Marley

"Once... we were Marley, a nation of heroes who had defeated the Eldian devils. But now... look at what we've become..."

- General Calvi laments the decline of his nation's power

Marley (マーレ) is a massive empire occupying much of the known world. Around 1,800 years ago, Marley was a powerful country of ancient times until they were conquered by the Nine Titans of  Eldia, though Marley rose once again into power during the Great Titan War after gaining seven of the Nine Titans.

History
Marley was a powerful nation in ancient times. However, over 1,800 years ago, the dominion of Marley was threatened when Ymir Fritz, a queen of the Fritz family who ruled the Subjects of Ymir, came in contact with the "source of all living matter" and gained the power of the Titans. After Ymir's time, her "soul" was split into nine Titans who inherited her power and formed the Eldian Empire. With the power of the Titans, the Eldians waged war against the Marleyans and many other nations, utterly destroying them and obtaining complete rule over the continental mainland. It is estimated by a Marleyan study that more than three times the current population of the world perished under Eldian rule.

The founding myth
From that point on, a narrative of events, intentionally propagated by the Tybur family, took over and became widely believed as truth in the modern world. According to that narrative, after the Eldian Empire conquered the world, the nine aristocratic families who possessed the Power of the Titans grew resentful of each other, starting the Great Titan War. During the war, Helos, a Marleyan legendary hero, was said to have turned the tides of war to his people's favor by manipulating the families against each others. He succeeded in obtaining seven of the Nine Titans in Eldia's possession. The first of these Titans to come into Marley's possession was the War Hammer Titan, held by the aristocratic Tybur family, who had turned against their king and sided with the Marleyan uprising.

Over an unspecified amount of time, Marley gradually gained control of the continental mainland that once was ruled by Eldia until only Paradis remained as King Karl Fritz's undisputed territory. In the year 743, King Fritz moved as many Eldian people as he could to Paradis, and used the Founding Titan to guide a massive number of Colossus Titanss in the raising of three concentric Walls, Maria, Rose, and Sheena, around Eldia's remaining territory. In order to force peace between Eldia and Marley, King Fritz gave the ultimatum that any further act of war against Eldia would be met with the releasing of the countless Titans within the Walls. With this, the Great Titan War ended.

The truth
In fact, the Great Titan War was orchestrated by Karl Fritz who took pity on the oppressed people of Marley. Believing that the sins of the Eldians were too heavy to justify his rule, he sided with the Tyburs, and manipulated the other families against each other, intentionally starting a civil war that would destroy his very own empire. To that end, both the Tybur family and the King himself fabricated Helos to facilitate the myth that it was the Marleyan people themselves who won the war.

At that time, the king also took a vow of pacifism, forbidding the Eldian people from hurting the world again, as well as renouncing the right to defend itself if Marley or other external powers grew strong enough to invade Paradis. The ultimatum was never meant to be enforced. Instead, its purpose was to allow him to spend the remainder of his reign in peace. To enforce this, he used the powers of the Founding Titan to wipe the memories of the outside world from all the Eldians on Paradis. Karl Fritz wanted to ensure his ideology would be followed by the future generation, so he made it that only people of royal blood can make full use of the Founding Titan's absolute power.

Marley would become the dominant influence in the continental mainland for the next century, segregating the remaining Eldians of the mainland into internment zones. Although it had surrendered sovereignty over the continental mainland to the Marleyans, the Tybur family remained the real seat of power behind the Marleyan state, but the house chose to withdraw from active politics, being content to observe events and allowing the Marleyans complete freedom of governance.

Technology
While technological development on Paradis had been stagnant for a century due to King Reiss' isolation policies, the other nations of the world have already progressed far beyond it. By the year 854, Marley and other nations reached the modern age and possessed technologies such as photographs, blimps, electricity, steam & diesel-powered transports in civil society. Technological progress was not developed evenly across the world, however, with Marley lagging behind most of its adversaries in at least the area of military technologies.

