 2006, these resistance movements grew to control entire cities. The most prominent revolutionary groups occupied several large cities and even entire regions. This was the beginning of the second Kardashtuku Civil War. It peaked on February 11th, 2008, when Danijel Lintil, the leader of the Silver Sword, was assassinated, and Kardashtuku fell into complete revolution. This day is considered Kardashtuku's "independence day" and is now an important national holiday. The war lasted for one year, ten months, and thirty days, for a grand total of 701 days. After the Silver Sword Regime collapsed, the resistance armies decided to march into Belarus and retake stolen land. The invasion was a massive victory for Kardashtuku leading to the retaking of all their lost territories. 

After the war, Kardashtuku was able to stabilize its economy and political system. After some talks at the UN, they got granted some land partitioned by the Soviet Union. It was the first time in over 60 years that Kardashtuku City was under the complete jurisdiction of the Kardashtuku Republic, and it immediately became the capital again. The city became a hotspot for companies and businesses to set up headquarters. Eventually, the "Kardashtuku Corporation Union" formed, which contributed more to its economic development. Kardashtuku joined the UN a little after its formation. Kardashtuku joined the EU in 2012 and kept good relations with the rest of Europe. Kardashtuku attempted to join NATO in 1991, but their proximity to Russia acted as a disqualifier. Today, the US and Kardashtuku have a strong relationship as the US aided Kardashtuku in the fight against the Silver Sword.

Relations

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Kardashtuku distanced itself further away from Russia and most other post-soviet countries. Many people in Kardashtuku protested relations with Russia, especially during the leadership of Putin. Belarus has been attempting to improve relations with Kardashtuku since the civil war, but anti-Belarusian sentiment is still common in Kardashtuku. Kardashtuku holds close ties with most nations in the EU, especially Germany. They also have good relations with the Scandinavian countries. Two of their biggest allies have to be Turkey and the US. Turkey and the US had historically supported them through most of their problems.

Border Conflicts

Kardashtuku has eight official disputes: four with Russia, three with Belarus, and one with the Autonomous Republic of Sohes. The biggest Russian dispute is for the northern part of Kardashtuku City, which was annexed into Russia during the Soviet times. Eventually, the city would be granted back to Kardashtuku, but the Russian government still claims it to be legally theirs.

The second border dispute with Russia is the Northern and Southern Karolien regions. Northern Karolie was annexed as a part of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic. Because Kardashtuku was a Soviet state at the time, it didn't really matter. Southern Karolien was annexed as a part of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic in 1951. The final dispute with Russia was the Greater Kardashtuku dispute, which was for the region of Greater Kardashtuku. Greater Kardashtuku was annexed in 1968 after a somewhat messy exchange between the two countries. The original agreement was actually lost; nevertheless, the messiness of the situation led the UN to favor Kardashtuku in 2011 -------

The Belarusian disputes were some of the more controversial ones. The first one is the New Hungary dispute. New Hungary is a small region in southwestern Kardashtuku that contains a majority population of Belarusians. The region was annexed into Belarus in the First Kardaka-Belarusian Conflict, but it was taken back by Kardashtuku in the Second Kardaka-Belarusian Conflict. Belarus has not made an official statement on the annexation of New Hungary, so for now it is considered a disputed territory despite being under the complete control of Kardashtuku. The second one is the North Zanden Dispute. North Zanden is a large chunk of land taken by Belarus in the First Kardashtuku Civil War. Kardashtuku officially took it back in the Second Kardaka-Belarusian Conflict; but once again, Belarus has refused to acknowledge any annexation. The third and final dispute is the North Kardashtuku Dispute. North Kardashtuku is an area of Kardashtuku that connects it with Lithuania. It is considered to be one of the most essential pieces of land in Kardashtuku because it essentially connects Kardashtuku to the entire European Union. Without Northern Kardashtuku, it is isolated entirely by Belarus and Russia. Kardashtuku took back North Kardashtuku in the Second Kardaka-Belarusian Conflict.

Each Monarch

Roldof the General (Reigned: 1398-1441)

Kardashtuku gained independence from Poland-Lithuania in 1391. For a brief time, Kardashtuku had no apparent king. It was mostly a blend of generals fighting for the sovereignty of Kardashtuku and the right to rule. One of these generals was Roldof Lintil, who became renowned for his ability to fend off armies almost three times the size of his own. The Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth was compelled to give up its assault against Kardashtuku, establishing the start of its long-lasting legacy. Kardashtuku fought against the Golden Horde for about 30 years in what was known as “the Puny Wars of the East”. Roldof showed his knowledge as a general once again during these wars, consistently overpowering his opposition on the battlefield. He declared himself king of Kardashtuku in 1398, following the defeat of the Commonwealth. 

