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Difference between revisions of "Empire of Agber"
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On 3 April 2021, Carthagean Protector Ashleigh Sinodis announced her intent to dissolve the Grand Duchy of Carthage to the Emperor and national heads of state. She cited the reasoning being her inability to reach Emperor Eric or his legal guardian for a period of nearly four months coupled with the departure of most of the nation's active citizens to the Royal Republic of Rivière Noire. The decision was approved on 5 April, two days later. As a result of Carthage's dissolution, Emperor Devon was able to negotiate the Royal Republic of Rivière Noire joining the Empire on 18 May 2021. | On 3 April 2021, Carthagean Protector Ashleigh Sinodis announced her intent to dissolve the Grand Duchy of Carthage to the Emperor and national heads of state. She cited the reasoning being her inability to reach Emperor Eric or his legal guardian for a period of nearly four months coupled with the departure of most of the nation's active citizens to the Royal Republic of Rivière Noire. The decision was approved on 5 April, two days later. As a result of Carthage's dissolution, Emperor Devon was able to negotiate the Royal Republic of Rivière Noire joining the Empire on 18 May 2021. | ||
On 26 May 2021, Emperor Devon brought up the possibility of the Empire evolving into more of an alliance. While he stated that it was not something he expressly wanted, he was curious to look into the possibility and how it might work. He held a vote of heads of state as to whether or not to form a committee to draft up a proposal. The motion was denied by a vote of 5 (Berwyn, Cordova, Kolios, Severny, and Verdura) to 3 (Maevis, Rivière Noire, and Tenshukyō). | On 26 May 2021, Emperor Devon brought up the possibility of the Empire evolving into more of an alliance. While he stated that it was not something he expressly wanted, he was curious to look into the possibility and how it might work. He held a vote of heads of state as to whether or not to form a committee to draft up a proposal. The motion was denied by a vote of 5 (Berwyn, Cordova, Kolios, Severny, and Verdura) to 3 (Maevis, Rivière Noire, and Tenshukyō). | ||
For the remainder of 2021, the Empire still formally existed, but practically was a loose coalition of independent nations. The matter of changing to an Alliance was raised again in early 2022, when the matter passed by a vote of 2 (Cordova and Verdura) to 5 (Lauchammer, Prydain, Rivière Noire, Tenshukyō, and White Sands). The Empire would formally be dissolved on 1 November 2022, with all of the active nations at the time except the Archduchy of Verdura forming the Agberian Alliance, which styled itself more akin to the League of Nations, with all nations being fully Sovereign in their own right. | |||
==Government== | ==Government== | ||
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=== | ===Principality of Kolios=== | ||
::''Main article: [[Protectorate of Kolios]]'' | |||
The Principality of Kolios predates the formation of the Empire, having been established on 20 September 1995 as the Kingdom of Kolios in Bavaria, Germany. When the final member of the founders and then Queen, Arlene moved away from the area, she decided to restructure Kolios as a Principality within an Empire in 1998. The Principality saw miimal activity from 1998 to 2020. | |||
The Principality left the Empire on 26 February 2022 under the eye of Price Garibald. The next day it became a territorial holding of Westarctica when Prince Garibald and [[Grand Duke Travis]] signed the [[Marana Accords]]. | |||
===Grand Duchy of Carthage=== | ===Grand Duchy of Carthage=== | ||
In late 1997, then Queen Arlene of Kolios' family relocated from Augsburg, Germany, to Fort Drum, in upstate New York. Shortly after settling in, she began considering the future of the Then Kingdom of Kolios. After studying types of governments, she settled on scaling back its profile to that of a Principality, and establishing a new nation in her current location that she dubbed the Grand Duchy of Carthage on 7 January 1998. Initially Empress Arlene also served as the Grand Duchess of Carthage. After a few months of doing so she decided to relinquish that title to a friend, who became known as Grand Duke Andrew. | |||
These early days of the Grand Duchy saw it operate largely as an after-school activity, much as Kolios had. This application would continue on even as Empress Arlene moved away during her parents divorce in 2002 to California. | |||
In August 2003 the Order of the Rosy Cross was created by Grand Duke Andrew. Six Knights and Dames were initially named to the order before Empress Arlene learned of the name's ties to the Rosicrucian movement, and Grand Duke Andrew's attempts to make Carthage a bastion of Rosicrucian thinking and culture. Due to these facts, and given that physical regalia had not yet been purchased and distributed, Empress Arlene ordered that the order be disbanded and all memberships revoked in November of that same year. In protest, Andrew immediately severed ties with the Empress and Agber, without even so much as an official resignation. | |||
