1906: Alternative Divergence [AH][OOC-DEAD]

[Danceria]

Seems very concerning, while we may share things in common politically, Solomon's cult of personality disturbs any good Christian resident of my realm.

Pretty much the French perspective too. With so few republics in the world, why does one of them have to be run by a crazy cult? The waste.

On a different note, so to speak, I have found the French national anthem. Historically, this psalm was sung before the Battle of Coutras; hearing it, the Catholic forces joked that the Huguenots feared immanent death, and were confessing their sins. A scarred veteran turned to the Duc de Joyeuse and warned him: "Sir, when the Huguenots sing thus, they are ready to fight to the death." A few hours later, the duke was dead and his forces routed. I'm going to recycle this story for the Battle of Pavia, which ended the Forty Years' War in a victory against both Roman armies and secured France's independence; ever since, the 118th psalm has been the national anthem.

The other one is more secular, or at the very least, cosmopolitan in faith. Yes, the French ideals of liberté, égalité, fraternité et christianisme are very much evident, yes much of the population is Anabaptist/Huguenot/Reformed. But there are Catholics/Orthodox from the rest of Europe, Odinists from Scandinavia, even some Moslems from Morocco and Buddhists from Korea!

In short, it is basically Not!U.S.

[Tracian Empire]

Seems very concerning, while we may share things in common politically, Solomon's cult of personality disturbs any good Christian resident of my realm.

Pretty much the French perspective too. With so few republics in the world, why does one of them have to be run by a crazy cult? The waste.

On a different note, so to speak, I have found the French national anthem. Historically, this psalm was sung before the Battle of Coutras; hearing it, the Catholic forces joked that the Huguenots feared immanent death, and were confessing their sins. A scarred veteran turned to the Duc de Joyeuse and warned him: "Sir, when the Huguenots sing thus, they are ready to fight to the death." A few hours later, the duke was dead and his forces routed. I'm going to recycle this story for the Battle of Pavia, which ended the Forty Years' War in a victory against both Roman armies and secured France's independence; ever since, the 118th psalm has been the national anthem.

I am probably going to use this chant as the Eastern Roman anthem, since it really also fits in with their traditional battle cry.

[Coconad]

Nation name :ARAKKAL
MAJORITY : Islam /Muslims
Major culture : INDIAN MUSLIM CULTURE ,People identify themselves with indians
Territorial core :4 northern districts of state of kerala in India
Territorial claim :none
Capital : Kozhikode
Population :19 million
Government type :Monarchy
Head of state : King Mustafa
Majority religion :Islam
Economic ideology:Capitalism
Literacy :40 %

History

Muslims of Kerala believe their origins can be traced back to the 7th century CE when the religion originated in Arabia. The history of Muslims in Kerala is closely intertwined with the history of Muslims in the nearby Laccadives islands. Keralas only Muslim kingdom was Arakkal . Arakkal kings come to power in the 16th or 17th century

The royal family of Arakkal is said to be originally a branch of the Kolattiri, descended from a princess of that family who converted to Islam.The story goes like this

the daughter of Chirakkal Raja began to drown while bathing in the Chirakkal kulam (pond). Her friends cried and shouted but were unable to rescue her. Mustafa Ali heard the shouting and came to find out what was wrong. He recognized the girl drowning in the pond as the princess, but was hesitant about saving her because of untouchability and if a lower-caste person touched an upper-caste person it was considered a sin, possibly punishable by death. However, he rescued her and gave her his dhoti to cover the princess. When the news reached the Chirakkal Raja, he called his daughter and the Mustafa Ali. At that time, if a man gave a pudava (a long cloth used for covering the body) to an unmarried woman, they were considered married. The scholars of the court told the Raja that since his daughter was touched by a Muslim, she was no longer allowed to enter the palace. However, the man had given her his pudava so she was married to him as well. As per the custom the Raja had no other choice but to give his daughter to the MustafaAli. The Raja was unhappy to give his daughter to a poor man , so he made the boy ruler of a part of his dominion. The area given to the boy was known as Arakkal and his family was called the Arakkal family
The nation later spread to other regions like Kozhikode ,wayanad and kasargode which were muslim dominated while the rest of kerala .At present the nation comprises of 4 northern districts of kerala .

[Tracian Empire]

Nation name :ARAKKAL
MAJORITY : Islam /Muslims
Major culture : INDIAN MUSLIM CULTURE ,People identify themselves with indians
Government type :Monarchy
Head of state : King Mustafa
Territorial core :4 northern districts of state of kerala in India
Territorial claim :none
Capital : Kozhikode
Population :19 million
Government type :Monarchy
Head of state : King Mustafa
Majority religion :Islam
Economic ideology:Capitalism
Literacy :40 %

Even ignoring that this doesn't have anything to do with our app format, India is reserved. Please leave.

