1812: Alternative Divergence [AH][OOC-DEAD]

[Alt Div Admin]

1812: Alternative Divergence OOC THREAD CURRENT ANNOUNCEMENTS IC//MAP – 01.04.2021//DISCORD OP Tracian Empire CO-OP's Oscalantine Novacom The Ik Ka Ek Akai Axis Asteroid “Men make their own history, but they do not make it as they please.” – Karl Marx But for the sake of argument, what if we could? Be it a point of divergence or a whole new nation, what if we could make history EXACTLY at the point that we wish? Hello and welcome to another Alternative Divergence, an alternative history RP where the world is yours to do whatever you wish. For the sake of continuity, the time now is 1812 C.E.. Europe is teetering on the brink of war, as the flames of revolution are about to meet the fires of reaction in a fight for the fate of the continent. In Asia, two dynasties are claiming the legacy of the Middle Kingdom, while other realms are competing with the Europeans for colonial supremacy. All while in America, tensions are rising between the descendants of colonists and the nations of natives, and the specter of colonialism is already landing on Africa’s shores. What would be your vision of a world shaped by a nation that you call your own? Again, for the sake of continuity, we should set a few ground rules. All apps need a point of start and build-up – Whether you start from the stone age and build it up to 1812 or you simply change a few things here and there from the 1700’s is up to you, but we would like for all nations to have an interesting history behind it, in order to prove that you are a capable alternate history roleplayer. All nations MUST be somewhat original – Let’s try to be a bit more creative than having Great Britain at all its glory. You can keep the name and title, but you MUST have some degree of DIFFERENCE between your nation and how it was in real life at this point in time. Everything can be excused with reason – We are willing to let anything be possible as long as it is stated clearly in the app with full explanation as to why it has come to be for your nation. Similarly, we will accept NOTHING without a proper explanation. The Orient has technological parity with the Occident. – The great powers of East Asia are technological equals of the great European powers. Not all nations in Europe and in Asia will be on the same technological level because of that, but Europe’s rule throughout the world will be contested. And there should also be a few rules set in stone for claiming: Reservations last for 48 hours. – The OP board reserves the right to be subjective in this matter, but generally reservations will last for two days and will be removed afterwards. Posting a work-in-progress app can earn you an additional 24 hours, but otherwise and especially if no reason is given, reservations will be null and void. Colonial claims are reviewed separately – The OP board can and often will accept nations independently of their respective colonial claims. Colonial claims will be an area of competition between players and competing claims are inevitable, so until the launch of the IC, colonial claims will be treated as requests and will be awarded after deliberation by the board, so that they are realistic and so that everyone can be content with what they have. Players can attempt to play other players’ colonies under certain conditions -In order to allow for more players to have a spot on the map, people will be able to play as the colonies of other nations, as long as they have the main nation’s player’s approval. Considering how important some colonies might be for players, people can reject such claims, but if accepted, the colonial governments can be played as. Rules in such a situation would of course include that realism must be maintained – colonies can’t just instantly rebel against their masters, especially not in this time period, and the main nation will have the powers it realistically had over its colony in real life. Nation Application Code: Select all [[Please remove all double brackets from the app before posting it, including this one]] [b]Full Nation Name :[/b] [b]Majority/Official Culture :[/b] [[What your people identify themselves with… French, Chinese, Iroquois, Touareg, etc.]] [b]Territorial Core :[/b] [[The territory that your nation actually controls]] [b]Territorial Claim :[/b] [[OPTIONAL]] [[The territories that your nation desires]] [b]Capital City :[/b] [[Its IRL location and name]] [b]Population :[/b]   [b]Government Type :[/b] [[Monarchy, Republic, etc.]] [b]Government Ideology/Policies :[/b] [[OPTIONAL]] [[Militant, Imperialist, Expansionist, etc.]] [b]Government Focus :[/b] [[Tell us a little bit about what your government’s focus is… be it military, economy, culture, legitimacy, etc.]] [b]Head of State :[/b] [[The highest-ranking individual in the nation ]] [b]Head of Government :[/b] [[If different, the highest-ranking individual who actually runs the nation ]] [b]Government Description :[/b]   [b]Majority/State Religion :[/b] [[It does not have to be IRL religion]] [b]Religious Description :[/b] [[OPTIONAL]]   [b]Economic Ideologies :[/b] [[Capitalism, Mercantilism, etc.]] [b]Major Production :[/b] [b]Economic Description :[/b] [b]Development:[/b] [[Industrializing, Pre-Industrial, Primitive]] [b]Development Description :[/b] [[Explain further why your nation is in one of the above categories]]   [b]Army Description :[/b] [[Describe your nation's army in as much detail as you can]] [b]Army Weakness :[/b] [b]Naval Description :[/b] [[Describe your nation's navy in as much detail as you can]] [b]Naval Weakness :[/b] [b]Further Military Description :[/b] [[OPTIONAL]]   [b]National Goals :[/b] [[What are the main objectives of your nation?]] [b]National Issues :[/b] [[What needs to be fixed in order for your nation to achieve its true potential?]] [b]National Figures of Interest :[/b] [[OPTIONAL]] [[Are there any Mother Teresas or Moses that we need to know about?]] [b]National Ambition/Aspirations :[/b] [[OPTIONAL]] [[Not really set objectives, but rather the big picture that your nation is drawing towards]]   [b]History :[/b] [[Can be formatted in paragraphs or as a bulletpoint timeline.]] [b]RP Sample:[/b] [[Either a link to a past post, or an example written right here.]]   #AltDiv (Do not delete this, it is used to keep track of the apps) Reservations Code: Select all [align=middle][size=140][u]Reservation[/u][/size][/align] [b]Nation Name:[/b] [b]Territory:[/b] #AltDiv (Do not delete this, it is used to keep track of the apps) *Note: Reservations will last for 48 hours. The OP board reserves the right to be subjective in regards to accepting and removing reservations.

[Alt Div Admin]

Accepted Nations Last Updated : 12.04.2021 Sao Nova Europa – Great Wei - (大魏) The Traansval - United Republic of Great Britain and Ireland Revlona – United States of Germany - (Vereinigte Staaten von Deutschland) Kenobot – Holy Roman Empire - (Sacrum Imperium Romanum) Krugmar – Exarchate of Egypt and Zanzibar - (Εξάρχεια της Αιγύπτου και της Ζανζιβάρης) Elysian Kentarchy – Catepanate of Italy - (Kατεπανίκιον Ἰταλίας) Tracian Empire - Empire of the Romans - (Βασιλεία τῶν Ῥωμαίων) Axis Asteroid – Kingdom of Dahomey Northern Socialist Council Republics – Commonwealth of Northern Republics - (Sambandsríki Norðurlýðveldanna) Old Tyrannia – United Italian Duchies and the States of His Majesty the King of Sardinia - (Ducati Italiani Uniti e gli Stati di Sua Maestà il Re di Sardegna) Intermountain States - Empire of Joseon (대조선제국) Draos - Kingdom of Hispania- (Reino de Hispania) Wasi State – Federal Enclave of the Continental United States Great Confederacy of Commonwealth States – Ecclesiastical State - (Status Ecclesiasticus) Danubian Peoples - Novgorod Rus' Federation - (Федерация Новгород Русь) The Imperial Warglorian Empire - Kingdom of France (Royaume de France) Novacom - Aztek Ascendancy Reservations Last Updated : 12.04.2021 Oscalantine - Koma Shogunate Guuj Xaat Kil - Empire of Poland-Wallachia Deblar - Republic of Florida Lunalus - Neo Sassanian Empire

[Alt Div Admin]

Announcements Date:18.03.2021 Announcements from AltDiv Development Welcome! The areas of Russia, Poland-Lithuania, the Low Countries, India, and most of South America are free and are open to players! The roleplay now has a Discord server! The link can be found in the OP.

[Tracian Empire]

yes

[Remnants of Exilvania]

Reservation

Nation Name: The Muscovite Tsardom
Territory: Remaining Russia, Remaining Khazakstan, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, eastern Ukraine, tentative claim on Latvia and Estonia
#AltDiv (Do not delete this, it is used to keep track of the apps)

*Note: Reservations will last for 48 hours. The OP board reserves the right to be subjective in regards to accepting and removing reservations.

[Draos]

https://imgur.com/X1JdZTl

Full Nation Name : The Kingdom of Hispania (Regne d'Hispània)
Majority/Official Culture : Hispanic (Basically Catalonian)
Territorial Core : Spain Portugal The Azores Madeiras the Balearic Islands Mozambique The Maldives Guinea Bissau (Spanish Guinea) Malaya Angola Morocco and the Canary Islands
Territorial Claim : Sardinia,Tuscany
Capital City : Toledo (Toledo Spain)
Population : 18,000,000 (roughly)

Government Type : Monarchy
Government Ideology/Policies : Expansion,Crushing of Republicanism,
Government Focus : The Spanish Government is currently focusing on Internal growth and Development, trying to avoid falling behind other European Powers as well as Wearily monitoring the Republican states.
Head of State : Rei Daniel I Sainz of the House of Sousa (age 24)
Head of Government : Validos Armando Faria (age 48)
Government Description : The Tribunals Generals(Hispanic for General courts).Is a Unicameral Legislature that consists of the Tribune, which serves as an advisory body to the crown.

Majority/State Religion : Catholic
Religious Description :

Economic Ideologies : Capitalist
Major Production : Shipbuilding,Textiles, Metals,Agriculture
Economic Description : A largely rural country Hispania has been attempting to modernize since the 1750s after defeats in several key skirmishes led to an economic recession. to keep up with the rest of the continent. Despite it's mostly agricultural nature the Hispanics are renowned on the continent as some of the finest shipbuilders due to both their durability and design. Along with their homelands their colonies had a vast array of natural resources such as mining in Angola and Cash crops in Mozambique like Tea Sugar and Cotton.

Development: Early industrialization in major regions like Catalonia Vascones (the Basque country) and Alentejo
Development Description : A major power in European politics for centuries despite the fact that the vast majority of the country is still rural this was beginning to change with attempts at reform by recent monarchs as they tried to emulate the growth of the middle class as was happening in other European countries. A largely rural country Hispania has been attempting to modernize since the 1750s after key defeats against the French over the principality of Andorra and a Italian fleet while patrolling the waters of Sardinia in the same decade shattered the myth of Hispanic invincibility to the Public.

Army Description : The Exèrcit de Terra is a Professional standing army of approximately 79,000 men armed made up of a mixture of recruits and mercenaries with the M1752 musket wearing golden colored line infantry fusiliers. The best of the best join the Guàrdia Reial (Royal Guard) to protect the rightful monarchs of the Kingdom. A renowned unit of the army is the Cos morroquí (Morocco corps) a force of around 17,000 men recruited from loyal berber and arab tribes in Marroc to maintain Hispanic rule and protect the region allowing standard forces to be more deployable.
Army Weakness: The actual combat effectiveness of the force is undetermined. Especially since Hispania has not been in a war since the Maldives conquest and only minor skirmishes in the Angolan and Malay colonies with the occasional bold native tribe. The problem of noble officers and those who were promoted based on favor is still a nagging problem in the Hispanic ranks. Another key issue would be the confusion of switching from the traditional Hispanic tercio formation into the more powerful French regiment as traditionalists continue to argue against changing a system they don't feel is broken. Cohesion is another possible issue due to mercenaries often preferring to fight in their own units,
Naval Description : The Hispanic People have a long-standing Naval tradition due to their large coastline and the constant need to fight off pirates and other Regional rivals attempting to suppress the Hispanic Colonial Empire. In order to prevent this they have built a sizable fleet to protect their holdings and discourage other nations from attempting to expand at the Hispanic's expense. Current Admiral of the Navy: Julio Ferrón.
Naval Weakness : Due to the need to continually ship resources to and from the Homeland Hispanic vessels were largely designed for escort and anti-piracy than full on Naval warfare left the kingdom at a disadvantage against its peers
Further Military Description : The Hispanic Military is a formal professional standing force comprised of numerous units that vary in size depending on their location and the importance of that area. Such as Morocco having a larger garrison than Mozambique.

National Goals : Preservation of the Hispanic state. Continuation of Economic Growth,
National Issues : Discontent among the nobility,Surrounded by hostile powers,Lack of Meaningful allies,
National Figures of Interest :
National Ambition/Aspirations :




History
The Visigoths were a Germanic tribe that originated from eastern Europe in what is now Moldavia that was pushed westwards by the Huns, bringing them into conflict with the Roman Empires. Aiding and opposing the Romans at various points in their history until the fateful sack of Rome in 410. Moving even further, they eventually conquered the Roman province of Hispania into their own personal Kingdom. After nearly thirty years of Visigothic rule over the entire Peninsula they established a set of laws known as the Visigothic code. This code abolished separate laws for the Visigoths and their Roman subjects and formed one group to which all laws would be applied: the Hispanics. Establishing their capital at the city of Toledo following the loss of Septimania to the Franks the Visigoths set about solidifying their hold on their lands.

In the sixth century the Byzantines invaded the southern part of the peninsula which started with their conquest of the Balearic islands, following the decimation of the garrison on the main island of Majorca and the city of Septem (Ceuta) . Scrambling to deal with this threat the Goths raised a fleet of about 60 ships to retake the islands, which was soundly crushed at the battle of Majorca by the Byzantine navy. Taking advantage of the serious blow they just dealt to their adversaries the Byzantines seized most of Baetica, after landing at Malaga in 552 while fending of a Gothic attempt at their removal under Athanagild in 555. For seventy years Spania survived under successive Gothic attempts to recapture until it fell in 624 by forces led by the Gothic King, whose predecessors had whittled the province to but a handful of towns and even they soon fell.

As the Goths continued to expand their influence and power to their realm a major threat was forming in their soft underbelly the Umayyad Dynasty, a new power bursting out from the middle east began eyeing the Iberian Peninsula after completing their conquest of North Africa Seizing upon a growing rift between rival claimants to the Visigothic throne they invaded in 711 facing a force of about 2500 Goths compared to the 1900 or so Muslims the sides readied for battle. Under the leadership of Roderic the goths understood the threat these invaders posed to their realm and fought fiercely against their foes as swords met shield and flesh the great battle raged from dawn to dusk until finally the invaders retreated in the cover of the night to prevent Gothic cavalry from pursuing them. Though his reign in the South west would not last as Achilla II his rival in the North chose to capitalize on the heavy casualties sustained by his foe and forced him to fight at his capital of Toledo which would end in Achilla reuniting the Visigothic kingdom under his banner.