Titan Biology Research Society
The Marley government has vast knowledge of the Titans to the extent that they are able to make use of Titan-related technology and possess insight into the origin of the Titans. For example, the Marley government are known to create Titan serums for use in creating the Warriors and as a tool to transform Eldian criminals into Titans on Paradis.

An academic discipline known as "Titan biology", headed by Marley's Titan Biology Research Society, was founded in dedication to the research of Titan. It is the Society that put forth the theory that all Subjects of Ymir are connected by unseen "paths" from which the flesh and bones of Titan are sent to them, and that all the paths cross at a single "coordinate", the Founding Titan.

Culture
Marley is notorious for its adherence to militarism. However, the general populace have since lost touch of the reality of war, both due to the abolition of the conscription system in the past and the extensive use of Eldian as rank-and-file troopers. As its only knowledge of war comes from the few newspaper stories, the society grows to take war progression for granted. Out of patriotic sentiments, the Marleyans and the Eldians loyal to Marley refers to their country as the "Motherland".

The Marleyans built statues to honor Helos, a folk hero who was renowned for slaying the Earth Devil during the Great Titan War. He is described in legend as a brave and beautiful man who was unwounded in the struggle against the greatest Titan on earth. A Helos statue is erected in front of the Warrior unit headquarter in Liberio.

The internment zones
After the Great Titan War, most Eldians who were stranded on the continental mainland were left at the mercy of an unforgiving Marleyan nation, which was nevertheless aware of the military potential of their genetic trait. To exploit it, the Eldians were segregated from the rest of the population into designated areas such as the Liberio internment zone under the watch of the Public Security Authorities. These ghettos act as a reserve pool for mindless Titans. In wartime, internees were brought out to be turned into Titans and released onto battlefields.

To justify its exploitation, Marley indoctrinated both its citizens and Eldians with a revised history which demonized the latter group. As a result, the Marleyan populace saw the Subjects of Ymir as evil due to their ancestor Ymir Fritz's deal with the "Earth Devil". On the other hand, average continental Eldians, such as Mr. Yeager and Gabi Braun, became convinced that they were genuinely indebted to their "merciful" Marleyan overlords, and that the only ways to redeem themselves would be through loyal service to the Marley Motherland and the extermination of "bad" Eldians on Paradis.

Compared to the Marleyan society beyond the fence, life inside the Internment Zones is lackluster but not poverty-ridden, even though there is no system of currency within the ghettos. For example, the Yeager family was able to make a living working as doctors, a reputable profession; and the residents were able to put up a feast for their family members returning from war. Nevertheless, they do have to endure abuse from PSA guards from time to time, which are occasionally lethal, as evidenced by the murder of Faye Yeager. Movement in and out of the ghettos are also restricted, with the camp's main gate only open at a specified time of the day or during special occasions, such as the gathering to welcome the troops home. One has to produce a permit in order to gain passage.

Not all Eldians suffered that fate, however. A few Eldians were awarded 'honorary Marleyan' titles for services to the Marley Motherland, such as the Warriors, who were awarded for their military service to Marley.

By the year 832, the military value of Eldians was put into question. It was known that mindless Titans are inherently uncontrollable and pose as much a risk to the enemy as to itself. There were opinions for the extermination of all Eldians in Marley. At the time, Eren Kruger noted that once Marley secures the Founding Titan, the debate would end in favor of those opinions and seal the doom of all Eldians.

By the year 854, however, the attitude changed again. The Marley Mid-East War laid bare the fact that Titans are losing to the advancing military technology deployed by Marley's many enemies, but since the nation needs time to close the gap in arms development with the rest of the world, the Eldians are still needed as a stop-gap measure. It not only prompted the Marleyan leadership to renew the operation to seize the Founding Titan, but also started a "symbiosis" relationship between the two ethnic groups where the Marleyans need the Eldians to sustain its military might and the Eldians need Marley to keep a hostile world at bay. After the war, Eldians are not only hated in Marley but also all around the world, due to the usage of Titans by Marley in wars of expansion, much like during the age of the Eldian Empire. The universal hatred escalates to the point that most of the world nations now demand the extermination of all Eldians but the Tybur family.