As a result of these events, all remaining stock from the first iteration of the Order of the White Lion was lost, as well as a number of pieces for the Order of Carthage. As she had helped fund the Order of Carthage pieces, this sequence of events prompted Empress Arlene to declare the National Order of each territory to be directly under her control, with her assuming the entire funding of them moving forward. The lost pieces are presumed to still be held by the former Grand Duke. | |||
From 2004 through 2013, Empress Arlene was a member of the United States Air Force, and saw herself stationed at four different bases. While Carthage initially carried on with business as usual under the guidance of Grand Duchess Charlotte. In August 2005, Charlotte abdicated from the throne, citing her weariness with being part of an Empire that felt very detached from Carthagean affairs. All of her provincial governors quit at this time. Rather than let Carthage officially go defunct, Empress Arlene decided to make the role of Grand Duke or Duchess a position within the retinue she surrounded herself with at Renaissance Festivals and Fairs, something that had become part of her activities during her time working directly with what was then the Enclave de Cordova. This Era saw the service of Grand Dukes Nicholas and George, as well as Grand Duchess Anne as the head of Carthage. Despite their service, they had no administrative duties (aside from serving as the font of honor for the Order of the White Lion), and never had any provincial governors. | |||
As part of the Empire's Renaissance, Empress Arlene appointed Grand Duke Louis as the nation's seventh head of state in 2013. He was selected due to a combination of having been involved with Carthage during the reign of Grand Duchess Charlotte, his residing in the geographical area of the Grand Duchy, and his familiarity and involvement with Renaissance Fair culture. As he was charged with developing a unique identity for the nation, Carthage began introducing more aspects taken from France's era of the House of Valois with a few elements from early Bourbon rule. | |||
The ascension of Grand Duke Eric after his father's death in 2020 proved to be the first step in the eventual dissolution of the Grand Duchy. Global politics led to divisions in the ranks of Carthage's citizens. Without a strong central leader, these rifts widened to chasms in February 2021. This culminated in a number of Carthagean citizens breaking away from the Grand Duchy and its parent Empire on 27 February. More than half of the active roster left, along with the provinces of Black River and Turning to form the Royal Republic of Rivière Noire. The next day, the province of Rulison would join the separatists and would elect its first ruler: King Quentin. | |||
On 3 April 2021, Carthagean Protector Ashleigh Sinodis announced her intent to dissolve the Grand Duchy of Carthage to Emperor Devon and the other national heads of state. She cited the reasoning being her inability to reach Emperor Eric or his legal guardian for a period of nearly four months coupled with the departure of most of the nation's active citizens to Rivière Noire. The decision was approved on 5 April, officially dissolving Carthage after more than 23 years. | |||
===Reino de Cordova=== | ===Reino de Cordova=== | ||
Empress Arlene's parents separated in 2002, with Arlene relocating to Northern California with her mother that summer, to have family closer by during the transition. While there, the Empress began connecting with a group of people involved in both Renaissance Fairs and the Society for Creative Anachronism. This led to the creation of the Enclave de Cordova on 27 August of that year, with her cousin, Gilbert, serving at the nation's first Baron, making it the first nation within the Empire of Agber where Empress Arlene did not serve as the national head of state. He would continue in that role until 2004. | |||
Cordova was initially unique for having a more vibrant and established culture than Carthage or Kolios. This was primarily due to the defining role that creative anachronism played, with Renaissance Fair culture squarely at the center of Cordovese affairs. Though it would wait until 2013, this aspect would eventually be extended to the entirety of the Agberian Empire. | |||
During the time that Empress Arlene served in the United States Air Force, the greater activity of the Empire was sparse. Typically only being briefly revived when there was an event the Empress wanted to create a retinue for. Cordova was the glaring exception to this; owing largely to the fact that the Enclave enjoyed a greater sense of purpose due to the focus on Renaissance Fair culture and experienced a larger degree of ability to exist away from the Empress. Additionally, Empress Arlene had family in the area, and still visited during the nearly decade-long Second Era. | |||
