A World on Fire (OOC, 1700s AH, Accepting Apps)

[American Pere Housh]

Application
General
--Nation Name:Empire of Japan
--Map: The Japanese Home Islands, Bonin Islands, Marshall Islands, The Philippines
--Flag:

[url]https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6f/War_flag_of_the_Imperial_Japanese_Army_%281868–1945%29.svg[/url]

--Capital:Tokyo
Government
--Government Type:Absolute Monarchy (Absolute monarchy, representative democracy, etc.)
--Government Overview:All things in Japan are controlled by the Emperor or Empress and his military. (What makes you unique to other nations with the same government type, if anything?)
--Head of Government:Empress Izumi (Who runs your nation?)
--Head of State (if different): (e.g. Boris Johnson is a Head of Government, Queen Elizabeth is a Head of State)
Demographics
--Population:25 million
----Colonial Population (if applicable):2 million
--Demonym:Japanese (What are your citizens called?)
--Primary Culture:Japanese (What culture is the ruling class?)
--Other Cultures:Filipino, Pacific Island Natives (What other cultures exist besides the primary, if any?)
--Religion Overview:Shintoism and Buddhism, with small pockets of Christians. No religion is persecuted. (What is the primary religion? What are the other religions? Which are acceptable and which are persecuted?)
Development Points (Total = 15, 11 for nations with no navy)
--Infrastructure/Economy (out of 10):4 (How strong your road networks are, how wealthy you are, how well-quipped your army and navy are)
--Army (out of 10):4 (How large your army can be, how educated are your generals, how fast can your troops mobilize)
--Navy (out of 10):7 (How large your navy can be, how fast can your navy mobilize, how far you can trade overseas)
--Military Overview:Since the first European visitors, mainly British, the Imperial Japanese Government decided to modernize their military as they view both the Koreans and the Chinese as rivals to their control of East Asia. The Imperial Japanese Army now mainly use British with some Dutch equipment mixed. The Imperial Japanese Navy is a mixture of British, French,Dutch,and ship of their own design. With new military equipment, this makes the Imperial Japanese Military the strongest in Asia.(How is your military structured? Equipped? Flesh out the specifics of your Development Points here.)
RP Elements
--National Objectives:Control the Asian Nations of the Pacific and Colonization. (What do your people/monarchy hope to accomplish?)
--History:WiP (Check other apps before filling this out)

RP Sample:WiP

Tracking Number:(in OP)

[HypErcApitAl]

Hey, is England accepted? Munkcestrian RepubIic's England that is? Asking since I'm planning on gathering a league of 'People who Don't Like Sweden 2: Electric Boogaloo,' and nations on the British Isles might be interested. Thanks in advance.

I don't know how Ulm'd feel about the Swedes. Then, the HRE/HRE emperor might feel some type of way, and also, I might have to reread everyone's apps. So-far, I like the France player's app. It's very creative and detailed.

[Khasinkonia]

Posted in the IC. Regarding the letter, one can assume a copy is written for each major Euro-centric nation, so even if your capital is not explicitly mentioned and you're in Europe, you can assume that your nation will at some point during January or February receive the invitation for suitors.

[Guuj Xaat Kil]

Application
General
--Nation Name: Ghurid Empire/شنسبانی/Shansabānīds
--Map: Hello
--Flag:

I dunno

--Capital: Firozkoh (never got burned down by Mongols in this timeline)

Government
--Government Type: Absolute monarchy
--Government Overview: An absolute monarchy the Shansabānīds may be, but the Padishah's rule is far from it. Ruling over a vast stretch of land requires extensive decentralization, and in the case of the Ghurids, through provincial governors selected from the Āl-e Šansab family. As for the process of this selection, the provincial governors are to send a representative from their branch of the family (or representatives if they so desire), to the Imperial Court for training in governance. After training, these governors are tasked with various assignments within the Padishah's demesne, and when a governor dies, one of them will be assigned to the vacant post. Representatives from a former governor's family are never granted their kinsman's province, this is to prevent dynasties from forming.

As for taxation, all revenues are to be collected at the capital, and the wealth spared to the provinces as needed. Jizya tax on the other hand, is separate from this system as it is split 50/50 between the Padishah and the provinces.
--Head of Government: Padishah Ghiyath al-Din Muhammad IV/غیاث‌ الدین محمد بن سام‎‎
--Head of State: ^
Demographics
--Population: 49,250,000
----Colonial Population: N/A
--Demonym: Shansabānī, but foreigners commonly call us Ghurids.
--Primary Culture: Persian
--Other Cultures: Various Indo-Aryan groups, the occasional Dravidian, and Turkic peoples
--Religion Overview: Out of necessity, Ghurid society has evolved to become more and more cosmopolitan in order to accommodate the various faiths within its borders. Basically, a lax stance on the so-called infidels. As long as they pay up the jizya tax, then no harm shall come to them and they shall be protected as with any other citizen of the empire. The Ghurids main religion is Sunni, with significant Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain minorities in India and on the border with the Chinese, there are also the occasional Zoroastrian and Jew.
Development Points (total = 15)
--Infrastructure/Economy (out of 10): 8
(controlling a lot of cash crop capable land means very cash money)
--Army (out of 10): 6
(controlling a lot of very cash money means a very cash money military)
--Navy (out of 10): 1
(tf we need a navy for? Oh, overseas trade? Eh...)
--Military Overview: Provincial governors are to raise troops and send them to the Imperial Demesne to be trained into Ghurid infantrymen, this is to disarm said provinces and prevent armed rebellion from them. As for standing armies, the Ghurid military has extensively focused on their heavy and light cavalry forces for this category, with the latter perhaps being the most important to the empire's survival as they are used as a rapid response force against potential rebellions, as these light cavalry forces require speed in order to catch up and crush rebellions before they grow too large, attached to them almost all the time are a contingent of engineers. During peacetime these engineers assist in the construction of infrastructure, and in wartime they create bridges and new roads for armies to pass through quickly, although for the road part, that is rare, as said roads would've been accounted for and built during peacetime.
RP Elements
--National Objectives: Money, tech up to resist the damn Europeans, get more money, play the Europeans against each other, and more money.
--History: The PoD for the Ghurids are a series of fortunate events (mostly more extreme Seljuk and Ghaznavid bickering) leading to a stronger Ghurid vassal under the Ghaznavids. Nothing much of note occurs until the mid-12th century, with Sultan Bahram-Shah's poisoning of a Ghurid leader taking refuge in Ghazna, Qutb al-Din Muhammad. This resulted in his brother Sayf al-Din Suri, to march against the Ghaznavid Sultan in revenge. Defeating him in Ghazna, and a year later, he would decisively defeat the Ghaznavid and their Sultan once more, capturing the latter and crushing his armies[1]. The Ghaznavids would be unable to retake the city without the aid of the Seljuks, and an invading force of Oghuz Turks would be crushed just outside its walls, Sayf would die in the battle however, and rulership was transferred over to Baha al-Din Sam I, a younger brother of his.

In 1152, Baha al-Din Sam I would refuse to pay tribute to the Seljuks, and would barely come out on top in the Battle of Nab a few days later, which was only achieved by the death of Sultan Ahmed Sanjar in the battle[2]. In the resulting Peace of Ghazna (1154), Baha al-Din Sam I would gain the independence of the Ghurids from Seljuk vassalage. Now freshly independent, the newly crowned Sultan would live out the rest of his reign conquering Garchistan, Tukharistan, Bamiyan, and much more, but in these conquests, Baha al-Din Sam I would die in battle, and the Sultanate's rulership would fall upon the shoulders of his son, Ghiyath al-Din Muhammad.

