Gavria
Registered
The United Empire
Official Name: United Empire
Common Name: Gavria
Form of Government: semi-presidential elective monarchy
Head of State: Emperor Gabriel
Head of Government: Prime Minister Maria Rosa
Foreign Minister: Emilio Amori
Capital: Etara (administrative and judicial), Lamora (legislative)
Official Languages: Etaran, Mercanti
Official Religion: None*
Currency: Marca
Population: 28 Million
Area: 144,134 sq km
Density: 194 / sq km
GNI (IBU): 1.023 Trillion
GNI per capita (IBU): 36,520
*Gavrian Paganism is the official church in Ferona and Nemia, Courantism is official in Elan, and Laurenism is official in Vaas.
Overview
The United Empire (El Impero Unito) is an elective monarchy located in northern Craviter. It is composed of the Kingdoms of Ferona, Nemia, and Elan (Elano), as well as the Commonwealth of Vaas (Vasa). The name Gavria is sometimes used to refer to the United Empire as a whole, though historically the term encompassed only the Umbrial nations of Ferona, Nemia, and Elan.
History
The first settlers in what is today western Gavria were Umbrials in diaspora. Through their travels north, their native pagan beliefs developed into a unique faith, centered around a benevolent fire god, Efeo, the giver of truth and life, and a malevolent snow goddess, Nica, who represented trickery and death. These archetypes almost certainly originated as a reference to the life-saving campfires which allowed them to survive the harsh winters as they trekked through rough, mountainous terrain in search of arable land. This land would be found in the plains surrounding the Reno river, which stretches from central Nemia up into northern Ferona. The settlers developed into an organized tribal kingdom centered around modern-day Etara, Ferona.
As the kingdom grew, new population centers began to develop south of Etara. Rivals to the king emerged, including the most credible threat to the Etaran hegemony, Allox, a well respected veteran commander in the king’s army. Allox declared herself King of the South and was able to amass a sizable army to defend his title. The nation was plunged into a civil war which ended ended with a resounding victory for Allox’s forces.
Centuries later, and both tribes had developed into sizable kingdoms in their own right; Ferona in the north and Nemia in the south. Old disputes resurfaced and the Nemian crown, under Queen Ingra, sought to claim the northern territories and reunite the land. This time, Feronan King Maximus repelled the southern invasion and was lauded as a hero by his people.
Around this time, depictions of the fire god in Ferona began to take the form of a young man crowned in laurels and a red toga, items associated with the Feronan kingship. The snow goddess was depicted in a black mantle with a gilded crown, similar to the royal garb of the Nemian sovereign. Mythology developed, doubtlessly influenced by the Messianic tale of Jesus’ victory over death, which spoke of a great war at the end of time between the army of the fire king and the army of the snow queen. The fire king would emerge victorious, and the souls of the dead would live on under his just rule forever.
Gavria was first unified by Alexandra the Uniter, Queen of Etara, in the thirteenth century to buffer the expansion of the Probfénix Empire and its Messianic faith. The Union collapsed following the fall of Pobfénix in 1432, and the next two centuries were marked by the division of the nation into feudal states whose bloody struggled for land and power marred the population and decimated the economy.
The western coast of Gavria was sparsely populated at this time and isolated by a mountain chain that deterred most settlers from the east. In the sixteenth century, a trading post was established in the area by Antofagosta, today part of Predice. They were welcomed by the small native population, who readily accepted the Predicean language and Courantist faith brought over by the Antofagostan merchants. When Antofagosta and the rest of Predice was annexed, the trading post, by then a minor port city named Lamora, cut ties with the homeland and established the autonomous Kingdom of Elan, laying claim to the portion of Ferona west of the mountains.
At the height of mercantilism, Elan was transformed into a bustling modern nation, while the central states lagged behind politically, culturally, and economically. In the eighteenth century, the King of Etara, Carolus, reunited the Feronan Kingdom and sought to reassert his claim to the west, launching a campaign to annex Elan and assume control over its ports. The campaign was an embarrassing failure for Carolus, and the Nolan monarchy’s rule over Elan was never again challenged.
The Unification Treaty established the United Empire in 1864, with the peaceful unification of the Kingdoms of Ferona, Elan, and Nemia under the Elanese crown. The first ruler of the new Empire was Ernica, Queen of Elan. She enacted broad reforms including establishing Predicean as the official tongue of the Empire and declaring Courantism the state church. These reforms were extremely unpopular in the east, but economic dependence on Elanese commerce made any concerted effort to halt them unwise.
The Province of Northern Vaas was annexed from the Rixion Kingdom shortly before its collapse in 1849, becoming the Commonwealth of Vaas. Tensions between the native Rixions of Vaas and the Imperial government in Etara remain high into the twenty-first century as attempts to assimilate the culture and language of Vaas have been, often violently, resisted, and movements to reunify Vaas with its southern counterpart have gained traction.
As mercantilism died down in the nineteenth century, Elan gradually waned in political influence. The Elanese King, Alberto, saw his grip on power slipping and initiated several undemocratic reforms to suppress the power of the Senate and further centralize Gavrian administration. Dissatisfaction and civil unrest among all factions of Gavrian society culminated in the Common Revolt of 1862, which ended with the abdication of Alberto and the reign of the first elected Emperor, Feronan King Xaverio.
Upon the ascension of Xaverio, a vulgar form of Predicean language spoken in Etara was made the official tongue. It wasn't until the post-Fascist Wars era that this language, called Etaran, saw wide-spread use outside of the Government. It became the standard language of radio and television, and fluency in Umbrial and standard Predicean declined among the younger generations. Today, it is estimated that only about 1 million Gavrians (roughly 4% of the population) continue to speak Umbrial or Predicean as a native language.
Government
The legislature of the State is the unicameral Senate (Senata). The Senate has the right to enact, amend, or repeal any law whatsoever, and no person or body can override it. From among its ranks, the Senate elects the Prime Minister (Primo Ministro), who then forms a Cabinet. The Prime Minister and Cabinet are responsible to the Senate for their tenure. Senators serve indefinitely; new elections are held when a vote of no confidence is passed against the Prime Minister's Government.
The Emperor (Imperatoro) is elected for life from the pool of monarchs of the Three Kingdom — though the title is essentially granted ex officio to the Sovereign of Ferona — and shares executive powers alongside the Prime Minister. The division of responsibilities between the Prime Minister and the Emperor is governed by precedent; the Prime Minister has authority over domestic and economic affairs, while the Emperor directs foreign and defence policy. The Emperor is expected to remain politically neutral, at least publically, while the Prime Minister, as the leader of the majority faction in the Senate, is under no such restriction.
The Empire is divided administratively into three Kingdoms (Regni), governed by a hereditary king (Regio) or queen (Regina), and a Commonwealth (Comunidado), governed by an elected Governor-General (Governatoro/a Generalo/a). All four nations of the Empire have Parliaments which share legislative powers with the Senate in Lamora. Each Kingdom or Commonwealth is divided into Provinces (Provincie), each governed by a Governor (Governatoro/a) appointed by the Monarch or Governor-General. Each Province is divided into Districts (Districti) governed by an Administrator (Administratoro/a) appointed by the Governor of their Province.
Military
Coming soon.
Language
Coming soon.
Faith
Coming soon.
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