During this era, Cordova and the Empress had a relationship that fluctuated between cordial and contentious. While most Carthageans supported the notion of the Empire, Baronesa Nicolette and her successor, Baron Peter, regarded Empress Arlene as an absentee meddler on more than one occasion. The strain would come to a breaking point right after Arlene's discharge from the Air Force, when she approached then Baron Peter about a revamp of the project. Peter initially expressed interest in leaving the Empire rather than have someone he said was "little more than a stranger" meddle with Cordovese affairs on a whim. When he held a vote among the provincial leaders, he found that they unanimously supported the Empress' plan. He in turn abdicated the throne without naming a preferred successor in what was described by one account as a "dramatic affair." Empress Arlene then appointed Baron Devon as the nation's fourth head of state in 2013. | |||
In 2013, Cordova's culture was a relatively non-descript snapshot of general Renaissance Fair activities, relying only on the use of Spanish honorifics and titles. In order to distinguish itself as part of the Empire's new initiative, the Enclave began to evolve into more of a take on early Spanish Colonialism under the leadership of Baron Devon. During his reign, Cordova transcended the small circle of friends it had previously been. Baron Devon sponsored jousters, would provide patronage to vendors in exchange for their display of a Cordovese banner, and would occasionally "hold court." The work done by Devon to make Cordova a true part of Cordova's local Renaissance Fair scene inspired approaches utilized by Empress Arlene and other nations within the Empire. | |||
In early 2018, Baron Devon relocated to Atlanta, Georgia for work. He decided to abdicate in favor of Doña Celestina, who was serving as the head of Provincial Dorado at the time. She was elevated to the title of Baronesa, a role she currently holds. While he stated that he hated stepping down, the culture Devon had fostered within Cordova during his five years as Baron would be unsustainable with an absent Sovereign. | |||
When Cordova was handed more autonomy as a part of the 18 June 2020 proclamation, the Baronesa Celestina immediately restructured the Enclave as a kingdom, opting to use the Spanish wording Reino. This elevated her title to that of Reina, and the former Dons and Doñas were elevated to the rank of Barón or Baronesa. Additionally, she announced a new structure of nobility for Cordova that is designed to blend aspects of both aristocracy and meritocracy, an would heavily influence the changes made to the [[Nobility of Kolios]] during the reign of [[Duke of the Bear Peninsula|Prince Garibald]]. | |||
"All provincial heads will hold the minimum title of Barón/Baronesa. Through a merit-based system, they can raise their title to Marquês/Marquesa, and again to Duque/Duquesa. | |||
Provincial successors will hold the title immediately below that of their predecessor (i.e. a Duquesa's successor will be a Marquês, and a Marquês' will be a Baronesa). Successors to the office held by a Barón/Baronesa will retain that same rank. | |||
Children of a noble will hold the title immediately below that of their parent, much in the same way a provincial successor works. However, the child of a Barón or Baronesa will hold the non-noble title of Don or Doña. Children of a Cordovese who holds a non-noble title will be afforded no title or honorific." | |||
Cordova became fully independent and sovereign for the first time in its existence on 1 November 2022, when the Empire of Agber disbanded. It was a founding member of the succeeding Agberian Alliance. | |||
===Sawatch Emirate=== | ===Sawatch Emirate=== | ||
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===Kingdom of Maevis=== | ===Kingdom of Maevis=== | ||
The founder and first Sovereign of Maevis, Queen Barbara, had previously served within the Empire as the Comtesse of Rulison, within the Grand Duchy of Carthage. She served dutifully in this role until she relocated back to Shetland in early 2018. She remained involved with Carthagean affairs, and retained her citizenship with them after leaving, and began initial discussions with Empress Arlene of Agber about forming a new nation within the Empire in the late spring of 2020. The idea for the nation came from her home area's blending of Norse and Scottish traditions. | |||
The Kingdom of Maevis was founded on 18 June 2020, as a part of the Empire of Agber. Its name was taken from the Old Norse word Mæveiðs, which means narrow land. Provincial heads hold the title of Jarl, regardless of their gender. Clans exist much as they do in Scottish tradition, but they have no official role in the government of the nation. Maevis' capital is Vikksborg. | |||
Queen Barbara would sit the Rowan Throne for the entirety of Maevis as a solo endeavor. It joined with two other projects on 5 January 2022 to form the Prydain Kingdom of Maevis, Berwyn, and Innèsoil. Queen Barbara would become the Sovereign of this new unified nation. | |||
===Archduchy of Verdura=== | ===Archduchy of Verdura=== | ||