[Remnants of Exilvania]

Nation name :ARAKKAL
MAJORITY : Islam /Muslims
Major culture : INDIAN MUSLIM CULTURE ,People identify themselves with indians
Government type :Monarchy
Head of state : King Mustafa
Territorial core :4 northern districts of state of kerala in India
Territorial claim :none
Capital : Kozhikode
Population :19 million
Government type :Monarchy
Head of state : King Mustafa
Majority religion :Islam
Even ignoring the fact that this has nothing to do with our app format, India is reserved. Please leave.




Economic ideology:Capitalism
Literacy :40 %

You messed up your quote Thrac.

[Fascist Republic Of Bermuda]

Tag. Thinking of doing something with a moderately westernized Zulu Kingdom in eastern South Africa.

Would that be an option or is there a reservation/claim/dibs on the non-French bits of South Africa that I missed?

[Finland SSR]

Tag. Thinking of doing something with a moderately westernized Zulu Kingdom in eastern South Africa.

Would that be an option or is there a reservation/claim/dibs on the non-French bits of South Africa that I missed?

The map was updated yesterday and there were no new claims in that area since then, so you're good as far as I can tell.

[Tracian Empire]

Tag. Thinking of doing something with a moderately westernized Zulu Kingdom in eastern South Africa.

Would that be an option or is there a reservation/claim/dibs on the non-French bits of South Africa that I missed?

The non-French bits of South Africa are indeed free, if you'll make an official reservation for them they will be yours.

[Insaeldor]

Full Nation Name : Federal Republic of Nova Tarragona

Majority/Official Culture : ethnic identity is a complex topic in the country. Many people exist within multiethnic and multicultural families and communities. However in official census data the old Casta system is still used to dictate ethnic heritage. The dominate macro-culture is Catalan owning to the origin of many of the original settlers in the territory. While ethnically diverse the government has pushed Catalan as the common language inside the country.

• Peninsulars (Mainland Europeans): 18.2% (mostly of Catalan, Basque, Castilian, German, Italian, Polish, and Czech origin)
  
• Crioll (American born European): 32.3%
  
• Castís: 7.1%
  
• Mestís: 20.2%
  
• Indi: 4.8%
  
• Marró: 8.6%
  
• Mulat: 2.4%
  
• Zambo: 1.9%
  
• Negre: 4.5%

Territorial Core : Green claim in and around where IRL Argentina is

Capital City : Cuitat Rusinyol

Population : 10.67 million.

Government Type : Federal Semi-Presidential Republic

Government Ideology/Policies : With the latest elections in 1903 the nation has seen a strong landslide victory for liberal political figures, the president however is a fairly conservative even for his party, belonging to the Republicano Faction within the liberal party. President Mollà is a strong catholic and derives much of his support from the conservative working class. Executive Secretariat Altafaj is on the other hand a member of the Progressiu faction and was chosen by the president to better help him maintain control of the party from the radical Vermells by compromising on the progressive social policies.

Government Focus : Government is currently focused on modernization, a transition from the largely agricultural country. This includes putting funds into mining companies and industry. Immigration from Europe has helped immensely in its own industrialization and this the country has maintained a very open immigration policy.  

Head of State : President Guiàn Mollà

Head of Government : Executive Secretariat Domènec Altafaj

Government Description :

Executive Branch: The Executive Branch which is housed in the Palau Verd. The president is the chief international representative of the country. He is tasked with both international trade and diplomacy, leading the military, and most non-domestic affairs. The Executive Secretariat is chosen by the President but rules with the consent of the Federal Assembly. He is tasked with dictating the day to day affairs and has authority on most domestic issues. The President is elected indirectly through the state legislatures, the prime minister by law has to be the leader of the largest political party that has formed a government within the Federal Assembly.


Legislative Branch: The legislative branch is considered the strongest part of the government. Holding wide powers regarding declaration of wars, finance/budget, impeachments, assignments and hearings on un-elected officials, and almost exclusive control of laws passed since the executive branch holds no formal veto power. Officials are elected for small districts, 347 in total using the First Past The Post method while a further 50 are elected nationally via a closed list party vote. This vote utilized the formula V/2^s to help allocate seats.


Judicial Branch: The judicial branch is the leading co constitutional authority within the country. It exists outside of nominal politics as instead is comprised of judges who have gone through a seniority system within the lower courts. When one retires or lives out his position he is replaced with the by the highest ranking member within the lower court system below it or said oldest serving member can differ his appointment to the next in line. This has helped to create a fairly apolitical judiciary. The highest court in the country is the National Court and has 11 standing members at all times. It is preceded by regional courts. The judiciary has the authority if judicial review and the power to strike down laws it deems to be unconstitutional, it however can not indict members of the government on criminal charges.

Majority/State Religion : Catholicism is the majority faith of the country with a robust protestant (mainly Lutheran) minority.  

