The Greater Confederated Kingdoms

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The Greater Confederated Kingdoms

De Grotter Confederat uff Kingdoms

also known as:

The Greater Confederation
The Confederated Kingdoms
The Five Kingdoms



Date of Founding
The dates of founding of the individual kingdoms which comprises the Confederated Kingdoms varies state to state; however by 18 June 1922 all of the kingdoms had ratified the Binding Articles of Establishment, formally creating the Confederated Kingdoms as a state.

Tiny Flag by CommodoreHorton



Motto
Sic Semper Glori Pax

(Thus Always a Glorious Peace)

Anthem
March uff de Triumphant


Greater Confederated Kingdoms Map by CommodoreHorton




Note:

Solid lines indicate fixed and set political borders as recognized by the Greater Confederated Kingdoms. Dotted lines represent the extent of influence extended by the authorities within the Royal Territories; fixed borders for these regions do not exist, and will need to be established by the Greater Confederated Kingdoms in the future.


Capital
Per the Binding Orders of Affiliation, each individual kingdom maintains its own independent political capital, wherein government operations for that kingdom are generally centralized. The Confederated Council however is based in the small city of Crowningglory, located in a special district within the Kingdom of Isen.

Kingdom Capitals:

Bonnhaven, Kingdom of Laurentin
Port Uthen, Kingdom of Uthenland
Monteburg, Kingdom of Grandemontes
Ethenville, Kingdom of Ethenden
Isenheights, Kingdom of Isen

Territorial Capitals:

While not formally recognized a distinct kingdom or province of their motherlands, the territories of Neuu Uthenland and Prinz-Petersland merit consideration as extensions of the formal Confederated Kingdoms. Lacking enough population to mandate official recognition, these territories exist in a state of legal limbo, and are often omitted from maps not produced within, or for, the Confederated Kingdoms.

Nordburg Bay, Neuu Uthenland Territory
Arnoldtouun, Prinz-Petersland Territory
Port Progress, Maktak and Pongatar Territory
Uplifter Station, Prinz Oscar Islands Territory
(unofficial) Isolation Bay, Unorganized Territories

Largest City

Bonnhaven, Kingdom of Laurentin
2.6 million


Languages

A cultural holdover from the occupation of these lands by the Casuelens almost 1,000 years ago, the northern Casuelen dialect--a creole portmanteu of Casuelen and indigenous languages--is spoken commonly within the kingdoms, with local variations based on localized immigration tendencies. The language however is only moderately intelligible to a modern Casuelen speaker.

Within the royal territories of Prinz Petersland and Neuu Uthenland, languages are considered more diverse in origin as the territories do not have immigration restrictions.

Religion

The Confederated Kingdom issues religious permits to religious bodies on the grounds that a) their faith is definable as different in a theologically substantial manner from others, b) that their faith does not promote illawful activities, and c) that their faith does not unduly intersect with the operation of government. Recognized religious bodies are given a limited number of tax exemptions, which may be applied to specific houses of worship--thus, larger religious bodies are regulated but tax free, while smaller religious houses are allowed to exist without government oversight while still paying their dues to the government.

That being said, the Confederated government has not published information as to the number of religious practitioners, or of their specific sects, since its establishment in 1922. Interested parties are advised to consult with head officials of specific faiths for appraisals of the size of their attendance.


Government

The Greater Confederated Kingdoms as an establishment can best be typified as a confederation of  constitutional monarchies with strong socialist leanings. Each kingdom's government varies between strict and constitutional monarchy. The constituent kingdoms have all ratified and thus adhere to the Binding Orders of Establishment, and the Articles of Rights and Privileges.

Royal territories of the Confederated Kingdoms operate under a dramatically different system of government, wherein the land is formally not claimed by the government of the Confederated Kingdom and treated as "open range" in the legal sense. What government exists within a territorial range is typically corporate in nature; private organizations are loaned substantial amounts of money and materiel resources by their sponsor kingdom, and these territorial groups are managed predominantly for the extraction of natural resources which are used to repay the sponsor and afterwards to make a profit. While per the contracts tying into these leases the Articles of Rights and Privileges are mandated so as to ensure the basic framework of due legal process, voter's rights do not exist and political emphasis is strongly influenced by stock-holders. Once a certain population threshhold is reached however, incorporation of a territory into a pre-existing kingdom, the extension of law and order in a conventional sense, and the ascension of key settling figures into tiers of nobility, may commence.