Empress Arlene of Agber relocated to Indiana to earn her medical degree in 2020. This move put her living in the same town as family, which led to her niece, Priscilla, becoming more interested in the Empire. Eventually, a plan to create a new nation was created, leading to the declaration of the Archduchy of Verdura on 19 August of that year. Verduran culture is based on Mediterranean Italy, namely the Kingdom of Sicily. | |||
Verdura made history in the Empire by becoming the first nation to have its own social media account in November 2020. It was the only surviving nation from the Empire to not join the Agberian alliance when the Empire was dissolved on 1 November 2022. Former Empress Arlene currently serves as the heir to the Verduran Marble Throne. | |||
===Grand Duchy of Liguria=== | ===Grand Duchy of Liguria=== | ||
Liguria was the first success from the Call to Sovereignty initiative. Its founder, Grand Duke Gilbert, was the first ruler of what was then the Enclave de Cordova. Although he stepped down shortly after his cousin, the Empress, joined the Air Force, he remained involved in Agberian affairs as a whole. Initially planned to be a unique endeavor, plans were changed after the announcement of the Archduchy of Verdura, which had a similar identity to what was proposed for Liguria. It was the first nation in the empire planned to be a sister project to an existing nation. In order to further differentiate itself, Liguria had a strong focus on the arts as a part of its culture, which was built around a Northern Italian identity (specifically the Kingdom of Tuscany). It was formed out of land from the California area of the western United States. | |||
Liguria had three provinces: Bellini, Raffaello, and Tiziano. The nation had three orders of chivalry, each focusing on a different aspect of the arts, and with a single rank and different regalia intended to form a full set when worn together. These orders were: the Order of Saint Genesius, recognizing the performing arts (acting, dancing, and music), which was represented by a sash and cordon; the Order of Saint Catherine, recognizing the visual arts (painting, drawing, and sculpting), which was represented by a medal worn from a necklet; and the Order of Saint Lucia, recognizing the written arts (poetry and other creative writing), which was denoted by the wear of a breast star. These three separate orders would be combined into a single concept when Liguria became a Verduran colony as the Order of the Three Saints. | |||
The Grand Duchy was absorbed into the Archduchy of Verdura on 28 February 2021 as a colony, with its status being reduced to that of a Duchy. When it became a colony, Gilbert stayed on as the colonial administrator, albeit with a reduced noble title of Duke. | |||
===Tsardom of Severny=== | ===Tsardom of Severny=== | ||
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===Principality of Berwyn=== | ===Principality of Berwyn=== | ||
The Principality of Berwyn was the third new nation to join the Empire from the Call to Sovereignty initiative, being formally established on 25 February 2021. Enclaved in Wales, the Principality was formed by former Sawatch citizen Prince Bernard. The cultural identity of Berwyn is formed primarily around Welsh traditions, with certain Cornish and Manx elements. The national sport of Berwyn is Falconry, with Prince Bernard having his own personal falcon, Olwen. | |||
Berwyn's central (and largest) province, Carreg Newydd, is also the home to its capital, Glaslyn. This region is directly presided over by Prince Bernard. There are also two smaller provinces to the north and south. The northern province, Hough Twoaie, features a culture that maintains an identity that is clearly Berwynese, while also having distinct Manx influences. To the south of Carreg Newydd is the province of Grond Deghow, whose Welsh aspects are accompanied by distinct Cornish traditions. | |||
From inception, Berwyn had two orders of chivalry. The higher of these, the Most Excellent Order of the Kite, has only one rank and is limited to 6 members. t was kept as the only distinctly Berwynese order after the formation of the Prydain Kingdom. | |||
In April 2021 Berwyn began hosting a monthly virtual training series on skills deemed vital to appropriate period clothing of the Berwynese court. These sessions so far have covered blacksmithing and clothes dyeing. Future series are expected to focus on weaving, sewing, knitting, and chainmail. In July 2021, Berwyn hosted Queen Barbara of Maevis. This meeting began the process of the two nations combining, which would come to fruition on 5 January 2022 when the two combined with another project to form the Prydain Kingdom of Maevis, Berwyn, and Innèsoil. Prince Bernard would stay on as the Berwynese regional administrator and heir to Queen Barbara. | |||
===Royal Republic of Rivière Noire=== | ===Royal Republic of Rivière Noire=== | ||