Economic Ideologies : Capitalist

Major Production : Currently the country is a net exporter of agricultural goods, textiles are a close second as well as fishing. Mining especially iron, copper, and aluminum have  been on the rose as economic staples.

Economic Description : The economy is still very backwards in many regards as the industrial revolution failed to take hold in previous years. Agriculture is still the main economic sector but the country has invested in industrialization projects to help usher it in as a leading economic power in Latin America.

Development: [Semi-Industrialized

Development Description : as explained above the industrial revolution had very little chance to take hold in the country under previous administrations, this is mainly do to the policies of the Democratic Party which had its base in the rural agricultural centers, they routinely put economic pressure of textile and fishing companies, as well as iron factories to help keep the farming industry profitable.

Army Description : Conscription Based. The army is roughly 70,000 men in total and operates on a European style conscription system since 1836. The army is currently armed with the Herzigov Conversion of a 1863 Muzzleloading rifle turning it into a single shot bolt action rifle chambered in 11x52mm Herzigov. The army is organized into 7 Divisions which are garrisoned throughout the 7 military regions. A further 10 divisions exist made up of reservists. Many small regiments also use a 5 shot lever action rifle called the 1896 Solozábal Range Rifle.


Army Weakness : The army has very little in the way of practical combat experience. Little conflict has existed in the region and aside from tensions over the Uruguay river colony the army hasn't seen any real test of its capabilities.


Naval Description : Small and mostly for coastal patrol. Currently composed of 5,000 full time sailors, 3 Destroyers, 7 Raiders, and about 28 misc ships. The pride of the Navy are the Marines who are considered some of the best fighters in the whole military. This small force is adequate for patrolling the coastal areas but limited in any real power projection.

Naval Weakness : as stated above the brown water navy has not force projection ability. Its destroyers beings used mostly for diplomatic escort and to help keep important trade vessels safe at high sea, however most of their time is spent in port. The rest of the navy is really only capable of operations within the countries territorial waters.  

Further Military Description : The Federal Armed Forces of Nova Tarragona are a mixed bag of good and bad aspects. Given its small size the military leadership has opted to pursue combined units mixing artillery, infantry, and cavalry at the divisional level. The military also upholds the practice of “Autoritat Difusa” which means units are told of their mission statement and the strategic goal in mind for their actions and are allowed to fulfill these goals however they see fit, this of course works in tandem with an experienced and educated sub officer class tasked with leading their men to these goals in a tactically sound manner. This theory evolved as part of the Militia system with small militia units being capable of operating independently in combat effectively. The military also takes communication seriously. The vast expanses of Southern America make coordinated military tactics difficult. Thus a system of allowing units to operate in the best interest of the objective and keeping as consistent a communication base as possible to prevent friendly fire incidents was preferred. Generally the frontier nature of the army, generally involved in keeping local tribes in check and guarding large and environmentally challenging borders has lead to this autonomous strategy within the army.

National Goals : the major goal for the country is to exert its influence throughout the southern Americas and hopes to become a regional power. It views strong ties with the Europeans as a part of this goal and is looking to become more diplomatically involved in order to carry favor.

National Issues : The countries major issues revolve around the majority Crioll and Castís wealthy rural farmers and the poor and more ethnically diverse urbanites. The majority of Immigrants have chosen to settle in cities and take over the trades they previously held, some however have moved to the rural countryside and have taken up roles mostly as poor laborers. Tension between immigrant populations and native populations have grown, distrust from the native Catholics and immigrant Protestants (mostly of German origin) has lead to the formation of the Lliga de Sant Ignasi an anti-Protestant and anti-liberal organization that has become popular with many conservative rural whites and wealthy urban Catholics.

National Figures of Interest :

Father Francesc Excurè - Leader of the League of Sant Ignasi

History : The colony of Nova Taragona was first established with the help of the Moviment de la Nova Catalunya, Inspired by the ideals Pau Rusinyol who saw the America's as the new prospective homeland of the Catalan culture. He believed that the Castilian dominated Spain would never allow for a truly free Catalonia people. However he new that starting a new in unclaimed land would lead to what he called “cultural suicide”. He instead hoped that they could live as a colonial possession with limited interference. Over the years the colony grew from the initial 238 members to nearly 7,000 in the town on Albatàrrec by the turn of the century. The settlements became rich through farming and ranching. Local economies grew from the trade specifically major shipping ports where agricultural goods could be exported. Grains where the main agricultural export for the colony at this time and many grew wealth through this trade. However social conflict plagued the colony even from its earliest days. The colonies main population base was of Catalan or Catalan speaking Iberians, this was thanks to strong advertising from the New Catalonia Movement which helped to bring in many rural Catalans from Spain, mostly from the Girona and Tarragona regions. However by 1800 the Spanish colonial administration had passed laws restricting the use of the Catalan language in public commerce and education. This helped to establish several colonial organizations like the Anti-Castilianization Society and the Brotherhood of Sant Ramon were formed to politically counter many of the colonial laws. However there was very little movement on these issues. Many were also frustrated with the increases in taxes on their goods.