Achilla's descendants would continue to rule the peninsula for centuries to come eventually forming the house of Toledo, as the Goths slowly merged with their Roman subjects as centuries of interbreeding formed a distinct new culture, the Hispanics that would help shape the European continent for centuries to come. Though problems arose in the 11th century when King Sancho I divided the realm amongst his 8 sons upon his death, who while still pledging loyalty to Toledo were still largely independent and fought amongst each other and the crown for territory and power. These divisions even affected the conquered territories in Morocco with families loyal to the reigning monarch upon the seizure of Sus King Ernesto to avoid the power plays of the 8 Great lords and prevent any one of them from becoming too powerful. At this point the power of the monarch was tied to the whims and ambitions of the great lords, so every action was a chess move and Hispanic kings had to be cunning to outwit and manipulate and to avoid being manipulated themselves.

Following the reconsolidation of the realm the conflict with the Muslims continued though as the Visigoths prepared for a counter invasion, until another civil war occurred delaying the inevitable conquest for nearly five centuries as they were forgotten amongst conflicts with the Franks/French and other European rivals. Until 1244 when the Marinids rebelled against the Almohads, seizing upon the internal conflict the Hispanic King Raul III invaded with a force of thirty five thousand men landing in the city of Ceuta and making it his headquarters as over the next few years he conquered a sizable portion of Northern Morocco measuring about fifteen thousand square kilometers. Allying with the Moroccan kingdom of Sus to invade it’s rival of Fez, in 1381 the Hispanics captured the former’s capital after a prolonged 2 year siege though that war lasted another 5 year which in the resulting peace left Hispania in firm control of the northern half of the country either, directly or indirectly through bullying the rulers of the Moroccan states to comply with Hispanic whims. With the backing of the pope Rey Carlos II invaded and conquered the last Moroccan holdout following the 1469 siege of Sus the Hispanics now put it’s attention to squashing future attempts at rebellion by recruiting loyal tribes into the Cos morroquí.



King Alphonse V died in 1527 without an heir leading to the end of the Jiménez dynasty a cadet branch of the House of Toledo who had disbanded in 1136 following the extinction of the male line. who had a fierce rivalry between two noble houses. The sides the House of Trastamara The Great lords of Catalonia, backed by the great lords of Aragon Vasconia Eastern Marruecos and Andalusia based in Barcelona, and the House of Sousa backed by the great lords of Maduras,Galicia,Western Marruecos, and Asturias, based in Lisboa as the Great lord of Alentejo. After building up support with foreign powers both sides began preparing for war to claim the throne of Hispania. The brewing storm finally occurred on June 9th 1528 when the great lord of Asturias was assassinated, with the first battle taking place near the city of Bilbao in October which was won by the forces loyal to the Trastamara house. For the next five years the country was torn apart by the brutality of the conflict with widespread devastation and looting by the opposing factions, until finally on August 25th 1533 Barcelona was captured by forces loyal to Sousa finally ending the war as the kingdom would take nearly thirty years to recover from the conflict, losing ground in the race for the new world. To prevent another devastating civil war like that from occurring King Phillip passed the Cortes act promoting the Cortes of Toledo made up of leading nobles as an advisory body to the crown.



Following the Civil war the Hispanic kings spent the next two centuries consolidating and centralizing slowly whittling down at the weakened powers of the great lords, though that task would not be done until 1740 with the disbandment of the great lordship of Catalonia. With the largest part of recovery finished the Hispanic crown moved to join in on the colonization of the new world. Upgrading their fleet with thicker hulls and more cannons such as the Carrack or Galleon, as well as smaller, faster but lightly armed craft as best exemplified by the Nau, to deal with Pirates attacking their ships traversing the waters of the new world. They were too late to claim any major piece of territory in the new world much to the dismay of the crown. Their resentment of having missed out on the race for the Americas chewed at the Hispanic people for the better part of 50 years, as they began exploring trade routes to China and setting up trade posts along the African coast. Then one of the vessels in 1618 crashed on an island to the south east of the lands of India known to the locals as the Maldives. Claiming the land in the name of Hispania the Hispanics fought a brutal series of Conflicts to colonize the lands, only suppressing the last holdouts after 20 years naming the colony Las Maldivas a key outpost in their trade network to avoid Byzantine taxes on Chinese imports going through their lands. Their ambitions in Asia not satiated; they turned their attention to the Malay Peninsula attempting to add it to their colonial holdings starting out with a factory on the island of Singapore and turning it into a well fortified base to expand their grip on the region. Attempting to bring Johor under its control Hispanic officials began debating over whether to use diplomatic or military power to do so. Deciding on a moderate course the Hispanics engaged in a series of political maneuvers against the kings of Johor and their vassals in the north including Kedah as one by they fell under the Hispanic banner with Johor accepting to become a protectorate in 1801 bringing the Malay peninsula under Madrid’s control. Though the feeling of invincibility only lasted until the 1750s when 2 separate defeats shattered the nation's pride with one to the French near the principality of Andorra, whose superior regiment system soundly crushed the Hispanic tercios in 1751 and a defeat on the high seas eight years later to the Italians in the highly contested waters of Sardinia proved the need for a major overhaul of the Hispanic regime.
RP Sample:

Madrid Palace of Zarzuela
Rey Daniel the First, King of the Iberians sat in his office after ensuring that his diplomat had arrived in England he turned his attention to other issues of his realm notably his upcoming marriage to Camila Pioli Udina a cousin of the Empress of the Holy Roman Empire. Sighing as he stressed over every minor detail regardless of his love for Camila he knew the political ramifications of this marriage were more important. Both sides needed this alliance to counterbalance that of the French and British Republics who were forming massive Global Empires and posed a massive threat to both of their realms. Staying up late once again he began making all the preparations he needed to bring her to Marivent Palace in Palma de Mallorca in the Balearic Islands to hold the wedding.

Once the Preparations were complete he sent a telegram to Rome to announce his imminent departure to pick up his bride from her home in Venice. Making his way to the city of Valencia where his personal yacht El salvador was docked and being readied for its trip. Boarding the yacht he set sail watching the calm waters of the Mediterranean his stomach-turning is this an ill omen or just nerves he wondered. The Mediterranean was a notoriously fickle body of water to travel from sudden and strong winds such as the Mistral from Southern France and Scirocco from the Sahara desert with strong currents also being prevalent due to the rivers not being able to refill the sea faster than it evaporates.

Braving the potentially treacherous waters for the better part of a day and a half Daniel arrived in the city known as the Queen of the Adriatic. Upon Docking members of his Guardia security detail immediately disembarked and searched the immediate area for threats working with local Venetian police as part of the preparations were setting up a police escort for him and his future queen. Though before he could get off the boat he could hear a woman shouting in Italian at the police a very familiar and dear voice to him walking over to the commotion he saw Camila the love of his life and promptly ordered the Guardia members to let her through. Kissing her hand practically giddy at the thought of marrying his childhood sweetheart he had met during an informal meeting between his father Felipe and the previous Ceaser Junius on the Island of Sardinia though she was two years younger than him at the age of ten at the time he was attracted to the sweet but shy bookworm spending several years trying to gain her attention with his father's approval realizing how such an arrangement could benefit both kingdoms. This continued till one day when he was eighteen and she was sixteen they went on a walk by a lake and he confessed to her his undying love to her and she replied she felt the same. Despite the distance and hardships when she agreed to be his bride two years ago was the happiest of his life.

Staying in the City of Bridges for another week and a half as he greeted and spent time with Camilia's family the last time she would see them for a while. Wiping the tears off her face he smiled at her being so bold as to hold her hand they sailed to Palma de Mallorca with her getting seasick due to the rough waves at one point. Finally returning to Iberian soil he readied himself the butterflies in his stomach growing ever more intense as the days till the wedding faded away. Arriving at the Church early in the morning entering first with his best man he watched nervously straightening his tuxedo anxiously as the processional continued. He tried desperately to calm down during the mass as the liturgy of the word he watched as the rest of the wedding continued smiling as he and Camila read their vows and exchanged rings. At last, the part that had been eating at him this whole time approached the first kiss between Bride and Groom as it would be their first. Swallowing his angst he kissed his beloved who whispered to him to calm him down before the saying of the lord's prayer and the holy communion. With the recessional now complete he let out a hardy sigh of relief as that was the most stressful thing he had ever done.

[Intermountain States]

Full Nation Name : Meiguo | Republic of Meiguo | 美民國 | Mei Minguo
Majority/Official Culture : Although the founders of Meiguo were of Han heritage and much of the culture were influenced by the cultures and tradition of South China, there were already hundreds and thousands of those with non-Han or mixed ethnicities, such as the historical Japanese Catholic diasporas, Joseon and Manchu fur traders, and the various Native American groups etc. The Meiguoan cultural identity can perhaps be seen as a form of cultural nationalism in its view that there is no true Meiguoan race but a nation where men of different stock can be unified by a shared pride of the culture of Meiguo. This is not to say that Meiguo is a multicultural nation. While there are ethnic communities all over the country, immigrants are encouraged to take up Chinese names, be versed in hanzi, and observe Sinic culture and holidays, including traditions original to Meiguo.
Territorial Core : The blue colors in North America
Territorial Claim : East of the Rockies
Capital City : Shèlù (Klamath)
Population : 11.2 million

Government Type : Federal parliamentary republic
Government Ideology/Policies : Classical conservatism, classical liberalism,
Government Focus : Economic and territorial expansion under the Tianxia Decree
Head of State : Chancellor Zhou Hanying
Head of Government : Chancellor Zhou Hanying
Government Description : The Republic of Meiguo operates under a federal parliamentary government. The General Assembly operates as the legislative branch of the national government, divided into the elected lower house Chamber of Delegates and the appointed upper house National Council. The Chamber of Delegates holds many legislative powers, the leader of the ruling party is usually the Chancellor of the Assembly and the nation. In contrast, the National Council acts as a check on the powers of the Delegates, auditing legislations passed by the Chamber of Delegates before they could be signed by the Head Councillor. Suffrage is limited to educated men although calls are held for universal male suffrage. There are two major parties in Meiguo, the conservative Union Party and the liberal People’s Party.

Majority/State Religion : Religious plurality
Religious Description : The people of Meiguo enjoy freedom of religion as one of the main tenets of the Meiguoan identity due to some of the colonies being founded by religious minorities across East Asia seeking to practice their faith freely. Christianity holds the plurality of the religious population followed by Buddhism, Taoism, and Islam. Animism and local folk religions of native tribes are a very small minority even among the aboriginal populace who accepted the religions of the Old World.

Economic Ideologies : Capitalism
Major Production : Resource mining, steel production, lumber, agriculture
Economic Description : Despite the coastal areas being the trading center in the Eastern Pacific, Meiguo’s industries are dominated by gold mining, agriculture, and the lumber industry. Industrialization is steadily making headways into Meiguo with the rise of mechanical textile manufacturing. The federal government had taken a keen interest in playing a role in developing the nation’s economy with subsidies on roads and canals, tariffs to protect Meiguo’s businesses against the more established economies of East Asia, a national bank to promote commerce, and maintenance of high public land prices to establish revenues for the federal government.

Development: Modern
Development Description : The coastal areas are the most developed and urbanized regions of Meiguo due to its long colonial history. In the interior near and east the Dashan (Rocky Mountain) and the northern tundra regions, however, urbanization and developed lands are relatively sparse and are rather pockets of small towns. Despite a growth of Sinic settlers into the eastern frontier region of Meiguo, the area is still primarily settled by semi-autonomous native tribes and violence had occurred in the past despite efforts made by the national government to keep the peace.

Army Description : The Grand Army of the Republic is the professional ground force of Meiguo, its martial tradition stemming from Zhu and Joseon (mostly due to Joseon military support during Meiguo’s War of Independence). The Grand Army stands at 70,000 active duty men and 220,000 men in reserve. Men can be drafted during wartime mobilization which can swell up the ranks by adding hundreds of thousands of men. The Grand Army consists of cavalry artillery, infantry, and logistics and transportation units dedicated towards Meiguo’s defensive and offensive capabilities.
Army Weakness : Due to the territorial size of Meiguo, distance and logistics becomes an issue for the military, especially so in the frontier in both the Rocky Mountain and the Meiguo-Aztek border. The Grand Army had focused much of its resources at the border, however the eastern frontier is sparsely garrisoned by the military, meaning that any military outposts and forts in the east could be too far away to help settlers in the outskirts ravaged by tribal raids or animal attacks. Instead, settlers in the east outside of established settlements had to rely on their own defenses with outskirts towns having militias led by town sheriffs.
Naval Description : The Grand Navy of the Republic is concerned with marine matters of Meiguo’s defenses. Although the Grand Army has been the favorite child of the nation’s armed forces since the nation’s war of independence, efforts were made by the Assembly to modernize and expand the navy. The Grand Navy stands at a size of 16,000 men, including 3,000 marines. Composition of the Grand Navy is 4 ships of the lines, 21 sloops of war, 7 brigantines, 15 frigates, and 7 schooners separated into three fleets.
Naval Weakness : When compared with East Asian naval powers such as Zhu, Joseon, and Japan, Meiguo’s navy is small, probably not enough to cover the defense of the vast coastline of the nation and to protect shipping lanes at the same time. While reforms were implemented by the Assembly, the gap between the fleets of Meiguo and her neighbors across the ocean is still very glaring.
Further Military Description : Meiguo has an established culture of mass gun ownership dating back to since early colonization as a necessity for settlers to defend themselves against hostile tribals and large animals. In the event of the Republic facing a foreign invasion, many of its citizens will take up arms to defend their home.

National Goals : Eastward expansion and spreading the values and traditions of Meiguo to the rest of the continent, full development of the eastern states.
National Issues : Minimal development in the eastern and far northern provinces, problems with rebellious aboriginal tribes within the country.
National Figures of Interest : [[OPTIONAL]] [[Are there any Mother Teresas or Moses that we need to know about?]]
National Ambition/Aspirations : [[OPTIONAL]]

History : The American continent was discovered in 1578 off the coast of Gaobei (Alaska) by pirate Lin Daoqian. Despite interests by the public in the discovery of the new world, initial colonization into North America was a small scale venture with the lands only being utilized by pirates and adventurers hoping to make some quick fortunes in the region of Alaska. It was until 1626 with the discovery of more arable and hospitable lands south of Alaska by admiral Zheng Zhilong that full scale colonization commenced with expeditions by both government and privately funded ventures built outposts and colonies at the Tianshan region (Cascade Range).