Perhaps the greatest ruler of the Āl-e Šansab family, he would expand upon his father's conquests and propel the Ghurid Sultanate to world power status (as of the time) alongside with his brother Mu'izz al-Din Muhammad's assistance, with their conquests resulting in the Sultanate expanding to encompass a land stretching from Fars in the west to Bengal in the east, from the Aral Sea to the north to the Gulf of Persia in the south. By then their greatest threat were the Khwarazmians and as of the time, their Kara Khitan masters; both powers would struggle in the control of Khorasan. Ghiyath al-Din Muhammad would then adopt the role as defender of Sunnism, and would maintain cordial relations with the Abbasids to the west.

A longer reign than IOTL* would allow Ghiyath al-Din Muhammad to consolidate his conquests and ensure a stable succession by making sure the throne went to his loyal brother (and to his son if the brother was to die prematurely or without issue)[3]. Late in his reign he would declare himself Padishah after decisively destroying the main force of an invasion by the Khwarazmians at Amu Darya and Hezarasp (which in turn resulted in the Caliph's approval, which led to the declaration). As the Mongol Invasion has been butterflied away by chaos theory, the Ghurid golden age remains continuous. Ghiyath al-Din Muhammad dies from the stress the Khwarazmian campaign gave him in 1205, and power is transferred over to Mu'izz al-Din Muhammad, who was as capable as his brother, more so than in our timeline, as he was able to conquer Gujarat (this in turn allowed for him to oversee the conquest of land all the way to Bengal rather than his commander, Qutb-al-Din Aybak, who would be sent to assist Ghiyath against the Khwarazemids).

He crushes the Khokhar tribes of Jhelum in 1206 during their failed rebellion, making an example out of them. A stronger grip on India results in constant rebellions in that area of the Ghurid empire for quite some time, resulting in the partial loss of Bengal (mostly the coast). Near the end of his reign however, the Ghurid empire has more or less stabilized into a state that won't break apart in a few successions. Land was allotted to family members, and the succession clarified that only a member of the main lines (his and Ghiyath's) would inherit (as well as contingencies if ever those main lines goes extinct), these succession laws would be enforced with force. Mu'izz al-Din Muhammad would die of old age in 1226, and succeeded by his nephew Ghiyath al-Din Mahmud.

A civil war would erupt during Ghiyath al-Din Mahmud's reign, with Jalal al-Din Ali and Ala al-Din Muhammad claiming the title of Padishah, and supported by a large contingent of native Iranian soldiers. With the help of his Turkish commander Taj al-Din Yildiz, the rebellion was crushed about three years later. During the rebellion, the Ghurids lost access to the Aral Sea as well as their border regions in India, the former from outside forces, and somewhat the same with the latter, but with a provincial governor seceding. Ghiyath al-Din Mahmud would be unable to reconquer these provinces, but was able to subjugate the rich provinces of Gujarat the latter parts of his reign. He died of natural causes in 1251. His successor would be a grandson of Mu'izz al-Din Muhammad[4], Ghiyath al-Din Muhammad II.

Under him, the governance of the empire was stabilized. He did this by taking hostages from each governor after inciting a revolt out of them, as well as ensuring that every province no longer had hereditary succession, but rather, would have appointments instead. He would not expand much in his reign, with the only major conquest being near the Aral Sea. This was due to his focus on the inner workings of his empire, and ensuring that it would not fragment after his death. Gaining the support of both the native Iranian soldiery and the Turkish ghulams, he would lay the groundwork for a centralized army for future generations. Perhaps his crowning achievement in his reign was the completion of an extensive road system throughout the empire, and redirecting much of the Silk Road's trade through it. Placation of the Hindus, Buddhists, and Jains through the lowering of the jizya tax would prove fruitful in the prevention of rebellions.

Ghiyath al-Din Muhammad II enjoyed a long, peaceful, and prosperous reign, and would die of old age on 1287. His successor, a nephew by the name of Baha al-Din Sam II, would for the most part, have a long but uneventful reign, pushing the borders outward slightly in India and continuing his predecessor's work, and dying of old age in 1301. His successor, another nephew by the name of Mu'izz al-Din Muhammad, was a warlike man, intending on expanding the empire as his predecessors Ghiyath and namesake Mu'izz had done, displacing the Oghuz Turks in the north.

Another campaign of his would be against the Zengids, who were currently in the process of installing their claimant for the now figurehead Abbasid Caliph (whom he had extensive ties with to due to decades of intermarrying), although he beat them on the field and their Azerbaijani allies, he was unable to prevent the "Sack" of Baghdad, sack is in quotation marks as after the siege of it was concluded with a Zengid victory, the only sacking that occurred was against the Abbasid family, which were slaughtered by overeager Turkish soldiers. In response, he forced a crippling peace treaty on the Zengids and executed their claimants. Now there were no Caliphs...

After all that, he would soon turn his eyes to Bengal, and would've succeeded in conquering his way to it if not for his untimely death to disease in 1306, fortunately, he had ensured a proper succession if he were to die early. His successor was the son of Baha al-Din Sam III, also of the same name. He would consolidate his predecessors conquests, but lost parts of it near Bengal and Tibet due to successful rebellions, this in turn sparked more revolts, but he was able to crush them before things got out of hand. Other than the conquest of borderlands to the north and the establishment of tributary states in Southern India, not much of note happens and Baha al-Din Sam III enjoys a reign similar to Ghiyath al-Din Muhammad II's, and the longest as well at 42 years of rule. He dies of old age in 1348.

A long period of peace, prosperity, and mild isolation ensues afterwards, lasting from mid 1300s to the mid 1600s, in which the current lax attitude the empire had began to evolve into today's cosmopolitan society and the borders of the Shansabānīds would begin to solidify into their present day ones. The introduction of gunpowder weapons and the groundwork Ghiyath al-Din Muhammad II left behind would also contribute to the creation of a strong centralized army based around cavalry. The empire's economy was also improved and would become nearly as large as most of Europe's combined. This golden age was also touted as a 2nd Islamic Golden Age. The zenith of this period would be the 16th Century, with the Ghurids being the only Islamic Gunpowder Empire in the area of any significance, and holding a monopoly over the spread of gunpowder weaponry to its fellow Islamic states as well.

The Ghurids came out of their isolation in the 1600s to partake in the pie that was the collapsing Ming, becoming one of contributors to its demise. It was also able to carve out large tributary states in the form of Tibet and the Dzungar Khanate. This would bring them into conflict with the newly established Shun Dynasty with their conquest of the Dzungar Khanate in 1683, Padishah Mu'izz al-Din Muhammad IV would support his tributary in repulsing the Chinese invaders, he sent his commander Muhi-ud-Din Muhammad to take care of it, but he would be defeated in the field after a cat-and-mouse chase with Guo Jing. A some years later in 1695, Mu'izz al-Din Muhammad would again intervene on behalf of his tributary, leading troops personally alongside Muhi-ud-Din during the campaign. Again, they were defeated.

The stress of losing two campaigns in a row would prove detrimental to Mu'izz's health and he would die in 1699, and rulership was transferred to his son, Ghiyath al-Din Muhammad VII, but he was assassinated by supporters of a different claimant a year later. Said claimant was then installed on the throne, Sayf al-Din Mahmud II. He would die a decade later due to illness, and was succeeded by his nephew Baha al-Din Sam VI, but he would be assassinated merely days into his reign, resulting in a succession crisis and civil war. It grew so severe that old jizya tax rates had to be levied in order to support the war effort, this in turn would result in a few provincial revolts.