Wealthy ranchers known as “Ranxers” in retaliation for these new taxes threw their money behind the anti-Castilian groups and the larger anti-Spanish movement as a whole. While these groups were politically relevant and for the most part tolerated by the Spanish authorities they never were capable to change colonial opinion. The relationship between the colonial government and the major agriculture sector were too strong and in favor of the colonial government for them to truly break away. However these fortunes changes when Spain went to war with France. Sensing an opportunity as the colonial garrisons thinned many independent minded locals rose up in scattered revolts. While many were small in scale initially, an event called the Massacre de la Catedral de Sant Nicolau in which members of the Spanish garrison in the town of Piélagos killed a around 57 alleged members of the Brotherhood of Sant Ramon after they had finished mass. This helped to galvanized wider anti-Spanish attitudes into revolutionary sentiment. The first known “army” of Nova Tarragona was led by Ranxer and former officer in the Spanish Army Pau-Alexandre Vilaró, he amassed a group of 700 men to fight a Spanish garrison in the small town of Albruza en el Río Rojo. His style of fighting would become indicative of the whole war for independence, preferring to run fast cavalry charges and use multiple cannons in various directions to confuse his enemies. His campaigns helped to clear the rural interior of Spanish influence. It was Gonçal Tosell who would lead his forces in the urban areas where Spanish authority was still strong. The port city of Christiano was the epicenter of most urban fighting. Tosell's forces would often perform hit and run attacks on Spanish forces or on people they viewed as Spanish informants. The largest of these attacks was the Battle of Villaescusa which took place during a military parade in the largely Catalan neighborhood of Villaescusa in the city of Christiano. Nearly 67 Spanish soldiers were killed and dozens more injured. By the end of the year, with the defeat of Spain at home and the continued conflict in the colony the Spanish surrendered, members of the pro-independence movements met in Christiano to set up an informal transitional government.


They agreed to have Vilaró be the President of the Transitional Authority in order to negotiate a peace agreement with Spain. The others would work to establish a constitution for their new country, anything short of independence was out of the question and to double down on this the Transitional Authority tasked Torsell with creating an official standing army. Vilaró's efforts in Europe helped lead to Spain formally recognizing the independence of Nova Tarragona, at the state time much of the framework for the republic's constitution had been finished. In 1786 the Republic of Nova Tarragona was established, the first elections held later that year saw Vilaró go against former clergyman and newspaper owner Josep Maria Blanxart. Vilaró proved the more popular figure and won the election easily. However the two helped to establish the dominating political tension of the time. Vilaró's Unitari faction and Blanxart's Federalistes. Vilaró's administration saw the establishment of many key policies, while Torsell's army was maintained and named the Republican Armed Forces and the Militia System (Sistema de Milícies) was created to allow for large forces to form in times of national crisis. Because if the nature of the agricultural economy in much of the country many families could not afford their male relatives to go off a be in the army for long periods of time, the militia system allowed for the creation of local defense forces and auxiliary units to the Republican Armed Forces without uprooting people needlessly. His administration also saw the passage of the Laborers Act which encouraged people to leave the city for opportunities in ranching and farming. After the departure of the Spanish much of the trade going into cities stopped as one of the largest trade facilitators had vanished, the need for the agricultural good produced by the country shrunk, thus the economic heart of nation was located in the Pampes region. The need for agricultural workers grew in order to keep up with regional demand, many people in the coastal cities migrated to the rich farmlands. Christiano (now Ciutat de Crist al Llarg de l’Atlàntic/Ciutat Crist) lost nearly nearly half its population while the inland city of Ascensió grew by roughly a third.


Vilaró won three more 4 year terms as president. He also built up a navy for coastal patrol and defence. Started on building a railroad network, and helped establish the first universal education program. He also however failed in efforts of wider industrialization, his policies greatly favored the white Crioll populations, the economy while vibrant in some regards was never able to be competitive during his administration. Tariffs and a lack of trade discussion hindered the ability of the economy. After his death in 1826 he was succeeded by fellow Unitari, Francesc Sala. The Sala administration saw high levels of political tension after the 1829 legislative victory of the Federalistes. Sala, a former cattle baron helped to embolden the economy by lowering tariffs and opening up some markets. However politically his government was scandal ridden, his efforts to pack the Constitutional Court and to dismiss political rivals from elected office put him into conflict with the legislature. However it was his attempts to use his position to prevent individual financiers from taxing the herds of known friends of his in the ranching industry that brought the most conflict. While no investigation found Sala personally guilty of wrongdoing the legislature in a 124 - 109 vote impeached him from office. However in the aftermath he refused to step down, citing the fact that he never committed a crime to paint the opposition as usurpers. The army stepped in on the side of Sala and arrested speaker of the chamber Jaume Grec, this lead to the supporters of the legislature amassing in Ciatut Crist to protest. Tension flared up as protestors threw stones at soldiers, one soldier fired his rifle, killing 16 year old Xavier Abelló i Mata. From prison Grec invoked his powers as speaker to call up the militias, while some were loyal to the president many formed parties in opposition to the Sala presidency. 17 of these parties marched onto Ciutat Crist on April 4th 1830.