The plentiful resources of the new continent were valuable to the Zhu government and efforts were made to develop the colonies with people from East Asia moving to the colonies of the Meidalu for a chance of living a new life (or to pay off their debts). Over time, the American colonies expanded southward and eastward including population growth from immigrants all over East Asia, including Japanese Catholics fleeing persecution. The Zhu imperial government has taken a “hands off” approach to governing the colonies and much of the colonies acted with near independence to Zhu, regularly selecting their own officials from the populace to manage government functions for the colonies. The colonies that were given more liberty became more independent over time with a small but growing number of colonists seeing themselves identifying more with their colonies than with Zhu as a whole. However, this was a minority view as many of the colonists still see themselves as dutiful subjects of the Zhu imperial government. The expansion of the colonies have brought the Sinic settlers into conflict with native tribes, bringing devastating wars between the colonies and the natives, usually ending in favor of the colonists.

The colonies experienced a population boom in 1765 with the discovery of gold in Baihé (North California). The gold rush quickly made Baihé the fastest growing colony. The gold rush also brought troubles as the Zhu imperial government had attempted some direct control over the colonies with new taxes to profit off of the gold rush. Most of the new taxes were opposed by the colonists, who felt that the taxes they're burdened with only benefits the imperial governments far more than their own colonial governments. During this period, the ideals of independence became widespread among a growing number of intellectuals, merchants, and officers living in the colonies, forming an organization called the Independence Association that became active across the American colonies.

Later tensions between the imperial government and the colonies had grown to which pro-independence members of colonial governments sent delegates in Shèlù (a major cultural and economic center of the colonies) and formed the Provisional Assembly to act as the greater representatives of the colonies. After months of debate and back-and-forth between the Provisional Assembly and the imperial government, the Provisional Assembly officially declared the colonies to be independent under the formation of the Republic of Meiguo in 1782. The Provisional Assembly prepared for war, assigning North Tianshan delegate and experienced military officer Shen Ping as the Grand Marshal of the Provisional Army.

Meiguo’s war of independence lasted for five years between the Independents in support of the Provisional Assembly and the Loyalists in favor of remaining with Zhu. Although the war started off in favor of the Loyalists, the mass distance between Asia and America had taken the toll on the war effort on the side of the Loyalists while the Independents were able to gain support as the war continued on. Momentum swung in favor of the Independents when they received international support, particularly from Joseon. Zhu soon recognized Meiguo as an independent country in 1787 and withdrew their forces from North America.

The Provisional Assembly soon established political reforms, establishing a bicameral system of the reorganized General Assembly, institutionalizing the office of the Chancellor as an elected executive position, and with the support of the more influential liberals, a set of rights guaranteed to all men, although suffrage is currently limited to educated men. The General Assembly, under the ruling Union Party, elected the celebrated general Shen Ping as the first Chancellor of the Republic in 1792. The Chancellorship of Shen Ping was focused on establishing a national bank and federal customs agencies, industrializations in the western provinces, normalization of relationship with Zhu, military reforms with the re-establishment of the Grand Navy of the Republic, and the beginning of eastward expansion. By 1812, the Republic expanded past the Dashan (Rockies) and into the Great Plains. He retired from office in 1811 and was succeeded by Zhou Hanying in a leadership election within the Union Party. At the start of the Zhou Hanying Chancellorship. the Union Party is dominant but faces stiff competition from the rival People's Party with the election of the charismatic Li Xiong as the leader of the opposition. Partisan bickering aside, the young republic is in a good spot and as the new year passes, the public hopes for nothing but fortune to come to Meiguo.

RP Sample:
- It's like Alternate Divergence but made by the Cobalt Network and has set nations (Tales of Two Horizons II)
- War, what is it good for? (Back to 1935)
- Rednecks and post-apocalyptic America (Fallout: Damn Dirty South)
- Red Dawn but Asian (Crane Ascendent)
- Generic late 19th century Alt-history RP (Voice of a New Age)
- War, war never changes (Fallout: Republic of Dusts)
- Alternate history taken all the way (1900: Alternate Divergence)
- Anime Vietnam Flashbacks (Operation Gatelord)
- When the Spanish Flu wiped off 50% of the world population (All Quiet on the Front)

#AltDiv (Do not delete this, it is used to keep track of the apps)

[Northern Socialist Council Republics]

Oh, hey, fascinating.

Tentative interest in what remains of Northern Europe. I will get a proper reservation up as soon as I have access to my computer.

[Tracian Empire]

Oh, hey, fascinating.

Tentative interest in what remains of Northern Europe. I will get a proper reservation up as soon as I have access to my computer.

Alright!

[Revlona]

Full Nation Name : United States of Germany, Vereinigte Staaten von Deutschland, Germany, The German Republic
Majority/Official Culture : German
Territorial Core : The territory of the irl German Empire at its height with cameroon as a colony
Territorial Claim : All German speaking territories, Elsass-Lothringen and Slesvig-Holstein in particular.
Capital City : Berlin
Population : 22 Million

Government Type : Federal Republic
Government Ideology/Policies : Militant, Expansionist, Revolutionary
Government Focus : The expansion of the Revolution to all corners of Europe and the globe through military, economic, or political means. The German States also intend to full incorporate the interity of the German speaking world into the republic at some point and time in the near future.
Head of State : President Levi Rosenzweig
Head of Government : President Levi Rosenzweig
Government Description : Very Similar to the IRL American system with three branches of Government. The only real differences are that their is no Vice-President and the Supreme court is made up of 24 qualified officials. Each of whom is nominated by the Legislature, voted on by the masses, and approved by the President. There are two bodies of the Legislature the lower House of the People and the Senate. The structure of the states has been completely reorganized into 30 states such as Silesia, Bavaria, the Rhine, Hesse, and others. Each state is refereed to as a Republic in of itself, for example the "Republic of Bavaria". Each republic is lead by a "Minister of the Republic" who is voted into office through a majority vote of all those within the state, Ministers of the Republics have power are in charge of appointing a "Council of the People" which aid him in running the state and enforcing law. Each state provides two directly elected members to the Senate and 10 to the House of the People. Elections for the Seat of president take place once every six years between candidates who are nominated from a preliminary election in each of the states, there are three rounds of voting. The first round eliminates the bottom half of the candidates, the second round eliminates half of the remaining candidates, and the third selects the president. Any male citizen of Germany may vote if he is over the age of 18.

Majority/State Religion : The majority religion of the the United States of Germany is Christianity. A majority of which, about 80%, falls under the protestant branch with the rest falling under Catholiscm. Their is no state religion of Germany even if a majority of government officials are protestants.
Religious Description : Seeing as their is no state religion of Germany, their is also no "Church of Germany". Freedom of Religion is an inherent right of all Germans and while their may still be discrimination between Protestants and Catholics, this discrimination almost entirely outside the government.

Economic Ideologies : Capitalism
Major Production : Weapons Manufacturing, Iron, Steel, Coal
Economic Description : The German state is, like much of the rest of the modern world, swept up in the industrial revolution. The German people have a distinct advantage over some other modernizing states in that they, like Britain and France, have rich coal deposits that they can draw upon to feed the growing factories and other machinations of the revolution. On the other hand a growing part of Germanies economy is the arms industry, field guns, rifles, muskets, and all other sorts of weapons needed for warfare has been produced in many of the major German cities with exports of these weapons being sent to nations friendly to the republic. At the same time shipments have been said to have been sold to more private buyers in areas of the world that could not be said to look upon the Revolution with friendly eyes.

Development: Industrialising
Development Description : As said above, Germany is one of the many European, Asian, and American nations which have been swept along in the Industrial revolution. One of the major aspects of the revolution, coal production and the use of coal to power the revolution, comes easy to Germany thanks to many rich coal fields that the nation boasts. Much of this industrialization is occurring around the major cities of Germany such as Berlin, Leipzig, and many others as well as occurring heavily throughout the Rhineland provinces and the northern coastal provinces. Agriculturally Germany continues to be a major player with much of the arable land in central Germany being farmed, the state currently has no interest in seizure of land for use by the state but has on several occasions bailed out those farmers who have needed it.

Army Description : Thanks to the experience of a near constant state of war with hostile Neighbors, the Volksarmee (Peoples army) is an experienced fighting force that stands ready to defend Germany and Republicanism. Standing at 180,000 strong (with 140,000 of that being actual combat troops) the army is split into 14 divisions of about 10,000 combat troops each. Each division hosts about 4-6 regiments of infantry with a further 1-2 regiments of horse and artillery as support. 5 Divisions are stationed along or near the border with France, 6 along or near the border with the Holy Roman Empire, 2 along the border with the North, and the final 1 being stationed in the capital.
Army Weakness : While the army itself is experienced in warfare as it allowed the German state to survive the Revolutionary wars and the periods after, it has yet to truly undertake a major campaign against a hostile nation. The General staff is mostly untested against an opposing army and while well trained and experienced in lower levels of warfare, this may yet come back to hurt Germany. The Division system the Army uses is also a newer system, being introduced after the wars of revolution, and has yet to be field tested.
Naval Description : The Republikanische Marine (Republican Navy) is the naval arm of the German Armed Forces. It is made up primarily of those naval assets seized from the coastal provinces of Northern Germany after the formation of Germany and the Revolution. Many of the newer vessels of the navy were built post-revolution and are the more modern arms of the Navy. Thanks to this however the Republican Navy lacks large numbers of heavier fighting ships of the line and instead relies on more medium frigates and lighter vessels even.
Naval Weakness : Very few heavier ships of the line with none being over 80 guns. Funding of the Navy is relatively low as an alliance with the British Republics has given the United States reason to focus instead on a large and well equipped land army.
Further Military Description : The Republican Guard are the oldest forces of the republic, they are the only regiments in service that were not disbanded or majorly overhauled during the period of reorganization after the Revolutionary Wars. They are the best equipped, trained, and led regiments of the German forces and are hailed as an elite force. To stand in their ranks on the field of battle is a great honor, this elite status comes with a cost though, very few are allowed into their ranks, meaning that only 8 regiments of Republican guard currently exist.

National Goals : Spread the Revolution across Europe. Free the remaining German people under the HRE, France, and Scandinavia. Procure a colonial empire.
National Issues : While a Majority of the population supports the revolution, their are still those that would stand to benefit from the old Regimes return. Those aristocrats that did not lose their heads, the cronies of nobles who lost their positions, and many more such people. Germany is also a newer nation and as such is still experimenting with how they do things, many national institutions have changed in the time the Republic has been alive and many more changes are likely to come until things settle down.
National Figures of Interest : N/A
National Ambition/Aspirations : A Republican Europe would be nice, down with the old ways!

History :

The Great Peasant Wars
The First echoes of the German Republic came nearly two hundred years before the formation of the nation in the form of the First and Second Great Peasant wars. The First Great Peasant War began in 1524 and lasted three years until 1527, the reasons behind the war were quite simplistic, the major ones being the institution of serfdom and religious strife. The peasants intended to force an abolishment of Serfdom across Germany and the Empire and to also force the aristocracy to accept a series of Rights that would grant the peasants and bourgeoise greater say in the governance of their own lives. Though a righteous and valid cause the rebellion was almost doomed to failure out of the gate, though outnumbering the aristocracy in untold magnitudes the rebels were very poorly equipped and not at all trained in many cases. This lead to crushing defeats early in the war and almost to the end of the rebellion, all up until many of the bourgeoise noticing that they also stood to gain from a successful rebellion and coupled with anger over the actions of several princes against the cities, began to support the rebellion. Equipment, supplies, armorment, and other needed things began to flood into the hands of the rebels all purchased by the merchants of northern and southern germany. This alone was not enough to win the war as leadership among the rebels was also poor, this was soon solved through the bourgeoise hiring needed mercenaries and pulled in other allies with their large network of ties. With these combined factors, defeat slowly began to turn into victory and the aristocracy began to be pushed back for the next two years before suffering crushing defeat at the hands of the rebels at the Battle of Nuremburg. With this victory a overall victory for the rebels was looking more and more likely and the nobles ended the war be accepting the several of the rebels demands.

Though serfdom had been abolished through the actions of the rebels, the truth of the matter was grim. Serfdom had been abolished and instead replaced by a similar form of bondage where the Peasants were payed slightly better to work the fields of the nobles. The nobles still held great control over their tenets and not much had changed after the first war.

Though victory was taken by the People in the First Great Peasants War it was not a complete one. Many nobles were slow to implement the rights and many nobles didn't implement them at all, keeping large swathes of the victorious population in the same chains that they had thought themselves free of. This, combined with another 50 years of slowly regression back into the very state they had fought to free themselves of lead to the Second Great Peasants war, also known as the Liege War, 40 years war, and many other names was actually a series of many different wars both of religious nature and not. These wars led to the establishment of dozens of Republics which replaced several princes in the HRE. While many of republics were only as large as the city or town that was seized in an uprising, some were much larger and usually served to protect these smaller ones. The wars themselves all usually shared the same pattern of a quick, violent, and blood uprisings which seized control of a city before a series of smaller pitched battles and sieges took place.

The Great Rights and Golden Age of Peace between the Classes
Though the Great Peasant wars were successful in of themselves, the republics that they had spawned were not long for this world. Cut off from most of the HRE due to general disgust by the Aristocracy and from trade due to many of the republics being landlocked. By 1652 the republics were all nearing their last breaths, however they had repeatedly made it clear that any attempt to take them would be an extremely bloody affair. This was all circumvented thanks to the unprecedented benevolence of the then Emperor Ferdinand II in entering discussions with the remaining republics. These discussions lasted until 1654 and saw the passing and enforcement of The Great Rights, also called Ferdinands Reforms. These reforms guaranteed the Peasants and Bourgeoise many of the rights they had been fighting for and more in return for a peaceful resumption of noble rule in the territories held by the Republics. In Germany the peasants and bourgeoise came to call the next 120 years the Golden Age. Victory had been seized and their rights secured, peace was achieved in much of Germany between the classes.

Revocation of Rights and Beginning of the Revolution
Nothing good lasts forever however and this is seen in the Holy Roman Emperor Joseph II. Wanting to enrich the Hapsburgs personal holdings in the Eastern reaches of the Empire, he established crushing laws and reforms which raised taxes on the middle and lower classes, restricted their religious freedoms and other freedoms and even stripped them of some parts of the Great Rights. While these were hated the worst was yet to come as Joseph II noticed that many of his reforms and plans were not as effective with the Great Rights still in place. This led to his total revocation of the Great Rights and worst of all, the re-establishment of Serfdom. The reaction to this was immediate and violent, the Peasants and Bourgeoisie had grown used to their rights and were not about to stand aside and allow this to happen. This hatred of the Emperor quickly transformed into a hatred of aristocracy and the noble class itself, something that had already been in place in some cases. Many nobles of both lower and high standing were killed in the first weeks and months of the revolution, some being spared of this fate after they abdicated their roles out of disgust for the Emperors overreach and threw their support behind the revolution.

