Wallcorn Factbook

[Wallcorn]

Here follows the factbook of my nation; the Grand Duchy of Wallcorn. Please bear with me, I'm new to all this! Suggestions as to anything else to add to it would be welcome.

Yours, with kindly greetings from Wallcorn!

[Wallcorn]

By Order of His Royal, Princely, and Catholic Highness, Rupert II, by the Grace of God, Grand Duke of Wallcorn

For the elucidation of foreigners, and the furthering of the good name of Wallcorn

Introduction

The Grand Duchy of Wallcorn is a large, autonomous state located on the Westcornian Isthmus of the Continent of Kernovia. To the north, it borders Yurttland, a vassal state, and to the south the various trading nations of South-West Kernovia, including The Republic of Southcorn Bay. It has a population of around 600 million all told. A semi-feudal conglomeration of fiefdoms, it's borders have been gradually expanding during several centuries of rule by the House of Lynden-Mountbracken.

The Grand Duchy was founded in 1836, following the union of the Duchy of Wallcorn with the Grand Barony of Downhaven. Since then, the various other ethnic Wallcornian provinces have been invited, ushered, bought and bullied into the union.

For all intents and purposes, Wallcorn is an hereditary absolute monarchy. It's current ruler is Grand Duke Rupert II, aided by State Chancellor Lord Sebastian Eiswein and Prime Minister Lord Magnus Smythe.

While Wallcorn possesses a Bicameral Parliament, laws are only passed by Ducal assent, which is occasionally refused. Indeed while the former ruler, Grand Duke Alberich II (The Great) possessed a flair for populism which culminated in his abolition of serfdom in 1967, Grand Duke Rupert is a self-proclaimed enlightened absolutist.

Alberich's military and logistical genius resulted in a great boost in territory, power and prestige for this seemingly backwards nation. His efforts led to Wallcorn being recognised as the dominant power on the Corn Bay. Wallcorn has a rapidly growing economy, despite the current Grand Duke's penchant for Grands Projets!

[Wallcorn]

History

The Westcornian isthmus has been home to Gaelo-Germanic peoples for several thousand years. The various tribes were known to have loosely collaborated in both trade and war, often uniting in the face of invasion by the Slavic Yurtlanders.

A semi-republican system was established in antiquity, with the lords of the different tribes meeting regularly to direct trade and resolve disputes. However, this was more in the nature of a confederation of autonomous territories than a cohesive state containing constituencies. However, it is in this period that Wallcorn began to exist as an ethnic nation; it's peoples were united by a common ancestry, a common law, a common language and, later, a common religion; Roman Catholicism, widely adopted by 500 A.D.

By the beginning of the Second Millennium, the Wallcornian peoples had appointed several Dukes; an initially elected position which gave the bearer the right to raise troops in defence of the realm. The position swiftly became hereditary and several families claimed ducal status by the time of the Trans-Oaken War (1335-1350). The victors of this conflict were the House of Wyeberg, who claimed suzerainty over the whole of Wallcorn but whose Duchy, in practice, only encompassed a quarter of ethnic Wallcorn. Their capital, Wyebury, remains the capital of Wallcorn to this day.

Over the next five hundred years, the Duchy asserted itself considerably. The Bay Wars (1641-1704) doubled it's size. However, in 1640, the House of Wyeburg went extinct in the male line leading to a Succession Crisis. The eventual victors were the House of Lynden, whose head, Theodore, was a grandson of Duke Godric; the last Wyeburg Duke.

In 1836, Duke Rupert of Wallcorn married Lady Isabella Mountbracken, heir to the Grand Barony of Downhaven. The two houses and realms were merged, forming the Grand Duchy of Wallcorn, under Grand Duke Rupert I.

The Grand Duchy has since had a stable and prosperous history. The Grand Dukes and their Parliaments have overseen a gradual economic shift from feudalism towards distributism.

In 1960, Dumnartia invaded Glosvia, a territory of the Southcorn Bay Republic. In response, Grand Duke Alberich I declared war on Dumnartia, beginning the Last Corn War, and his years of campaigning in the south. By the end of his reign in 1999, he had revolutionised Wallcorn's military, not to mention her standing in the World.

In 1991, Alberich was elected Prince of Yurtland by the Northern Assembly. Yurtland, however, is held to be a personal fiefdom of the Wallcornian Crown, rather than a part of the State of Wallcorn.

The throne was inherited by his nephew, Rupert II who has thus far pursued a peaceful policy, centred upon his love of academia, public art and grand architecture.