Fighting between the army and militias broke out almost instantly. Militia forces under the command of Nicolau Riog engaged in combat with military forces in and around Republic Square. The fighting lasted several days, an artillery position was set up in the square to block off access from Encantador Street. According to a popular national myth that Riog sent a 16 year old Vaquer named Vícenç Pegues was sent up to a small building overlooking the square. His goal was to fire upon the artillerymen to allow for an assault, Pegues found himself in the hall of the national museum overlooking the square. He fired four balls from his .58 muzzle loading long rifle and hit four men, this disabled the 4 pound gun being used to hold the square. This allowed for Riog’s charge into the square. This motion in the larger Battle of Ciutat Crist. General Santxo Callè concerned with what this could devolve into asked for a meeting of the chiefs of the armed forces. After hours of deliberation it was decided that this conflict was not worth fighting, a protracted conflict would only hurt the republic in the long term and destroy much of the legacy that Vilaró established. The military stepped down and Salla was arrested within a few hours of this decision. The Federalistes in the legislature chose to rework the constitution in the hopes they could avoid such an incident in the future. The Constitutional Assembly was created on January 1st 1831. Elections were held in April if that year. The election saw a strong swing for the Federalistes and thus commenced the creation of a new constitution. This constitution, finalized in may of 1835 split the executive into. President and Executive Secretariat, placing the courts outside of politics, and establishing the new National Assembly. The constitution was also strongly federal, under this constitution 25 states were established with their own Governor Generals. The constitution established a strong domestic legislature as its main goal to prevent the consolidation of power in a single individual.


New elections were held that same year. Conservative Narcís Foix won the election and the new National Assembly elected its first multi-party session. Foix's first act as president was to secure funds and buy land for the formation of new Capital City. With consent from the Assembly he announced plans to build “A city of Enlightenment, the most glorious city on the continent.” the new city, named Ciutat Rusinyol in honor of the founder and leader of the New Catalonia Movement. Foix and his conservative Democratic Party would win consecutive yet close elections throughout the decades. Some of the major events to occur during this period called the La Llarga Pau (the long peace) was the expansion of the railroad system to link farms and mining communities to larger trade hubs. The most important of these railways was the Transandean railway from l’Ecumà in the east to Els Àngels on the western side through the  Pas de Marchà. This feat formally linked the western port city of Albacrunyà to the eastern cities like Sorra Salada and with thee transnational rail line linking the major atlantic port of Ciutat Crist and Albacrunyà. This also helped to link the politically isolated Pacífica Region thus helping to link the Pacific and Atlantic trade. By the end of the presidency of Teliforiò Montsalvatge trade was booming and the country returned as a net exporter of agricultural goods.


However by the 1890 electoral opinion shifted away from the Democrats and Liberals started to gain ground. In 1895 the Democrats lost their largest share of seats in the National Assembly. This owns to a discontent with the current labor economy and renewed interest by coastal elites with continued industrialization and calls for economic equality energized mostly rural workers. In 1900 the Liberals lead by Guiàn Mollà won elections for both President and the National Assembly. The Nation currently has the issues of immigration which has been on the rise since 1885 and mainly from Europe, The new government's policies of increasing industrialization, economic liberalization, and reforming the army. After winning a larger share of seats in the 1905 election the liberals feel emboldened to aggressively pursue their legislative goals.

RP Sample: Frozen Hell

#AltDiv (do not delete this, it's for keeping track of the apps)

[Finland SSR]

Suspecting since its so late on my end i might have missed some typos, I'll comb through this again and tighten it up, but felt i should put it out so Norv and Finish SSR have a chance to look over a d make any needed objections if i missed something.

Full Nation Name : Federal Republic of Nova Tarragona

I suspect it was a typo (since you describe the republic as being established in 1815, anyway), but 1817 is far too late for the Nova Tarragona resistance movement to begin. Spain was occupied by France in the Peninsular War in 1801 and remained either occupied or in civil war until 1815, that should help work out all the dates for that part of your history.

[The Felan Federation]

Sweden here. Currently trying to work out a common history with the Rus Commonwealth and the Polish-Lithuanians.

So my history update may take a while to finish.

