Laurania
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Laurania is an imaginary country created by Sir Winston Churchill and used as a backdrop for his only novel Savrola: A Tale of the Revolution in Laurania.
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[edit] Background
The book makes it obvious that Laurania is a small country in Southern Europe, and that it is culturally similar to Italy and Spain. The coastline is on the Mediterranean Sea, and there is an African colony which can be reached via the Suez Canal. At the time when the book is set, Laurania has been a republic for many years, and has a well established constitution.
[edit] The 1883 Civil War and 1888 Revolution
The country was split by a civil war in 1883, as a result of which General Antonio Molara became President and Dictator. Molara's 5-year rule ended when the 1888 Revolution broke out. It is this revolution the forms the main thrust of Chuchill's novel.
During the revolution fierce fighting took place in the City of Laurania between the revolutionaries of the Popular Party and the Republican Guard, which supported the President/Dictator. The revolution culminated in the storming of the Presidential Palace and the death of General Molara. The city was subsequently bombarded by the Lauranian Navy, but despite the considerable damage caused the revolutionaries prevailed and the Constitution was restored.
[edit] Laurania's African colony
During 1886 and 1887 there was unrest in the African colony. This was dealt with by the small but very effective Lauranian Army, with the support of the Lauranian Navy. In 1888 a border dispute with the British increased tension in that part of Africa, and the arrival of HMS Aggressor in the area precipitated the despatch of the several Lauranian warships to 'show the flag'. This was also intended to dissuade the British from taking any military action in support of their claim on the disputed area.
[edit] A description of the City of Laurania
- 'Three hundred thousand people live there'.
- 'The palace stood upon high ground commanding a wide view of the city and harbour ... The red and blue tiled roofs were relieved by frequent gardens and squares whose green and graceful palms soothed and gratified the eye. To the north the great pile of the Senate House and Parliament buildings loomed up majestic and imposing. Westward lay the harbour with its shipping and protective forts'.
- Part of the harbour's defences include a military mole, at the end of which is a 'shapeless mound of earth that marked the protecting battery of the harbour ...'.
- The seaward battery is armed with 'nine-inch guns', some of which are within embrasures and some are en barbette.
- The entrance to the harbour is 'nearly a mile wide, but the navigable channel itself was dangerously narrow and extremely difficult.'
- There is a 'great square in front of the Parliament House'. The square is called Constitution Square.
- There is a railway line that runs 'right to the frontier'.