Baha al-Din Sam VI successor was Ghiyath al-Din Muhammad VIII who was installed on the throne after his death, but the old Padishah would soon be found dead in the pools of his palace on 1728, and the civil war grew and grew in intensity. Succession at least went to his son this time, also named Ghiyath al-Din Muhammad. The young Padishah would prove to be the saving grace of the Ghurid Empire, as he quickly ended the civil war with the castration and exile of the other claimants. Much of his reign was used in the reconstruction of the empire, and he was, for the most part, successful.

It is now 1765 and the aging Padishah stands at a crossroads, to the north are the Chinese and Russian empires, waiting for blood in the water, which may come soon with the Maratha Rebellion to the south threatening to explode into perhaps one of the largest rebellions the Ghurid Empire has ever seen. And elsewhere, perfidious Europeans wait for the right time to strike.

*in our timeline

Comprehensive Ruler Guide:

Malik Sayf al-Din Suri (1146-1150)
Malik/Sultan Baha al-Din Sam I (1150-1161)
Sultan/Padishah Ghiyath al-Din Muhammad I (1161-1205)
Padishah Mu'izz al-Din Muhammad I (1205-1226)
Padishah Ghiyath al-Din Mahmud I (1226-1251)
Padishah Ghiyath al-Din Muhammad II (1251-1287)
Padishah Baha al-Din Sam II (1287-1301)
Padishah Mu'izz al-Din Muhammad II (1301-1306)
Padishah Baha al-Din Sam III (1306-1348)
Padishah Mu'izz al-Din Mahmud I (1348-1356)
Padishah Ghiyath al-Din Mahmud II (1356-1370)
Padishah Ghiyath al-Din Muhammad III (1370-1378)
Padishah Ghiyath al-Din Mahmud III (1378-1400)
Padishah Mu'izz al-Din Mahmud II (1400-1434)
Padishah Ghiyath al-Din Mahmud IV (1434-1443)
Padishah Mu'izz al-Din Muhammad III (1443-1465)
Padishah Baha al-Din Sam IV (1465-1483)
Padishah Baha al-Din Muhammad I (1483-1500)
Padishah Sayf al-Din Suri I (1500-1535)
Padishah Sayf al-Din Mahmud I (1535-1559)
Padishah Baha al-Din Muhammad II (1559-1571)
Padishah Baha al-Din Sam V (1571-1577)
Padishah Ghiyath al-Din Muhammad IV (1577-1588)
Padishah Sayf al-Din Suri II (1588-1606)
Padishah Sayf al-Din Mahmud I (1606-1618)
Padishah Baha al-Din Sam V (1618-1643)
Padishah Ghiyath al-Din Muhammad V (1643-1651)
Padishah Ghiyath al-Din Muhammad VI (1651-1672)
Padishah Mu'izz al-Din Muhammad IV (1672-1699)
Padishah Ghiyath al-Din Muhammad VII (1699-1700)
Padishah Sayf al-Din Mahmud II (1700-1710)
Padishah Baha al-Din Sam VI (1710-1710)
Padishah Ghiyath al-Din Muhammad VIII (1710-1728)
Padishah Ghiyath al-Din Muhammad IX (1728-present)

RP Sample: yes

Tracking Number: 276

other than the flag, yeah im done bro

[Great Confederacy of Commonwealth States]

Application
General
--Nation Name: Official: The Seat of the Emperor in Constantinople. Unofficially: the Kingdom of Greeks and Latines, the Kingdom of Constantinople
--Map: See reservation
--Flag:

(Image)

--Capital: Constantinople
Government
--Government Type: Constitutional Republican Appointed Hereditary Monarchy
--Government Overview: The Kingdom of Constantinople is run by an absolute monarch, in the form of the Emperor of Rome. This emperor has the absolute authority over the state and everyone who resides within it, both in matters Secular and Spiritual. However, the ‘emperor’ is not one person. The ‘emperor’ is actually a combination of different people and institutions, together fulfilling all the powers and responsibilities of the emperor of old. The Imperial Powers are divided as follows:

1. The command of the armies and the power to issue edicts is held by the King of Greece and Sicily, who also leads the kingdom’s civil administration. The King explicitly has no veto power over any acts of other bodies within the Empire. This position resembles most the position of the Consuls of old, which is why the King is sometimes referred to as the Consuls. The King also fulfils the role of the Pontifex Maximus, but this power is actually held by the Patriarch, to whom the position is always delegated.
2. The Senate holds all powers Legislative and Judicial, and represents the Fiscus, the imperial treasury. Unlike the days of old, however, the Senate is not an elected body. Rather, the positions within it are held by the highest officials within the Empire, by the highest priests, and some seats are hereditary and tradable. The Pope and other Patriarchs hold honorary senate seats. In order to achieve the various tasks appointed to it, the Senate appoints a Supreme Court, presided over by the King, and a Chief Quaestor.
3. The Patriarch in Constantinople acts as the Tribune of the Plebs, capable of vetoing any action by either the King or the Senate, or any lower administrator.
--Head of Government: His Majesty, Phillipo V Momferratikos, Rex of Greece and Sicily, Doux of Sardinia, Consuls of Rome, Pontifex Maximus
--Head of State: Imperator Caesar Augustus, Emperor of Rome, Pontifex Maximus, Tribune of the Plebs conferred the powers of Consul
Demographics
--Population: 9 million
--Demonym: No single demonym, depends on local culture. Common are Greeks, Latins, Italians, Romans, Arabs, Jews
--Primary Culture: Catholic Greco-Latines
--Other Cultures: Orthodox Greco-Latines, Arabs, Jews, Latines
--Religion Overview: It’s hard to delineate the exact difference between the faiths. The official state religion is Orthodox, but the Patriarch in Constantinople gives special deference to the Patriarch in Rome, whom he follows in most matters of faith. So, practically, the state religion is Catholic, although the rites are performed in Greek as much as they are in Latin. Small problems within Church doctrine are managed by the Pontifex Maximus in the person of the King, making the structure more Caesaropapist in practice, while the contents are Catholic. Islam is also tolerated, as is Judaism, but heretical views of all of these religions are viciously stamped out.
Development Points
--Infrastructure/Economy: 8
--Army: 3
--Navy: 4
--Military Overview: The military, both the navy and the army, follow the commands of the King of Greece and Sicily, but are paid for by the Senate. Therefore, their loyalty usually lies with the Senate rather than the King. The King can appoint generals from among the major administrators of the empire, whom are appointed by the Senate, so the control of the army is shared. Whether these generals are commoners risen from the ranks or nobles who bought their position hangs entirely on the administration of any time, and who is King at any time. The only force that is loyal to the King alone is the Temple Guard: an elite guard of Jewish soldiers who are charged with defending the Hagia Sophia, the Cathedral of Saint Paul and Peter and the Cross, and the Blue Mosque in Constantinople, as well as the Acropolis in Athens. They service as a royal guard, and prevent the Senate from trying any coups of their own.
RP Elements
--National Objectives: Continued existence and status quo through an era of increased popular agitation
--History: According to Greco-Latine historians, the line of the Kingdom of Greeks and Latines can be traced back all the way to the Roman Republic. According to the official histories, the Seat of the Emperor is a direct continuation of the line of Augustus and Caesar. However, in truth, the current Kingdom can be said to have its earliest foundations in 1204, when a band of roving Crusaders in league with the Venetians and usurper Alexios VI Angelos bested the Theodosian walls and captured the City of the World's Desires. Not long after this conquest, with former emperor Alexios III still in the countryside fomenting opposition and internal enemies under noble Alexious Doukas threatening the city internally, it was discovered that Alexios VI didn't actually have the money to pay his cursading mercenaries. This created a tense situation of instability, with the Crusaders poised to put the city to the torch and take whatever valuables they could.