[Kazarogkai]

Brazil has plenty of sugar, the Guyanese shield wasn't that massive of a component of the trade. Your thinking of the Antilles which are all Imperial Americas.



My general way of how I was doing things was that Guyana used to be a British territory alongside parts of the Caribbean until it all got got by Spain sometime during the Atlantic war in the early 1700s. Around 1777 Guyana rebels and fights on until about 1800-1805 when the Spanish give it up. Not long after Imperial america get's formed after a civil war breaks out splitting it apart from Spain due in no small part as an aftershock of the french invading ala Napoleon style which led to certain.... issues popping. and so ended the Spanish empire more or less in the new world. At least that's how it seems from my perspective atleast. I'm not terribly great with the whole story.

Seems very concerning, while we may share things in common politically, Solomon's cult of personality disturbs any good Christian resident of my realm.

Good point, never the less assuming your country gained independence in a manner that was less than... amicably from their home nation their is a good chance my nation probably would have happily helped out and given some guns to the revolution so to speak. As long as your not a monarchy or a colony their not going to have too many personal issues with yours hence you need not worry about them say intentionally backing rebels within your nation or anything like that.

Swedish Venezuela on the otherhand... we got issues.

[Alt Div Admin]

Announcements Date: 28.04.2019 Announcements from AltDiv Development Overall RP IC thread has been created Some house rules are still in the middle of adjustment, and may be subject to change Those who are accepted are free to post, and reserves that has been applied BEFORE this post are all applied to the Dreadnaught contest Main OP IC Thread is linked to the main OP

[Reverend Norv]

Quick question: the IC says that the current year is 1855 - can we assume that's a typo? And if so, what month is it of 1906?

[Tracian Empire]

Quick question: the IC says that the current year is 1855 - can we assume that's a typo? And if so, what month is it of 1906?

A typo, yes, and January I assume.

[Remnants of Exilvania]

*Tries rushing harder*

[Fascist Republic Of Bermuda]

Reservation

Nation Name: Kingdom of KwaZulu
Territory: The bright green
#AltDiv (do not delete this, it's for keeping track of the apps)
*Note: Reservations will last for 72 hours. The OP board reserves the right to be subjective in regards to accepting reservations.

[Tracian Empire]

Reservation

Nation Name: Kingdom of KwaZulu
Territory: The bright green
#AltDiv (do not delete this, it's for keeping track of the apps)
*Note: Reservations will last for 72 hours. The OP board reserves the right to be subjective in regards to accepting reservations.

Accepted

[Great Confederacy of Commonwealth States]

Still working on this, but it is coming along more and more! I need to make up a flag, though...

Full Nation Name : The Kingdom of the Avars, Avarlar Patşalığı
Majority/Official Culture : Avar
Territorial Core : Hungary, Romania, Serbia
Capital City : Güldörisi, at modern day Timisoara, Romania
Population: 30 million

Government Type : Elective monarchy
Government Ideology/Policies : Militant, economic
Government Focus : The focus of the government has three pillars which inform all its decisions. First of all, surrounded by large empires, any government must look to the defences of the homeland, whether it be through diplomacy or with increased army spending, or even interference in foreign politics. Seeing as Romanian lands hold a lot of oil, this has become increasingly important over the last years, as Avaria has grown from a rural backwater to a major exporter of petroleum. The second pillar is therefore economic prosperity. Building infrastructure to benefit Avaria with the proceeds of oil export, including railways and a robust education system, are important to the Avarian government, especially as the king wants to be taken seriously by foreign rulers. Lastly, the third pillar is to secure internal stability. Avaria contains many ethnic minorities, including Turkic groups such as Khazars, Kabars and Pechnegs, but also Slavic peoples such as Serbs and Bulgars. The Avar population is a minority among these other groups, and the Avar ruling class must always ensure that these groups do not become too rowdy, either through benign neglect or repression, depending on what the monarch desires.
Head of State : Abraham Burakgazi Khan, King and Khan of all Avars, Lord of Tatars, Protector of the Slavs, Sword of the Cross, Bearer of the Horse-Hair Banner
Head of Government : Abraham Burakgazi Khan, King and Khan of all Avars, Lord of Tatars, Protector of the Slavs, Sword of the Cross, Bearer of the Horse-Hair Banner
Government Description: The government of the kingdom bears resemblance of both a modern liberal government and the ancient customs of the Avar people. This is the result of the codification of all laws of the Avar people throughout the 19th century, during which the normally unwritten laws of the Avars were put into writing. The basis for the modern constitution, which has since been altered a few times, stems from 1864 and the reign of Solomon Karga Khan. A traveller and veteran of the Great Wars, he was adamant that the Avars break out of their self-imposed isolation in the Pannonian Basin. He modernised the state system, without losing sight of the Avar heritage.