Legislature

The Royal Council--a body of fifteen lawful representatives known as Counselors, three from each kingdom, who are variously appointed or elected by their kingdoms per their kingdom's legal policies for life. Additionally, a fourth representative (the Counselor-Lieutenant) is sent as well from each kingdom, and serves as a filler should one of the Counselors be unable to serve. The fifteen counselors then vote for one of their body to be elected as Lord Counselor, who is given the responsibilities of directing council actions. The Royal Council most strongly influences international policy, and serves as a check against the Citizen's Assembly in so far as international affairs are concerned.

While formally not formally a counselor, since 1932 a representative from each of the territories is present in the royal council in a non-voting role to advise regarding the status of their territory in regards to diplomatic and political discussions. If/when the territories achieve autonomy per the specifications pre-established, the number of counselors would be raised to twenty one.

The Citizen's Assembly--a body of fifty elected representatives, ten from each kingdom, and coming from regions dictated by population density. Citizen representatives are not allowed to "run" for position, but rather are nominated by town councils and may accept or decline a nomination to be a candidate. If accepted, elections are held every year to reaffirm their people's faith in that candidate. The Citizen's Speakers elect a Chief Citizen from among their ranks, who is given the responsibilities of directing assembly actions. The Citizen's Assembly most strongly influences domestic policy, and serves as a check against the Royal Council in so far as domestic affairs are concerned.

There is no representation of the royal territories within the citizen's assembly, as their population is not substantial enough to merit consideration.


Historical era
(to be added as more world lore forms)

Area
(to be added when I goddamn feel like getting around to it)

Population

(per the 1934 Royal Survey)

Kingdom of Laurentin--27.4 million
Kingdom of Grandemontes--17.2 million
Kingdom of Isen--19.6 million
Kingdom of Uthenland--24.5 million
Kingdom of Ethenden--4.2 million

Total population within the kingdoms: 82.9 million

Neuu Uthenland Territory--about 175,000
Prinz-Petersland Territory--about 140,000
Maktak and Pongatar Territory--less than 5,000
Prinz Oscar Islands Territory--less than 500

Total estimated population within the royal territories: about 325,000

Total population of citizenry of the Greater Confederated Kingdoms and their territories: about 83.3 million

Currency

The Internationalnote, a pegged partially convertible currency used exclusively for international transactions. While possession of foreign currency is not prohibited, the trade or use of foreign currency within the jurisdiction of the the Confederated Kingdoms is illegal, outside of certified establishments such as Confederated banks, embassies and stock exchanges.

The Standardtnote, a gold and silver backed partially convertible currency used exclusively for domestic transactions. The Standardtnote is legally worthless when traded outside of the jurisdiction of the Confederated Kingdoms. It can be exchanged with Internationalnotes at certified establishments such as Confederated banks, embassies and stock exchanges. Trade or exchange of Standartnotes for foreign currency is illegal within the Confederated Kingdoms, and Standardtnotes are legally seizable at international border crossings, though legal recourse for their conversion to Internationalnotes is available within particular circumstances.

The conversion rate between the Internationalnotes and the Standardtnote varies dependent upon economic and political conditions, and is dictated by the Confederated Ministry of the Treasury based upon direction from the Royal Council. Through currency manipulation, a level of insulation from international economic crisis is ensured, promoting a protected internal economy at the cost of international relations. A side effect of this policy is the existence of a financial black market, but ardent efforts by law enforcement combined with harsh penalties against infraction mitigate this considerably.

Royal Territories, not being legally considered land of the Confederated Kingdoms, are outside of the zone of circulation for the Standardtnote--foreign currency and the Internationalnote are utilized there.


Overview


Rising out of obscurity in the decades after the Great War, the Confederated Kingdoms is an up and coming power on the world stage--or would be, were its royal families less committed to political protectionism and isolationism. A constitutional monarchy with strong socialist leanings as a result of Kharkovite political pressure in the late ninteen teens and early nineteen twenties, the nation has progressed rapidly in the first eighteen years of its existence, rapidly industrializing and beginning expansion into the unclaimed northern frontier.