The Royal Republic of Rivière Noire was formed on 27 February 2021. A result of the Empire's political infighting that resulted in the abdication of Empress Arlene, Rivière Noire was formed as a separatist nation from the Grand Duchy of Carthage's provinces of Black River, Rulison, and Turning. The Royal Republic's citizens elected their first ruler, King Quentin, on the following day. | |||
The intent of the nation was initially to distance itself from the Empire of Agber. After the abdication of Empress Arlene, and the rise of her successor, Emperor Devon, Rivière Noire's stance softened. With the dissolution of Carthage in April 2021, King Quentin and Emperor Devon began discussing the possibility of Rivière Noire joining the Empire, which they would on 18 May 2021. | |||
Rivière Noire was unique in the Empire, as it was the only nation to exist as a formal democracy. The Sovereign is elected to the Spring Throne by the citizens, and serves for life. The King or Queen may be removed from power by a two-thirds majority of vote of the citizens, who must then elect a new monarch. This method of selection was implemented in response to the reign of Grand Duke Eric, the underage son of the previous Grand Duke Louis. Since being crowned, Eric had no contact with anyone else in Carthage, to what was regarded as "ruinous effect." | |||
Despite the circumstances of its admittance to the Empire indicating that Rivière Noire is a pseudo or de facto successor state to the Carthagean claim, King Quentin maintains that he sees the nation as a unique and separate nation from the former Grand Duchy, aside from the fact that the founding individuals were all former citizens of Carthage. | |||
Rivière Noire survived the dissolution of the Empire on 1 November 2022 and became a founding member of the Agberian Alliance. | |||
===Grand Duchy of Lauchammer=== | ===Grand Duchy of Lauchammer=== | ||
Established in late 2021 by a college student in Texas, the Grand Duchy of Lauchammer was established to observe a Danish tradition. Grand Duke Maximillian is the son of two of the early participants in the then Enclave de Cordova, having learned of the Empire from his parents. Maximillian has announced a number of expansion initiatives, but for now prides himself on Lauchammer being a "one man show." | |||
Lauchammer joined the majority of surviving Empire nations who founded the Agberian Alliance after the dissolution of the Empire of Agber on 1 November 2022. | |||
===Prydain Kingdom of Maevis, Berwyn, and Innèsoil=== | ===Prydain Kingdom of Maevis, Berwyn, and Innèsoil=== | ||
The Prydain Kingdom was formed on 5 January 2022 when the Kingdom of Maevis, Kingdom of Innèsoil, and Principality of Berwyn. As all three of them were located in the British Isles, it was thought that creating one Kingdome with more centralized powers might be advantageous to all of them. Innèsoil was reclassified as a Principality, with Berwyn retaining their status as the same. | |||
In August of 2022, a Hawai'i-based nation joined the Prydain Kingdom: Ike Akua Nan̄a Nui Keikiali'i (commonly referred to as Ike Akua). Despite the name of the Kingdom remaining unchanged after it joined, Ike Akua is a fully integrated part of Pydain, not a colony. It enjoys the same benefits as the other two Principalities. | |||
Officially, each of the Principalities within the Prydain Kingdom are officially ruled by Queen Barbara. In practice, however, Princes are given nearly full autonomy, including serving as the font of honor for the order of chivalry unique to their nation. These orders are: | |||
* Maevis' Most Honourable Order of the North Sea, which is awarded by Queen Barbara and is limited to no more than nine members. | |||
* Berwyn's Most Excellent Order of the Kite, which is awarded by Prince Bernard and is limited to no more than six members. | |||
* Innèsoil's Most Noble Order of the Greene, which is awarded by Prince Liam and is limited to no more than seven members. | |||
* Ike Akua's Royal Order of the Nene, which is awarded by Ali'i Makana and is limited to no more than nine members. | |||
Prydain joined the majority of surviving Empire nations who founded the Agberian Alliance after the dissolution of the Empire of Agber on 1 November 2022. | |||
===Sultanate of the White Sands=== | ===Sultanate of the White Sands=== | ||
The Sultanate of the White Sands was the final nation to be formed as a part of the Empire of Agber in March 2022. The nation was established in New Mexico by Sultan Ahmed, who previously had ties to the Shogunate. It had at least one order of chivalry: the Order of the Caracara. Although there had been previous secular governments within the Empire, White Sands was the only nation to have a non-Christian religion when it announced its adherence to Islam. | |||
The Sultanate was a founding member of the Agberian Alliance after the dissolution of the Empire. | |||
==Religion== | ==Religion== | ||
While all faiths were welcomed with open arms, the official religion of the Empire | While all faiths were welcomed with open arms, the official religion of the Empire was Christian. During the Kingdom of Kolios era, a Church of Kolios existed with the Koliosian culture. | ||
==External Links== | ==External Links== | ||