Borgosesian Theykans

Borgosesian Theykans (: Borgotheykani or Borgo-Theykani) are citizens of Kingdom of Theyka who are of Borgosesian descent. The vast majority of Borgosesian Theykans reside on the Lipari Islands in the southeast of of the Theykan archipelago.

Early migration (1880 - 1925)


The first instances of Borgosesian migration to Theyka began near the end of the 19th century. In 1880, ten years after the Republic of Borgosesia gained independence from Gardarike, the Borgosesian economy was in an upswing spurred by the discovery of natural gas in the country. Newfound political independence and economic success led to talks of business expansion among enterprising Borgosesians. Among the most prominent Borgosesian capitalist of the time was Sabazio La Sala, whose family pioneered the manufacturing and shipping industries in Borgosesia. La Sala and several other leaders in the burgeoning Borgosesian economy formed the Consortium for Western Export (Consorzio per l'Esportazione Occidentale) to identify markets untapped by Borgosesians and to pave the way for the export economy of Borgosesia. The Consortium for Western Export and its members were motivated partially by economic growth and partially by patriotism, as a core belief of the organization was that Borgosesia was ready to assert itself on the world stage.

Sabazio La Sala identified the Kingdom of Theyka as a promising location for creating a business foothold in Avalonia. Theyka, which had only gained its independence a few decades prior to Borgosesia, was considered to be in an ideal location for shipping across Avalonia. La Sala and a group of settlers traveled to Theyka in 1880 to settle on the Theykan Lipari Islands. La Sala and his group purchased several parcels of land from the Theykan government on the larger, southernmost island to develop a community there, which they named Lucerna. The city was almost entirely developed and managed by the Consortium for Western Export, and its settlers were virtually all employed by the consortium. From 1880 to 1890, the settlement of Lucerna grew rapidly as settlers from Borgosesia traveled to settle in the community and to work for the Consortium for Western Export. In addition, Lucerna featured an impressive shipyard constructed by the Consortium for Western Export. Lucerna grew to be a prominent city for imports and exports between central Avalonia and central Artemia.



In 1892, the natural gas boom in Borgosesia collapsed, leading to a severe economic recession, and later depression, in Borgosesia. The economic effects of the recession were felt on the Lipari Islands in the Borgosesian settlements. The import and export of goods between Borgosesia and Theyka reduced drastically, leading to a near collapse of the local economy. Thousands of Borgosesians returned home. Those who remained turned to alternative forms of employment in agriculture and logging. In 1893, the Consortium for Western Export was bankrupt.

Though it was effectively a de facto colony of Borgosesia while owned by the Consortium for Western Export, Lucerna began to operate independently of Borgosesia after the economic depression. The Borgosesians who remained on the island began to integrate more closely into its Theykan identity while retaining Borgosesian language and traditions.

Borgosesian Revolution refugee migration (1925 - 1927)
From the beginning of the 20th century to the outbreak of the Borgosesian Revolution, political tensions in Borgosesia were high. In the years leading up to the revolution, the Communist Party of Borgosesia was rapidly gaining electoral popularity in the Republic of Borgosesia. Borgosesia was experiencing deep-rooted political and economic issues. As a result, from around the turn of the century to the start of the Grand Campaigns, a slow, yet steady, stream of migrants left Borgosesia for Theyka to flee hardship and political violence.

At the outbreak of the Borgosesian Revolution in December 1925, several thousand Borgosesians opposed to the new communist regime began to flee Borgosesia on planes, ocean liners, and private vessels. While many traveled to other Artemian destinations, a significant portion of them traveled to Theyka at the prospect of living among Borgosesian-speaking people in a Borgosesian culture.