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Geography

Wallcorn is a geographically large country, whose territory includes the entire Westcornian Isthmus. In the north, it is separated from Yurttland by the Wyfry mountains. The gentler Chittle Mountains divide the Cornian East from the Oceanic West.

It is divided into several regions, known as Fiefdoms, by far the largest of which is Ducal Wallcorn, the personal fief of the Grand Duke. This includes both Wyebergia in the north and Lynden on the Bay of Corn. There are more than a hundred other fiefdoms, the smallest of which is Hasselfry, a tiny enclave surrounded by Wyebergia.

Each non-ducal Fiefdom is governed by it's own Lord, who himself answers to the Grand Duke. Several cities have been granted autonomy by Royal Charter and are considered fiefdoms unto themselves.

The Climate in Wallcorn varies from region to region. The north section of the country is dominated by the Wyfry mountains and is subject to a Subalpine climate with warm summers and very cold, very snowy winters. The land on the Bay of Corn however enjoys a Mediterranean climate with hot, dry summers and cool, wet winters. To the West of the Chittle Mountains, a maritime climate prevails, with moderate temperatures in winter and summer and precipitation spaced out evenly throughout the year.

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Government and Politics

Wallcorn is a parliamentary monarchy whose governing structures still represent her feudal origins. She has no single constitution, rather a series of important customs, treaties and laws know as the Wallcornian Matter.

The Head of State is the Grand Duke, currently Rupert II. His official title is His Royal Highness Grand Duke Rupert II, by the Grace of God Supreme Prince of the Lands of Wallcorn. He rules the country, aided by both his personal advisers, civil and military, and his appointed Cabinet.

Wallcorn has a bicameral Parliament, made up of an upper house (Hall of Lords) and a lower house (Hall of Squires). The upper chamber contains all those with a lordly title; Lords, Barons, Earls, Marquisses and Bishops, while the lower chamber is elected by the populace.

All those who own their own home are enfranchised, with one vote per house. This ammounts to suffrage being extended to about 60 percent of households, but only 20 percent of individuals. Members of the Squires represent local constituencies. All candidates for this house must be armigerous. However, Knights and Officers on active service may not stand for election.

Elections are held every five years, with the consent of the Grand Duke, but may be called earlier, either by the will of Parliament or by royal decree.

At the start of a parliamentary term, the Grand Duke appoints a State Chancellor. This gentleman must be a member of the Lords who commands confidence in both houses. The State Chancellor is the head of the Grand Duke's Cabinet, which assists HRH with his executive duties. Ministers are appointed (traditionally with equal numbers from both houses) by the State Chancellor.

Simultaneously, the Squires elect, from amongst the Lords, a Prime Minister. This gentleman is the head of the legislature. The Squires also elect a Provost and a Speaker. The Speaker of the Lords is traditionally appointed by the Grand Duke.

The Prime Minister and the Provost of the Squires are entitled to attend cabinet if they wish, but their roles are to direct the legislature. Legislation can be proposed by any member of either house but must be accepted by both for it to pass. Bills must also receive Royal Assent from the Grand Duke who may, theoretically pass any laws he wishes. As he relies on Parliament for the levying of taxes and maintenance of infrastructure, the Grand Duke is obliged to co-operate with the legislature.

There are no national political parties in Wallcorn, but Parliament is divided into three broad factions with considerable overlap; the conservative Old Guard who favour militarism and an active foreign policy, the left-wing Nationalists who support isolationism and the protection of national economies, and the whiggish Aesthetes, a largely young and primarily aristocratic movement dedicated to personal freedom and public art.

The Lords are dominated by Old Guard and Aesthetes, while the Squires are dominated by Old Guard and Nationalists with a small but growing clique of Aesthetes. There is no official membership of these movements and most senior politicians have moved from one position to another during their careers. As a result, Parliaments and Cabinets are generally good at co-operating for the common benefit.

The current State Chancellor, Lord Sebastian Eiswein, is known to favour the Aesthete cause, and the make-up of his Cabinet reflects this. The Prime Minister, however, is Lord Magnus Smythe; a stalwart of the Old Guard. The Provost of the Squires is Graham Kyndle, a moderate Nationalist. The Grand Duke is considered to be officially nonpartisan.

There is a large bureaucracy of Civil Servants at whose head are the Royal Advisers, most of whom are survivors from the time of Alberich. This entirely unelected group hold considerable sway over both Crown and Parliament. Rupert, however, has recently begun surrounding himself with artists and philosophers, allegedly causing a little disgruntlement amongst the Old Guard.

