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The Encyclopedia Norfolkica is the largest Norfolkite-language encyclopedia, published from 1917 to the present day—it boasts comprehensive information about the Crystal Castle Republic and its people. Every aspect of Norfolkite life is included, including history, economics, science, art, and culture, and the ethnic diversity of the CCR's minorities and their languages and cultures are just as extensively covered. There is detailed information about its fellow Garbanosphere nations, also. We hope you find the information posted here useful.
Here are some introductory facts:
The Crystal Castle Republic is the only country in the world that uses the French Revolutionary Calendar. The Norfolkite politician and reformer Théophile Toussaint believed that it would set the country apart from the rest of the world, highlighting its committment to republican, democratic values. In his time, the country pursued the policy of defeudalization, which was implemented following the Great Expulsion of 1868, when the Garbanian colonial empire expelled the city state after their patience with Norfolkite reformers like Toussaint had snapped. It hadn't helped that Toussaint quoted the English soldier-statesman Algernon Sidney when he said that as death is the greatest evil that can befall a person, monarchy is the worst evil that can befall a nation.
- that the Monmouth Bay Trading Company was initially a Garbanian company? Following the arrival of James Scott, 1st Duke of Monmouth and his mistress Henrietta Wentworth, 6th Baroness Wentworth upon Garbanian shores, the notorious rogue and bigamist (he married his mistress despite having left behind in Britain a wife and their children, as well as three children born to another mistress in Eleanor Needham) took service with his host country, having turned down involvement in a proposed rebellion that would have seen him, had it been successful, made the King of England, Scotland and Ireland. James Scott, who had gone eastward after leaving the court of William of Orange to fight the Turks, decided to secure the services of a small fleet financed in part by Lady Wentworth's jewellery to set sail in search of opportunity. He found it in Garbania, where the Emperor Bernardaud gave him the task of exploring the region of Esvanovia. James Scott sailed into what would become Monmouth Bay, and established both a trading company and the capital of the colony, Charlottechurch. The MBTC would rule the colony of Garbania-in-Esvanovia from its headquarters in what would become the Crystal Castle Republic—however, following the Great Expulsion, Garbania ceded control of the colony to the CCR, while the MBTC established itself as a Norfolkite company in line with this, albeit with great reluctance. Despite James Scott's bigamy and his deathbed refusal to acknowledge that his relationship with Lady Wentworth had been sinful, he is traditionally credited with having brought orthodox, Nicene Christianity to Garbania, whose Christian minorities tended to be localized variants of long forgotten heresies. However, much like the aforementioned minorities, "Nicene" Christianity fared no better in capturing the souls of the nation, as the country clung staunchly to the traditional pantheon and Manichaeism, which worked together much like Shinto and Buddhism do in real life Japan. He is laid to rest alongside Lady Wentworth in an ornate mausoleum in Garbania, where their descendants continue to impact Garbanian society and politics.
- that the Crystal Castle Republic implemented polysynody, which was the system of government in use in France between 1715 and 1718 and in which each minister was replaced by a council? Polysynody was established in the Crystal Castle Republic at the behest of certain politicians following the Great Expulsion, who felt it would serve as an effective counter to what they felt were the excesses of monarchy. Along with the liberum veto and the presidential diarchy, it is a core element of Norfolkite politics. Each council, as well, is chaired by a first among equals figure that represents the CCR abroad, such as Gennice Alcendor, who handles foreign affairs as the head of the council for foreign affairs.
- that the Crystal Castle Republic's state religion is deism? The Theophilanthropists ("Friends of God and Man") were a Deistic sect created by certain intellectuals and politicians in the CCR that believed deism would prevent tensions between competing religious groups in the country. Religious freedom is guaranteed, and no one is forced to convert to this sect, which openly admits that it was a creation of the government that co-opted the popularity of deism as an "enlightened alternative, a third way" in the debate between atheism and theism. The Theophilanthropists do not try to make converts, either.
- that the Crystal Castle Republic de jure rules Norfolk-in-Esvanovia, but de facto the colony is the private fiefdom of the Monmouth Bay Trading Company? One of the nation's oldest companies, the MBTC was established to faciliate trade with the indigenous populations of the colony such as the Toteco, the tribe that inhabits the islands south of Aureumterra and Sombreland. Garbanian policy was one of gradual assimilation, most notably in the controversial policy of flirty fishing, a form of colonialism by sexual intimacy in which women deemed "expendable" would be married off to indigenous leadership to faciliate their support of Garbanian colonialism, and their assimilation into its society; as well, indigenous commoners would be offered the services of sex workers to entice them to follow suit. The policy co-existed with the government's encouraging of Garbanian men to seek out indigenous women as wives. When the CCR took control of the Esvanovian colony, it quietly repealed the policy of flirty fishing, but nevertheless encouraged the mixing of populations.