The German Revolutionary Wars

Starting in 1778 and ending in 1788 the German Revolutionary Wars can be split into two phases. The German Revolution starting with the first uprisings of 1778 and ending with the forced abdication of Joseph II by his brother Leopold II and Declaration of the United States of Germany in 1780. The second phase being the Revolutionary Wars between the Newborn Germany and the HRE, other European Nations attempting to gain from the revolution, and their own small scale noble uprisings. By 1788 The wars had all ended and the liquid borders of the German Republic had solidified, protected by a now experienced Army and Navy.

The Wars themselves after the Revolution were intermediate in of themselves, usually involving beating back a invading army or two before attempting to press the advantage and moving into Habsuburg lands. The most famous of these being the seizure of Silesia from habsburg rule. Using the defeat of an invading Habsburg army from the province as reason the Armies of Germany overran the province and with the help of the provinces own revolutionaries, annexed it into the republic.

The Stable Period
The Years after the Revolutionary Wars saw much economic and political strife within Germany as the nation attempted to find a working system and self identity. Helping with this was the revolutions in the British Isles, many veterans of the Revolutionary Wars flocked to the British Republicans banners as veterans and they brought back with them ideas about government given to them by their British brethren. These ideas combined with the Germans own experiences of the first German Republics and governance during the Revolution helped make a stable and secure government of and for the people in Germany.

This period was also known as the "Reorganization of Germany" as during the revolutionary wars the United States of Germany was not in truth one nation, instead it was a federation of about a hundred different republics working towards one goal. These republics ranged in size and power from tiny city states to provincial sized nations. Many low points of the Revolution, from crushing defeats to sluggish offensives, came from the fact that getting a hundred different entities to work together smoothly. Knowing this the leaders of the Republic along with the first president of Germany called for a "Assembly of the Republics". During this assembly many different things occurred, the provinces of Germany were reorganized from over to hundred to only thirty, a powerful Federal Government was decided upon, and a constitution was written to name a few. But the most important factor is that during the assembly, the modern state of Germany as we know it was born.

RP Sample: viewtopic.php?p=38301785#p38301785

#AltDiv (Do not delete this, it is used to keep track of the apps)

[Northern Socialist Council Republics]

Reservation

Nation Name: The Scandinavian Commonwealth (da: det Nordisk Samfund)
Territory: Regions coloured blue (both sky blue and dark blue). If whoever's applying Britain is willing to let go of the Orkneys, I'd want to have that too, but I'm fine without.
#AltDiv

*Note: Reservations will last for 48 hours. The OP board reserves the right to be subjective in regards to accepting and removing reservations.

---

The territories of my neighbours are a vague mess. The German app says "the territory of the IRL German Empire at its height", which would include Slesvig and Holstein, but also says that it claims Slesvig-Holstein, which implies that they don't control it yet, and in the map posted by the OP they control Holstein but not Slesvig. And what is "Remaining Russia"? Russia changed its borders a lot, historically. Which Russia? :p And does "tentative claim" mean they control the area or not?

:p

I'm making my reservation based solely on the map given in the OP, ignoring any discrepancies in reservations and applications.

[Sao Nova Europa]

- Emblem of the Wei Empire

Full Nation Name : Great Wei (Official Name) - Wei Dynasty/Tatarstan (Unofficial Names)
Majority/Official Culture : Chinese (majority)/Tatar (minority)

The dynasty has Tatar origins, and retains some of its heritage. Princes are tutored by Tatar warriors on how to ride the horse and shoot from an arrow at a young age, just like their nomadic forefathers did in olden times. In the northern parts of the country, Tatars, Mongols, Manchus and the myriad native Siberian tribes live as their ancestors always did.

However, in order to legitimize their dynasty, the Wei Dynasty has embraced Chinese culture and over the years has Sinicized to such an extent that it’s hard to differentiate it from past native Han dynasties. Emperors receive classical Chinese education, proclaim themselves to be Sons of Heaven and aim to govern in a Confucian manner. They also promote classical education, civil examinations and Chinese culture (poems, paintings, etch). Wei Emperors are always keen to present themselves are refined, civilized rulers and take an arrogant stance on foreigners, dismissing them as ‘barbarians’: this can be largely explained by their desire to demonstrate to their Han Chinese subjects that they are legitimate, civilized rulers. As a result of this, the Tatar Wei dynasty is ironically very much Sinocentric and xenophobic.

Territorial Core : See map
Territorial Claim :

In theory, the Son of Heaven lords over All Under Heaven. In practice, Wei would be content with conquering southern China, though it hasn't attempted to conquer it for ages and it's unlikely to try doing so unless the southern regime suddenly collapsed.

Capital City : Shuntian (Beiping)
Population : 99,820,000
Government Type : Absolute bureaucratic monarchy
Government Ideology/Policies : Stability, Isolationism
Government Focus :

The Wei Dynasty bases its legitimacy on the concepts of Yitong (Unification) and Realm-By-Spear. Realm-By–Spear is a Tatar concept that states that the one who conquers with their spear (metaphor for military conquest) a realm, has earned the right to lord over it. Yitong is a more nuanced and Confucian concept. According to it, since the Wei Emperor has unified the Civilized World, he has earned the Mandate of Heaven and the right to rule over it.

The existence of a Han Chinese regime in the south posed a serious problem for the legitimacy of the Wei Dynasty, leading to the Wei Emperors recruiting Han scholars to challenge the civilized status of the southerners. This resulted in a theory that dismissed Southern China as non-Chinese: according to Wei scholars, the geographical location of Huaxia (Chinese nation/civilization) is tied to an area along the Yellow river where the ancestors of the Han originated. It was in that same geographical area that the first Chinese dynasty, the Zhou, arose. The South was always barbaric, populated with non-Han Chinese populations, and outside of the heartland of Huaxia. On the other hand, the Wei Dynasty lords over the area along the Yellow River and contains in its borders much of the land governed by the Zhou Dynasty.

This contrast was propagated greatly by the Wei Dynasty, especially among the intelligentsia. Chinese civilization was geographically and ethnically tied to the North while the South was dismissed as a barbaric land that was populated by the descendants of barbarians. Aside from those ideological claims, Wei Emperors have over the years spend exorbitant amounts of money in hiring scholars and organizing annual imperial examinations to showcase that they are the civilized Confucian rulers and that they care about the classics more than the southerners.

Head of State : Xianfeng Emperor



Head of Government : Chancellor Yang Kang



Government Description :

Central Government:

The Emperor (Huáng Dì) is the Son of Heaven and the autocrat of All Under Heaven. All must submit before the heavenly-ordained ruler of the world. Tributary states are expected to annually submit tribute to the Emperor. The unruly barbarians are excused for their lack of decorum before the Emperor as they know no better.

The Emperor is the Khan of Khans (Khagan), Supreme Ruler of the Tribes. In order to stress this point, traditionally the Wei ruler is crowned Khagan the very next day after being crowned Emperor, in a grand ceremony attended by representatives of the Tatar, Mongol, Manchu and Siberian tribes.

The Wei Dynasty has changed the definition of civilized and barbarian from previous dynasties, in order to justify its nomadic origins. Tatars, Mongols, the various Siberian tribes, Manchus and Uyghurs are considered civilized, since they submit to the Son of Heaven and accept the lordship of the legitimate Chinese dynasty.

The Emperor rules with the aid of the Chancellor. The Chancellor is always a eunuch, a precautionary measure to prevent the domination of the office by powerful political dynasties. The Chancellor heads the Six Departments and Six Ministries, all reserved for Han Chinese officials with the exception of the Ministry of War that is reserved for nobles of Tatar or Mongol origin. The Six Departments are:

The Secretariat, responsible for drafting policies.
The Chancellery, responsible for reviewing policies.
The Department of State Affairs, responsible for implementing policies.
The Department of Palace, responsible for the upkeep of the imperial household.
The Department of Books, responsible for maintaining the Imperial Library.
The Department of Service, responsible for staffing the palace with eunuchs.

The Six Ministries are:

Ministry of Personnel, in charge of appointments, promotions & demotions of officials and the granting of honorific titles.
Ministry of Rites, in charge of state ceremonies & rituals and the maintenance of palace protocol.
Ministry of Revenue, in charge of collecting taxes, handling state revenues and gathering census data.
Ministry of War, in charge of appointments, promotion & demotion of military officers, maintenance of military installations and equipment, supply of the military and leadership in times of war.
Ministry of Justice, in charge of the judicial and penal process.
Ministry of Works, in charge of government construction programs and maintenance of infrastructure.

The Office of Barbarian Affairs is an independent agency responsible for diplomacy. It is mostly concerned with nations that are not tributary states of the Wei Dynasty. Relations with the tributary states are handled by the Ministry of Rites.

Below the Ministries are the Bureaus, government departments staffed by bureaucrats chosen in accordance to their rank in the Imperial Examinations. The scholar-officials dominate thus the bureaucracy. The maximum tenure in office is twelve years but every three years officials are evaluated and can be promoted or demoted.

Imperial Court:

The Imperial Court is comprised of the Ministers, the Directors (heading the Departments), the leading secretariats of the Ministries and Departments and the Noble Lords (noblemen sent by the Tatar, Mongol and Manchu tribes as representatives of their respective tribes). The Court is convened at least three times a month, and debates domestic and foreign policy in relatively open manner. Courtiers can offer ideas and criticize the conduct of Ministers or Directors, but such criticisms must be well-grounded lest they incur the wrath of the Emperor.

Imperial Household:

The Imperial Household is staffed entirely by eunuchs and servant ladies. The number of concubines is in the hundreds while the number of eunuchs and servant ladies in the thousands. The Imperial Household is a large, complex bureaucracy of its own, a miniature government of sorts handling the women and offspring of the Emperor. Concubines are chosen both in merits of political expediency and of beauty. They are trained by eunuchs to adhere to a strict protocol.

The women of the Imperial Household are ranked in accordance to their virtues, beauty and the favor of the Emperor:

1. Empress (皇后; huáng hòu)
2. Consort (夫人; fū rén)
3. Beauty (美人; měi rén)
4. Virtuous Lady (良人; liáng rén)
5. Consort (八子; bā zi)
6. Lady (七子; qī zi)
7. Senior Palace Woman (長使; zhǎng shǐ)
8. Junior Palace Woman (少使; shǎo shǐ)

As the rank of his mother affects a prince’s chances of being named Crown Prince, it isn’t uncommon for women in the Imperial Household to fight for influence and the favor of the Emperor.

Provincial Administration:

The administrative division of the country is divided between the Han Provinces, the Steppe Lands, the Northern Frontier, the Ural Counties and the Western Military Governorate. Those divisions reflect the multitude of cultures and climates encompassed by the empire.

Han Provinces:

The Han Provinces follow the traditional Chinese administration:

Viceroyalty, comprising of several provinces.
Province
Prefecture
County

The office-holders are chosen through provincial imperial examinations. Just like other government bureaucrats, they have a maximum tenure of twelve years in office but every three years they undergo evaluation and can either be demoted or promoted.

Steppe Lands:

The Steppe Lands (comprising of Mongolia, the southern part of Siberia and Manchuria) are ruled in a dual manner:

Han settlements by Chinese style magisterial administration that reports directly to the central government.

The steppes by the officially recognized (by the Imperial Court) tribes. The Tatar, Mongol, Manchu and various Siberian tribes have broad autonomy in their internal affairs and are free to rule themselves as long as they avoid tribal warfare and pay an annual tribute to the Emperor. The tribes may also be called to offer military service if necessary. In certain cases, the Imperial Court can authorize the merging of tribes or the splitting of a tribe. The Imperial Court also grants titles (along with salary) to the chieftains of the tribes, creating in essence a parallel to the Chinese court nobility in the north.

Northern Frontier:

The Northern Frontier, comprised of the northern part of Siberia that is sparsely populated (mostly by remote Han Chinese colonies), is governed by:

Dukes, who lord over extensive tracts of land and have both military and civil responsibilities. The Dukes generally have a hands off approach in governance, being happy to let settlements govern themselves as long as they provide an annual tax. They also oversee the few, small indigenous tribes, that are also largely left to their own devices as long as they recognize imperial rule.

Lord-Magistrates, the mayors of Han settlements who run the day to day life. Sheriffs (Zhènshang Jǐngzhǎng) maintain the order in the settlements, often employing the service of mercenary adventurers.

Due to the vast size and sparse population of northern Siberia, the Dukes and Lord-Magistrates are given a lot of leeway on how to govern themselves and on how to apply the law. Due to this, rowdy elements from the Han provinces are often traveling to the Northern Frontier, to escape imperial oversight. The imperial government generally encourages this trend, as it removes socially discontent elements from the far more important Han provinces.

Ural Counties:

The Ural Counties cover the Eastern slopes of the Ural Mountains and their immediate regions. Mainly populated by the Turkic Bashkirs, each county is led by a Count who has both military and civil authority in his county. The counties are hereditary, but each Count is traditionally confirmed by the Imperial Court at his accession. Counts do not pay taxes to Emperor nor are they required to provide troops for campaigns outside of their territory, but in exchange they are responsible for guarding the borders of Siberia from the West. An Imperial Envoy, usually a Han Chinese eunuch, is the Emperor’s overseer in the region, settling disputes between counties and ensuring that they remain loyal to the Emperor.

Western Military Governorate:

The Western Military Governorate (Xinjiang) is ruled by a Grand Marshal with a militarized administration, and is strongly garrisoned. In parallel with this military administration, the local Uyghurs are allowed limited self-government: certain city-states and most nomadic tribes govern themselves as long as they provide an annual tax. All other holdings though are governed by military law.

Majority/State Religion : Confucianism with elements of Taoism, Ancestor Worshipping and Tatar paganism
Religious Description :

The Wei Emperors for the most part follow a syncretic religion that combines traditional Chinese beliefs with ceremonies dating to their pagan, Tatar past. Most of those remnants of the pagan Tatar religion have been modified to conform with Chinese Neo-Confucianism, in order to not offend their Chinese subjects.

Economic Ideologies : Mixed Economy (Capitalism with state monopoly on salt, iron, and liquor and protectionism from foreign trade)
Major Production : Tea, silk, porcelain, rice, wheat, potatoes, tomato, sorghum, millet, barley, minerals (Siberia)
Economic Description :

The Wei Empire is largely divided between an agrarian, sedentary south (northern China) and a nomadic, livestock-based north (steppes). The Western Military Governorate adds to that picture a combination of both ways along with land trade; unlike the other parts of the empire, non-tributary states are allowed freely to trade with Wei through land routes in the Western Military Governorate, thus keeping the lucrative silk road open.

