The Republic of Gothia
At some point in the early 14th century or so, the Crimean Goths have gathered together, having become exhausted over in the endless conflict in the area and decide to find a new homeland. And so they gathered their supplies and headed north, often making jobs as mercenaries or other work as they migrated to a new home. They prayed for a miracle and for hope for their people. And at last, the last of the Goths would find themselves a new home...
They would arrive over in Poland and continued to find a place to settle. According to legend, a Polish noble, who say this as a potential opportunity, directed the Goths over to freshly conquered for them to settle: Royal Prussia. A somewhat autonomous province that was taken from the Teutonic Knights in the Second Peace of Thorn, the Goths saw it as their new home and indeed, how appropriate it was for them to return to an ancestral homeland. A small blip of Eastern Orthodox Christianity, the Goths were rather odd individuals who kept mainly to themselves. That said, they would earn a growing number of respect from their neighbors, predominantly the poorer ones. The Gothic language, culture and traditions were maintained here, the people not determined to lose this. Over time, they would begin grow within the region and even with the loss of Royal Prussia's autonomy, this allowed the loyal Goths to gradually grow their prominence and influence while some of the Germans left or were assimilated into the Goths. Years and decades would past. The Goths would grow into a hearty population and spread out through the province.
Of course, it would not be long before they would find themselves in the crosshairs of other forces and threats. The Prussians would eventully and the Goth found themselves a prominent minority in the Kingdom of Prussia, with them having the bigger population over in West Prussia by the 1700s. They pushed back against any attempts to get them to lose their identity, but beyond that, would maintain themselves loyal mostly to the Germans. However, tensions were growing worse and worse and the Goths would get their chance to liberate themselves from the chafing rule of the Prussians: The Napoleonic Wars. The Crimean people launched an almighty rebellion at the same time as the Battle of Jena–Auerstedt and would manage to occupy and claim East Prussia. Napoleon, pleased by this, granted the land over and was among the first to celeberate the Republic of Gothia. Gothia was not badly affected by the Continental System. Napoleon hoped to have Gothia lent aid over with Russia thanks to the Orthodoxy connections, but after various talks, Gothia informed Napoleon of the situation: Russia would not abide by the Continetnal System. Napoleon considered a Russian invasion over for Moscow, but it was a Gothic general instead who proposed catching Livonia and Lithunaia, turning them into client states, thus limiting Russia's trading capabilities. Napoleon reluctantly agreed. Gothia also suggested that they get Sweden to assisting in the invasion of Russia for one simple reason: Finland. Doing this would cement Sweden's loyalty over to France and let the Swedes regain Finland. After some tense talks, this would be agreed and thus the Russian campaign began.
The Gothic army would be pushed and struggled, but alongside their allies, would go and gain their victory as part of Napoleon's forces. Lithuania and Livonia would become client states while Finland would go back to Sweden, albeit with alot more autonomy as the Swedes and Finns would impove relations. Russia would lose a chunk of their land and were chased further in before the fleet would choke them in in blockade. Despite the concern of the Spanish ulcer, the Russian army would eventually try and invade inland over to where Poland and the new client states were. However, the Grande Armée were there along with the Goths, Poles and the various other armies and they would decimate the Russian army who got baited in. With this, Russia was humilated and the Continental System was kept afloat. Eventually, a tense peace would be brought as the British would be forced to the negotating table. A peace that would be rediscussed when Napoleon would pass away over in 1925. And much had changed. The Republic of Gothia would create an alliance between themselves and the Republics of Poland, Lithuania and Livonia while along on peaceful terms over with Sweden. A planned "Holy Alliance" between various monarchical powers would never manifest. Russia was still humbled from their loss and the "Baltic League" were prepared to fight back against them fiercely. German nationalism would see growing tensions between Prussia and Austria, especially as the former was still bitter on the loss against the Goths. The Prusso-Goth War would see the Goths push back and crush the Prussians, supported by the Poles. As thanks, Gothia granted Poland access to the sea once more by giving them East Prussia region as part of the Goth-Pole Alliance of Friendship. Gothia meanwhile would futher grow. Having already gotten Posen and half Pomerania, they would finish getting that along with Silesia and even parts of Brandenberg. While the Confederation of the Rhine fell, their legacy lived on, with one being Westphalia, ruled under the House of Hanover as a constitutional monarchy as the two nations among others merged. Gothia would make peace with their western neighbor under the ruleof the new Chancellor, Bismarck. Bismarck would focus over on uniting Germany, taking the southern German states through political cunning.
Gothia and their Baltic League would have to fight Russia once more as part of the Great War. Austria-Hungary would align with Russia and Italy against the Germans, French, British and the Baltic League along with later powers, such as Romania (who would get back all of Moldova). The Baltic League of Gothia, Poland, Lithuania and Latvia-Estonia along with Sweden-Finland would manage to crack and push back against the Russian invasion with the help of Ukrainian freedom fighters, who would establish their own Republic. Beyond loosking Ukraine, Russia would also lose Karelia, who would become its own republic while also claiming the Kola peninsula. Russia being forced to the negotiation table would be the beginning of the end of the monarchy for them. Not even finishing off the Ottoman Empire in the Fourth Balkan War helping to crush the Turks and expanding Armenia and Kartvelia. Germany would finish off Austria-Hungary, with their remains becoming under the German sphere of influence or roped up in the Fourth Balkan War against the Turks. The coalition would not last because of the Fifth Balkan War, which would see the Serbs be crushed by their neighbors and the dominant power being Bulgaria. Gothia would finally be able to rest and undergo a cultural blossoming over at the time as Europe settled down. Wile not the mightiest power, especially as Poland would grow stonger, they would have a grand prestige in eastern Europe.
They remained quiet as the decades came and went. The European colonial powers would decline and rising would be the era of global powers such as the United States and the Chinese Union. Socialism and related movements spread across the world. The Republic of Gothia has been doing quite well thanks to trade and later focuses on tech, finance and the tourism industry. They would be one of the founding members of the European Union along with France, Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany and Poland. Thanks to the influence from their neighbors to the north, they would be fairly progressive, with part of their cultural background being what they went through back then in those early years. They remain a cultural fascination as the last remnant of the Eastern German language and usage of the Gothic language. They would also boast a healthy standard of living and GDP. With them being #22 in GDP and #12 in the Social Progress Index.