| Republic of Man | |
| 979 – | |
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| Anthem "O Land of Our Birth" | |
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| Capital | Douglas |
| Official language | English |
| State ideology | Social-Democracy |
| Government | Parlamentary Democracy |
| Head of State | President |
| Head of Government | Prime Minister |
| Area | 572 km2 (claimed as of 2010) |
| Population | 5,900,000 (est.) |
| Currency | Manx Pound (£) |
History[]
Ancient times to Pre-Plague[]
The earliest traces of people on the Isle of Man can be found as far back as the Mesolithic Period, also known as the Middle Stone Age. The first residents lived in small natural shelters, hunting, fishing and gathering for their food. They used small tools made of flint or bone, which have been found near the coast. Representatives of these artifacts are kept at the Manx Museum.[citation needed] The Neolithic Period marked the coming of knowledge of farming, better stone tools and pottery. It was during this period that Megalithic Monuments began to appear around the island. Examples from this period can be found at Cashtal yn Ard near Maughold, King Orry's Grave in Laxey, Meayll Circle near Cregneash, and Ballaharra Stones in St. John's. The Megaliths were not the only culture during this time, there were also the local Ronaldsway and Bann cultures.[citation needed] During the Bronze Age, the large communal tombs of the Megaliths were replaced with smaller burial mounds. Bodies were put in stone lined graves along with ornamental containers. The Bronze Age burial mounds created long lasting markers about the countryside. The Iron Age marked the beginning of Celtic cultural influence. Large hill forts appeared on hill summits, and smaller promontory forts along the coastal cliffs, while large timber-framed roundhouses were built. It is likely that the first Celtic tribes to inhabit the Island were of the Brythonic variety. Around AD 700 it is assumed that Irish invasion or immigration formed the basis of the early Manx population. This is evident in the change in language used in Ogham inscriptions. Manx Gaelic remains closely related to Irish and Scots Gaelic.
Viking settlement of the Isle of Man began at the end of the 8th century. The Vikings established Tynwald and introduced many land divisions that still exist. They also left the Manx Runestones. Although the Manx language does contain Norse influences, they are few. The Norse Kingdom of Mann and the Isles was created by Godred Crovan in 1079 after the Battle of Skyhill. During Viking times, the islands of this kingdom were called the Súðreyjar or Sudreys ("southern isles") in contrast to the Norðreyjar ("northern isles") of Orkney,Shetland and the Hebrides. This later became Anglicised as Sodor. The Church of England diocese is still called the Diocese of Sodor and Man although it only covers Mann. (When the Rev. W.V. Awdry wrote The Railway Series, he invented the island of Sodor as an imaginary island located between the Isle of Man and the Cumbrian coast.) In 1266, as dictated in the Treaty of Perth, Norway's King Magnus VI ceded the isles to Scotland. The Isle of Man came under English control in the 14th century. During this period the Isle was dominated by the Stanley family, who also held the title of Earl of Derby, who had been given possession of Man by King Henry IV. In 1703 the Act of Settlement secured peasant rights and marked the beginning of a move away from feudal government. In 1765, however, the British Crown secured a greater control over the island, without incorporating it into Great Britain, laying the grounds for the island's status as a Crown dependency. In 1866 greater autonomy was restored to the island's parliament and a full transition to democracy began. The Isle quickly developed as a finance centre and tourist destination, becoming increasingly prosperous during the 20th century. During both the First and Second World Wars the island was used as a location for internment campsfor Central Powers or Axis citizens and suspected sympathizers.
The Plague[]
When the flu hit in 2010 the government of the Isle of Man was one of the few to react quickly. Just 26 days after the first death the government decided to close its borders. The small semi-independent nation watched as the world around it collapsed, yet succeeded in maintaining its infistructier. As the only authority left in the British isles the Isle of Man was forced to deal with some 5.6 million survivors desperate for help. In theses early months two important factors helped stop mass starvation and death. The first was In vitro meat and other laboratory grown foods. Perfected by scientists from New York City, who had arrived on a Us Destroyer this technology allowed the Manx government too feed the masses of people flooding to its borders. The seconded was the Royal Navy. Britain's Navy was ordered by the now diseased head of the armed forces to stay away from all population centers and to deny anyone permission to board their ships in the hope that they could return to the UK and provide aid once most of the infection had gone. After receiving a radio transition calling for all survivors to trel to the Isle of Man the fleet decided to do just that. The Navel vessels had vital abilities, medical facilities to put most modern hospitals to shame, advanced communication facilities, water purifiers, aviation capacities and weapons. When the navy arrived 15 months after the UK collapsed manx scientists were immediately put to work at distinguishing those personal that were immune to the plague and those that had simply avoided infection. All immune crew members were moved to the aircraft carriers and amphibious assault ships, vessels that would need to take on potentially infected people. The Republic of man had a far harder time surviving than most of the rest of the world. This is because of the Bull, predators caused by the plague infecting highland cows. The Bull prevented efforts to place people on larger land masses. 2 years after the start of the plague, with 90% of the former United Kingdoms population now dead, Manx scientists succeeded in creating a vaccine for the virus. With all non-immune naval crew members now vaccinated the small nation was finally able to start fighting back against the Bull. Soon the islands of Arran and Anglesey as well as the cities of Bangor and Belfast were cleared of the Bull and safe to inhabit and the military was working on clearing Bute.