The Marleyan government determines the ethnicity of its citizens with blood tests, and the result of which affects their eligibility to get into privileged professions. To join the Public Security Authorities, for example, one has to prove that they are not of Eldian ancestry by passing the test. Despite that, agents of the Eldia Restorationists were able to get around it by using falsified medical records and having their tests done by doctors sympathetic to their cause.

Although harsh, it is noted by Udo, who used to live in a different country, that Marley is in fact more tolerant of Eldians than many other countries, wherein Eldians face much severer hostilities that make the Marleyan discrimination pale in comparison.

The Tybur family
Due to its dominant power within the Marleyan state, the Tybur family was not only excepted from the persecution against its ethnic brethren, but also enjoyed privileges such as the retaining of aristocratic status, where they were given honorary citizenship and were allowed to live on regal estates, as well as owning a detail of personal guards.

Government
Despite being supposedly independent, Marley is in fact secretly controlled by the Tybur family. That makes Willy Tybur, the current head of the family, the de-facto ruler of the nation. Before the year 854, the family did not actively exercise its power and was content to observe events in the shadows, allowing the Marleyan persecution of Eldians and the nation's drive to militarism to go unchecked, a stance that Willy regrets. But as worrisome news surfaced from Paradis, he decides to step in and make public his true nature in an Eldian festival.

Diplomacy
After gaining the power of seven Titans, Marley has since abode by a colonization policy in all conflicts with enemy nations. While the nation's territory before or immediately following the Great Titan War is unknown, by the year 854 the nation of Marley had conquered at least two entire continents, including territory on a third continent across the western ocean.

At some point between the year 833 and 845, Marley conquered an unnamed country with the use of all Warriors. Their performances were tested and proven in that battle.

Marley has historically had a poor relationship with the Mid-East Allied Forces. By the year 850, after it had become known that Marley lost two Titans in its operation against Paradis, the Allies finally declared war against Marley. Over twenty years ago, the Eldia Restorationists had considered using the Founding Titan to gain support and defection from this enemy nation, though their efforts failed.

Military
Marley maintains its military dominance in the world stage by the use of Titans and a technologically moderate military force, which was not as developed as other powers around the world.

Military service
Marley used to have a conscription system which was abolished at an unspecific time. It is implied by Magath that Marley's rank and file is filled by Eldian enlistees, while the few ethnic Marleyan occupies leadership positions. In the year 854, Magath pushes for the reintroduction of conscription for ethnic Marleyan in order to meet anticipated threats in Paradis and from other advanced powers of the world.

Army
In the year 854, the Marleyan army saw major action during the four-years long war against the Mid-East Allied Forces.

The Marleyan army possesses conventional armament that is largely similar to other world powers in appearance, but is noted to be more obsolete. For small-arms weaponry, bolt action rifles and stick grenades are the standard-issued weapons of Marleyan infantrymen, with two models of rifle in service. Zeke also carries a sub-machine gun into battle, suggesting that automatic small-arms were used at least by Marley's elite airborne unit. Heavier weapons such as water-cooling machine guns are employed as the primary armament of certain Titans, turning them into mobile weapon platforms. Troop transports are primarily done by steam-powered trains.

The use of Titans is central to the army's doctrine. Beside having the seven Titans as strategical deterrents, Marley also has a long-standing strategy of converting its Eldian population into pure Titans to bolster its military strength. In ancient times, pure Titans were simply set loose before friendly line toward an enemy force en masse, as they are unable to follow complex commands except from the Founding Titan. The tactic remains unchanged in the modern era, except that the Titans are now airdropped by zeppelins.