The largest migration of Borgosesians from Borgosesia to Theyka occurred on December 29, just two days before the collapse of the Republic of Borgosesia. Before the fall of Seso to the communists, a flotilla of the Republic of Borgosesia Navy, led by Admiral Pierluigi Passalacqua, organized an evacuation of those wishing to flee the country. Passalacqua managed to defect with two frigates, six patrol boats, several support ships, along with several private vessels and ocean liners carrying passengers. Passalacqua and his evacuation fleet sailed to the Kingdom of Theyka. Upon arriving in Yivanna, Passalacqua officially surrendered the fleet to the Theykan authorities and requested on behalf of the approximately 15,000 refugees. The government of the Kingdom of Theyka accepted the request, transferring control of the military ships to its own navy and resettling the refugees on the Lipari Islands.

Following the collapse of the Republic of Borgosesia on December 31 1925 and the entry of Borgosesia into the Central Artemian People's State (CAPS), the Government of the Republic of Borgosesia in exile based itself in Lucerna. The presence of the government in exile in Theyka strained relations between Theyka and the CAPS.

Though the flow of people leaving Borgosesia dropped drastically after the Borgosesian Revolution, a steady flow of migrants persisted for a few years after. Following the establishment of federal governance in Theyka in 1927, the Theykan government formally recognized the Borgosesian language as a regional language and gave it official status on the Lipari Islands.

Late 20th century to contemporary era
The collapse of the Central Artemian People's State in 1951 was followed by the establishment of the Borgosesian People's Republic. Borgosesian Theykans largely denounced the new socialist government. Travel and trade restrictions were put in place by Borgosesia to prevent further resettlement in Theyka.

By 1951, Borgosesian Theykans had become largely integrated into Theykan society, although their language, culture, and religion remained somewhat insular. The development of Borgosesian Theykan culture began to diverge significantly from that in Borgosesia proper, due in part to the more multi-cultural nature of Theyka versus the comparably homogeneous nature of Borgosesia. This is reflected in the cuisine and dialect of Borgosesian Theykans, which is influenced by Anglic and Agranian.

Since 2000, relations between Theyka and Borgosesia have improved. Travel and trade restrictions have been lifted, and there are now several hundred Borgosesian nationals living in and visiting Theyka.

Enrico Zarrara
Born from Francesco Zarrara and Lisabetta Rosara the 9th of May 1881, he was one of the first children of Borgosesian origin to be born in Theyka. His parent emigrated to Theyka to work for the Consortium for Western Export, as his father was a nautical engineer. Living in the borgosesian community of Lucerna, he had little contact with Theykan culture, which left him wondering what the rest of the archipelago would look like, sparking in him wanderlust and curiosity on what Theyka looked like outside Lucerna. As soon as he turned 17 years old and finished secondary school, he joined the Royal Theykan Navy, with the intention of exploring the whole archipelago. After his military training, he was assigned as a seafarer on the SQS Zambra, used as a training ship by the navy. In his 3 years of service with the vessel, he explored the entirety of the Theykan archipelago, various foreign countries in Avalonia and also paid a visit to Borgosesia. During his voyages, he started to wonder how tourists could enjoy all that the islands had to offer, and the idea of a fleet of cruise ships circumnavigating the archipelago and the surrounding areas started to form in his head. In 1904 he left the navy and went back to Lucerna, and presented his idea to the managers of the Consortium. The idea was considered valid, and the constructions of the first two ships, the ZC Lisabetta and the ZC Lorena (named after Enrico's mother and sister), started, together with the founding of the company, Zarrara Crociere. The day of the first trip, the 3rd of February 1906, a crowd of around 2000 people watched as ZC Lisabetta set sail towards Yivanna. The cruise tripis became really popular in the later years, especially for both Theykan and international aristocracy and upper class. In 1916, just 10 years after the first trip, the company operated 16 cruise ships. The company has been steadily growing since, with only minor recessions due to international events, and is today the major cruise ship agency in Theyka, and one of the biggest in the world. After the boom of his company, Enrico devoted his life to manage his business, paying frequent visits to the shipyards and ships, and was reportedly very close to the lower class workers, and made sure that working conditions were optimal for all workers. He passed away the 29th of December 1942, aged 61, due to a stroke, leaving behind his wife Selly (of Anglic origins) and his 2 children, Grazia and Rodrigo, with the latter becoming the CEO of Zarrara Crociere after his death.