History


In the early part of the 20th century, the increasing gap in quality of living was compounded strongly by growing instabilities in the international community. With the start of the Great War in 1910, tensions within the kingdoms were at such a point that only the Kingdom of Laurentin was willing to become involved in the growing foreign conflict; the other kingdoms, while economically invested, opted to keep their forces close at home both for purposes of self defense, and for self-policing.

Never the less, incidents and crisis continued to unfold, and as the Great War progressed the stage was set for a secondary conflict within the Kingdoms. With the gap between rich and poor continuing to grow under the oversight of a seemingly out-of-touch set of royal familes, Kharkovite backed communist parties were fielding increased influence in the kingdoms of Uthenland and Isen; seeking foreign aide, Uthenland courted the Aerah Empire for military assistance beginning in 1917, who in exchange for port of call privileges and the ability to use Port Uthen as a staging ground in the Great War provided military assistance against the Kharkovite backed activists. With this support, the Worker's Party of Uthenland was outlawed and fierce persecution of political dissidents began.

Comparatively, Ethenden had the most peaceful existence during this period. A comparatively weak, backwater kingdom, Ethenden's naturally isolated position prevented the economic turmoil of the time from having a great effect upon it. In fact, relations between Ethenden and Laurentin tightened during this era as Ethenden seeked to capitalize on its neighbors growing economic power, and in 1918 established an alliance between the two powers.

While Laurentin and Ethenden weathered the shockwaves of foreign conflicts, relations between Uthenland and Isen deteriorated, dramatically provoked further by a series of border raids on the Isenn-Uthenland frontier conducted by Aerah cavalry in pursuit of communist forces, who ultimately exchanged fire with Isen infantry at the bloody Battle of the River Pell on 11-12 November 1918. The crackdown on communist forces in Uthenland combined badly with apprehensions of imperial adventuring, and relations between the two equally troubled kingdoms rapidly deteriorated--almost rapidly as public sympathy for the communist groups grew.

Provoked by the Battle of the River Pell, the Kingdom of Isen issued an ultimatum to Uthenland calling for the removal of Aerah military units and the rescinding of port of call privileges to foreign powers. Uthenland refused, leading to deteriorating relationships between the two nations. In spite of Aerah presence, or perhaps augmented by the presence of an antagonistic and militant foreign presence, public sentiment in Uthenland turned against the royal family, leading to a series of revolts in 1920 and 1921, culminating in the abdication of King Ian III and the throne passing to his son, Prinz Oscar the Uplifter. Through Prinz Oscar, the socialst movement found an unlikely ally who negotiated an end to the rebellions through strong concessions to the Worker's Party, which with the creation of the Confederated Kingdoms in 1922 became the United Worker's Party.

This pattern of increasing social unrest ultimately resulting in major socialist policy implementation by royal families was mirrored in Isen, though to a substantially less violent degree. The socialist policies gave an escape clause for royal families fearing revolution, and were initially quite effective as military opposition via Aerah's backing was capable of dramatically dampening enthusiasm for revolution or protest. However, hardline communist elements rejected these negotiations, and argued that the royal families had no right to rule. The early 1920s were plagued with political instability, ultimately culminating in the outlawing of the United Worker's Party for subversive actions against the Confederated Kingdoms and the creation of the more royal-friendly New Worker's Party.


Geography and Demography


(to be completed upon consultation with neighbors)


Society


Full voter's rights are given to landholders, those presently enrolled in the military or military veterans, heads of family or single mothers; reduced voter's rights, carrying 1/2 of the weight of full voter's rights, are given to men and women aged 20 and over who can prove citizenship and pass the verbal and written national language tests.

Woman's suffrage was strongly debated at the establishment of the Confederated Kingdoms, per socialistic leanings towards greater equality for the proletariat. Monarchistic elements rejected this, and woman's suffrage was ultimately discarded on the Confederated level in exchange for stronger concessions towards the general welfare programs. Abandonment by the socialist platform however did little to mitigate women's desire for equality, and the matter was not allowed to descend into quiet by any extent of the imagination. Woman's suffrage was instituted in the Kingdom of Laurentin in 1924, and protests towards that end were growing substantially in neighboring Isen, causing intensive unrest. Ultimately, woman's suffrage was added onto the Articles of Rights and Privileges in 1930, thus coming into play in the Confederated Kingdoms as a whole.