The head of government is a king who, unlike many of his contemporaries, still holds almost unlimited power. He is the president of the Supreme Court, he can legislate on his own, and he of course holds executive power. This comes at a price, though, in the form of the Council of Lords; the modernised form of the old Court. The king is supposed to make his governmental tasks his full-time job: he is not allowed to appoint a prime minister, and he must make all important decisions. There is no time for long holidays. The position of king grants tremendous power, but comes with equally great responsibilities. The Council of Lords makes sure this happens, and has the power to force the king to abdicate his throne. The Council of Lords also elects the new king, and has the power to override a legislative veto. They are made up of the tribal heads of the different Avar families, and they are exclusively Avar cuturally.

The third part of the legislative circle is the Tribal Assembly, which holds mostly advisory powers. They can take legislative action in some spheres, though, subject to a veto by the king. The Tribal Assembly in theory represents all peoples of the kingdom, but the Avars constitutionally always hold 55% of seats. All other peoples have to share 45% among themselves, although it does give them some influence in state affairs. Seats are distributed in a sort of district system representing the various ‘tribes’ or families, and the government is very liberal in calling various Avar groups tribes, while being conservative when doing the same to all the other groups.

Majority/State Religion : Chalcedon Christianity

Economic Ideologies : Capitalism with a lot of leeway for the aristocratic class, a laissez-faire attitude especially aimed at the rulers of big families who tend to control the oil production. There is a lot of protectionism to protect the ownership of these oil wells from foreign interference, although this scheme is faltering in the face of strong neighbours.
Major Production: Oil and oil products, horses, cattle, agricultural exports
Economic Description: The Avar economy is one of dichotomy, divided in three parts. The old backbone of the economy used to be agriculture, fuelled by the Danube and by river trade among this great river. The Pannonian horses are among the best in Europe, if not the world. The majority of agriculture is done by Turkic peoples, living in small villages and hamlets in the fertile valleys. The inhabitants of most cities are mostly Slavic, however, and they do most of the factory work. The government strongly protects Avar land ownership, so most Slavs are forced into the cities. This has made them into a new economic powerhouse, though, and the Slavic merchant class is rising slowly through the ranks, despite Avar attempts to stop that. The most recent addition to that is the Avar monopoly on oil production, which has suddenly skyrocketed Avar wealth. Avar nobility is known across the world as a class of big spenders, often found at casinos and fancy resorts, being easily picked out of a crowd due to their Turkic appearance.

Development: Semi-industrialised
Development Description : The country has been agrarian for most of its existence, and still is primarily an agrarian state. However, the discovery of oil has led to an influx of investment, especially in infrastructure, which in turn has improved other industries. This industrialisation has mainly occurred in the east of the country, between the Romanian oil fields and the ports, as well as along the Danube. While Avar nobility is the main beneficiary of this industrialisation, it has also increased the wealth of an up-and-coming Slavic middle class.

Army Description : The army of Avaria is equipped and trained for a specific doctrine of breakthrough. Due to the large horse industry in Avaria, horses are incredibly cheap. Much of the force, therefore, is equipped with mounts, making the army very mobile. The core objective of the army is to pin the enemy in place with as little troops as possible, while preparing for a massive breakthrough through the thinnest part of the line. After that breakthrough has been achieved, light mounted infantry with the ability to live off the land will pour through a gap in the line, harassing supply lines and surrounding units, forcing them to surrender. Command of the various regiments is primarily reserved for the nobility, and with the largest part of the nobility being Avar, this means the officer core is largely Avar as well. More and more, though, partially through bribery and connections, the Slavic and Bulgar peoples have gotten more and more commissions, be it in the far less prestigious infantry and artillery. The most prestigious role is to be a commander of the unit that achieves the breakthrough, which is what makes Avar commanders so incredibly bold (to the point of recklessness). Because the plan is to push for a local breakthrough, the field armies are very decentralised, with individual commanders having a lot of leeway to determine what they want to do in the field. High command is pretty much a place to coordinate among the various units, not a place from which many decisions are made, apart from the allocation of resources.
Army Weakness : The army has a few weaknesses. Technologically, it is not the strongest, since industrialisation has not yet advanced very far. Yet, the influx of foreign cash has allowed the Avars to import some modern weapons, like artillery pieces and machine guns. The biggest, inherent weaknesses lie in the unflinching doctrine, which leaves very little room to think outside the box, and the recklessness of commanders in the field. As technology progresses, the cavalry charge will become less and less effective, and for an army that relies on a backbone of cavalry, this will be life-threatening.
Naval Description : The navy of Avaria has never been a point of pride of the kingdom. It’s (with some right) seen as a hotbed for revolutionary ideas. The naval school lies squarely in Constanţa, a Slavic-Bulgar town, making it mostly run and operated by Slavs. Bulgars and Avars have mainly scorned sea-faring throughout their life, seeing it as a source of sin and debauchery, leaving much of the sea-faring to be done by Slavs instead, who have far less scrupulous going out to sea. As a result, these men have travelled the world, and this makes them a dangerous faction. With the increase in oil exports, captains have become ever wealthier, getting more grips within society and expanding the need for a strong navy. Meanwhile, the makeup of the navy is ever more Slavic, meaning that a powerful navy could pose a direct threat to the country, especially when they vie for the port cities. The proper funding of the navy is a contentious issue in the country.
Naval Weakness : The navy is pretty much one big weakness.
Further Military Description: Something that the Avars are ahead in is military aviation. This is primarily because of rich sons of rich landowners, who have travelled the world and have become obsessed with aviation. These young men often pride themselves in being pilots, be it of incredibly insufficient aircraft. Right now, the Royal Aviation Corps is mainly a pet project of the son of the king, mainly used for propaganda purposes and funded through private donations.