The base of the Wei economy is located in the agrarian, Chinese part of the empire. There, the road network is of outstanding quality while canal building and river dredging have helped to create a large, unified internal market. As inter-regional trade and travel became ever more common, guild halls dedicated to facilitating commerce (huiguan) have gained prominence around the urban landscape. As a result of this commercialization, mid-sized cities began popping up to direct the flow of domestic, commercial trade.

In the steppes of the north, the traditional nomadic way of life continues. The nomads own sheep and cows but due to the dramatic changes in seasons that bring harsh weather, they have to move throughout the year to find good spots for their livestock. In winter, they often move in front of a mountain for shelter. In spring and summer, next to a river for water supply, and in autumn up a hill to collect hay for the winter. They never live in one place for too long.

The economy of the Siberian part of the empire is "powered" primarily by mining. Siberia is extraordinarily rich in minerals, containing ores of almost all economically valuable metals. Siberian agriculture is severely restricted by the short growing season of most of the region. However, in the southwest where soils are exceedingly fertile black earths and the climate is a little more moderate, there is extensive cropping of wheat, barley, rye and potatoes, along with the grazing of large numbers of sheep and cattle. Elsewhere food production, owing to the poor fertility of the podzolic soils and the extremely short growing seasons, is restricted to the herding of reindeer in the tundra.

The state has imposed a monopoly on the production of salt, iron, and liquor. Wei also restricts maritime trade with the West to a few designated ports, under strict imperial supervision and plenty of regulations. This is done mainly to prevent the "cultural contamination" of Wei by "the barbarians". Tributary states are allowed, though, to trade freely.

Development: Semi-industrialized in northern China, pre-industrialized and primitive in the other provinces.
Development Description :

In northern China, bustling cities have grown in size thanks to infrastructure networks with industries that are semi-industrialized, not yet reaching the levels of the West though. The economy remains largely agrarian, however, and in the northern steppes, the primitive, nomadic way of life is maintained.

Army Description :

High-ranking military offices are reserved for Tatars and Mongols, ensuring Tatar/Mongol domination of the Wei armed forces and acting as a check to the Han-dominated civilian government. That means that even the Han ‘Red Standard Army’ is commanded by Tatars/Mongols.

The collective heads of the Wei military are the Five Grand Marshals. Descendants of the five most prominent generals of original Tatar tribe of Zagip Tuqay, they command great respect and hold large fiefs in China proper. The collective leadership is meant to prevent one person from assuming too much military power.

The ‘Flying Horse Banner’, named so after their banner that features a horse with wings, is comprised of around 70,000 men provided by the Tatar, Mongol, Manchu and various Siberian tribes. The vast majority of them are horsemen. In most cases, the regiments correspond to the tribe of origin, thus forging strong bonds between the men.

The ‘Red Standard Army’, comprised of about 100,000 soldiers, is staffed almost exclusively by Han Chinese. The vast majority of soldiers are either infantrymen, archers or artillery corps. While the high-ranking and many of the medium-ranking officers are Tatar/Mongols, some of the medium-ranking officers and most of the lower-ranking ones are Han Chinese.

The 'Guard Battalions', numbering 350,000 men, are hereditary soldiers stationed in the provinces. They are granted military farms (tun tian) and are supposed to be self-sufficient. Their main objective is to defend provinces and act as a policing force too, undertaking operations against bandits and rebels. They are less well equipped and disciplined than the other soldiers and cannot be counted on in a serious military engagement.

The 'Imperial Guard' is an elite 4,000 men strong unit that is responsible for protecting the Forbidden City. The Emperor is the nominal commander, but the unit is in practice led by an Imperial Palatine, a eunuch military officer (to ensure that they cannot take the throne).

Army Weakness :

While the Wei land forces are numerous, disciplined and have some of the best logistical support in the world, they are technologically inferior to Western armies. While the technological gap isn’t such that would make Wei armies inept, it means that when facing a Western army, numerical superiority is usually needed.

Naval Description :

The Heavenly Fleet is the naval arm of the Shun military but despite its impressive name, it is small in size and mainly acts as a policing force to keep coasts clear from pirates. It is comprised of 300 Chinese naval junks.

Naval Weakness :

Chinese naval junks are horribly outdated in comparison with Western navies.

Further Military Description :

The military is under the strict supervision of the civilian Ministry of War to avoid the danger of ambitious generals turning against the central government. The Ministry is responsible for the maintenance of military installations and the supply of the troops. It maintains bureaus in the various provinces in order to undertake this task. A large network of roads, bridges and canals enables a steady and relatively fast (for the standards of the time and the size of the empire) supplying of the military, at least in the Han provinces. The number of bureaucrats employed to undertake this logistical support is almost half the size of the military.

National Goals : Retain territorial integrity, remain closed to Western influence, maintain regional supremacy in East Asia.
National Issues :

All Under Heaven: Wei stretches from the seemingly endless steppes of Mongolia to the bustling cities of northern China, and from the scorching hot deserts of Xinjiang to the frozen plains of Siberia. While this might seem as a strength – and to a certain extent, it is – governing such a vast empire is an arduous undertaking, costing much in the way of money and manpower while making micromanagement impossible, thus allowing for lot of leeway in the further provinces.

An Ancient Empire in an Early Modern Age: In an era of emerging industrialized nation-states with colonial empires, Wei is still an "old school" land-based, multiethnic empire centered around an imperial house. It is also increasingly finding itself technologically inferior to the West, yet Wei Emperors desire for the empire to remain a "hermetic kingdom", closed to outside influence.

National Figures of Interest :

Zagip Tuqay: Founder of House Tuqay, the Imperial House of Wei, he began his career as a defeated prince forced to flee from his tribe. Yet by the time of his death, he had unified the nomadic tribes of the Mongolian steppes and southern Siberia, and had been crowned Khagan.

Cihanşa Tuqay: Son of Zagip, he usurped the throne after a bloody civil war. A ruthless man, he invaded a Ming China that was in disarray, and conquered the northern plains. As he crossed into the south, he was killed by a stray arrow, putting an end to his imperial ambitions.

Talgat Tuqay/Taizong Emperor: Nephew of Cihanşa. Of partial Chinese descent and educated by Confucian scholars, he restored Chinese administrative practices and reigned as a Chinese Emperor.

National Ambition/Aspirations : Maintaining territorial integrity and position as regional hegemon.

History :

The great Mongol conquest of the 13th century took the tribes of the steppe across Eurasia, with victories over countless foes. One such tribe, the Tatars, would become highly influential in the western regions of the empire, gaining power over many of the Russian princes, making their base along the Volga River. By 1259, the unity of the Mongol Empire was gone. In the Western regions of the olden Mongol Realm, the Golden Horde rose, led by Berke Khan.

But nomadic tribes couldn’t for long remain sedentary. In 1351 two brothers, sons of one of the most influential Tatar chieftains, fought over who would succeed the father in lordship over the tribe. The younger brother, Zagip Tuqay, lost a battle due to treachery. With his hopes dashed, he decided that instead of fighting a losing war, it would be better to seek glory and wealth elsewhere, like his ancestors did. With half his tribe, he left for the East.

His first victory came during a war against a Kazakh tribe. Zagip crushed them in a decisive battle in 1358, but in victory he showed magnanimity and incorporated them into his tribe. Zagip’s enlarged horde moved further east, conquering Kashgar in 1360. Kashgar provided him with an opening further into China.

Zagip would raid Chinese lands, accumulating wealth which he would use to attract further nomads and even some Han mercenaries to his cause. In a series of campaigns in the 1360s, he established his dominance over the various Mongol tribes of Inner and Outer Mongolia. In 1371, Zagip was crowned Khagan in Karakorum, all Mongol tribes recognizing Tatar supremacy in the steppes.

With the Hongwu Emperor establishing centralized control in the south, announcing the Ming Dynasty, Zagip turned his focus to the north. In the 1370s, he would expand Tatar control over southern Siberia, conquering the indigenous Siberian tribes living there. Although the soil was poor and the control tenuous, those campaigns ensured that his army was battle-ready and that more tribes would be incorporated into his nomadic empire. When Zagip died in 1378, he had established the most powerful nomadic empire since the times of Genghis Khan.

His successor was his youngest son, Cihanşa, who took leadership of the empire after a three years civil war. Cihanşa brutally murdered all his siblings and boiled alive the noblemen who sided with his enemies during the civil war. With the rest of the tribal nobility trembling in fear, Cihanşa was the uncontested ruler.

Making full use of the Jingnan rebellion of 1399, Cihanşa launched a massive invasion of Ming China. Cihanşa captured Beiping, the old Yuan capital, which he renamed Shuntian. Defeating the imperial Ming armies, who had to content with the rebellion of Zhu Di, Cihanşa conquered one Chinese province after the other, all the way to the Qin Mountains in the west and the Huai River to the east, brutally massacring and pillaging his way through. Attempting to cross that line, he was killed by a stray arrow during a battle, putting an end to a Tatar invasion of the south in 1403.

His successor was Talgat, a nephew of his and one of the few relatives who had survived Cihanşa’s purge. A soft-spoken eighteen years old man of partial Chinese descent from his mother’s side, who had been educated by Chinese scholars (unlike most of the tribal nobility) and with deep admiration of Chinese civilization, he was accepted as Khagan purely because the Tatar generals, led by Marshal Zaribzyan, understood that stability was needed if they were to consolidate their hold over the rich plains of north China.

Talgat moved into Shuntian, and adopted the dynastic name of Taizong Emperor, reminiscing of the great Tang Dynasty Emperor. He announced the establishment of the Wei Dynasty and gave his uncle Cihanşa posthumously the dynastic name of Yongchang Emperor and buried him with all the ceremonies of a Chinese ruler. Taizong called on Ming courtiers and bureaucrats to come to Shuntian and serve into the new administration. A few did and he honored them with handsome salaries and high offices, attracting more of them in the next years.

Unlike his brutal uncle, Taizong restored order in northern China and reestablished traditional Chinese administrative practices, earning the grudging admiration of the populace that had lived through generations of war. His adoption of Chinese etiquette and governance, though, wasn’t going to go unchallenged. In the steppes of the north, Taizong wasn’t respected and Marshal Zaribzyan in 1411 escaped to Karakorum, where he rallied much of the tribal aristocracy against him. The old ways were to be restored, or so Zaribzyan thought.

Taizong, making full use of the riches of China and the manpower the Han populace presented, coalesced around him a coalition of tribal horsemen who remained royal to the throne and Han infantrymen, some of them veterans of the Ming era and some newly recruited soldiers. In 1412, in a decisive battle, Taizong crushed the rebel forces; at first it looked as if the rebels were about to win, but an arrow killed Zaribzyan (who was fighting in the front lines) and caused chaos in the rebel army, which allowed the loyalists to push back and massacre them. With news of the victory becoming known, the tribes of the steppe submitted once more to their Khagan, Taizong.

With order restored, and in order to keep the Tatar, Mongol and Siberian tribes in check, Taizong expanded and reorganized the Han regiments into the Red Standard Army, so called because of their red banners. Taizong would also move a number of nomads into China itself, establishing them at strategic posts, while establishing some Han garrisons in the steppes of the north. That way, he could keep in check both the Han and the nomadic tribes. Another strategy devised to keep the tribes occupied was to give them a free reign in launching expeditions into northern Siberia, rewarding with gold and land the most successful ones. This policy (which would be continued by Taizong’s successors) brought in the next century northern Siberia into Wei control.

With peace reestablished in both north and south, Taizong went on with a radical reformist agenda. To ensure balance, all high military offices (including ones commanding the Han Red Standard Army regiments) would be reserved for Tatars and Mongols, while all high ranking civilian offices would be granted to classically-educated Han Chinese. In 1417, Taizong appointed Guo Jing (a Han Chinese prominent scholar) as Chancellor of Wei.

Guo Jing enacted a broad land redistributing program to give farm to tenants and landless peasants, much to the dismay of many large landowners. Regional revolts in the 1420s were crushed by the Wei military, allowing the reform to go ahead. Guo Jing undertook the first population census since the collapse of the Ming. The 1426 census gave an accurate picture of the population of the Empire and allowed a revision of the tax assessment to make taxation fairer. Monopoly on salt, iron and liquor was established, roads, canals and bridges were either updated or constructed and series of granaries were built in the provinces to allow steady supply in times of natural disasters.

When Taizong died in 1439, he was leaving behind a prosperous, peaceful realm. Unlike his own succession to power, his eldest son ascended to the throne peacefully, taking the title of Kangxi Emperor. The Kangxi Emperor was much more of a warrior that his father. An excellent horseman and skilled with the bow, he toured in person the steppes of the north, ensuring the loyalty of the steppe tribes. Sensing a growing unease of the Tatar and Mongol tribes with the Chinese administration in the south, he decided that the best way to prevent a crisis would be to direct their energy towards a war of expansion. His target was Manchuria: between 1445 and 1457, in a series of bloody campaigns, Wei domination of Manchuria was established. The Manchu tribes were forced to accept Wei rule, in return being allowed broad autonomy in their internal affairs.

In 1454, emboldened by his successes in Manchuria, the Kangxi Emperor sent a letter requesting the Joseon ruler to submit to him, as the rightful Son of Heaven. The Koreans scoffed at the Tatar pretenses, responding that they recognized the Ming Dynasty as the legitimate Chinese dynasty. The Kangxi Emperor sent a combined force of 'Red Standard Army' Han regiments and Tatar and Mongol cavalry to invade Korea. The overwhelming combination of a numerically superior infantry force and a highly mobile cavalry force meant that the Koreans faced defeat upon defeat. By the end of 1455, the Joseon ruler accepted Kangxi as the rightful Emperor of China and the Joseon Dynasty became a tributary of the Wei Dynasty.

Earning the admiration of the tribes due to his military prowess, Kangxi devised a new scheme to further tighten imperial rule of the north. Tribal noblemen would have to send relatives, including one of their sons, to China. Officially, those relatives were rewarded with lavish mansions and the sons in particular were granted education by the best imperial scholars. In practice, the Emperor would use those relatives as hostages while educating the sons to think in a Chinese, non-tribal way, so when they returned to their tribe, they would act as agents of the Emperor; he himself was an example of how that kind of education could mold a mind, as despite being a Tatar, his way of thinking was shaped by Chinese ideals.