Other than strategic value, inheritors of the Nine Titans also fulfill the tactical role comparable to tanks on the field. For example, Porco Galliard was tasked to destroy a machine gun nest which was otherwise untouchable by infantry in the battle against Fort Slava. A more literal example is Pieck, who had four machine gun turrets strapped on her back, a configuration that proved highly effective in clearing the Allies' trench system. Otherwise, Marleyan troops practice conventional tactics such as trench warfare, frontal human wave assault, and rudimentary anti-armor technique such as the use of bundle stick grenades. However, due to their heavy reliance on Titan's power, the Marleyan army neglected in developing and advancing its conventional armament. As a result, its force was gradually outclassed by the Mid-East Allied Forces and the rest of the world, who had to push all their efforts into military development in order to strike a balance with Marley's Titans. The situation was so dire that a general pessimistically stated that, even with the power of the Founding Titan, the army can stand little chance against the advanced aircraft technology developed by its enemies.

The army's hierarchy is ethnically segregated, with Eldians forming the entire enlisted ranks leading by an all-Marleyan leadership corp. As a clear indication of rank, Eldian soldiers are issued with headgear differing to their Marleyan superiors, and are required to wear insignia identifying them as Eldian at all time unless when being explicitly ordered to take it off.. Like in the civilian society, Marleyan commanders are generally disdainful of their Eldian subordinates, but some are less so. For example, Magath is more willing to communicate with his Warrior cadets, and even allowing them opportunities to celebrate, although those were likely done out of pragmatism. On the other hand, Koslow is openly contemptuous of the Eldians, and he seeks every chances to belittle them. Despite the discrimination, Eldian veterans are entitled to medical care if they are permanently crippled or psychologically damaged in war.

The army have little regards for proper conducts of war. For example, Magath intentionally allowed Gabi Braun to attack an enemy pillbox in civilian guise, even though he was aware of that it violates international laws.

Navy
The Marleyan navy fought in the sea-fighting phase of the four-years long Marley Mid-East War, which was the longest phase of the war.

The navy was mentioned to be outdated and underdeveloped, which led to devastating outcome against the state-of-the-art naval warships deployed by the Allies. During the war, it only managed to control the sea at the cost of half of its fleet after four years of fighting. The failure of the navy was attributed by Magath as one of the causes leading to Marley's Pyrrhic "victory".

At some point during the war, the navy sent 32 ships including a number of destroyers to the coast of Paradis in the course of three years. The purpose was to survey the area for the eventual invasion of the island. All ships were lost to an unknown force.

Relations between the army and the navy are poor. For example, Udo scolding it for being a "cesspool of incompetence"; when Magath blamed it for damaging Marley's reputation as the victor of war in a post-battle meeting with the general, a naval officer frustratingly defended his service branch.

Air Force
Although it is unclear whether or not the Marleyan military possesses an independent air branch, air power had seen use in the Marley Mid-East War and the operation against Paradis.

Marley uses zeppelins to parachute Titans into battle and to bombard an area with pure Titans.

At the conclusion of the Marley Mid-East War, it was hinted that Marley would focus on developing heavier-than-air aircrafts that can rain bombs from above.

Warriors
Before the year 830, Marley possessed seven Titans, which assured its position as a world power. However, advancements in technology have started to undermine the military importance of Titans. Recognizing this fact, the Marleyan government planned to conquer Eldia in order to exploit its rich fossil fuel resources in order to improve their conventional military. The plan was hindered by King Fritz's threat of unleashing the Colossus Titanss upon the world in case of a Marleyan invasion.

In order to counter King Fritz's ultimatum, the Marleyan government decided to grant the power of the seven Titans in their nations possession to a selection of children who are Subjects of Ymir. The families of those chosen children were promised to be made into honorary Marleyans with all freedoms that come with the distinction. These children were trained into expandable soldiers in warfare while also serving as candidates to inherit the powers of the Titans.