Rumours of a Military Coup in 2007 came to nothing when the army expressed it's unanimous support for the Grand Duke. Relations however remain somewhat strained.

The Grand Duke's main residence is Lynden Palace in Wyebury. The Cabinet offices are also contained in this building. Government departments are largely based on Corn Mall, that half-mile of boulevard that connects the Palace with Parliament. Cabinet Ministers, the State Chancellor, Prime Minister and Provost all have grace and favour houses in this area.

While the Fiefdoms are each governed by their own Lord, they are divided into Shires (counties), each of which has it's own council and Parliamentary-appointed Magistrate. The autonomous cities have an elected mayor and council.

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Foreign Policy

Since Alberich II established the so-called Pax Wallcornia in the early 1990s, Wallcorn has refrained from engaging in any large-scale conflict. She remains, however well-prepared to do so should the need arise.

She maintains friendly relations with her neighbours and seeks an active diplomatic engagement with all nations.

However, the distributist economy has led to a fairly protectionist stance which means that Wallcorn need not rely on foreign trade. Her foreign policy is therefore of an entirely diplomatic nature.

Wallcorn is a member of the World Assembly and has recently been granted a trial membership in the Imperial Commonwealth League of Crowns. Her ambassador to the latter is Lord Greene, Marquis of Affingham, maternal cousin of the Grand Duke.

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Military

Wallcorn has a well-organised, if monolithic, military, dominated by the three main branches; the Army, the Navy, and the Flying Corps. Peacetime membership of these services consists of around eight million people; four million in the army, two million in the navy, two million in the Flying Corps.

The Professional Wallcornian Army is organised along traditional lines; men are organised into regiments, each of roughly 2,400. Men are trained rigorously before being allocated a regiment, in which they will usually remain for the entire course of their military career.

Regiments are grouped into Divisions of around 12,000; five regiments. Divisions are divided into groups of four, known as corps. And corps are also grouped in four to create a full Army of around 192,000. Armies are grouped by fives into Groups, and there are five such groups.

Each group is commanded by a Marshall, of whom the most senior is known as Field Marshall (currently Field Marshall the Marquis Louis Ravenscroft.) These officers take their orders directly from Parliament and the Grand Duke.

Commissions may generally only be awarded to those of equestrian (i.e. armigerous) rank. Prospective officers generally attend schools which train them in the methods and systems of the army before applying for a commission. Commissions are also awarded to those NCOs who excel in command. The army is therefore a useful generator of social mobility, as all officers who have attained the rank of captain, regardless of their background, are entitled to bear arms.

The Navy and Flying Corps are organised on simillar grounds. The Wallcornian Navy commands over 1000 vessels, the largest of which is the brute-class battleship HRHS Hugo. The majority of it's ships are brownwater vessels, whose purpose it is to defend Wallcorn's coasts. Wallcorn is however demonstrably capable of asserting force at sea

While national service has recently been lightened (those attending university are no longer required to go through it beforehand), Wallcorn often implements conscription in times of national need. Economically, the country can quite easily manage to conscript around fourty million men, more than quadrupling the size of it's military.

Conscription requires all Lords to raise a regiment, and all cities to form one or several brigades. Officers in the raised regiments are known as Knights, and are only required to follow orders from their own Lord-General. On occasions where the Lord of an area is incapable of taking arms, he is expected to provide a substitute, generally a close relative, as general.

In times of conscription, the Hall of Lords is therefore officially dissolved. The Lords in the Cabinet are required to send substitutes to prevent the government from dissolving also. This custom reputedly exists to prevent Parliament from seeking wars that it's members would be unwilling to participate in themselves.

The Wallcornian Army maintains mounted cavalry regiments. Indeed, over 40,000 of it's soldiers are trained to fight on horseback. The Royal Cuirassiers are a particularly lauded Brigade, having been a favourite of Alberich II.

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Economy

Wallcorn has a partially state-controlled economy, run on distributist lines. This has allowed her to grow slowly out of feudalism without upsetting the social balance.

The majority of Wallcornians are employed in agriculture. Farmers grow wheat, corn, cotton, poppy, oats, root vegetables and hemp in large quantities.

The feudal style still prevails in Wallcorn; farmers tend to work small strips of land in communal fields.

Under the reforms of Alberich II, the majority of families were enabled to buy their own homes and small amounts of land from the landowners. And over the past fifty years, a middle and mercantile class has arisen from former serfdom. The great majority of the people remain farmers, but there is a steady increase in trades and cottage industry taking place.