What followed was the Great Discussion: on the 3rd of July 1204, there was a clandastine meeting between representatives of the Senate, the leader of the Crusaders in the person of Boniface of Monferrat, the Orthodox Church, Alexios III and Alexios Doukas. The court of Alexios VI was unaware of this meeting, which happened on the Asian side of the Bospheros Strait. There, a deal was hashed out between these various representatives. Alexios III would pay the crusaders 50% of what Alexios VI had promised (which was still way more than Alexios VI could actually pay). Alexios Doukas and Alexios III would reign as co-emperors, Alexios Doukas taking the name Alexios V. The crusader princes would gain vast tracts of land within the European side of the Empire, while the Emperors would retain Constantinople and the Asian side of the empire. Alexios VI, in this arrangement, would get the sharp end of a dagger.

So it came to pass that a week later, perfectly timed, Alexios III entered the Golden Horn from the harbour, while Alexios Doukas entered the city on a white stallion from land. The night before, the Crusaders had already entered the imperial palace and dragged emperor Alexios VI from the purple bedchamber, planting a blade in his kidneys before throwing him to an assembled mob outside. The scene was perfect: in the Hippodrome, in the emperor's suite, before the eyes of thousands of onlookers, the two co-emperors shook each other's hands, protected by a new imperial guard of Catholic knights, while the bloodied body of the murdered emperor was dragged behind a chariot. After this display, a large contingent of the crusading knights left for the Holy Land on an ultimately failed expedition. Only the leaders of the crusade and their personal retinues stayed behind, now landed gentry in Greece and the lower Balkans.

This arrangement almost immediately let to internal strife within the empire. The new king of Greece, Boniface, failed to recognise the supremacy of the Byzantine co-emperors in matters of the faith. In his eyes, the Pope was still superior to any worldly leader, and that meant affirming papal supremacy in the spiritual plane. According to Orthodoxy, the emperor was above the patriarch in matters of faith, following ancient traditions set by Constantine himself. The Catholics had affirmed their own doctrine during the Wars of Investiture 100 years prior, and they were not going to give up that tradition easily. This led to a firm split between the Catholic nobility and the Orthodox imperial bureaucracy, the former being dubbed the 'Donatii', after the Donation of Constantine that had legally conferred power to the Pope, and the latter being called the 'Concilii', after the Council during which Constantine had affirmed his superiority in matters of the faith. These two classes would feud for the rest of the Middle Ages, even after their old feud had long been burried.

The political battle lines were easily drawn between these two vastly different cultures. The Latines, the knights and their descendants who had stayed behind, favoured a decentralised state and a clergy who followed the Pope in all matters religious. They were in favour of a strengthened nobility, and together formed the Court of Nobles, which sought to influence politics in a personal way, surrounding the co-emperors in their Court. They generally spoke a version of Church Latin. The Concilii, or the Greeks, favoured a strong centralised empire, with a strong position for the Orthodox patriarch but an even more important position for the emperors. They favoured the Senate of old, and under the Concilii the Senate regained some of its ancient prestige, being the mouth piece for the Byzantine bureaucracy. However, their powers were more formal, and the Senate had more trouble approaching the emperor than the Latines.

In 1286, the closeness of the Noble Court to the Emperors personally meant that prince Alexios, the heir presumptive of the Angelos line of co-emperors, converted to Catholicism. He became an immediate proponent of the Catholic faction within the empire, which earned him the ire of the Patriarch in Constantinople as well as the two co-emperors and the Senate. The Noble Court, however, was thrilled by the prospect of a Catholic co-emperor. Indeed, they proposed that the emperorship should always be split between a Catholic monarch and an Orthodox monarch, to represent the split between the two faiths within the empire. Five years later, on his death bed, the Angeloi emperor decreed in his will that not Prince Alexios, but his cousin Constantinos would take the throne. Constantinos, however, was impopular with the Senate, which had always favoured the Doukas line. So, in a counter-move, the Senate abolished the Angeloi co-emperorship and gave sole imperial authority to the Doukas line, centralising power in a single Orthodox authority. Meanwhile, prince Alexios had already sailed to Rome, where the sole emperorship was conferred upon him.

Now, this set the stage for an interesting political battle that would come to shape the empire. Three sides formed in opposition to one another. The Angeloi faction claimed that, since the emperor had conferred the emperorship on Constantinos, he was now legal co-emperor instead of Alexios. The Senate disputed the legality of the will of the late emperor, since in their mind, the co-emperorship was not property to be handed over by the emperor himself, but could only be conferred by the Senate. While this was going on, the Catholics cared little for the details of Roman law. In their eyes, the will of the emperor and the decree of the Senate could not deny a legislative act made by the Pope. Constantinos, meanwhile, had made off with the majority of the imperial treasury and set himself up in Nicea. This situation would have resulted in a three-way civil war, were it not for a sudden move on the part of the Catholics, who landed in Greece with an army of catholic mercenaries at their backs. Knowing what terror crusaders could cause, the Senate temprarily accepted Constaninos back, along with his treasury, while their dispute would be decided by a court of law. By special agreement signed by both the Doukas emperor and the Angeloi co-emperor, the case was decided upon in the Hagia Sophia, with the Senate fulfilling the task of supreme court.

The decision, now known as the First Decision in Roman law, solidified the basics of what would later become the Constitution of Constantinople. The Senate confirmed its own power to confere the emperorship, because the emperor as a person, and the Emperor as an entity, were two different things. The Emperor with a capital E was the entity, and could do whatever he liked with his own state. However, the emperor with a little e was the person, and he did not necessarily have all imperial powers. For example, the power to act as a legal representative of the Emperor had always existed within the Senate, something that had been conferred upon them again when the two co-emperors were elected after the fourth crusade. However, since the Senate conferred the emperorship and gave implicit trust to the emperor by that action, they were bound to at least consider the final wishes of the emperor. Therefore, the Senate was bound to at least consider the appointment of Constantinos.

While they considered that possibility, the Doukas emperor and the Angeloi co-emperor marched out together to face the Catholic nobles and their army, which consisted both of knights and Greek local levies. When faced with a slightly inferior imperial army, the King of Greece expected to win the day, and gave his men the order to attack the following morning. During the night, however, many of the Greek-Orthodox levies abandoned their position, since they would not take up arms against their religious head, and rumours spread that any traitor would face the sword after this was all over. Almost no Greek actually wanted to wait to see what that was like, and would rather not see Catholic domination, so the next day almost turned into a slaughter. However, instead, the two sides met again, and before any arrows were exchanged, the Catholic nobles surrendered.

The agreement between the emperors and the nobles stipulated that the power of the Emperor was greater than any feudal contract, and that therefore, the citizens of the empire were subject to the emperor first, and to nobles second. The nobles also had to accept the superiority of the Emperor in matters of the divine. In Europe, the power of the Church had decreased somewhat, so it stood to reason that in Greece, the same would happen. In return, however, the noble court was not disbanded, and the nobles were allowed to retain their titles. Meanwhile, the Senate agreed that, in the spirit of cooperation, the co-emperorships would be maintained, and Constantinos was confirmed as emperor in the month following. Hereafter, however, the Senate would take a far more active role, as princes now realised that the will of the Senate was more important than the primogeniture.