National Goals : The national goal is mainly to survive among bigger nations, to develop into a local power to reckon with, and to keep internal stability.
National Issues : The nation needs to stay united, the nation needs to modernise its laws in order to keep the population in line. It needs to decide whether to fund the navy or not, and to prevent future problems it might need to break the power of the oil khans.
National Figures of Interest : Will work on this further

History : [[Can be in paragraph or bulletpoint timeline.]]

#AltDiv (do not delete this, it's for keeping track of the apps)

[Danceria]

Seems very concerning, while we may share things in common politically, Solomon's cult of personality disturbs any good Christian resident of my realm.

Good point, never the less assuming your country gained independence in a manner that was less than... amicably from their home nation their is a good chance my nation probably would have happily helped out and given some guns to the revolution so to speak. As long as your not a monarchy or a colony their not going to have too many personal issues with yours hence you need not worry about them say intentionally backing rebels within your nation or anything like that.

Swedish Venezuela on the otherhand... we got issues.

I think we may have severed and may be more of a Dominion a la OTL Canada. We don't necessarily dislike Continental Frenchies due to cultural ties, but we may have questioned the oversight they've given us. (A rough example would be the permissibility of religious minorities and cultural plurality within our nation, where the French Commonwealth is pretty nationalistic.)

[Tracian Empire]

Still working on this, but it is coming along more and more! I need to make up a flag, though...

Nice!

There are some Avar flags on the internet, but I think that they are meant for the modern, Caucasian Avars - I'm not sure how much they would fit your idea.

[Tracian Empire]

Good point, never the less assuming your country gained independence in a manner that was less than... amicably from their home nation their is a good chance my nation probably would have happily helped out and given some guns to the revolution so to speak. As long as your not a monarchy or a colony their not going to have too many personal issues with yours hence you need not worry about them say intentionally backing rebels within your nation or anything like that.

Swedish Venezuela on the otherhand... we got issues.

I think we may have severed and may be more of a Dominion a la OTL Canada. We don't necessarily dislike Continental Frenchies due to cultural ties, but we may have questioned the oversight they've given us. (A rough example would be the permissibility of religious minorities and cultural plurality within our nation, where the French Commonwealth is pretty nationalistic.)

You might want to make an official claim. I might sound a bit too insistent, but we've had instances of people getting their claims snatched like that, so well, up to you

[Danceria]

I think we may have severed and may be more of a Dominion a la OTL Canada. We don't necessarily dislike Continental Frenchies due to cultural ties, but we may have questioned the oversight they've given us. (A rough example would be the permissibility of religious minorities and cultural plurality within our nation, where the French Commonwealth is pretty nationalistic.)

You might want to make an official claim. I might sound a bit too insistent, but we've had instances of people getting their claims snatched like that, so well, up to you

Definitely a good idea. Time to post a res at least until I can hammer out an app.

[Reverend Norv]

Good point, never the less assuming your country gained independence in a manner that was less than... amicably from their home nation their is a good chance my nation probably would have happily helped out and given some guns to the revolution so to speak. As long as your not a monarchy or a colony their not going to have too many personal issues with yours hence you need not worry about them say intentionally backing rebels within your nation or anything like that.

Swedish Venezuela on the otherhand... we got issues.

I think we may have severed and may be more of a Dominion a la OTL Canada. We don't necessarily dislike Continental Frenchies due to cultural ties, but we may have questioned the oversight they've given us. (A rough example would be the permissibility of religious minorities and cultural plurality within our nation, where the French Commonwealth is pretty nationalistic.)

That would work well for me. France is ethically and historically opposed to the idea of empire, so it would make sense for Brazil to have become independent peacefully; French troops would be very reluctant to fight on the overlord's side in an independence war. A dominion-like status, where Brazil gets to decide for itself about pretty much everything while remaining in some sort of political relationship with the Commonwealth, is a natural compromise.

[Great Confederacy of Commonwealth States]

I think I am going with this. A modern Avar flag with a little touch of my own.