In 1441, the Golden Horde attempted a massive invasion of Kardashtuku. Luckily the nation of Novgorod was willing to help Kardashtuku in its fight against the Golden Horde. With the combined might of Kardashtuku and Novgorod, the Golden Horde was overwhelmed and defeated. Sadly though, Roldof died later that year, leaving a succession crisis behind. Roldof’s only direct heir was Laveat, who became sick with tuberculosis and died in 1463; the closest heir they could find was Laveat’s second nephew, Riscovv Fisuity. 

Laveat the Diseased (Reigned: 1441-1463)

Laveat ruled over Kardashtuku for 22 years; those 22 years were void of any expansion. Laveat became sick very often and never really had the chance to fight in any wars. None of this is to say he wasn’t a talented general; he actually had a lot of experience fighting alongside his father in multiple battles. He would eventually succumb to his illnesses and die of tuberculosis in 1463.

Riscovv the Great (Reigned: 1463-1483)

Riscovv was significantly disliked for the first few years of his reign. He was described as unroyal. He only became more disliked among the populace when he abruptly declared war on the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in 1471. Although, his infamy would turn into glory in 1475, when he was able to win the war and annex the remnants of the Commonwealth. It is also worth mentioning that he formed a union with Novgorod called Kardashtuku-Novgorod. More importantly, he established an alliance with the Hungarian Empire in 1480; this alliance would be the most important in all of Kardashtuku’s history. 

Zanden the Conqueror (Reigned: 1483-1523)

When Riscovv died, he left his son, Zanden Fisuity, with a precarious empire. Zanden had the pressure on him to be even greater than his predecessors, so his first line of action was to secure his borders. Kardashtuku’s southern border with the Ottomans was being defended by the Hungarians, but his northern and eastern enemies were left with the ability to sweep through vital parts of his empire. His first decision was to wipe out the Grand Duchy of Muscovy to the East and prepare for a war against the Danes to the north. He easily overwhelmed Muscovy and annexed it into the empire. He then continued his eastern expansion into the vestiges of the Golden Horde. This eastern conquest saw the annexation of massive amounts of land, from Crimea to parts of modern-day Kazakhstan. In 1495, Kardashtuku and Hungary both invaded the Ottoman empire and annexed a majority of the Balkans. The Ottoman Empire retaliated by setting the groundwork for a league they called the anti-Kardashtuku League. Zanden was not done yet, he still had the threat of the Danes to the north. Starting in 1521, he heavily funded Swedish rebels and declared war on the Danish Empire. The war lasted until 1523 when at this point he had destroyed the entire Danish Empire. Sweden would remain an important ally of Kardashtuku for years to come. Zanden was assassinated by Danish rebels later in 1523; he went down in history as the first true Kardaka Emperor. 

Please note that from here on out I use the name "Kardashtuku-Novgorod" to refer to Kardashtuku on the map. Kardashtuku-Novgorod is just the official name of the Kardashtuku Empire, which was only referred to as an empire late into the 1800s when nationalism was on the rise. Also please note that Novgorod had little to no power within the Kardashtuku Empire at this point in history.

Zanden II (Reigned: 1523-1524)

Zanden II was brought up to be the perfect successor to Zanden. The few things we know about Zanden II are pulled from his short personal diary. He had ambitions to further federalize the empire like his father and turn it into an economic power. His expectations were unrealistic, and he was already on death’s doorstep when he became king. He died only a year into his reign, and he was unable to fulfill his dreams. 

Dallik the Young (Reigned: 1524-1550)

Dallik Fisuity’s reign saw expansion into the HRE and expansion into the Italian peninsula, but overextension was becoming a glaring issue in the empire. Kardashtuku reached its territorial peak around 1530 when they formed a union with Hungary and invaded most of central Europe. Kardashtuku’s peak was immediately followed by its quick collapse. 

Under Dallik Fisuity’s reign, the anti-Kardashtuku coalition had spread across most of Europe, with many countries eager for the collapse of Kardashtuku. When it was obvious that Kardashtuku had no possible way of defending itself against this coalition, Hungary left the union and declared war on Kardashtuku. Finnish revolts ravaged Kardashtuku’s northern ally, Sweden, and Ottoman janissaries began invading through the Balkans. Kardashtuku city was sieged in 1550 and Kardashtuku would become a sovereign state once again in 1555.

Fevzi (Reigned: 1550-1589)

Fevzi was the first king to rule after the collapse of the empire. The days of Kardaka glory were over; there would be no more empire, and he knew this. He played the role of an administrator and diplomat in Kardashtuku’s rebuilding stage. He established good relations with the Russian Empire and even formed the Russo-Kardaka Pact, which guaranteed mutual protection for both nations. This was the start of centuries of Russian appeasement where Kardashtuku would provide resources and manpower for Russia in order to continue to be sovereign. Fevzi also began implementing religious freedom in order to keep a religious civil war from happening. Fevzi’s mosque was created during this time and would remain Kardashtuku’s biggest mosque to this day. Fevzi died of an unspecified illness in 1589. 

Fredrick/Alikhan (Reigned: 1589-1624)

Fredrick’s real name was Alikhan, but he was known by many as Fredrick. This is why he is not technically considered Fredrick I. Alikhan was another diplomat. He mainly expanded on Fevzi’s foreign policy and kept up relations with Russia.