Norfolk-in-Esvanovia was traditionally seen as flyover country after the CCR took control of the colony, which might explain why the MBTC was allowed to continue administration, being that it was far more experienced with the place than the first crop of Norfolkite politicians. The last Garbanian 'viceroy' of the colony, Bartibalgory Labistiana, the sovereign's personal representative, noted that the population, settler and indigenous alike, abhorred the Great Expulsion once word got out that the CCR would inherit the colony. He noted that Geororananach Gestve, who led a mob of citizens (though, to their credit, they were rather peaceful) to his palacial home, demanded that the Imperial Court "remove the traitors in our midst," as it was, and to some extent still is, commonly believed that traitors had infiltrated the government and were attempting to dismantle the Garbanian colonial empire. When the news came that the Emperor had personally ordered the expulsion, and that claims of treachery went unproven, many refused to believe; indeed, Geororananach Gestve and his fellow loyalists joined the waves of emigrants who fled the CCR and NIE to Garbania and her other colonies.
However, not all Garbanians left, and they assimilated into these new countries accordingly. Those who left were known as the Revenants (from the French verb "revenir," which means to return) while those who stayed were called Resters (from the French verb "rester," which means to stay). In both the CCR and NIE, street fights between both sides were recorded, particularly during the Great Anarchy, which was when there was effectively no central government in power. Violence escalated until the Shaiburg Massacre, in which Garbanian soldiers under the command of Girard Dieudonné opened fire on the violent mobs while cavalry charged from behind. While the suppression of the violence was welcomed, Dieudonné's policy of killing rioters without trial, taking no prisoners, was controversial, although Dieudonné himself claimed that acts like the ransacking, looting and burning to the ground of the Romani Orphan Asylum justified the harsh measures. He returned to Garbania a hero, but in the CCR, his reputation is more mixed. Violence was also reported in Norfolk-in-Esvanovia, but Army officers like Istian Matouche, Eméo Bourbonnais and Zénélon Jutras were more able to minimize casualties.
As well, while indigenous populations were often consulted and relied upon by the colonial government, a group of indigenous intellectuals came together as a third faction, calling for the restoration of the pre-colonial Kingdom of Anmhonm. While the Garbanian monarchs claimed the title of King of Anmhonm, these intellectuals, the Restorationists, believed that the rightful monarch was Tuzazret vu Vizshleck, who famously sympathized with their aims but refused to claim the throne of his ancestors. Instead, he pursued the creation of what would become the Jeune Indigènes, a group that aimed to support and uplift the indigenous populations of the new nation. A notable ally of his was Ztupeed Iben Za Faq, from the Garbanian colony of Ngombia, representing the small Ngombian community. Without Tuzazret's involvement, the Restorationists promoted the idea that upon restoring the kingdom, they would simply look to recruit another descendant of the last king, King Gnelkrog. The Restorationists, however, were opposed by those who recalled that according to the legitimist line of succession, the Garbanian monarchs were the real kings, due to the marriage of Emperor Varillnibal with Princess Vulilla, the mother of the famous brothers Gnaungaud and Ulred; this argument is traditionally seen as why Tuzazret vu Vizshleck refused to support the Restorationists.
Before the Crystal Castle Republic was established, the newly minted country called itself Free Norfolk City, and was led by the All City Democratic Committee, led by Valdémard Lanthier, an ethnic Garbanian. The most famous of the founders of the CCR, Valdémard Lanthier initially participated in the ultimately vain efforts to work out a deal with the Imperial Court to make up for what was believed to be years of neglect. The Emperor Weyerlbert was a stern, strict and stubborn character who believed that the Norfolkites were ungrateful and impatient, and often refused to meet with Lanthier whom he considered the worst of the bunch. Lanthier had his supporters in the Imperial Court, however, such as Gepibalgory Genennitte, Detroryan Bieryne, Jhadeistophe Jolbanitte, Giraardlan Gilentor and Ulrhelagon Dalorel, who were important figures themselves and thought the Emperor was being petty and vindictive. When the Emperor's effigy was put to the torch in Free Norfolk City during the annual Empire Day festivities, Emperor Weyerlbert immediately summoned his chief minister Cedronan Stedwing and dictated to him the expulsion decree, which went into effect immediately upon being issued. Stedwing's great reluctance has been known to historians, but he was unable to convince the headstrong sovereign to reconsider, and resigned in protest immediately thereafter, leaving his successor Simulmas Jurart to carry out the emperor's orders.