What followed was the period of the Prince's Empire. From 1300 onwards, the extended imperial families would gain a much more important position in the imperial bureaucracy, since the princes were all trying to prove to the Senate that they were worthy of the emperorship. It also meant that there was a period of many marriages between the extended imperial family and the Catholic nobles, who sought to influence imperial politics through more traditional means. The period between 1300 and 1350 is known as a Golden Era, focused on good governance and imperial peace. Between 1320 and 1335, two princesses were co-emperor, and their patronages for the arts would mean a lot in the worlds of architecture, engineering and science.

Then, the Black Death arrived. Now, in the short term, the result was horrific. Constantinople lost between half and two-thirds of its population. Commerce stagnated. Some modicum of gender equality was abandoned, and women were burnt as witched. The last empress, Theodora Angelos, was murdered by an angry mob for causing the plague. The amount of death is hard to comprehend. After the disease had passed, though, the labourers, who had already been freed from much of their feudal bondage after the 13th century, found themselves increasingly in positions where they could own large tracts of land themselves, since so many had died. Their labour was now a marketable skill, and for the first time a true labour market came into existence. This coincided with a growth in connections between Bagdhad and the West, with Greece right in the middle. This, in turn, led to an influx of Italian, Catholic merchants in Byzantine cities.

This would lead to a shift in power in the Byzantine empire. After the Black Death had passed, there already was more cooperation between Catholics and Orthodox. In fact, the Orthodox church began to follow the Pope in matters of religion, because the Papacy had come through the disease quite unharmed, which was seen as a sign of God. Greeks and foreign merchants began to mingle, which was only strengthened by the existence of a Greek-Catholic upper class, which had come about from the intermarriage between the imperial family and local nobles. The Catholic merchants were extremely interested by the ancient buildings of Greece and Constantinople, as well as the ancient institutions there, and brought with them new knowledge from the Middle East. In Constantinople, these texts were easily translated, because of the existence of a large Arab-speaking minority within the Empire, also the result of immigration after the Black Death.

These merchants slowly began to climb up the social ladder. The nobility was closed, of course, but the Byzantine bureaucracy allowed for these low-borns to rise to high status. Some of these merchants were elected to the Senatorial class, which came with buckets of prestige back home. The emperors were all too glad to allow for these monied types to take positions within the imperial bureauracy, since they had they money, the experience and the connection to properly govern various parts of the empire. However, this came over time to achieve what civil war could not have achieved, namely a Catholic-dominated Senate, which was none to the liking of the Orthodox emperors and the Patriarch in Constantinople, even if he often bowed out to the powers of Rome.

Over the course of about 200 years, this change came about gradually. Not only did the merchants achieve a powerful position in the Senate, they also began to take an interest in the ideals of the Roman Republic. During this time, much was discovered about the ancient writings of Cicero, and soon the Senate was pointing out how much power they had lost over the centuries. In their view, the Senate had to be restored to the way the Romans intended it, with some additions from Christian theology. After all, the Roman Republic had not known about Christ, but if they had, they would surely have been Christian. The nobles were, of course, against this. God had ordained them to lead the world, and the Pope above them all, so there was no need for some restructuring based on the ideals of some long-dead heathen civilisation. The emperors, too, were none too keen, because that meant they would have to hand over some of their imperial power, and since the First Decision none of them wanted that.

This came to a head in 1587. The old Doukas emperor had left his position to the reigning Angelos emperor upon the death of the former, focusing all imperial power in one position. The Senate objected on the basis that only they could elect an emperor, but the Angelos emperor ignored their protests. His power was given by God, after all, and the word of God transcended all laws of men. So, emperor Alexios IX disbanded the Senate, which fled to Athens. There, the Senate declared the abolition of the position of emperor, regaining all Imperial powers for themselves. In their first act, they reinstituted many of the positions of the old emperor, and for a brief time, even started wearing togas. The emperor, meanwhile, was gathering his armies to march against Athens, so in their second act, the Senate elected the King of Greece as dual consul, giving him command of his own army, which he had to raise with his own funds. Now, the Greco-Latine nobility was none too interested in restoring the Roman Republic, but they viewed the power of the Catholic Senate as being preferable to the Orthodox emperor, who would certainly centralise the state.

What followed was a 100 years of war. First for Republican ideals, but as the war dragged on the priorities shifted. The war was interrupted by two major periods of peace, but factionalism would soon after make the empire descend into civil war again. Early on, the empire lost the Anatolian lands to warlords and could not regain them afterwards. Athens and Constantinople, as well as many other cities, were besieged multiple times, and so were the islands. Five emperors found their end either on the battlefield or in their beds, until it was unclear what the war was actually about. It was about religion, yes, but also about power, rights, politics, commerce, diplomacy... Much of what the kingdom is today was formed during this time. In 1643, the King of Greece married the Queen of Sicily in order to gain her vast estates and funds. However, the Senate stated that this aquisition of land had to be legalised by a Senatorial act. Which it was, under pressure, giving the Senate the right to manage the funds from taxes from these lands. In 1664, the forces of the Orthodox church switched sides after the Patriarch was promised a greater position of power in relation to the Emperor. in 1670, the war was over, with the Senatorial side taking Constantinople.

Ever since, the realm has been at peace, although its politics remain dangerous. The constitution, come about during a time of incredible strife, is seen as sacred, since it was written in the blood of so many. Within the constitutional system, however, there is much debate still. Especially since the success of the French calvinist system, many of the more wealthy merchants are calling for the etablishment of some form of suffrage for the common man, instead of a system where the members of the bureaucracy become the senatorial class. Yet others call for the reinstitution of a supreme emperor to create a strong, centralised state. The nobility wants to recreate the old division between plebs and patricians. And within these factions, various other goals, such as foreign imperial conquest, war and taxes, are fought for as well. A trying time, especially as such different ideologies clash.


Tracking Number:

The app has been completed!

[SangMar]

THE UNIFIED STATES OF NORTH-KIN
CAPITAL: Odinbygð | CLAIMS(Yellow) | SANGMAR | POPULATION: 800,000 | RELIGION: NEO-NORSE | APPLICATION
"Nearly eight-hundred years have passed since we turned our backs on the Old World, leaving it in search of a place for ourselves. In the process, we became part of a New World: both figuratively and literally. We’re different to the Europeans now, tougher and stronger - but how much will this matter now that they’ve started to knock on the New World’s door too? Only our gods know the answer...

[Sarderia]

Application
General
--Nation Name: Reino Unido de Portugal e Galiza - Reino Unido de Portugal e Galicia - United Kingdom of Portugal and Galicia
--Map: o Reino Unido
--Flag:

--Capital: Lisbon
Government
--Government Type: Constitutional Monarchy
--Government Overview: The United Kingdom's government is based on a Westminster-style government with two chambers overseeing the government, but the Monarch still retains a considerable amount of power. There are two houses of the Portuguese parliaments; the House of Nobles (Casa dos Nobres), the upper house that consisted of hereditary peers and appointed life peers by the King, and the House of Communes (Casa das Comunas), the lower house consisted of elected members of parliament from cities, towns, and colonial territories. The House of Nobles retained power to draft and pass acts, form the government, elect the Prime Minister, and keep the Monarchy in check. The House of Communes acts more as a representative and advisory body to the upper house. The Prime Minister is elected in the Estates General of the United Kingdom (Propriedades Gerais do Reino Unido), an extraordinary meeting of both Parliament houses as well as aldermen, peasant, and borough representatives, and Catholic priests across the nation. The Prime Minister manages the Monarch's cabinet, which handles day-to-day governance, with consent of the Monarch. The Monarch's responsibility includes presiding over cabinet meetings, passing out Acts that is finished in the Parliament, and as the head of state.

