Some Ala Mhigo and Sil'dih history
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The fall as a whole is the result of a whole lot of mismanagement of state affairs for quite a long time. I'll leave out the Autumn War (when Ala Mhigo tried to annex the Black Shroud a hundred years ago, sparking a war with Gridania that led Ishgard to unite with Ul'dah and Limsa Lominsa to come to Gridania's aid). Instead, let's focus specifically on the Ala Mhigan royal family and the monkhood. The interactions of these two groups are what eventually caused the downfall of the city.
The tribes throughout Gyr Abania were once small, warlike, and constantly at each others' throats, but the Highlanders were able to bring them together as one and raise the city of Ala Mhigo (some time between 1,000 and 1,300 Sixth Astral Era). The idea of martial arts as sacred persisted even though the age of constant battle was over, and thus rose the Fists of Rhalgr, the monk order, which teaches that one can become close to the god of destruction through strict discipline that empowers them by channeling their "life force" (aether) through "chakras".
This order eventually became religion, with the war priests claiming that their chosen battles were divine will. Rather than fight the movement, the Ala Mhigan royal family incorporated them into their army, giving them considerable power, protected status, and political sway. By the twilight of the Sixth Astral Era, as both a political force and the official state religion, the Fists of Rhalgr had control over a great deal of daily life, which deeply unsettled the power-hungry (and soon to be final) king of Ala Mhigo.
King Theodoric wasn't very into political finesse; he refused to allow the monkhood to contradict his designs in any fashion, even if it meant destabilizing the city. For instance, the monks claimed divine righteousness, so Theodoric claimed the divine right of kings, instilled in him by Rhalgr's wife (Nymeia). By this right, he banned the worship of Rhalgr in favor of Nymeia and tried to establish himself as the uncontested dictator of Ala Mhigan affairs. This sudden, drastic move away from Rhalgr was designed to incite rebellion by the monkhood, giving him pretext to imprison its leadership and extract coerced confessions of their plans to topple the royal family.
This concluded with Theodoric marching on the Fists of Rhalgr's main temple in 1552 and burning it (and everyone associated with it, from monks to their families to refugees seeking asylum) to the ground. Most knowledge of the monkhood vanished at this point, and afterwards Theodoric was known as the King of Ruin, a ruthless despot.
True to his name and aforementioned lack of political finesse, he slaughtered any royals towards whom he harbored doubts, as well as anyone who might have some tacit claim to the throne. After that, he moved on to influential nobles and merchants. So hopeless was it that Theodoric would stop this progression that even his own wife turned against him, conspiring to have him murdered. One of the conspirators, however, panicked and confessed to Theodoric, thus getting them all executed. The king withdrew, paranoid, and the public killings grew more frequent.
With people afraid to even leave their homes, the idea of revolution spread like wildfire - rising from whispers to a full on revolt that stormed the royal palace; the guards did not attempt to bar their passage, and Theodoric took his own life as his enemies closed in. This was no revolution of the people, however. The intelligence services of the Garlean Empire's XIVth legion, under the direct command of Gaius van Baelsar, were responsible. (While unconfirmed, wouldn't it be wild if the Garlean agents were also responsible for exacerbating Theodoric's behavior? Talk about a potentially well-played long-con from Gaius in his prime, before he lost his pride, honor, and marbles.)
In the aftermath of the king's fall, the Garleans stormed the city before any defense could be mounted, taking it in what might be called a bloodless and subversive coup if not for the fact that the bloodshed came after. The city was sacked - biblical-era levels of sacked. Magitek crushed what rebellion did not surrender or flee deeper into Eorzea, and the city was converted into a walled fortress to act as the Garlean foothold in the realm. The atrocities committed here (especially by his own creations) were a big part of what inspired Cid Garlond to defect to Eorzea to help it defend itself.
For the sake of completeness, from here, it took Baelsar five years to properly fortify Ala Mhigo and prepare for the conquest of Eorzea, but the 1562 assault on Mor Dhona, an attempt to take control of the aetherial streams before primals could be summoned against them as they had in Othard, went (as I'm sure you know) very, very badly.
The tribes throughout Gyr Abania were once small, warlike, and constantly at each others' throats, but the Highlanders were able to bring them together as one and raise the city of Ala Mhigo (some time between 1,000 and 1,300 Sixth Astral Era). The idea of martial arts as sacred persisted even though the age of constant battle was over, and thus rose the Fists of Rhalgr, the monk order, which teaches that one can become close to the god of destruction through strict discipline that empowers them by channeling their "life force" (aether) through "chakras".
This order eventually became religion, with the war priests claiming that their chosen battles were divine will. Rather than fight the movement, the Ala Mhigan royal family incorporated them into their army, giving them considerable power, protected status, and political sway. By the twilight of the Sixth Astral Era, as both a political force and the official state religion, the Fists of Rhalgr had control over a great deal of daily life, which deeply unsettled the power-hungry (and soon to be final) king of Ala Mhigo.
