Minṭu

From Almeopedia

• Minṭu

Minṭu [ˈmin ʈu] is an island, and its chief city, in the Skourene Sea. Its history is one of short periods of independence interspersed with long periods of domination by other powers; it has changed hands many many times.

The island was settled, sometime in the third century, by Skourene settlers from various cities; it remained independent in order to maintain the balance of power between the rivalrous city-states. Around 600 Minṭu adopted Kolatimand's revolutionary new form of government. Life on the island was quiet until it was conquered by the upstart Kuḷiŋiboriki in 822. When Kuḷiŋibor split from the Mudric Confederacy in 975, Minṭu fought off both powers and established itself as leader of the short-lived Island League. Axunai invaded Skouras in the twelfth century, and took Minṭu in 1115; Axunemi nobles ruled the island until the early 1400s, finally being ousted by local Skourenes. Peligi established sovereignty over the island in 1505, holding it until Gurdago invaded in 1639.

Minṭu was a Gurdagor possession until Tžuro conquests in Skouras made its holdings there unfeasible; the island became independent once again in the 1800s or 1900s.

Over the next millenium, Minṭu was conquered by Kurilan, Čisra (c.2200), and Xurno (2750). For a brief period after the Xurnese left Skouras, it was independent, only to be conquered by Muranal (c.2900) and the Uṭandal League (c.3000). When the Uṭandal League collapsed in 3154, Minṭu once more became independent, until Luṭay took it (c.3300). A resurgent Čisran state conquered Minṭu in 3472, and there it remains today.

Etymology: Old Skourene ‘they rejoiced’, Uṭandal Minṭu, Tžuro and Ver. Minču, Ṭeôši Miṭṭ.