Portugal's colonies are managed by the Chamber of the Colonies (Câmara das Colônias), the official representative of all colonies to the Monarch. In reality, the colonies of Portugal largely operates as an independent nation, forming their own Parliament and electing their own heads of government. However, the colonies are still obliged to pay taxes to the central government in Europe, and their foreign policy is dependent on the central government in Lisbon.

The Emirate of Morocco is a sovereign, dependent state that falls under the protection of the Portuguese Crown. The Emir is essentially a vassal to the King of Portugal, paying taxes and providing levies in return of Portuguese protection and the ability to have colonial outposts. Portuguese fleets transported Moroccan settlers mainly into the Portuguese East Indies (North Sumatra and Brunei), Portuguese India (Puducherry and Goa), as well as smaller numbers to New Iberia (Mexico) and Central America. Morrocans provided much of the bureaucratic officials between the Portugese colonial administrators and the local kingdoms in Indonesia, which is predominantly Muslim. Despite being under Portuguese rule, there has not been any large-scale insurrections against Portugal in Morocco, mainly because of the large autonomy granted to the Moroccan rulers under Portuguese administration.
--Head of Government: João Duarte Álvares Pereira de Melo, 3rd Duque de Cadaval, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
--Head of State: Dom João V o Magnânimo de Bragança, King of Portugal and Galicia
Demographics
--Population:

• Portugal and Galicia: 4,800,000
• Emirate of Morocco: 1,750,000

----Colonial Population:

• New Iberia (Mexico): 4,500,000
• Portuguese Central America: 350,000
• Portuguese Plata: 450,000
• Portuguese South Africa: 190,000
• Portuguese East Indies: 590,000
• Portuguese India: 90,000
• Macaronesia: 15,000
• Other colonial domains: 80,000

--Demonym: Portuguese or Galician (Iberian is also common)
--Primary Culture: Portuguese
--Other Cultures: Galician, Spanish, Moroccan
--Religion Overview: Roman Catholicism (official religion), Sunni Islam (in Morocco)
Development Points
--Infrastructure/Economy: 7
--Army: 2
--Navy: 6
--Military Overview: The main branch of Portugal's military is the Navy, which relied upon hundreds of ships across its vast colonial territory - more than a hundred galleons, man-o-wars and East Indiaman ships as the backbone of the Navy, and various smaller ships. Portugal being one of the first European colonial powers with a long history of exploration fields predominantly smaller and faster ships, with the 98-guns (second rate) 74-guns (third-rate) composing most of the Portuguese Royal Navy ships. However, Portugal also allowed its colonies to maintain navies of their own, mostly 50 to 60-guns (fourth rate) smaller vessels similar to the East Indiaman. Finally, a final class of 40-gun ships composed the Portuguese East India Company naval forces, suitable for fast and small skrimishes against the weaker and under-equipped navies of the East Indies kingdoms. Portugal's Navy could be considered one of the largest and most advanced navies in the world.

The Portuguese Royal Army is a highly-trained albeit small force spread throughout Portugal's colonial empire, trained for colonial expeditions, guerilla warfare, and skrimishes. It is consisted mainly of grenadiers and line infantry. Portugal often drafted many native soldiers from its colonial possessions to serve in the Army. While very effective in fighting non-European, technologically backwards forces throughout its colonial empire, Portugal's army could not very well take the other, larger European armies in the field due to its small number. The Army is known for utilizing deceptive tactics, bombs and grenades, as well as working in concert with native allies or the Navy.

RP Elements
--National Objectives: Maintaining and expanding the colonial possessions of the United Kingdom, continuing the Reconquista (conquest of North Africa)
--History: The Kingdom of Portugal emerged as an independent nation as early as 718 AD when an Asturian noble, Pelagius of Asturias was elected leader by many of the ousted Visigoth nobles of the Germanic Visigoth Kingdom. Pelagius called for the remnant of the Christian Visigothic armies to rebel against the Moors -which at that time occupied most of Iberia - and regroup in the unconquered northern Asturian highlands, better known today as the Cantabrian Mountains, in what is today the small mountain region in North-western Spain, adjacent to the Bay of Biscay. plan was to use the Cantabrian mountains as a place of refuge and protection from the invading Moors. He then aimed to regroup the Iberian Peninsula's Christian armies and use the Cantabrian mountains as a springboard from which to regain their lands. In the process, after defeating the Moors in the Battle of Covadonga in 722, Pelagius was proclaimed king, thus founding the Christian Kingdom of Asturias. At the end of the 9th century, the region of Portugal, between the rivers Minho and Douro, was reconquered from the Moors by the nobleman and knight Vímara Peres. He organized the region he had reconquered, and elevated it to the status of County, naming it the County of Portugal after the region's major port city – Portus Cale - or modern Porto. Peres was later knighted by the King of Asturias, Alfonso the Great, and given status as the Count of Porto Calle (Portugal).

Later the Kingdom of Asturias was divided into a number of Christian Kingdoms in Northern Iberia due to dynastic divisions of inheritance among the king's offspring. With the forced abdication of Alfonso III "the Great" of Asturias by his sons in 910, the Kingdom of Asturias split into three separate kingdoms. One of Alfonso's sons, Ordono, King of Galicia, bestowed the county to Henry of Burgundy and married him to his sister, Teresa of León, for his role in reconquering the land from Moors. Henry based his newly formed county in Bracara Augusta (modern Braga), capital city of the ancient Roman province, and also previous capital of several kingdoms over the first millennia. Ordono would later made significant incursions against the Moors, further expanding Galicia's territory south. His grandson Bermudo II later reunified the three separate kingdoms, estabilishing the Kingdom of Leon - the precursor to modern-day Spain and Portugal.

The Battle of São Mamede, which occurred near Guimarães in 1128, proved to be the decisive point where Portugal would later be recognized as a separate kingdom. Afonso Henriques, Count of Portugal, defeated his mother Countess Teresa and her lover Fernão Peres de Trava, thereby establishing himself as sole leader. Afonso then turned his arms against the Moors in the south, and his campaigns were very successful. On 1139, he obtained an overwhelming victory in the Battle of Ourique, and was unanimously proclaimed King of Portugal by his soldiers. This is traditionally taken as the occasion when the County of Portugal, as a fief of the Kingdom of León, was transformed into the independent Kingdom of Portugal. Afonso then established the first of the Portuguese Cortes at Lamego, where he was crowned by the Archbishop of Braga, though the validity of the Cortes of Lamego has been disputed and called a myth created during the Portuguese Restoration War. Afonso was recognized in 1143 by King Alfonso VII of León, and in 1179 by Pope Alexander III. He would later be known as Afonso I of Portugal. Afonso's grandson, Afonso II of Portugal, married Dulce of Leon, the daughter of King Alfonso IX of Leon, right after Alfonso IX bestowed the title Queen of Galicia as his inheritance to Dulce. Afonso II marched north to secure his wife's possessions against the wills of her brother, Ferdinand III of Castille. The Portuguese army defeated the Castillian army in Benavente, and as a result Castille inherited only Leon, while the crowns of Portugal and Galicia are merged through Afonso II and Dulce's son Sancho II of Galicia and Portugal.