Immigration is permitted per government controlled quota, with an emphasis on accepting individuals based on their educational background, or families based on their contribution to causes supported by the Confederated Kingdoms. There exists no quote on immigration however for the royal territories, as part of an effort to accelerate the process of pushing back the frontier; however, entrance into the Confederated Kingdoms from these territories is treated the same as crossing an international border.

Freedom of the press to publish articles critical of the government, businesses, religions or individuals is guaranteed within the Confederated Kingdoms per the Articles of Rights and Privileges, with restrictions towards unfound accusation, slander and libel, or hate speech. However, newspapers within the Confederated Kingdoms are prohibited from selling or otherwise distributing their stories beyond the Confederated Kingdoms without their publication being granted an International Press Clearance, which is granted on the grounds that the subject publication has shown consistent quality of reporting and has not come under scrutiny in so far as unfounded accusation, slander and libel, or hate speech are concerned. Likewise, an International Press Clearance is required to import news publications across Confederated Kingdoms borders.

Right to bare arms is protected for specific government authorized calibers following successful completion of a firearms safety course and criminal background check, and demonstration of cause for possession of a weapon of that variety--ie, rifles and stocked weapons are not necessary for self defense in a city, whereas pistols are applicable as a self defense item. Individual firearms, identified by serial number, are issued to specific citizens, who are legally responsible for their care, use and safekeeping. Private sales of fire arms are prohibited, though the government at no charge will facilitate and document such sales with the caveat of successful completion of necessary protocols.  Possession of firearms outside of specified calibers is prohibited, with exceptions for non-functional display pieces. The sale of government authorized caliber ammunition is restricted to certified dealers. Manufacturing of ammunition is strictly restricted to authorized producers.


Government and Military


The Confederated Kingdoms comprises of essentially two government bodies, the Confederated Ministries and the independent kingdom's own Royal-Federal agencies. As such, a degree of duality exists between respective branches. Put simply, each kingdom is able to operate for the most part as a sovereign and independent state, with certain caveats, partially expanded upon below:

--Each kingdom is obliged to provision an equal amount to the Greater Confederated Armed Forces as it provisions towards its own internal military. This keeps inter-kingdom military rivalries essentially minimal, while allowing for a strong Confederated armed forces for the defense of the whole, and so promotes non-aggression by client states.

--Each kingdom maintains the right to declare war independently of its fellow confederated states, but its fellow confederated states are not obliged to assist offensively. Furthermore, a kingdom within the Confederated Kingdoms declaring war does not equate to the Confederated Kingdoms declaring war, as the Confederated Armed Forces are only obliged to defend the homeland of the Confederated Kingdoms unless the entire entity is attacked or otherwise driven to war.  While the possibility of the Confederacy being driven into war by individual kingdoms does exist, this arrangement means that a feasibility exists to limit conflicts in size, thus allowing time for diplomatic efforts to be attempted.

--Each kingdom is obliged to provision a set amount proportional to their GDP towards maintaining and furthering infrastructure such as rail lines, federal highways, locks and dams, etc.

--Each kingdom is obliged to extradite criminals within the Confederated Kingdoms upon capture. Each Kingdom is obliged to not extradite criminals to foreign powers without approval of the Confederated government.

--Each Kingdom recognizes the Articles of Rights and Privileges, ensuring citizens the rights to trial with cause, legal representation and fair recourse, legal paths to citizenship and voting privileges, medical attention, etc. 

--Each kingdom is obliged to use the Confederated standard currency for all international transactions, and to provision a set amount proportional to their GDP towards the Confederated Treasury.

THE CONFEDERATED GOVERNMENT--NOTEWORTHY BODIES


The Confederated Ministry of the Interior oversees the infrastructure, education and social programs present in the Confederated Kingdoms. 

The Confederated Ministry of Justice is tasked with promoting law and order within the Confederated Kingdoms, providing fair trials to the accused, and executing disciplinary measures against the convicted.

The Confederated Ministry of Foreign Affairs oversees the international relations of the Confederated Kingdoms, and cooperates per legal requirements with the foreign offices of the individual kingdoms.