What's more, the mineral resources of Wallcorn are vast. The Kyndle mountain range contains enormous reserves of heavy metals and diamonds. Gold is also mined from the Wyfry mountains in considerable quantities.

There is however a scarcity of fossil fuels, and in her bid for economic autonomy Wallcorn has been obliged to become a pioneer of alternative energy technologies. Around 70% of electricity derives from solar, tidal and wind power. Advances in geothermal technology are expected to raise this number to little less than 90.

The original economic nature of the social hierarchy in Wallcorn has been replaced by a political one. Lords still hold sway over their fiefdoms, but no-one is obliged to work for them, except through choice.

Between the landowning aristocracy and the former peasantry now referred to as the "Agrarian Class", there is a armigerous large gentry. These individuals are debarred by honour from toiling for a living. The majority end up in the military or the civil service.

The unit of currency in Wallcorn is the Shilling, with one Shilling worth about 0.5 USD.

Wallcornian currency maintains the duodecimal imperial system. One shilling is worth twelve pence. Twenty shillings are known as a Punt and 21 as a Guinea.

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Population

Wallcorn has a population of around 500 million people. Over 85% of these live in the country, in small towns or villages. The most populated city is Raelburgh in Sebastoria in the south-west with a population of 10 million. Wyebury, the capital, has 7 million.

Ethnically, Wallcorn is fairly homogenous. Over 90% of the population are ethnic Wallcornians of Gaelo-Germanic origin. About five percent are Slavic Yurtlanders in origin, two percent are Latin southerners and the rest are mixed.

Wallcornians are tall, slender and fair-skinned. Their eyes are blue, green or grey, and their hair is rarely dark.

The average life expectancy is 72 for women and 70 for men, though this has been rapidly increasing for the past few decades. Free healthcare for the poor and better working conditions have made old age the leading cause of death amongst Wallcornians.

The most popular religion by far is Roman Catholicism, to which 97% of the population are said to be active devotees. Small communities of Anglicans, Lutherans, Quakers and Jews make up the rest.

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Culture

Wallcorn is famous for her poets, musicians and visual artists. The prevailing style has long been a stylised romanticism, although there were a good deal of modernist writers in the early 20th Century.

The "Bard of Wallcorn" is a popular title for the poet Christopher Gabriel (1810-1837), whose nationalist epic "The Shadows and The Sea" provides the lyrics for Wallcorn's national anthem, "O Wallcorn Bright"

"Between the shadows and the sea,
Clouded o'er in majesty,
Ever shining, ever free,
O Wallcorn bright, I dream of thee"

In recent years, a popular film industry has developed. Funding having previously been scarce, Wallcornian pioneers specialised in contemplative "art-house" cinema, often incorporating views of Wallcornian scenery. The documentary "Clouded O'er" by Giles Lewis, which featured footage of Alberich II leading the Wallcornian forces at the Battle of Greene Meadow was enormously popular among both critics and viewers.

Public art is currently undergoing a Renaissance in Wallcorn. HRH Grand Duke Rupert has spent tens of millions of his own Shillings on beautifying Wyebury and has encouraged wealthy aristocrats to do the same. The Aesthete faction in Parliament eagerly support this program.

HRH is known to be an artist himself and has published a small collection of prose poetry, "The Pleasure Dome".

The state religion in Wallcorn is Roman Catholicism. The country is ministered to by the Archbishop of Fordisscove and contains 33 Bishoprics. Religious art is popular and Wallcorn contains many grand cathedrals.

Wallcorn has a fairly libertarian attitude towards drug use. While the import of narcotics is heavily restricted, the domestic production and retailing of Opiates is legal. Opium has for centuries been considered a morally beneficial substance and is consumed by many prominent citizens including the Grand Duke.

Alcohol, tobacco, cannabis and cocaine are legal. The latter is particularly popular in the military.

For the sake of diplomatic harmony, the Wallcornian border guard are dedicated to ensuring that no narcotics leave the country in large quantities.

Wallcornians observe a variety of cultural practises which set them apart from their neighbours. Chief among these are the veneration of national and ethnic heroes, the ritualised drinking of tea, vegetarianism and the animistic belief that human actions are influenced by angels, saints or devils.

In the words of philosopher Theodore Bellringer;

Wallcornian culture, due to our nation's tendency to look inwards, is very homogenous. It tends to juxtapose the homely with the outlandish; the high-minded with the bizarre.

[Wallcorn]

The above has been approved and confirmed by the Foreign Ministry of HRH's Government. Enjoy!