An Interlude:
Prussian Culture at the turn of the XV Century
The expansion of the Kingdom of Prussia led to the merging and expansion of the Baltic cultures. In the beginning there were three related cultures: Prussians, Latvians and Lithuanians. Also in the area were Estonians, Finns, Swedes and Poles. The immigrating Saxon minority, which would eventually total some ten thousand individuals, spread through the lands brought a sort of catalyst.
Anglo-Prussian is a misnomer. Official Anglo-Prussian is actually
Anglo-Lettish; and in reality the diaspora of the Saxon people led to a culture that would be more properly labeled
Anglo-Baltic. The Anglo-Baltic cultures cemented their rule in the Baltic Region and eventually spread throughout Eastern Europe bringing with them their language, customs, religion, art and structure.
The three original groups, though contact and centralization melded together, bringing about
Old Anglo-Prussian or
Eadbert's Prussian. With the lines between Letts, Lithuanians and Prussians hazier than ever, they eventually would be a homogeneous culture. By the 1200's it is assumed that the three groups have ceased to be, leaving a single ethnic entity in its wake. Saxon meanwhile has lost its footing amongst the commoners and has become solely a language of the elite. It also became a describer for a certain branch of the Leofricson line which would eventually give way to the Roman branch of the bloodline. Saxon Leofricsons tended to rule in Poland or in the south, while Prussian Leofricsons were centered on Memelbuhr and Marienscír and ruled as Kings and powerful Dukes.
Through the XIII and XIV Centuries the Prussian culture spread outwards with an alarming rate. The language usually arrived before the culture since Prussian was the sermon language for Prussian Orthodoxy. By the XV century the spread of Prussian culture and language gave rise to four new sub-cultures. These were Old Prussian, Livonian, Ukrainian and Carpathian.
Old Prussian represented the old breed of Prussian language and culture that remained a "pure" suspension of Saxon culture in a Baltic environment. The five great Prussian cities all fell within this sphere: Memelbuhr, Marienscír, Kiev, Chernigov and Krakow (Mæmálgrád, Mæreængrád, Keæv, Chærnigrád and Krákográd in modern Prussian). Life in Old Prussian territory varied, but tended to be urban, fast-paced and industrial. Language was spoken quickly, and the imperfect was preferred to perfect past tense. Old Prussian had very few loan words from other languages, though some Polish words did trickle in.
Livonian was the language and culture of the city Riga (Regu). Spoken only in the far north it was commonly called the language of the Fleet, as the Livonians were often fishermen and sailors. Generally life for Livonians was hard, as the region was poorer and the economy fragile due to it being based on one commodity. Livonians also retained more native Latvian in their language. Finnish and related languages (Ingrian and Estonian) dominate loan words, though Estonian was completely dead.
Ukrainians were the descendent's of Prussian soldiers in southern Russia. Ukrainians are also the last of the four groups to consider themselves Prussians. Their language contained many loan words from Russian, and their culture was very agrarian. They were the farmers of the Empire, and had few large cities to call their own. Donetsk (Dánæt) was the closest thing to a major city. They were often the target for raiding from Mongols and pagan Mordvins, but as the region settled their population saw a boom and almost renaissance in the 1400's.
Carpathians are a spread-out and widely varying group of people. They have no single dialect, no base group. They represent the fringe of Prussian culture, the line between the Prussian culture and others. In some regions they have become semi-autonomous, in others they still cling to their Prussian identity. Many more look to the past misty-eyed and in awe. The group is named after a specifically boisterous group in Transylvania, but also includes Silesians, another rebellious group. Carpathians are to Prussia what the denizens of Asia Minor are to Rome. They threaten to weaken Prussia's borders and represent the front line against Islam's expansion into Central Europe.