Lanthier, having heard of the decree from Stedwing, swiftly returned to Free Norfolk City, where he was greeted by a mob of citizens, anxious and concerned, demanding he tell them if the reports were true; upon doing so, many of them retreated to their homes or places of business for several hours to quietly absorb and contemplate the significance of the announcement. Free Norfolk City, a free imperial city in the empire, had long prided itself in its service to the realm, and to be told that they were no longer worthy of membership shook them to the core, especially the soldiers from the war in Caprona who had seen their friends and loved ones die in battle. These soldiers, who had lived in Free Norfolk City their whole lives, would be seen getting drunk in taverns, asking random passersby: "Why? What did we do it for? Was it worth it?" and one soldier in particular, Alenric Syltinius, committed suicide outside the Imperial Palace, his suicide note reading, "I, loyal to my country, refuse to live under the shadow of this great crime," which provoked Empress Melilia to have him laid to rest in what would become the Tomb of the Steadfast, a national war memorial; initially the Emperor refused this, but his wife told him of rumors of a planned military coup, and managed to get him to allow it. Historians generally believe, however, that those rumors were just rumors, and that most opposition in the military was from individual soldiers rather than a serious, united effort. His successor, Crown Princess Yvalyn, was against expulsion, but upon her ascension to the throne, made no effort to restore colonial rule, citing that all avaliable data proved it an impossible task. However, she did sign the famous pact of understanding between Garbania and the CCR, under the watchful eye of Tutumal Maraitte, her chief minister and the leading advocate of accepting the new status quo.
Meanwhile, in Free Norfolk City, Lanthier and his associates were celebrating his marriage to Sara Barnes, who hailed from Abetton. Sara was a single mother who immigrated to Free Norfolk City with her daughter Cordelia shortly before expulsion. We note this because it was at the after-wedding festivities that Lanthier decided upon the establishment of the Crystal Castle Republic, inspired by the example Sara provided of a failed republican plot to overthrow the monarchy in Abetton; that she was already pregnant with his child before the wedding took place also inspired him. As such, he collected his associates and told them of his plans. His associates were divided, as quite a few of them were monarchists who advocated importing a Garbanian royal to take the hypothetical Norfolkite throne; one even joked of giving it to Lanthier himself, but Lanthier rejected it; one contemporary noted that Cordelia, his new stepdaughter, misheard, and began calling herself a princess. When Lanthier and Sara had to explain that this was not the case, Cordelia sobbed, insisting she should be a princess.
The split was fifty-fifty with monarchists and republicans getting into heated debates; at the center of the conflict was the rift between monarchist and republican groups, as well as the rift among monarchist groups themselves; some monarchists refused the idea of a Garbanian royal, believing that House Zurithalissaran no longer had any respect among the population, pivoting instead to candidates from noble houses such as descendants of the Duke of Monmouth. Tuthore Laulois, the leader of the monarchist faction, was adamantly supportive of the mainstream position, that a member of the Imperial Family should take the throne, but the monarchists were left reeling once the Emperor decreed that any member of the Imperial Family who accepted the Norfolkite throne would be disowned with immediate effect. That he threatened to disown his own children should they be interested, to say nothing of his nieces and nephews and other, distant relations, also led to the nobility rejecting the idea since the Emperor got around to declaring that any noble house who accepted the throne would be demoted to the status of commoner and lose their properties; not wanting to recieve charges of high treason for disobeying the government, they told the monarchists to look elsewhere. A last ditch effort to preserve monarchist rule by reaching out to the Restorationists in the hopes of a great reconciliation fell through, and consequently Laulois wrote to Lanthier, the leader of the republicans, that he was conceding defeat before he retired from politics.
Consequently, on 7 Pluviôse LXXVI, the Crystal Castle Republic was proclaimed with Lanthier as its first president. It derives its name from the Crystal Castle, which was an imposing castle built upon a crystal mine. The Crystal Castle dominates the skyline of the city and serves as the city's primary fortress and redoubt, and can be compared to other fictional castles such as Gormenghast and the Red Keep. The castle was built long ago by Ser Mattimeo Zorzi, a foreign mercenary who rose through the ranks of pre-colonial Anmhonm, and is where the president and their family live; during colonial rule, it was the home of the viceroy, and before then, the royal family of Anmhonm. The population was largely supportive of the republican cause, but the end of monarchy led to the last great wave of emigration, although individual monarchists stayed and converted to a platform of cultural conservatism that sought to preserve everything else traditional, appealing to the Garbanian minority. President Lanthier's first order of business was to establish the idea of a Norfolkite people and nationality, seeking to promote the unity, independence and well-being of Free Norfolk City and the Norfolkite people, manifesting itself in the adoption of the ideas of the melting pot and civic nationalism, in contrast to the ethnic nationalism found in Garbania. This was intended to placate the concerns of the remaining Garbanians, as well as other minorities who were considered separate from the "Norfolkite nation," such as the indigenous Anmhonmites, some of whom were suspected of embracing more radical, xenophobic ideas. It was also part of Lanthier's attempt to recruit veterans of the Caprona conflict to join the new military as officers who would train the first batch of recruits. The first political parties began to form, most notably Iago Soria's Platonic Republican Party, which advocated the establishment of the world's first state based on the ideas found in Plato's Republic. Iago Soria would later rise to power, but his attempt at a Platonic state, despite initial gains, ultimately ended in failure, although the party still exists today, albeit as one of many minor parties. The importation of foreign ideas also led to the establishment of Ezekiel Toule's Communitarian Party, which advocated mutualist economics, and the Jeune Indigènes, which ran on a platform based on traditional, indigenous knowledge; similar to the real life idea of Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit. Tuzazret vu Vizshleck did not become president, but he held the position of minister for indigenous affairs, and was responsible for many laws and regulations aimed at ensuring indigenous peoples' well being, most notably the creation of self-governing tribal associations.