The next Emperor was Zhengtong (1464 - 1495). A man largely interested in material pleasures, he left much of the governance of the empire at the hands of the cunning eunuch Yu Qian. Yu Qian focused his efforts on the construction of a number of forts in the northern steppes and an expansion of the road networks of China. He also oversaw the construction of the Forbidden City between 1479 and 1488. His death in 1489 ushered a period of misgovernance, which allowed Marshal Söläyman Nabiullin (a prominent Tatar chieftain) to rebel against imperial rule. Imperial campaigns against him in 1493 and 1495 failed.

The new Emperor, the Tongzhi Emperor, was far more interested in the horse and bow than his father, having been trained by Tatar tutors. Upon becoming Emperor, he led a grand campaign that put down Söläyman’s revolt, the last nomadic revolt against the empire. To ensure such a revolt wouldn’t be repeated, Tongzhi expanded the hostage-taking system, ordered more tribal expeditions into northern Siberia and bought the loyalty of the tribes with grand titles and hefty salaries.

In 1516, the Chenghua Emperor came to the throne. He established in 1521 the Secret Memorandums, allowing direct communication between him and local officials without the court or ministries getting in the way. This allowed far greater imperial oversight of the public administration. He also lowered taxation and was renowned for his austere personal lifestyle. He was succeeded by the Wanli Emperor (1545 – 1578). More interested in literature than in governing, he left much of the actual governance to a number of powerful Chancellors. In 1564, the empire faced a crisis in the form the White Lotus Rebellion. A religious cult, it attracted a large number of Han peasants. It initially defeated thrice Han regiments sent against it and occupied a number of cities, causing the Emperor to call for a Tatar – Mongol tribal force to come from the north to put down the revolt. In 1569, the revolt was finally crushed.

In 1578, the Yongzheng Emperor came to the throne. A dynamic ruler, he oversaw the opening of Manchuria and parts of Siberia to Han colonization (financed by the government), alleviating some social tensions in the Chinese provinces. He expanded the system of Secret Memorandums, which brought frank and detailed reports on local conditions directly to the throne without being intercepted by the bureaucracy, and created a small Grand Council of personal advisors that was independent of the Imperial Court. In 1592, Japanese forces invaded Korea. Joseon sent envoys to Wei to ask for military support, which the Yongzheng Emperor approved, leading Japan to withdraw from the Korean peninsula in 1599. Literature, painting and music flourished in Yongzheng's reign as the Wei Dynasty entered a period of unprecedented economic growth.

This trend continued under his successor, the Jiajing Emperor (1613 – 1641). He commissioned the Siku Quanshu, an encyclopedia which compiled more than 3000 Chinese works of literature. At the same time, though, the Jiajing Emperor reestablished the tradition that princes of the Wei Dynasty would have to be trained by Tatar warriors on horsemanship and archery, wanting to retain connection with the ancestral traditions of the dynasty. The Jiajing Emperor toured twice Mongolia, overseeing personally the submission of tribute by the Tatar and Mongol tribes.

The Shunzhi Emperor (1641 – 1663) oversaw the closing of the Wei from the outside world. In 1654, King Bongrim officially announced the end of Wei's suzerainty over Joseon and formally declared Joseon as an Empire with him as the Yeonheung Emperor. This act has brought negative reactions from Wei and war broke out between Wei and Joseon. After two years of warfare, with the Wei army unable to break Joseon defenses in their northern provinces and the Wei navy suffering defeats at sea, the Shunzhi Emperor was forced to make peace and accept that Korea was no longer a tributary of the empire. In order to defend his claim to the Mandate of Heaven after this defeat, the Shunzhi Emperor pursued a strict Confucian agenda that would satisfy the Chinese literati. He sought to purify Wei from ‘barbaric influences’, announcing a policy of ‘Closed Doors’, which restricted Western merchants in designated ports and imposed strict regulations on trade. Shunzi also saw increased Han colonization of Siberia.

The Guangxu Emperor (1663 – 1722) oversaw an increase of population. Aside from a peasant revolt due to a drought in 1681, his reign was largely peaceful and uneventful. His successor, the Qianlong Emperor (1722 – 1755), was a builder. On the hills northwest of Beijing, he expanded the villa known as the "Garden of Perfect Brightness" (Yuanmingyuan - Old Summer Palace). He also expanded the imperial summer palace in Rehe Province, and it was at Rehe that the Qianlong Emperor held court with various Tatar and Mongol nobles. The Xuantong Emperor (1755 – 1797) and the Jingtai Emperor (1797 – 1809) saw increased Han colonization of both Siberia and Manchuria as population had skyrocketed, causing concerns over its sustainability, while also witnessing low rates of economic growth.

Xianfeng Emperor ascended the throne in 1809, at the age of twenty-five. He rules an empire that is populous, large and rich but also increasingly stagnant and falling behind technologically. Wei still remains closed to the West, and has managed to maintain its isolation largely through its grand size. But that might be changing as merchants seek access to the Wei market…

RP Sample: https://forum.nationstates.net/viewtopic.php?p=38226117#p38226117

#AltDiv (Do not delete this, it is used to keep track of the apps)

[Revlona]

Reservation

Nation Name: The Scandinavian Commonwealth (da: det Nordisk Samfund)
Territory: Regions coloured blue (both sky blue and dark blue). If whoever's applying Britain is willing to let go of the Orkneys, I'd want to have that too, but I'm fine without.
#AltDiv

*Note: Reservations will last for 48 hours. The OP board reserves the right to be subjective in regards to accepting and removing reservations.

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The territories of my neighbours are a vague mess. The German app says "the territory of the IRL German Empire at its height", which would include Slesvig and Holstein, but also says that it claims Slesvig-Holstein, which implies that they don't control it yet, and in the map posted by the OP they control Holstein but not Slesvig. And what is "Remaining Russia"? Russia changed its borders a lot, historically. Which Russia? And does "tentative claim" mean they control the area or not?



I'm making my reservation based solely on the map given in the OP, ignoring any discrepancies in reservations and applications.

Slesvig-Holstein is not controlled by me correct. You’ll notice that I also mention Alsace Lorraine which was apart of the empire at its height but is French in this, slesvig Holstein was apart of scandinavia in the last iteration and I decided to leave it open for potential story points in this.

[Kenobot]

Full Nation Name : Sacrum Imperium Romanum (Holy Roman Empire)
Majority/Official Culture : German/Italian/Hungarian/Czech/Slovak/Swiss
Territorial Core : Austria, Hungary, Czechia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Istria, Switzerland, Croatia, Transylvania, Venetia
Territorial Claim : Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Belgium
Capital City : Vienna
Population : 20 Million

Government Type : Semi-Constitutional Federal Monarchy
Government Ideology/Policies : Revanchist/Anti-Revolutionary
Government Focus : Emperor
Head of State : Emperor Francis II
Head of Government : Grand Duke Ferdinand III of Venetia
Government Description : The Holy Roman Empire has evolved since the Revolution from the grand confederation of German cities, baronies, counties and duchies into a federation consisting of the Grand Duchy of Venetia, Kingdom of Hungary, Archduchy of Austria, The Duchy of Schweiz, The Kingdom of Bohemia, The Duchy of Transylvania and the Grand Duchy of Croatia. While central authority still holds true in Vienna, the regional Dukes and Palatines conduct day-to-day governance in these territories.

Majority/State Religion : Catholicism
Religious Description : While Catholicism by far remains the strongest Christian sect in the Holy Roman Empire, Orthodoxy still remains a strong force in parts of Hungary and southern Croatia. Something Emperor Francis II is well aware of. Meanwhile in court at Vienna, those Protestant princes that did not flee to Moscow, Paris or Constantinople ended up in-exile in the Emperor's Court. Their talents would not go to waste.

Economic Ideologies : Capitalism
Major Production : Textiles, Iron, Coal, Agricultural Products
Economic Description : From the coal of Bohemia and Hungary to the Textiles of the Alps to the Agricultural Products of all the empire, the Holy Roman Empire may seem a backwater from its largely rural territory but the regional centres like Vienna, Prague and Zagreb are centres of industrialization that are among the foremost in Europe.

Development: Industrializing
Development Description : Thanks to the innovations out of Vienna, Bohemia and the Alps, the Industrialization of the Holy Roman Empire is well underway.

Army Description : The Imperial Army of the Holy Roman Empire, once a juggernaut, after much war over the last 30 years has had its wings clipped and reduced in size significantly from its peak. That being said, it still retains a sizeable force with some of the most seasoned officers in all Europe among its ranks, with names like Blücher, Clausewitz, Archduke Charles and The Prince of Schwarzenberg among its ranks. The Imperial Army, numbering some 175,000, is divided among four military districts; Österreichisches Kommando(Austrian Command), Erdélyi parancsnokság (Transylvanian Command), České velení (Bohemian Command) and Comando Venetia (Venetia Command). Austrian Command was the largest, with some 75,000 men, followed by Bohemia's 70,000. Transylvanian Command included 15,000 men as did Lombardy Command. The Hungarian Hussars were perhaps the best Hussars in Europe and were spread throughout the Imperial Army, while Austrian light infantry were known for their ferocious ambushes of enemy columns during the Revolutionary war.
Army Weakness : Language Barrier. Although Francis's father had brought back Latin as the common tongue of the Empire to ease this problem, it was not yet common enough to ensure that the many peoples of the HRE could understand each other.
Naval Description : Comprised largely of those ships who managed to escape the revolutionary blockade during the early years of the Revolutionary Wars, the Holy Roman Fleet is experienced and decently sized but their ships are outdated and none are larger than 60 guns.
Naval Weakness : The Holy Roman Fleet, while experienced and of a decent size, is largely comprised of the fleets of the former Northern Merchant cities such as Bremen, Hamburg and Lubeck and as such the ships are outdated.
Further Military Description :

National Goals : Complete the political reforms of Ferdinand I to secure the Empire’s existence, restore Imperial rule in Germany and crush Republicanism
National Issues : The resentment of the Habsburgs in Germany, the Nobility getting in the way of reform, and Republican Militarism
National Figures of Interest : Leader of the Noble resistance against Francis II is Klemens, Prince of Metternich-Winneburg zu Beilstein
National Ambition/Aspirations : A Liberal Holy Roman Empire that stretches from the Rhine to the Carpathians

History :
late 900's - The Hungarian Árpád Dynasty is split in two; during the conversion to Christianity half of the Dynasty embrace the Latin Rites, while the other half influenced by the Eastern Roman Empire embrace Greek Rites; soon this would expand as the Schism between Orthodoxy and Catholicism became official.
1273 - Holy Roman Emperor Rudolph I, the first Habsburg Emperor creates the Grand Duchy of Schweiz out of the Habsburg Swiss territories

1500's - 1600's The Eastern Roman Empire, never fully acknowledging the legitimacy of the Holy Roman Empire, always sought to restore their rule as far west as possible and successive emperors managed to restore the Danube border and attempted to avert other possible conflicts with Catholic states by establishing buffer vassal states, but this brought them into conflict with the Holy Roman Emperors. The Kingdom of Hungary was the core of this new conflict, as the split between its Catholic and Orthodox populations, and the death of its final legitimate king in a civil war during the Battle of Mohacs led to both Emperors supporting different claimants. The Great Eastern War, as it was called, was in fact a series of wars, waged sometimes by the two empires directly, otherwise through supporting different claimants and nations, and they eventually ended by the 1600’s with a peace treaty that confirmed Habsburg rule over Hungary and parts of Croatia, but acknowledged the independence of the other south-eastern European states.

It was at this same time that the Great Peasant Wars that reshaped the Empire also took place. The First Great Peasant War began in 1524 and lasted three years until 1527, the reasons behind the war were quite simplistic, the major ones being the institution of serfdom and religious strife. The peasants intended to force an abolition of Serfdom across Germany and the Empire and to also force the aristocracy to accept a series of Rights that would grant the peasantry and bourgeois greater say in the governance of their own lives. The rebellion nearly failed but for the realization of many Protestant bourgeois that they stood to gain from a successful rebellion. While this led to an increase in supplies; it could not make up for a lack of leadership, which was in the end filled with mercenaries. With these combined factors, defeat slowly began to turn into victory and the aristocracy began to be pushed back and for the next two years fought an indecisive but bloody conflict, until suffering a crushing defeat at the hands of the rebels at the Battle of Nuremberg. With this victory, the rebels looked more and more like a winning force and the nobles ended the war by accepting the demands of the rebels before they could press the advantage.

Though victory was taken by the rebels in the First Great Peasants War it was not without its failures. Many nobles were slow to implement the rights and many nobles didn't implement them at all, keeping large swathes of the victorious population in the same chains that they had thought themselves free of. This, combined with another 50 years of slowly regression back into the very state they had fought to free themselves of lead to the Second Great Peasants war. Lasting from 1580 to 1622 this war was actually a series of a dozen or more successful rebellions and uprisings that saw the establishment of dozens of Republics which replaced several princes in the HRE. While many of republics were only as large as the city or town that was seized in an uprising, some were much larger and usually served to protect these smaller ones. The wars themselves all usually shared the same pattern of a quick, violent, and blood uprisings which seized control of a city before a series of smaller pitched battles and sieges took place.

Though the Great Peasant wars were successful in of themselves, the republics that they had created would not last long thanks to the unifying factor if had for the Nobility of the Holy Roman Empire. Long divided by petty squabbles, the great houses of Germany, Bohemia, Northern Italy and the Low Counties brought together their forces and economic strength to strangle these republics in the cradle. By 1652 the republics were all nearing their last breaths, however it had become clear to all sides that any attempt to take them would be an extremely bloody affair. This was all avoided thanks to the diplomatic skill and surprising openness to reform of the then Emperor Ferdinand III, who entered into negotiations with the remaining republics. These negotiations culminated in 1654's The Great Rights, also called Ferdinands Reforms. These reforms guaranteed the peasantry and Bourgeoise many of the rights they had been fighting for and more in return for a peaceful resumption of noble rule in the territories held by the Republics. In Germany the peasants and bourgeois came to call the next 120 years the Golden Age. Victory had been seized and their rights secured, peace was achieved in much of Germany between the classes.


This great peace between the nobility and peasants lasted a long 100 years until Maria Theresa's eldest son took the throne as Emperor Joseph II. Wanting to develop the Hapsburgs eastern personal holdings, he introduced crushing taxes that placed a particularly large burden on the middle and lower classes of the Empire. Following this insult up in quick succession with injury, Emperor Joseph restricted religious freedoms and other freedoms and other rights enshrined in the Great Rights. Before the incensed peasantry and bourgeoisie could organise a formal political and peaceful response to the Emperor's actions, it had become apparent that many of the Emperor's taxes and reforms were not as effective with the Great Rights still in place. This led to his total revocation of the Great Rights and worst of all, the re-introduction of Serfdom. The reaction to this however was immediate and violent, the Peasantry and Bourgeoisie had grown used to their rights and were not about to stand aside and allow this to happen. This hatred of the Emperor soon began to instead manifest as a complete hatred of aristocracy and the noble class itself, until that point a fringe viewpoint. Many nobles of both lower and high standing were killed in the first weeks and months of the revolution, some being spared of this fate after they abdicated their roles out of disgust for the Emperors overreach and threw their support behind the revolution.