Cuneyt the Great (Reigned: 1624-1679)

Cuneyt was very liked among the people of Kardashtuku. He played a large role in Kardashtuku's rebuilding. He expanded religious freedom and human rights in Kardashtuku. He was somewhat anti-Russian, but he couldn’t do anything about the now massive Russian Empire. Cuneyt’s temple was the first multi-religious temple ever built in Kardashtuku.

Fredrick I (Reigned: 1679-1735)

Fredrick I was a very average ruler. He just continued what his predecessors started.

Aytac (Reigned: 1735-1742)

Aytac was considered very greedy and hateful. He disliked the reforms that were being brought to Kardashtuku. Fortunately, he was very lazy and never did anything while in leadership. He abdicated the throne in 1742. 

Cuneyt II (Reigned: 1742-1780)

Cuneyt II was another administrator. He formed a parliament to do some of the administration for him. 

Cuneyt III (Reigned: 1780-1822)

Drawing inspiration from France and the USA, Cuneyt III helped establish the first Republic of Kardashtuku in 1801. He became the first constitutional monarch of Kardashtuku. 

Mehtap, Georgy, Fredrick II, Grigory, Johanna, Fredrick III, Charles, and Kard (1822-)

All had little impact on the governance of Kardashtuku due to their position as constitutional monarchs. Some interesting facts about some of them:

Johanna was the first queen of Kardashtuku and was also the first monarch to be in power during the Soviet Union. She had to flee Kardashtuku when it was under the control of the German Reich. Kard lived in the UK for the entirety of the Silver Sword Regime. He was restored as king in 2008 by the Third Kardashtuku Republic, so he technically had two separate periods of leadership. 

Kardashtuku’s sovereignty would be constantly threatened by the Russian Empire from the 1600s to the 1800s. Kardashtuku managed to stay independent until World War Two when they were turned into a puppet state under the German Reich. Kardashtuku would be liberated and subjugated by the Soviet Union in 1945. 

Simple Kardashtuku Timeline

1391- Kardashtuku is founded from the rubble of Muscovy and Poland-Lithuania

1463- The Fisuity royal lineage begins

1530- Kardashtuku is at its peak

1550- Kardashtuku falls to the Anti-Kard coalition and is allowed some land and the king lives

September 20th, 1925- First Silver Sword revolution happens and is extremely unsuccessful

May 19th, 1963- Second Silver Revolution happens and causes the event of "The Bloodier Sword" killing 200 civilians.

August 28th, 1976- Sohes war of independence

March 1st, 1980- Sohes loses the first war of independence

October 30th, 1991- Kardashtuku gains independence from the Soviet Union.

January 21st, 1996- Sohes declares independence from Kardashtuku.

October 7th, 1998- The Third Silver Revolution happens

December 9th, 1999- Kardashtuku is officially overtaken by the Silver Sword

March 12th, 2006- The fight against the Silver Sword begins.

February 11th, 2008- Kardashtuku is liberated

2010- Kardashtuku becomes an economic power

June 6th, 2011- WINCORP relocates its business to Kardashtuku

February 11th, 2016- WINCORP City, "Golden Fire" is founded in Kardashtuku.

2018- Kardashtuku's first map was drawn (Meta)

2019- Kardashtuku's first website was made (Meta)

2020- Kardashtuku official map is made (Meta)

2021- Kardashtukuweb is made. Kardashtuku is also added to Saga Risutu (Meta)

Name changes

Time period: Modern English Name (Common name used in Kardashtuku at the time)

1391-1475: Kingdom of Kardashtuku (Kardaštukų Karalystė or Kardaştugu Patşalığı)

1475-1549: Empire of Kardashtuku or Kardashtuku-Novgorod (Kardaştugu ïmperïyası or Kardaştugu-Novgorod)

1550-1801: Kingom of Kardashtuku (Kardaştugu Patşalığı or Кардаштуку патшалығы)

1801-1813: First Republic of Kardashtuku (Kardaştugu Respwblïkası or Кардаштуку Республикасы)

1813-1909: Republic of Kardakistan (Республика Кардакистан or Repüblıkökon Kardakistan)

1909-1945: First Republic of Kardashtuku (Республика Кардаштуку or Repüblıkökon Kardiştüğü)

1945-1964: Kardian Soviet Socialist Republic (Кардиан ССР)

1964-1991: Kardashtuku Soviet Socialist Republic (Кардаштуку ССР or Кардаштуку Сѡшит Републик)

1991-1999: Second Republic of Kardashtuku (Републикѡкон Кардаштуку or Repüblıkökon Kardiştüğü)

1999-2008: Silver Sword Regime (Kardiştüğü Grendçıkkıö or Şivüer Swöğerd Çölöş)

2008~: Third Republic of Kardashtuku (Repüblıkökon Kardiştüğü)

Themes:

The cycle of war and peace, power, and government