Over a dozen years later, in the year 845, Marley sent out four of their Warriors, Bertolt Hoover, Reiner Braun, Annie Leonhart, and Marcel Galliard from Liberio. These Warriors were given the task of breaching the gates of the Walls in order to wipe out the Eldians and take the Founding Titan from the royal family. They succeeded in breaching Wall Maria, though their efforts in breaching Wall Rose were halted upon learning that Eren Yeager possessed the power of the Titans, leading them to suspect that he has the Founding Titan they sought. Since that revelation, the goal of the surviving Warriors has been to capture Eren Yeager in order to obtain the Founding Titan. However, after their failure at the battle of Shiganshina District, the Paradis Island Operation has since been postponed due to the loss of the Colossus and Female Titans.

In the year 854, a Warrior cadet unit consisting of Gabi, Falco, Colt, and a few others joined a Warrior unit to help capture Fort Slava under the command of Commander Magath during the Marley Mid-East War.The same battle also saw Reiner and Zeke being deployed on the field alongside a barrage of mindless Titan. Reiner was severely damaged when he shielded Zeke from a direct hit of a naval artillery shell.

Their Warriors are now facing the threat of being outclassed by advanced technology in weaponry used by others nations against them.

Public Security Authorities
The Public Security Authorities is a Marleyan internal military force. Its primary purpose is to control the Eldian minority within the Marleyan mainland. The PSA repression of Eldians drove Grisha Yeager into becoming an Eldian Restorationist and led to the creation of several Titans which ravaged the Walled society in Paradis.

Trivia

 * The emblem of Marley appears to be a seashell motif, found on several structures located in Liberio as well as official military paperwork.
 * The original Japanese name for Marley (マーレ) bears strong resemblance in pronunciation to the Latin word "mare", meaning "sea". This nomenclature would match with Marley's seashell emblem.
 * Marley resembles in both its general aesthetics and politics but its technological development is slightly less advanced, being at around early 20th century level.
 * Marley also resembles Empire of Japan.
 * Marley's policy of segregating Eldian into ghetto parallels . Similarly, many named Marleyans and Eldians have Germanic names.
 * The history of Marleyans and Eldians is also comparable with that of the Rwandan populations of Hutu and Tutsi. By 1700, the Rwandan populace coalesced into around eight kingdoms, of which the Tutsi Kingdom of Rwanda became dominant and oppressed the Hutu, fueling a hard relationship between the two races that lasted for centuries. In 1994, during the Rwandan Civil War, the then Hutu majority government perpetrated a which resulted in the extermination of around 70% of the Tutsi population over the course of a hundred days.
 * Rwanda was also a German territory from 1884 until World War I.
 * Since Isayama is Japanese, the Marleyan government's exploitation of ancient grudges for expansionist purposes might have been inspired by the, where the memory of the is kept alive by the government for nationalistic purposes. The landmass size difference between Marley and Paradis also reminds one of China and Japan.
 * The memory alterations to people on Paradis to make them forget the past might have been inspired by the Japanese government's own attempts to downplay and deny Imperial Japan's war crimes.
 * If turned upside-down and mirrored, the territory of Marley matches the real-world regions of, the , , and.
 * If the sizes of the continents shown in the Attack on Titan world are relatively equal in size to the real world, Marley's total territory would rival that of the.
 * Marley's placement in an alternate Africa also coincides with the Rwanda parallelism, as Rwanda is a country within the mainland of Africa some distance northwest of Madagascar. When turned upside-down and mirrored, Rwanda is at the southwest, and it is said that Titans primarily target the southern regions of the Walls.
 * The Marleyan army's equipment seems like a mix of WW1 German and British gears. For example, Marleyan servicemen wear a headgear that shaped like while Eldian soldiers wear what appear to be . Furthermore, the Marleyan service rifle heavily resembles a . In chapter 97, Reiner attempts to commit suicide with a, suggesting both weapons were used in Marleyan service. Strangely, the former rifle was used in Reiner's childhood while the latter rifle was used as a training weapon in the present day, even though the Gewehr 98 was a more advanced rifle in the real life.

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