German Revolutionary Wars, as they were to become known, began in 1778. The Revolution itself started with the first uprisings of 1778 and concluded with the forced abdication of Joseph II by his brother Leopold II after a coup in Vienna, the abolition of Joseph's "reforms" and Declaration of the United States of Germany in 1780. After consolidating his position in the Habsburg realms however, the Emperor and his supporters across the Empire began the the Revolutionary Wars between the Newborn Germany and the HRE, with other European Nations attempting to gain from the revolution. It was names like the Prince of Schwarzenberg, Marshal Blücher, Major-General Carl von Clausewitz and the Emperor's brother himself, Archduke Carl the Duke of Teschen, who earned their reputations on the battlefield. Learning much from each defeat and victory; more often than not defeat. By 1788, however the wars had largely subsided and the once liquid borders of the German Republic had solidified, protected by a now experienced Army and Navy.

Outside of the minor skirmishes following 1788, the Holy Roman Empire, broken and defeated by mere peasants and merchants, used the respite to not just recover her strength but to solidify her position in the greater Habsburg realm. With only Austria and Switzerland remaining as territories of the Holy Roman Empire, rather than abolish the title, Emperor Leopold II used this great opportunity to reform the Empire and expand its reach. No longer just a stand in for a Germanic Empire, the Holy Roman Empire would instead reform itself into a federation with the Emperor at its head and all parts equal. In the Habsburg Italian holdings, the Emperor's younger brother Ferdinand would take up office as the Grand Duke of Lombardy. In the Hungarian holdings, another brother Archduke Joseph would become the Palatine of Hungary. The Grand Duchy of Schwize would continue as it had for the last 600 years with a cadet branch of the Habsburgs ruling. The Kingdom of Bohemia would have another of the Emperor's brothers, Archduke Anton Victor as its Palatine. The Grand Duchy of Croatia would have Grand Duke John, another of the Emperor's Younger brothers as its Grand Duke. Finally, the Duchy of Transylvania would have the exiled Catholic branch of the Hohenzollern Dynasty, Anton Aloys, Prince of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen at its helm. The Holy Roman Empire itself would formally annex these territories as core territories; transforming this once-confederation of German principalities into a true multi-national Empire.

In order to ensure the continuing loyalty of the many nationalities of the Empire, aside from the autonomy granted to the entities that comprised the empire, all minority languages were recognised and local administration was conducted by local officials who spoke the language and those nobles who did not, were directed by the Emperor to do so. Alongside this, an advisory parliament was established in Vienna that took representatives from all corners of the Empire which became the conduit of communication between the Empire's citizens and the Emperor and vice-versa. All adult males over the age of 21 were able to vote in the elections for this advisory Imperial Parliament, however each candidate would be vetted by the Imperial Bureaucracy before they could run else any Republicans be elected. Each constituent part of the Empire would be able to send a total of 20 representative to Vienna every 5 years. Alongside this, 20 seats were reserved for exiled nobles from the former German territories, all of which were appointed by the Emperor. Meanwhile a similar system was set up in each entity that comprised the Empire, with citizen from each region of the Grand Duchies and Kingdoms elected by all adult males over the age of 21 but in this circumstance a quarter of the seats reserved for the nobility. These regional parliaments would have stronger powers but focused on regional governance and with appointed ministers from these parliaments by their respective leaders.

After completing this great reform of the Empire, the problem of succession had to be addressed. While ruled by the Habsburgs with only a single interruption since 1440, the Emperor was still technically elected by the Electors of the Empire, who were either dead or in-exile in courts across Europe with no tangible power. Using this opportunity to create a loyal powerbase inside the nobility needed to pass further reforms down the line, the Emperor granted the right of elector to all those exiled nobles who resided inside the Holy Roman Empire from the rank of count and above. While merely a symbolic act given they had no real power, it would bring exiles from across the courts of Europe back to Vienna, Budapest, Milan and Zagreb, where they would serve the Emperor loyally.

After spending the last 20 years reforming the Empire to ensure its stability and long-term survival, Emperor Leopold II died in his sleep at the age of 62 in 1810. He would be long remembered as the saviour of the Empire and liberator of the Empire's minorities. Now taking up the reigns was Francis II, at the age of 42, he had spent the last 20 years watching his father's every move, learning the mistakes of generations past and taking actions in his father's name towards the end of his reign as he suffered bouts of illness. Now he was to take the full authority of Emperor, crowned in Rome by the Pope for the first time since Charles V many centuries ago and elected with an overwhelming majority of the electors support. Now two years into his reign, Francis II prepares for the Holy Roman Empire to face Europe as a fully fledged Great Power once more. With the Romans to the East disputing his legitimacy and Republicans to the North remaining a lingering threat to all Monarchs, Francis has quite a job ahead of him.


RP Sample:

#AltDiv (Do not delete this, it is used to keep track of the apps)

[Remnants of Exilvania]

The territories of my neighbours are a vague mess. The German app says "the territory of the IRL German Empire at its height", which would include Slesvig and Holstein, but also says that it claims Slesvig-Holstein, which implies that they don't control it yet, and in the map posted by the OP they control Holstein but not Slesvig. And what is "Remaining Russia"? Russia changed its borders a lot, historically. Which Russia? And does "tentative claim" mean they control the area or not?



I'm making my reservation based solely on the map given in the OP, ignoring any discrepancies in reservations and applications.

Considering that every other border was covered by the other nations I mentioned, I'm going to make the wild guess that you were uncertain about the Karelian Isthmus? No worries, you can have it.

Concerning Latvia and Estonia, I put tentatively there because I was willing to negotiate them with the likes of potential Scandinavia and Poland but was going to claim them entirely if nobody else did.

Given your sizeable claim, I will be dropping my claim to Courland as well as that's prime Polish-Lithuanian clay and my border situation would be looking...interesting.

[Tracian Empire]

Alrighty then, the claim for the Scandinavian Commonwealth is accepted as per the map with the exception of the Orkneys.

[Novacom]

Full Nation Name : Aztek Ascendancy
Majority/Official Culture : Aztek/Nahua
Capital City : Tenochtitlan
Population : 42.5 Million

Government Type : Parliamentary Monarchy
Government Ideology/Policies : Somewhat Imperialist with a focus on Stability.
Government Focus : The Government of the Ascendancy has various focuses, most of them on the home front, expansion is low down on the list of priorities while the main focus is on security and the economy, naturally of course there is a healthy focus on the public good which is the main thrust of the reasoning of said focuses.
The Government at present is at present undertaking a series of studies and projects with regards to reform and changes for the future, with intense conflict between traditionalist and reformist elements.
Head of State : Huey Tlatoani Tlalli Xipilli
Head of Government : Director Tochtia Huema
Government Description : At the Local level there is limited local leadership, what leadership there is however co-ordinates efforts between villages towns and cities in their locale, despite a long history and tradition of communalistic spirit there is a small amount of friction with it's roots in the recent dismantlement of the limited caste/class system the Aztek people practised.

At regional levels elected officials are sent to represent at a central assembly in Tenochtitlan, this body is at present occupying temporary chambers due to extensive renovations of the traditional chambers attached to the royal court and palace. The central assembly draws up and votes on legislation and is overseen by a steering committee made up of equal parts of academics and a proportional representation of officials from the varying parties in the assembly.

The Huey Tlatoani directs and guides the central assembly and in turn receives feedback and counsel from the body, often mediating squabbles between the factions with little concern of worry for their own future, as the role of the Huey Tlatoani is a lifetime role and the central assembly has neither role or input on the selection of the next, and the role is rarely hereditary. The Huey Tlatoani exercises extensive authority, this however is controlled and regulated by protocol and law, and various checks and balances, it has not however been unknown for a Huey Tlatoani to dismiss an assembly and trigger nationwide elections.

This is done rarely however and the last time was due to a complete breakdown in which a deadlocked assembly argued for an entire month without advancing legislation. In the aftermath of this the petty squabbles were quoted verbatim in the numerous leading media, this would be a long lesson to all desiring entry into politics thanks to the near universal literacy rate of the people.
Majority/State Religion : Aztek Religion
Religious Description : The Aztek Religion is both a complex and in depth religion, with a variety of gods and goddesses, comprised of the original pantheon and the deities of conquered and assimilated peoples, as a faith it has had a chequered history having gone through a dark period of blood sacrifice to it's current state. The religion itself is highly organised and codified with a considerable amount of festivals and occasions to mark, to the extent where the working week has been built around the idea of such things, despite this the influence of the various priesthoods has begun to wane, especially after the various prides were placed directly under the stewardship of the military and no longer quasi religious orders.

Economic Ideologies : Capitalist with Socialist aspects
Major Production : Iron, Gas, Oil, Weapons, Clothing, Various Livestock, Ivory Various Industrial Products, Motor Vehicles, Coffee, Spices, Various Agricultural produce, Wines, Weapons
Economic Description :
The Aztek Ascendancy is like many other nations in the world caught up in the Industrial Revolution, which in the Ascendancy began in Tlacopan, long the Economic centre, with it spreading to encompass the area surrounding Lake Texcoco which would become the economic dynamo of the region.

It would swiftly begin to spread to other cities of the Ascendancy and then radiate outwards, an extensive program to manage this process was established alongside an overseeing ministry. This was partnered with an ambitious plan to connect the nation with an extensive railway network, which would come to be known as the Obsidian Way.

This project was given the highest of priorities due to the longstanding issues with transport the Aztek’s had long had to deal with, as Horses and other forms of transport were always scarce with Naval transport, this effort has begun to slowly bud with new industries established so that the Aztek’s would be independent of other nations of what would be required for this effort.

As a result of these efforts, the Ascendancy’s economy has begun to boom extensively with increasing levels of automation allowing for more manpower to move away from Agriculture, and allow for new industries to flourish and develop and this looks set to expand even further as the march of progress travels further.
Development: Modern
Development Description : The Aztek's have long since practised extensive urban planning on even the smallest of scales, as such the Ascendancy's development is in some regards something all other nations aspire to with even the smallest of settlements being well organised and possessing all needed utilities such as health, sanitation and education, which are traditional Aztek priorities leading back to before the discovery of their lands by outsiders.

The Aztek's maintain such development and link it together via a large and well planned out transport network so that even if certain elements are wasteful in smaller villages, they can be accessed in nearby larger towns or cities, and are easy to find via public records, which are extremely extensive and maintained as a matter of necessity, thanks to lessons learned centuries ago when combatting European Plagues.

The government no matter what it's composition has long strived to minimise social unrest through ensuring unfettered access to recreational activities with organised sporting leagues and public entertainment with arenas and designated areas for the practise of both performative arts and sport which themselves are overseen by an element of the government and possess a Union of their own.

Army Description : The Ascendancy’s military is an altogether smaller force, the main force of the Regular Army is supported by the various Prides, warrior orders who idealise certain military traditions and function as effective support units, these include entities such as the Panther Pride which are the closest body in the world to modern day commandos, the Jaguar Pride which embody the idea of elite close range shock troops and the Eagle Pride who specialise in covert reconnaissance to name but a few. The army itself operates on the principle of small unit tactics with marksmanship and utilising the terrain as modus operandii. initiative and forward thinking are prized qualities for an officer in the Ascendancy’s army with movement through ranks being a common occurrence as incompetence is ill tolerated, in times of war the army can be rapidly expanded by calling up the reserves.

It is customary for all Aztek Males to undergo a year of low level military training before they enter third tier education at the age of 14 during which discipline is drilled into the youths, which is later reinforced three years later at the conclusion of third tier education and is required for an Aztek Male to be considered an adult, likewise Aztek Females undergo their own version of such training, at similar stages, the intention for this for both sexes is to help instil early discipline and purpose, while also allowing for educational gaps in which some real world experience outside of familial environments to be imparted upon the citizenry.

The Armed forces are highly motivated and consider themselves to be an elite, able to call back on a military heritage that has known not defeat, however this is tempered by the simple fact that the Ascendancy has not needed to utilise it’s army against a conventional foe in a regular conflict for many years. This does not mean however that military endeavours do not enter the equation when it comes to Tenochtitlan’s considerations, in addition what conflicts the Ascendancy has been engaged in have allowed those with natural skill to lead to rise towards the top and the army has in it’s upper echelons several notable military thinkers.
Army Weakness : As mentioned above the Ascendancy has not needed to wage war for many a year and as a result actual combat experience is now somewhat rare apart from military exercises. Through several means the Azteks have managed to send observers abroad to observe conflicts about the world, however the information gleaned is incomplete and fragmentary as a result there are some points of dispute about what lessons could be learned something which has not stopped them from trying. Furthermore there is some factionalism within the military along political lines between the reformists and traditionalists, this in many ways mirrors the divide in the Central Assembly.

Additionally, the Aztek Armed forces lack much in the way of Cavalry, a weakness that seems to becoming very much less of an issue than it used to be, with motorised vehicles starting to emerge, with the idea that these could represent a new future in military thinking is a popular idea among military leaders. Much thought is given to such an idea however this is also tempered by the acceptance that practical and effective use of such things is an idea for the future, this has not stopped however efforts at trying to make such thoughts a practical reality, an effort described as almost wasteful by some.

Finally the Army while it has been experimenting with Naval Landings at present lacks much in the way of practical experience outside of some of the Prides, and overall confidence in the competence of the Navy is something of a concern in the ranks. This is despite extensive efforts in developing that force which has bred a small degree of resentment due to what those resources could have done for the Army, a baseless sentiment in reality as funding for one force has not been to the detriment of the other.
Naval Description : The Aztek Navy is a steadily growing and highly modern if somewhat untested force, extensive efforts have been made over the centuries to cultivate a naval spirit as due to circumstances the Azteks were not originally a natural naval power. In time however the Azteks have managed to develop a steadily growing Naval Cadre, something which is considered to be of primary importance given the spread out nature of the Ascendancy and the importance of trade to it's economy.

A key part of the Aztek Navy has been in keeping free lines of trade between the Ascendancy and their primary trading partners and many of the lessons and doctrines developed have been as a result of operating over such extensive areas, key experience was gained during the prolonged conflict against the Pirate Kings, and although such knowledge is now likely out of date, it provided a great deal of impetus after the initial efforts began during the difficult first contact with the Europeans.

