I noticed the countries and societies of Thedas are much like the ones in Europe, and their histories similar as well.
Starting off easy, Orlais seems to have a French theme but their history is more similar to the Holy Roman Empire. Like the Holy Romans, the Orlesians rose from the ashes of a fallen empire (South-Tevinter, much like Western Rome) and became the center of Andrastianity (like Holy Rome to Christianity). Like Holy Rome, the Orlesians led crusades against their heretical neighbors and forcefully converted some countries and forcefully integrated others.
Ferelden has an obvious Scotch-English theme to it, but it's history is more similar to Germany's, especially when related to Tevinter and Orlais. Like Germany with Holy Rome (the Italian half), Orlais had forcibly integrated Ferelden into it's holy empire. Meanwhile, Ferelden was historically the frontier of Tevinter (like Byzantium to Germany).
Tevinter just screams "Roman", Eastern Roman to be specific. After Western Rome fell (like Southern Thedas), Eastern Rome prospered after becoming Christian and becoming the center of Orthodoxy (like the Imperial Chantry), but towards the end succumbed the Ottomans (the Qunari).
While the Qunari have an arguably communistic society, their history reminds me of the Ottomans and the Arabian peninsula in general. Like the "Westerners" (Southern Thedisians) crusading the Middle East, the Orlesians and their allies tried to crusade Seheron and Par Vollen--unsuccessfully, for the most part.
Antiva seems vaguely Italian, although the Crows remind of the famous assassin's guild that the first Assassin's Creed is based from.
Rivain is supposedly "black" (accoriding to Laidlaw or Gaider. I looked up where black people come from in Dragon Age one time as Vivienne didn't make much sense, but apparently the Spanish-y Rivain is also "African themed") but their history is much like Spain, especially how they were conquered by the Qunari and forcefully converted to their philosophy (much like Spain and the Ottomans).
Nevarra is kinda unknown to me. They have Egyptian-based customs but...history-wise, they kinda fit the German city states, especially when compared to the Free Marches. Like the Free Marches Germany was divided into thousands of city states, but a few of them became small kingdoms and notable powers of their own, and grew into empires over time. Taken as thus, Nevarra is much like Prussia, and like Prussia, Nevarra can stand it's own against Orlais and Tevinter, despite their small size.
As for the Anderfalls, they remind me of southern Scandinavia during the era of the Teutonic Order. Like the Grey Wardens in Weishaupt, the Teutonic Order had a castle from which they indirectly ruled the lands around them. They were supposed to be crusaders, but eventually became a duchy when Poland absorbed them.
Any other ideas? Thoughts? Hopes for Dragon Age 4 moving into one or two of these places?
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Sign your posts. And I agree with most of that. Antiva, I'd say, is definitely an Italian city-state, a la Venice, especially with the trading componant, but with a Spaniard flair in accents. Which makes sense, as Italy and Spain had some significant overlap. Pope Alexander VI, one of the most infamously decadent and corrupt Pontiffs, was a member of the Borgia family, which was of Spanish origin.
Nevarra is a blend of Prussia (militaristic, Cassandra's accent, originating as a rising power from the local Germanic states analog, the Free Marches), Austria (another power rising from the Germanic states, rivalry with the local France analog), and Egyptian burial customs.
Modern Tevinter is very clearly the Byzantine, or Eastern Roman, Empire. It has lost a great deal of land to the Qunari, mirroring the Byzantine's land losses and ultimate fall to the Islamic Caliphates. Ancient Tevinter is Ancient Rome, full stop. Killing the local Jesus analog? Check. Massive empire conquering lands of 'barbarians'? Check. Stealing most of the culture and technology from an older civilization? Check. Although, unlike Rome and Byzantium, Tevinter stayed in its heartland city, while the Byzantines moved from Rome to Constantinople.
Orlais is Pre-Revolutionary France, although I personally don't see the Holy Roman Empire similarities. The Holy Roman Empire was, essentially, a confederation of various feuding states in what would become Germany. The actual Holy Roman Emperor was often times nearly powerless. Orlais is a single, unified Empire under an absolute Emperor/Empress. Also, there were actually often significant tensions between the Papacy and the Emperor, unlike in Orlais, which has little friction between Divine and Emperor. Also, the fact that the Divine is based in Val Royeaux is reminiscent of the period of time known as the Avignon Papacy, when the Pope was based out of the French city of Avignon and largely controlled by the King.
Ferelden is Saxon England, not Germany, if they drove out the Normans after a few decades. Calenhad is a very clear King Arthur expy, down to having a wizard adviser who is also a close friend and left once he became king. The Romans did conquer most of Britannia and held it for a while, like the Tevinters did with Ferelden. The fact that the Imperial Highway extends into Ferelden is proof of this.
The Free Marches are the Germanic states. Kirkwall itself is an analog of the city-state of Cologne, where there was significant friction between the Church and the secular government, analogous to how the Templars and the Viscount occasionally butted heads.
No complaints with Rivain being like Moorish Spain.
No complaints with the Anderfels being Northern Germany/Southern Scandinavia under the Teutonic Knights.
Qunari being the Islamic Caliphates but with Islam being replaced with a militant Communist-Confucian fusion. --TheFereldenMagister (talk) 05:41, June 17, 2015 (UTC)