In 1383, John I of Castile, husband of Beatrice of Portugal and son-in-law of Ferdinand I of Portugal, claimed the throne of Portugal. A faction of petty noblemen and commoners, led by John of Aviz (later King John I of Portugal) and commanded by General Nuno Álvares Pereira defeated the Castilians in the Battle of Aljubarrota. With this battle, the House of Aviz became the ruling house of Portugal. The House of Aviz would later marry into the earlier House of Burgundy, cementing their claim to the Portuguese throne. Portugal spearheaded European exploration of the world and the Age of Discovery. Prince Henry the Navigator, son of King John I of Portugal, became the main sponsor and patron of this endeavour. During this period, Portugal explored the Atlantic Ocean before any other major European country. Christopher Columbus - or Cristóvão Colombo in Portuguese - was sponsored by the Portuguese King Manuel I, made the first European landing into North America since the Vikings. Portugal was not involved in the war against Granada, which Castille and Aragon did, and so was able to finance Columbus' expedition faster than Isabella and Ferdinand after they rejected Columbus' proposal. The event would mark the start of Portuguese colonization, followed closely by Britanny.

Portuguese explorers discovered the Atlantic archipelagos - Azores, Madeira, and Cape Verde; explored the African coast; colonized selected areas of Africa; discovered an eastern route to India via the Cape of Good Hope; discovered Mexico, explored the Indian Ocean, established trading routes throughout most of southern Asia; and sent the first direct European maritime trade and diplomatic missions to China and Japan. In 1415, Portugal acquired the first of its overseas colonies by conquering Ceuta, the first prosperous Islamic trade centre in North Africa. The following would be Madeira and the Azores, which led to the first colonization movements. Throughout the 15th century, Portuguese explorers sailed the coast of Africa, establishing trading posts for several common types of tradable commodities at the time, ranging from gold to slaves, as they looked for a route to India and its spices.

However, in the mid-15th century, as more liberal influences to the European education started coming, a civil war erupted between the faction loyal to King John III of Portugal, and of Infante Esteban, the Duke of Coimbra and also the King's brother. Initially started over feuding claims over the Portuguese throne, Esteban began to draw supporters from the more impoverished parts of society, while also importing Italian engineers and minor nobles to his camp. John III lost the throne for a brief moment before Esteban himself was dethroned by his own supporters. The "Parliamentarist" faction, as they called themselves, petitioned for the right to assembly and control over the government. Thus the parliamentary system of Portugal was born, with Esteban returned to the government after renouncing his noble titles and claim to the Portuguese throne. He split the assembly into two chambers, and together with other nobles and representatives of Portugal's cities and small towns drafted the Royal Constitution of 1525, estabilishing Portugal as a constitutional monarchy, and further estabilishing the Estates General of Portugal as the supreme legislative body of the state, where he would be elected as Prime Minsiter in 1526. However, Esteban only retained the position of Prime Minister for a year - his opponents and loyalists to John III called another Estates General, expelled him from office, and sent Esteban to become the colonial governor of Portuguese Cuba.

From Ceuta, Portugal expanded its rule over North Africa by conquering Melila and then under Sebastian I, the whole of Morocco. A Moroccan succession struggle gave Sebastian the opportunity, when Abu Abdallah Mohammed II Saadi lost his throne in 1576 and fled to Portugal. After arriving, he asked for King Sebastian's assistance in defeating his Turkish-backed uncle and rival, Abu Marwan Abd al-Malik I Saadi. At Arzila, Sebastian joined his ally Abu Abdullah Mohammed II, who had around 6,000 Moorish soldiers and, against the advice of his commanders, marched into the interior. At the Battle of Alcácer Quibir (Battle of the Three Kings), the Portuguese army miraculously defeated Abd Al-Malik, which commanded more than 60,000 men - and restored Abu Abdallah Mohammed II Saadi as the Sultan of Morocco in 1577. Subsequently, the Sultan's title was stripped, and Abu Abdallah was reduced to an Emir under the rule of Portugal. However, Sebastian's relaxed religious and administrative policies appeased the Moroccan nobility, and the Emirate gradually accepted Portuguese rule up until the 18th century.


RP Sample: The most recent one

Tracking Number: 276

[Reverend Norv]

I think France is about to finish the Reconquista early for you there, partner.

[Danubian Peoples]

Made my post in response toReverend Norv's reply to the war proposal. Hopefully it is up to RP standard. Also, I get the feeling that this world's Voltaire really doesn't like Egypt, Union Princes. On top of his generally anti-Christian views in the real world (and thus this world too probably), I'm also guessing that the Egyptians wronged him on a personal level to add to the scathing remarks he gives about them.

[Danubian Peoples]

I think France is about to finish the Reconquista early for you there, partner.

Also, oof. They really don't like pirates do they. I know there are other more common justifications for colonialism than anti-piracy measures (We're inherently better than you, so I have the right to invade./We bring god and firearms, so we must be right!/Spices. All I want are spices.), but it honestly works really well here.

[Ontorisa]

I think France is about to finish the Reconquista early for you there, partner.

Bearing OP's approval, there might be an NPC Spain there.

[Reverend Norv]

I think France is about to finish the Reconquista early for you there, partner.

Bearing OP's approval, there might be an NPC Spain there.

Algeria and Tunisia? I didn't realize those might be Spanish claims. If so, the whole Barbary Corsair section of my IC post probably doesn't make sense.

[Ontorisa]

Bearing OP's approval, there might be an NPC Spain there.

Algeria and Tunisia? I didn't realize those might be Spanish claims. If so, the whole Barbary Corsair section of my IC post probably doesn't make sense.

Oh never mind, I thought it was going to be the Reconquista of the Iberian Peninsula. My bad.

[Reverend Norv]

Algeria and Tunisia? I didn't realize those might be Spanish claims. If so, the whole Barbary Corsair section of my IC post probably doesn't make sense.

Oh never mind, I thought it was going to be the Reconquista of the Iberian Peninsula. My bad.

No worries at all; just a misunderstanding. I was going from the definition of Reconquista in Sarderia's app as the conquest of North Africa, not by its ordinary meaning. I'm sure that's where we got confused. I definitely think that an NPC Spain in core Spanish territory, until and unless we get a Spain player, makes a world of sense.

[Khasinkonia]

Hi, whenever possible, could I get these islands? I recall claiming them but I noticed they weren't on the map
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Pierre_and_Miquelon

[Aureumterra]

Application
General
--Nation Name: Kazakh Horde
—Map:

--Flag:

—Capital: Alma-Ata
Government
--Government Type: Nomadic Confederacy
--Government Overview: Each Kazakh clan elects a Yabgu whom convene in the capital, at the council of Yabgus, which collectively function as the government executive. The council was created as a compromise following the death of the last Khan, who never designated a successor and the Kazakh clans devolved into infighting.
--Head of Government: The Council of Yabgus (collectively)
--Head of State (if different): The Council of Yabgus (collectively)
Demographics
—Population: 3,000,000
----Colonial Population (if applicable): N/A
--Demonym: Kazakhs
--Primary Culture: Kazakh
--Other Cultures: Uzbek, Turkmen, Uyghur, Sibirs, some Russians
--Religion Overview: No official religion, the most widely practiced "religion" is tribal shamanism, small influences of Eastern Orthodoxy may grow
Development Points (Total = 15, 11 for nations with no navy)
--Infrastructure/Economy (out of 10): 1
--Army (out of 10): 9
--Navy (out of 10): 0
--Military Overview: The Kazakh horde is structured similar to the previous Central Asian armies, a strict hierarchy with divisions where passing in between divisions is punishable by death. however, the central leadership is the council of Yabgus rather than a single person, and each Kazakh clan controls their own chunk of the army.
RP Elements
--National Objectives: Maintain good relations with the Russians, invade and plunder the Ghurids
--History: The Kazakh people have lived in the Central Asian Steppe for centuries. Without the existence of the Mongol Empire, and its subsequent successor states, Islam never spread to Central Asia and tribal shamanist ways continued to be practiced for centuries. The rise of the Shun, Russians, and Ghurids left the Kazakh as the only Central Asian peoples not subjugated by foreign powers. The Kazakh people remained divided between clans, until a clan leader named Yagbuk united the clans and formed the Kazakh Khanate.