King Theodoric wasn't very into political finesse; he refused to allow the monkhood to contradict his designs in any fashion, even if it meant destabilizing the city. For instance, the monks claimed divine righteousness, so Theodoric claimed the divine right of kings, instilled in him by Rhalgr's wife (Nymeia). By this right, he banned the worship of Rhalgr in favor of Nymeia and tried to establish himself as the uncontested dictator of Ala Mhigan affairs. This sudden, drastic move away from Rhalgr was designed to incite rebellion by the monkhood, giving him pretext to imprison its leadership and extract coerced confessions of their plans to topple the royal family.
This concluded with Theodoric marching on the Fists of Rhalgr's main temple in 1552 and burning it (and everyone associated with it, from monks to their families to refugees seeking asylum) to the ground. Most knowledge of the monkhood vanished at this point, and afterwards Theodoric was known as the King of Ruin, a ruthless despot.
True to his name and aforementioned lack of political finesse, he slaughtered any royals towards whom he harbored doubts, as well as anyone who might have some tacit claim to the throne. After that, he moved on to influential nobles and merchants. So hopeless was it that Theodoric would stop this progression that even his own wife turned against him, conspiring to have him murdered. One of the conspirators, however, panicked and confessed to Theodoric, thus getting them all executed. The king withdrew, paranoid, and the public killings grew more frequent.
With people afraid to even leave their homes, the idea of revolution spread like wildfire - rising from whispers to a full on revolt that stormed the royal palace; the guards did not attempt to bar their passage, and Theodoric took his own life as his enemies closed in. This was no revolution of the people, however. The intelligence services of the Garlean Empire's XIVth legion, under the direct command of Gaius van Baelsar, were responsible. (While unconfirmed, wouldn't it be wild if the Garlean agents were also responsible for exacerbating Theodoric's behavior? Talk about a potentially well-played long-con from Gaius in his prime, before he lost his pride, honor, and marbles.)
In the aftermath of the king's fall, the Garleans stormed the city before any defense could be mounted, taking it in what might be called a bloodless and subversive coup if not for the fact that the bloodshed came after. The city was sacked - biblical-era levels of sacked. Magitek crushed what rebellion did not surrender or flee deeper into Eorzea, and the city was converted into a walled fortress to act as the Garlean foothold in the realm. The atrocities committed here (especially by his own creations) were a big part of what inspired Cid Garlond to defect to Eorzea to help it defend itself.
For the sake of completeness, from here, it took Baelsar five years to properly fortify Ala Mhigo and prepare for the conquest of Eorzea, but the 1562 assault on Mor Dhona, an attempt to take control of the aetherial streams before primals could be summoned against them as they had in Othard, went (as I'm sure you know) very, very badly.
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Sil'dih was ruled by the King of Springs, King Lalawefu. His financial reforms brought the city-state prosperity, but a combination of tax increases and untimely droughts led to civil unrest. The flood control developed by this nation soon drew the attention of the parched Ul'dahn citizenry, and a de facto war broke out.
The two nations were equally matched, and Sil'dih knew that its prosperity would be short-lived if drastic measures were not taken. To improve their odds they attempted to zombify their fallen soldiers, but over time lost control of their arcane creations. Ul'dah used this to justify an official declaration of war, and in their triumphant crusade sealed the gates of Sil'dih, wiping them out with their own perverse plague.
Ruins of Sil'dih can be visited in Central and Western Thanalan, recently uncovered during the Calamity. Before the rediscovery of these ruins the civilization was nearly forgotten. However, thanks to the daughter of the Miner's Guildmaster, Nenekku, and other Eorzean researchers such as Erik in the Monk quest line, much of the above history is now optionally available.
A remnant of the Sil'dih Aqueducts (likely relevant to the aforementioned flood control) was hidden in the furthest tunnels of the Copperbell Mines, which was not instanced in 1.0. It was later blocked by a strange wall of webbing, and only available via temporary Aetherial Gates during the first of the Lambs of Dalamud events. After this particular event ended the Sil'dih Aqueducts remained sealed, never to be accessed again.
The grandness and elegance of the aqueducts (which are still inaccessible) suggested Sil'dih rivaled, or even surpassed, Ul'dah in architectural aptitude. That they were more-or-less forgotten until recently suggests Ul'dah wanted to forget them and tried to erase them from history, or that they either lacked the means or motivation to keep adequate records.
As revealed in the Hildibrand quests it was actually Ul'dah who turned the Sil'dihn citizens into zombies. The Ul'dahn Thaumaturges invented a powder, the Traders' Spurn, that would turn anyone exposed to it into a zombie.
The two nations were equally matched, and Sil'dih knew that its prosperity would be short-lived if drastic measures were not taken. To improve their odds they attempted to zombify their fallen soldiers, but over time lost control of their arcane creations. Ul'dah used this to justify an official declaration of war, and in their triumphant crusade sealed the gates of Sil'dih, wiping them out with their own perverse plague.