The Confederated Ministry of Economics is tasked with regulating the financial activities within the Confederated Kingdom, and with managing the exchange of foreign currencies for Exchangenotes, Standardtnotes for Exchangenotes, and for prosecuting illegal currency exchanges in collaboration with the Confederated Ministry of Justice.

The Organization for Domestic and International Intelligence Networks, or ODIIN, oversees and collates intelligence and other information from the various intelligence offices of the armed forces, diplomatic ministries and law enforcement. While the ratio of public to private employees of the agency is unknown, ODIIN affiliated agents are officially present in all branches of the government, and are privately present both at home and abroad.

The Confederated Ministry of War is tasked with the defense of the kingdoms of the Confederacy, and with the waging of war against foreign powers. It comprises predominantly of three branches:

The Greater Royal Confederated Kingdoms Army
(GRCKA)
Approximate strength: 3,200,000 men in combat and support roles
180 infantry tanks
325 light tanks
266 armored infantry transports
unspecified numbers of other armored vehicles and unarmored vehicles


The Greater Royal Confederated Kingdoms Navy (GRCKN)
Approximate strength: 48,000 men in combat and support roles
3,700 designated naval infantry
5 aircraft carriers
13 battleships/battlecruisers
12 cruisers
50 destroyers
32 corvettes
XX auxilary ships
125 light tanks
XX aircraft
unspecified numbers of armored cars and unarmored vehicles

The Greater Royal Confederated Kingdoms Air Fleet (GRCKAF)
Approximate strength: 19,000 men in combat and support roles
278 fighters
64 bombers
9 transports
unspecified number of trainers and other aircraft

(please note that this data may be outdated; most recent date of update being XXXXX)


Economy


The economy of the Confederated Kingdoms is a heavily regulated one in so far as international business goes, and a considerably more lassaize faire one domestically. With strong international foreign exchange controls in the form of the heavily regulated Internationalnote and the gold and silver standard backed internal currency of the Standardtnote, protectionist policies give strong preferences towards domestic products, and likewise have contributed to some extent towards the relatively low export rate of products manufactured within the Confederated Kingdoms. A notable exception thus far is the production and export of Maradi Motors vehicles, which operates a jointly licensed production of trucks and halftracks. Luxury goods remain out of reach for a substantial proportion of the populace, but basic necessities have generally seen stable and accessible prices, a sharp improvement from the famines, shortages and economic instabilities that typified the first two decades of the 20th century.

With the two currencies in play in mutually exclusive fields, the Confederated Kingdom operates a uniquely hybridized free-market, wherein production is in the hands of private individuals but the government, through its bi-currency system of the fixed price Internationalnote and the gold-backed Standardtnote, is able to essentially control international demand and thus the price of goods in the domestic market, ultimately giving it strong leverage over privately owned businesses. Through these controls the Ministry of Economics is able to act to promote a minimum of surplus production, thus maximizing efficiency while additionally protecting domestic economic interests from foreign instabilities.

Economically, the Confederated Kingdom's priority has been on rebuilding internal infrastructure destroyed during the brutal wars prior to the establishment of the Confederacy. Beginning in 1934 a policy of re-industrialization was implemented with Confederated support being given to the construction of new rail lines, increased electrical production and irrigation through hydro-electric projects, and further development of the kingdom's internal infrastructures.

While the royal territories' population is dramatically lower than the kingdoms which have sponsored them, their economic influence is vastly out of proportion to their limited population demographic. Beginning in 1934 a coordinated effort by the kingdoms of Ethenden and Uthenland poured substantial resources into increasing the development of their royal territories of Prinz Petersland and Neuu Uthenland, such as railway lines which, while comparatively short in length, required considerable resources for their construction and operation given the hostility of the terrain and weather. With this came supporting industries, and the population of Prinz Petersland and Neuu Uthenland is expected to have doubled by the time of the next survey in 1944, giving some idea of the value of these territory's growing economies.



Architecture and Engineering


 Contemporary architectural styles vary substantially throughout the Confederated Kingdoms, with northern states favoring wood and stone construction with emphasis on insulation, while more industrialized kingdoms such as Laurentin put more emphasis on brick and mortar and steel. Historically Cacean elements lie in architectural structures dating from between 680-1000 AE, but in a substantially different manner from conventional structures built closer to the Cacean Sea given the difficulty in importing large, solid rock elements.