The Khanate prospered during the era of the Silk Road, where raiders would plunder and steal from European and Chinese traders along the famed trade route. Following the rise of European colonialism and the decline of the Silk Road trade, the Kazakh once again became isolated on the vast Steppe. Yagbuk’s successors continued to govern the Khanate as the large Ghurid, Russian, and Shun empires built up around them.

Eventually, the last Khan, Yesugen, died prematurely without declaring an heir. This began a decade of mass infighting between the Kazakh clans, until they reached a compromise and formed the Council of Yagbus, which would meet in the capital of Alma-Ata, the largest Yurt city in the region.

Following the founding of the Council, the Kazakh horde continued expanding until it was surrounded by three large powers on all sides, hindering further expansion. The Russians in particular caught the interest of the Kazakh horde. The council was fascinated by their weapons, one pull of a lever and it could slay people a good distance away. Fascinated by these "boomsticks," the Council authorized envoys to be sent to Russia, and an era of cultural exchange began.

Eventually, the Kazakh, who didn’t have any form of writing before, constructed a writing system based on Russian Cyrillic. By the 1760s, the Orthodox faith slowly begins to spread into the Steppe as the Russians expand further East.

RP Sample: viewtopic.php?p=35768751#p35768751

Tracking Number: 276

[HypErcApitAl]

if/when I get accepted, I might send a suitor to them, but I also don't know about how the HRE emp would feel about a state sending "a man" to the 16 y/o Queen in Brittany. I guess, it'd make sense. I might go the Hasburgs way and start trying to dominate Europe via Marriage and Offspring, but I also don't know how the HRE emp/OP would feel about that. Prolly if another European power did it, it'd make sense. In the end, I'm not sure.

[Ontorisa]

Proposed NPC Nations
These nations are up to discussion and collaboration with other members. All claimed regions are based off of the current map. Focus was on HRE Members & European nations.

Military indicates the peak military power of each NPC country. This does not represent the country's standing army.

The County of Sjaelland
POPULATION: 175,000 | CLAIMS | MILITARY: 20,100 | RELIGION: PROTESTANT

The Danish Confederacy
POPULATION: 900,000 | CLAIMS | MILITARY: 90,000 | RELIGION: PROTESTANT

The Duchy of Saxony
POPULATION: 2,400,000 | CLAIMS | MILITARY: 312,000 | RELIGION: PROTESTANT

Hungary
POPULATION: 3,500,000 | CLAIMS | MILITARY: 540,000 | RELIGION: CATHOLICISM

Scotland
POPULATION: 1,500,000 | CLAIMS | MILITARY: 150,000 | RELIGION: CATHOLICISM

Spain*
POPULATION: 7,500,000 | CLAIMS | MILITARY: 750,000 | RELIGION: CATHOLICISM

The Grand Bishopric of Cologne
POPULATION: 68,000 | CLAIMS | MILITARY: 10,200 | RELIGION: CATHOLICISM

---

*Denotes potential player interest, eligible to be nulled in case of player application.

Per DMs with OP, these NPC nations are approved.

Updated Map with NPC Claims

[Danubian Peoples]

All I have to say to Union Princes is,

*Cue X-Files theme

I know it's an overused joke, sorry. Also, are you planning to arrange your RP posts in this manner the whole way through? As in, exceprts from a book Voltaire wrote?

[Nuraca]

Application

Okay, looks good! Please edit in your flag as soon as possible. Accepted!

Application

Also looks good, be sure to edit in the tracking number. Accepted!

Application

Accepted!

As per usual, please let me know if you've been missed.

Also, the WIP roster has been added to the second post of the thread (thanks, Ontorisa!)

[Union Princes]

All I have to say to Union Princes is,

*Cue X-Files theme

I know it's an overused joke, sorry. Also, are you planning to arrange your RP posts in this manner the whole way through? As in, exceprts from a book Voltaire wrote?

Pretty much, it's a political commentary/history book on Crusader Egypt

[Europa Undivided]

This is for my roster entry

UNITED KINGDOM OF BULGARIA, SERBIA, AND CROATIA/GREATER BALKAN KINGDOM
CAPITAL: BELGRADE | CLAIMS | EUROPA UNDIVIDED | POPULATION: 9,000,000 | RELIGION: EASTERN ORTHODOXY, CATHOLICISM, AND PROTESTANTISM | APPLICATION
"The United Kingdom is a nation whose existence few would ever dare imagine seven centuries ago. Borne from the union of crowns between the kingdoms of Bulgaria, Serbia, and Croatia, the United Kingdom has made a name for itself within the European stage. It is a rare example of a highly diverse yet stable society, as the cooperation between Orthodox Bulgaria and Serbia and Catholic Croatia for the last 700 years has forged a nation that one should never underestimate with all its military and economic strength. The United Kingdom has been made wealthy by trade from the east. Its great fleet defends the traders of all nations within the Mediterranean Sea, and its armies fight alongside their fellow Christians in the desert battlefields of the Middle East. There is no doubt, therefore, that the Greater Balkan Kingdom is a bulwark of tolerance within a continent of despots and authoritarian regimes, and it will fight to defend its people and their freedom."

[Guuj Xaat Kil]

As for mine...
EMPIRE OF THE GHURIDS/Shansabānīds
CAPITAL: BELGRADE | CLAIMS | GUUJ XAAT KIL | POPULATION: 9,000,000 | RELIGION: SUNNI | APPLICATION
"The empire that the Shansabānīds have carved out of Persia and Northern India is one that has been considered by many for quite some time as one that would die out quickly, ruling over Hindus, Buddhists, Zoroastrians. And yet here it stands many centuries later, none the worse for wear and still going strong with no intent of stopping.

here's mine

[Sao Nova Europa]

THE GREAT SHUN
CAPITAL: BEIJING | CLAIMS | SAO NOVA EUROPA | POPULATION: 271,300,000 | RELIGION: CONFUCIANISM, BUDDHISM, TAOISM | APPLICATION
"Stretching from the mountains of Ladakh to the steppes of Manchuria and from the freezing snowy forests of Mongolia to the tropical jungles of Vietnam, the Great Shun lords over East Asia. The world's oldest civilization, the Shun Empire has a culture that had been refined for centuries by brilliant scholars and intellectuals. The Emperor of Shun, the Son of Heaven and Supreme Autocrat of All Under Heaven, lords over more than two-hundred-seventy million subjects. The Heavenly Realm has now closed its doors to outsiders and has committed itself to a splendid isolation."

[Arvenia]

48hr Reservation Form
Nation Name: Kingdom of Anatolia
Territory: Asian Turkey, Iranian Azerbaijan, Azerbaijan and Armenia
Color: Bright Red
999 - Do not delete this.