Ruins of Sil'dih can be visited in Central and Western Thanalan, recently uncovered during the Calamity. Before the rediscovery of these ruins the civilization was nearly forgotten. However, thanks to the daughter of the Miner's Guildmaster, Nenekku, and other Eorzean researchers such as Erik in the Monk quest line, much of the above history is now optionally available.
A remnant of the Sil'dih Aqueducts (likely relevant to the aforementioned flood control) was hidden in the furthest tunnels of the Copperbell Mines, which was not instanced in 1.0. It was later blocked by a strange wall of webbing, and only available via temporary Aetherial Gates during the first of the Lambs of Dalamud events. After this particular event ended the Sil'dih Aqueducts remained sealed, never to be accessed again.
The grandness and elegance of the aqueducts (which are still inaccessible) suggested Sil'dih rivaled, or even surpassed, Ul'dah in architectural aptitude. That they were more-or-less forgotten until recently suggests Ul'dah wanted to forget them and tried to erase them from history, or that they either lacked the means or motivation to keep adequate records.
As revealed in the Hildibrand quests it was actually Ul'dah who turned the Sil'dihn citizens into zombies. The Ul'dahn Thaumaturges invented a powder, the Traders' Spurn, that would turn anyone exposed to it into a zombie.
Autumn War
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The Autumn War was a military conflict between Gridania and Ala Mhigo in the years 1468-1469 of the Sixth Astral Era, over 100 years before the events of Final Fantasy XIV. Little is revealed about the conflict in-game, but it had important implications for the realm, as it led to the formation of the first Eorzean Alliance, the creation of a balance of power, and the adoption of gil as a universal currency.
The war grew out of the desire of King Manfred of Ala Mhigo's ambitions, as he hoped to expand his nation's influence by sending forces into the Black Shroud. The Gridanians were unwilling to tolerate this intrusion and, under the banner of the lancer Vainchelon, met Ala Mhigo's forces at the Firesand Banks. The battle of the Firesand Banks was inconclusive, and Vainchelon withdrew, hoping to bait the Ala Mhigan commander, Gylbarde, into overextending into an ambush. However, Vainchelon fell ill and died before his plans could come to fruition.
Vainchelon's replacement, Osbern, ordered a catastrophic frontal assault on Ala Mhigo's forces. Fearing that after the Shroud fell, Ala Mhigo would invade Coerthas next, Ishgard petitioned for an alliance of Eorzean city-states to defend Gridania. Ul'dah and Limsa Lominsa answered the call, and Gylbarde's forces were swiftly defeated.
After Ala Mhigo's defeat, borders were drawn, and it was agreed that no one city-state would be allowed to dominate the others. Furthermore, local currencies had unstable exchange rates and Allagan pieces were outdated, the continent agreed to adopt a universal currency, gil, which depicted the Twelve rather than national heroes. However, the Alliance weakened over time, and in the year 1557, when Ala Mhigo underwent a civil war and was invaded by the Garlean Empire, and Nidhogg awoke and resumed the Dragonsong War by attacking Ferndale, the Alliance did nothing. It would not be until 1572, when the Garlean Empire sought to destroy Eorzea itself, that the Alliance finally united against a common enemy.
The war grew out of the desire of King Manfred of Ala Mhigo's ambitions, as he hoped to expand his nation's influence by sending forces into the Black Shroud. The Gridanians were unwilling to tolerate this intrusion and, under the banner of the lancer Vainchelon, met Ala Mhigo's forces at the Firesand Banks. The battle of the Firesand Banks was inconclusive, and Vainchelon withdrew, hoping to bait the Ala Mhigan commander, Gylbarde, into overextending into an ambush. However, Vainchelon fell ill and died before his plans could come to fruition.
Vainchelon's replacement, Osbern, ordered a catastrophic frontal assault on Ala Mhigo's forces. Fearing that after the Shroud fell, Ala Mhigo would invade Coerthas next, Ishgard petitioned for an alliance of Eorzean city-states to defend Gridania. Ul'dah and Limsa Lominsa answered the call, and Gylbarde's forces were swiftly defeated.
After Ala Mhigo's defeat, borders were drawn, and it was agreed that no one city-state would be allowed to dominate the others. Furthermore, local currencies had unstable exchange rates and Allagan pieces were outdated, the continent agreed to adopt a universal currency, gil, which depicted the Twelve rather than national heroes. However, the Alliance weakened over time, and in the year 1557, when Ala Mhigo underwent a civil war and was invaded by the Garlean Empire, and Nidhogg awoke and resumed the Dragonsong War by attacking Ferndale, the Alliance did nothing. It would not be until 1572, when the Garlean Empire sought to destroy Eorzea itself, that the Alliance finally united against a common enemy.
http://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/threads/64377-An-Eorzean-Timeline-Reborn