Following the construction and immigration boom into the royal territories in the 1930s, these frontier settlements frequently feature wooden construction, along with prefabricated metal structures for more long term structures. While not particularly resilient, they are cheap and fairly easy to replace, a necessary consideration given the harsh environmental conditions of the Northern Interior.

Daily Life


Given the strong socialist leanings of the newly unified Confederated Kingdoms government, improving the quality of life of the citizenry has been a strong and persistent agenda for both the much less secure royal families and the newly elected representatives of the population. As such, a degree of wealth redistribution is occurring internally within the Confederated Kingdoms, but in a controlled and delayed manner on account of the influence of the royal families. As a whole these changes are welcome--food shortages, which were endemic in wartime conditions previously, have all but ceased within the Kingdoms, though scarcities persist within the royal territories; rail lines are under construction, and industrial developments are rapidly accelerating the economic power of this up and coming nation.


Education


Education from the age of 8 through 16 is provided by the government and provided without additional fee to all citizens of the Confederated Kingdoms. The national curriculum covers basic mathematics, political theory, physical education, grammar and language literacy, and philosophy through the Standardtschool. While not producing top tier artists or highly scientifically competent graduates, the basic education program promotes higher quality of life for its participants through providing basic educational needs that allow for more readily accessible employment in a rapidly industrializing society. Depending on discretionary funding provided by the individual kingdoms as a subsidy to these programs, art and music courses may additionally be present, but are generally limited to the larger schools. Additionally, in rural regions or areas with higher rates of poverty, the age cap may be suspended as a remedial effort at improving the quality of life of citizens who have not had the benefits of a comprehensive basic education.

Beyond the completion of the Standardtschool, a certain percentage of students who meet threshold competency requirements are offered attendance in the Greaterschools, which offer more technical coursework ranging from agriculture and chemistry to physics and astronomy. Students pay for this secondary schooling through loans offered exclusively through the government, with discounts to the loan repayment scheme being offered for commitment to military service or particular economic hardships.

Privately operated universities are an alternative to the Greaterschools, the most noteworthy of these being the University of Bonhaven, which provides an alternative educational path to the state operated Greaterschools. As the Greaterschools allow admissions exclusively on academic performance in relation to quotas of available seats, the private universities have a tendency to be populated with the upper echelons of society who can afford to buy their way into a quality education regardless of their scholastic performance prior to that point. While controversial given its elitist tendencies, private schools were not shut down in spite of socialistic demands during the establishment of the Confederated Kingdoms, and have proven themselves capable of breeding top notch minds.


Social Services


The right to basic medical care was affixed to the Articles of Rights and Privileges in 1938, with the goal of medical coverage for all citizens being accomplished by 1948. While not a full scaled healthcare program, military doctors are utilized to provide basic coverage, such as diagnostics, immunizations and basic treatments such as setting broken bones to citizens at their discretion without cost. Additional, basic vaccinations are provided to full-privilege citizens without charge. Military personnel and the families of military personnel are granted enhanced treatment as a benefit of their service while on active duty. A complication of this program is that private doctors receive less business, but as only basic treatments are offered to the general population specialized doctors such as surgeons remain more or less commercially viable.

Basic education is guaranteed for citizens up to the age of 16, and in certain rural areas up to the levels expected of 16 year olds at graduation, with the education system being paid for by taxpayers. Higher education is selectively available to promising students based on scholastic performance, and is paid for by loans exclusively issued by the government. Students who have committed to a full tour of service in the military are eligible for sharply reduced loans, and graduates of the officer programs have college expenses waived entirely.

Unemployment benefits exist in a heavily restricted form for fathers with children, for single mothers, or for individuals who are injured on the job to the extent that they are permanently incapable of working. These benefits are paid for by mandatory enrollment in the Unemployment Protection System.

Pension systems are in place for military veterans, and individuals recognized by the state for exceptional service. Otherwise there is no mandate for such payments; however large businesses are encouraged to offer pension systems to long term employees of good standing.




© 2017 - 2024 CommodoreHorton
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Soundwave3591's avatar
(Is inspired heavily by this for his own nation sheet)