The Crystal Castle Republic's first major problem was the accomodation of the Romani population. The Romani, colloquially known as the Roma traditionally lived a nomadic, itinerant lifestyle. Official Garbanian policy was to assimilate the Romani, based on the ideas of Prussian writer Friedrich Buchholz, who famously proposed that the best way to combat anti-Semitism was to have Jewish girls marry Christian men, while Jewish men had to be forcibly conscripted into the Prussian army; as such, Romani women found themselves encouraged to marry non-Romani, while Romani men were encouraged to enlist, but while neither were explictly forced to, it was definitely recommended in such a way that many Romani felt unwanted, and that their culture and way of life were being threatened no differently in Garbania than elsewhere. It did not help matters that Garbanian officials oftentimes forced the Romani to leave Garbania proper and accept resettlement and life on "travellers' reservations" in Garbania-in-Esvanovia, since the other colonies were deemed "too incompatible" for resettlement. Some Romani migrated to Free Norfolk City, most notably orphans of parents who did not survive the expulsion from Garbania. In the last years of colonial rule, the Romani Orphan Asylum had been established to provide a brighter future and a better life for them, and despite the attack on the asylum, it had been rebuilt. While initially, the ROA was led by non-Romani, the rebuilt ROA was led by Romani, most notably Stiggur Durrant and Kennick Hodkins, who were advocates for Romani integration, but done in a culturally conscious manner. Initially, the Romani kept to themselves on the outskirts of the city state, but things changed when Fawnie Stareley, who worked as a tavern wench, had a one night stand with a visiting Garbanian nobleman's son, leading to a pregnancy. A single mother who found no support in either Norfolkite or Romani society, Fawnie's story was reported sympathetically by Rosanadette Rolalamont, a noblewoman and ardent philanthropist. Fawnie's daughter Mermeyi was taken in by the RCA after Fawnie was raped and murdered by a stalker. It is noteworthy that the murderer was lynched by a mob comprised of many of the same people who carried out attacks on the Romani community during the Great Anarchy. However, the Romani in Norfolk-in-Esvanovia did not report any antiziganist violence during the Great Anarchy; reports at the time suggest they were targeted at random, and out of petty opportunism.
Rosanadette Rolalamont was also the foundress of the Countess of Evermore's Connexion, a small society of evangelical churches as a result of the Great Stirring, which saw a renewed interest in the Christian religion, specifically its mainstream, orthodox form, commonly attributed to the conversion of the Garbanian nobleman and statesman, Alaberlbert Retsley, to Roman Catholicism after his marriage to Concepción Argüello, the daughter of José Darío Argüello, the Spanish governor of Alta California, having converted in order to marry her. The couple moved to Garbania, and Papa Al, as he became known as, supported the preaching of Christianity to the masses; the Countess of Evermore was one of the high profile converts—albeit as a Protestant. The Retsleys have many descendants to this day, and continue to practice the Catholic faith.
After the Great Anarchy, the Romani sent a letter of intent to the new government, requesting official recognition of their community. This letter was well recieved, and Lanthier officially declared that antiziganism would never be tolerated in the Crystal Castle Republic. Over the centuries, the title of King of the Gypsies was claimed by or given to many different people; however, as the term Gypsy is also used in many different ways, the King of the Gypsies may be someone with no connection with the Roma; most notably, the Garbanian monarchs claimed the title. Roma, it is said, often adopt the dominant religion of their host country, and the Roma in Garbania were no exception. However, some rallied around a Catholic religious order for women based around Sara-la-Kâli, to whom the Romani prayed with intense fervor. When the Crystal Castle Republic was declared, the Romani community elected the famous bare-knuckled boxer Stevo Sedgewick as their king, though he sparked a scandal when he married a non-Romani woman, Roxina Rondeau, who adopted the Romani way of life; he was comparable in status and authority to John Faa.