The Aztek Navy has been greatly expanded in the last century with several major shipyards working tirelessly to provide the fleets with the most advanced vessels possible, these efforts have been redoubled with the impending completion of the canal to ensure it’s security. Like many other areas the Aztek’s have applied their own brand of ingenuity and inventiveness to the field of Naval Technology and Theory yet like much of the Aztek Military although much of the idea is sound the application is as of yet untested.
Naval Weakness : The Azteks were not originally naturally navally inclined, it is only through much effort that a Navy has been cultivated, and it is decidedly untested, with little in the way of traditions to depend upon. It is possessed of it’s own versions of Prides, these are however based upon theory exercise and idea and has yet to be seen how they would work, however the Admiralty and the government in Tenochtitlan is cautiously optimistic about it’s overall effectiveness.

Not only do the Aztek’s find themselves with a large operational area to keep secure with what assets they have and the constant press and need for more vessels is something of a source of friction between themselves and the land forces, although in recent years much of this friction has faded away due to better cooperation and understanding there remains something of a rivalry between the two services.

National Goals and Ambitions :

• Complete Security of the Homefront, with an eye towards securing the Gulf and Sea of Aztlan (The Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea)
• Completing the Industrial Programs in the North and South to ensure an equal development in the frontier territories.
• Ensuring Stability and security in the Americas with an eye to seeing the Americas for the Americans
• Secure like-minded partners and Allies in an increasingly polarised world

National Issues : The nation is only now just beginning to open up to the outside world, viewing foreigners as outsiders both figuratively and literally, as a result the nation has scant few trading links but those that do exist are somewhat extensive, as time goes on expanding this trade will have possible side effects. In addition the Iron Totalists are a highly militant and radical Ideological platform within the body politic whose brand of Syndicalism has been growing slowly in popularity however a healthy portion of it's members are growing decidedly uncomfortable with the degree of radicalism and the goals espoused.


History :

General Time Period: 1350-1500
Description:
In the wake of the victory of Tenochtitlan over it's former overlord of Azcapotzalco, it found an increasing common cause with it's neighbouring cities of Texcoco, and Tlacopan, with each acting in a manner complimentary to the other, Tenochtitlan preeminent in military affairs, Texcoco was home to many of the great thinkers and inventors of the age, and Tlacopan while initially a lesser member made efforts to position itself as the economic powerhouse of the three.

In the ensuing years the Alliance sought initially to expand it's influence to encompass the area surrounding Lake Texcoco, between the exertion of both hard and soft power the various cities and settlements initially establishing them as tributaries, coming into frequent conflict with the Tlaxcala and other nations. Despite the conflicts with Tlaxcala remaining mostly in a stalemate, efforts elsewhere began to bear fruit and would eventually reach the coast and before where some trade had occurred between the mainland and the Caribbean islands, efforts were made to increase it as well as the idea that these lands could be a potential future prize.

During this time reports began to circulate of strange men, in even stranger ships being sighted, this piquing the interest of many ensured that territories closest to the coast had scouting teams close to hand the opportunity should arise. Which in time it did, what the scouting teams encountered disembarking from their unusual ships were men half mad from dehydration and exposure who attacked the scouts on sight, several of the crew were butchered on the spot, while the rest were brought back for interrogation, and their arms and armour were sent back to Texcoco, with several of their thinkers set out to study their vessels.
Major Events:

• The Triple Alliance, the basis for the future Aztek Ascendancy is formed
• The Alliance expands extensively through various means such as political, economic, diplomatic and militarily creating a system of tributaries and lesser alliances.
• The three cities clearly delineate areas of expertise amongst them, with Tenochtitlan being foremost in military affairs, Texcoco, foremost in Scientific affairs and Tlacopan rising to become foremost in economic affairs.
• Intermittent conflicts yet inconclusive conflicts with Tlaxcala prevent much in the way of southern expansion, despite this expansion both north, east and west continue apace until the coast is reached.
• The Thinkers at Texcoco experiment with seagoing vessels using their experience in constructing lake going boats.
• Unusual Vessels are discovered beached on the western coast, their occupants nowhere to be found, the vessels are studied dismantled and reverse engineered.
• Europeans arrive only to attack the scouting parties with several prisoners being taken to nearby settlements which subsequently report outbreaks of strange new diseases, while their accoutrements and vessels are studied and useful ideas are incorporated and utilised in future developments.

Persons of Note:

• Huey Tlataoni Itzcoatl , the great speaker or King of Tenochtitlan, it was he who in the aftermath of the conflicts with Azcapotzalco and the subsequent freeing from their yoke, he oversaw the negotiations with the leader of Texcoco, Nezahualcoyotl and the leader of Tlacopan, Totoquilhuaztli
• Nezahualcoyotl , the great speaker or King of Texcoco, he was a noted thinker of the age and helped shape his city into a place of learning and free thought and many of the subsequent innovations of the Aztek would hail from this city, or have it’s roots there, be it from one of the cities many places of study or it’s libraries.
• Totoquilhuaztli , the great speaker or King of Tlacopan, he realised that his city in it’s current state would remain little more than a junior party in the Triple Alliance in light of Tenochtitlan’s military contributions and Texcoco’s technological contributions, sought to elevate Tlacopan and laid down the foundations for the city as the major economic contributor of the alliance.
• Huey Tlataoni Moctezuma Xocoyotzin II , the Great Speaker, or King of Tenochtitlan who gave the order for scouting parties to meet any outsiders, and is long since credited in hindsight, though he could not have known at the time, for protecting the Aztek’s from the ravages of hostile avaricious Europeans.

General Time Period: 1500-1580
Description:
A Series of Plagues begin to spread out from the city where the survivors were taken, the spread is limited by distance and measures are taken to keep the infections under control with it being quickly realised that preventing travel severely restricted the spread, during this period a notable grouping of priests declare this to be an omen that yet more sacrifices are needed however before such a sacrifice can begin the priests are struck by lightning with onlookers quick to declare that the gods wish no more sacrifices. This prospect is resisted by several leading members of the priesthood who protected by their protestors ascend the grand Pyramid in Tenochtitlan to perform a great sacrifice, only for the city to be rocked by an earthquake causing the priests to tumble to their deaths down the steps, in the aftermath of this Human Sacrifices came to a swift end.

As the times of plague came to an end a swift military campaign was launched against the Tlaxcala seeking revenge for opportunism during the plagues, which by now was also suffering through outbreaks of such disease leaving their forces weakened and thus making them easier prey, leading to the eventual conquest and allowing the Triple Alliance to continue moving southwards, albeit more slowly as the various cities and nations begin to recover to a degree from several years of rolling disease. During this period the first forays on experimental new boats into what some were starting to call the Aztlan Sea, in honour of their ancestral homeland, making landfall on Cuba and through negotiation bring several settlements into the fold from which Tlacopan begins to exert a small but noticeable measure of economic influence.
Major Events:

• A series of plagues and diseases affect much of the cities with valuable insights gained into how to manage and control outbreaks with leeway given to the thinkers of Texcoco who posit numerous ideas and are given free reign to pursue their theories and ideas particularly in the fields of dissection and medicinal herbs cultivated in their famous gardens.
• The Icnopiltlan system, a state sponsored Orphanage system first utilised for war orphans is greatly expanded in the wake of the newly orphaned children during the plagues, and incentives are given to encourage a population boom, with families finding themselves unable to support additional children able to anonymously give their children over to the Icnopiltlan, this would serve to compensate for a loss of population to disease, this would however take much time to bear fruit, and would require much expansion due to the extent of requirement.
• Tlaxcala finally falls allowing for southern expansion, however by this point the Triple Alliance is still exhausted thanks to the plagues and progress slows from it’s previous rampant pace
• Experimental watercraft allow the alliance to extend their reach across the sea to Cuba, in addition expeditions are launched westward.

General Time Period: 1580-1620
Description:
During the times of recovery discussions were held between the three principle cities of the Alliance to something more permanent, in the end an agreement is reached, and the three cities pool their resources forming a more formal nation, with each city to be equal, with the capital at Tenochtitlan which had long been realised as first among equals. In the wake of this efforts are made to exert more direct control over the tributaries beginning a slow but steady process of integration, progress is not universally successful, but between various means of pressure it manages to achieve results, usually by virtue of acceptance of the direction of travel.
Despite early successes it is accepted that the process will take time, even as it will take time for the three cities themselves to adapt to the new normal, however successes further afield would help distract somewhat in addition to news of more outsiders, this time from the opposite direction in radically different looking ships, again scouting parties, of a distinctly different makeup are assembled, being more militarily minded than the previous ones all those years ago.

This time however rather than encountering dehydrated lunatics driven mad by numerous privations, instead are visibly different from the previous outsiders both in dress and appearance. After some difficulty the two parties manage to achieve some measure of understanding and they are directed to something of a new creation for the Aztek’s a port city on the coast, home to a handful of experimental vessels that had begun exploring the seas tentatively. The strange vessel causes no small amount of trepidation and the presence of outsiders, even more so considering the effects of the last group.

In the end the initial meetings are inconclusive but do end on a positive note, and in themselves spur on an explorative spirit, over the next few years explorers would begin sailing west.
Major Events:

• Outsiders make landfall however little of note amounts from this
• Explorations westward begin with a small handful of waystations established on various islands to allow for further exploration and trade, this does not go smoothly as the relative newness of the Azteks to the sea are ruthlessly demonstrated, despite this efforts are made to learn from and correct these problems, however each loss is painful as even the small amount of experience the lost sailors has is a painful and priceless loss.
• The Triple Alliance reforms into a unified nation state with it’s capital at Tenochtitlan with the cities of Texcoco and Tlacopan remaining important centre’s of the nation, in light of this phases of integration begin with the tributaries starting with the longest held before steadily moving out.
• A series of uprisings in Tlaxcala are ruthlessly put down however each uprising is drastically less supported as the local population deals with the aftermath of the plagues.
• Experiments in creating gunpowder of their own at Texcoco are finally successful after several long years of duplicating what the mad foreigners had brought with them, it will be some time however before it’s practical utilisation can be realised, however this does not deter the thinkers of Texcoco.
• Expeditions are dispatched both east and west with various islands brought under the control of the Triple Alliance to act as waystations for further exploration in addition for permanent settlement.
• Expansion reaches as far south as the Maya people's, whose fall from grace is a subject of fascination in the three centre's as a result extensive efforts are made to pacify the region as gently as possible to study the histories and learn from it and the techniques of the Mayans.

General Time Period: 1620-1700
Description:
Expansion continues a pace with the prevailing narrative being to protect both the Ascendancy and the Americas from dangerous outsiders, a category which conveniently includes all foreigners, various nations who have themselves suffered from predations of these would be settlers and their attendant plagues join freely, while others require further means of persuasion, and even when events come to blows benevolence is shown in the aftermath and extensive efforts at pacification and integration are made, no matter the differences they are Aztek citizens first. During this period several nascent European Settlements are discovered, which are wholesale put to the torch with the intent being to prevent further outbreaks of plague, despite these efforts the Ascendancy would continue to deal with rolling outbreaks, which are kept under rigid if somewhat imperfect control.

During this time scientific endeavours continue, in regards to the understanding of the methods of the Europeans as well as the Aztek's own knowledge in general, with one inspiring the other and spurring on discoveries, with the Aztek's utilising knowledge they had long possessed but had little need or use for in new ways, with their own firearms being developed. Which initially see a small uptake in specialised units due to their initial shortcomings with a mix of bow and, bow and bullet remaining the standard throughout this period, with the reality steadily tilting in the direction of the bullet, despite this the practicalities of the bow would remain a key consideration well into later periods with development and innovation.

Aside from small scale conflicts, barely deserving the title of war, this was considered a time of peace, with an ever expanding integration effort with many of the early tributaries considering themselves Aztek, and a steadily growing and developing string of waystation outpost colonies in the pacific to support trade, this was considered something of a a peaceful time almost akin to a renaissance.
Major Events:

• Outpost colonies are established across the pacific in short jumps allowing for further explorations.
• As a result of the trade chain in the process of being established, initial designs proved less than ideal for plying the seas and a steady stream of newer and improved designs emerged, with each being more effective than the last, these efforts would also serve to expand the small initial pool of sailors the Aztek's had as more vessels allowed for the limited pool of experience to expand and grow.
• Despite the amount of local powers able to pose a threat to the growing nation, technological development increases at a previously unseen pace, with the threat of a second wave or worse as one reason, a desire to keep foreigners at bay and to never be outmatched not to mention the long held Aztek simple desire to forever be the best and the purity of knowledge.
• The Schooling system is overhauled, along more meritocratic lines due in no small part to many recent thinkers and scholars having emerged in Texcoco from outside the more noble families, the changes although relatively minor are significant in that the schooling of both sexes are brought closer in line with one another.
• Rolling plagues would continue to be a concern, though with each new outbreak the effect is lessened, this is for the most part attributed to methods of managing such outbreaks and a medical understanding, however later scholars would put forward the idea that the native populace had instead built up a resistance to such diseases, with others instead saying that a combination of the two being more likely.
• Reforms are undertaken in the caste system the Aztek's operated similar in line with schooling to be more meritocratic and opened up in general, especially in light of the heavy expansion of the Icnopiltlan system, with many families, donating their children as it were to the system anonymously, in no small part due to the extremely high birth rate of the era, this coincides with numerous works establishing new settlements farms, mines and chinampas.

General Time Period: 1620-1700
Description:
Pirates fleeing or perhaps in search of a safe haven or even in search of fresh plunder came to the island of Hispaniola and after a few years became a steady scourge to the Aztek's but thus far the Aztek's had scant experience in terms of Naval combat and their vessels, tactics and ideas for a war at sea were sorely outmatched, with only complete disaster being averted by the sheer ferocity of the defence on land. What resulted was a long drawn out conflict of cat and mouse with what remained of the Aztek Eastern Fleet, with great pains being taken to keep the pirate's away from the coast of the mainland, a game which lasted several years with each subsequent generation of Aztek warships being more effective but still outmatched, during this time the Pirate's through blockade managed to seize the eastern half of Cuba.

The breaking point of the Pirate's would be reached after a string of battle's the result of which was an uneasy stalemate, with the Aztek's seeking to expand their navy as swiftly as possible while the Pirate's sought to repair what remained of their ruined fleets, it was during this period that the latest in a line of Pirate Kings, Blood Beard, went missing, resulting in a power vacuum, which was formed by the infamous and ruthless Pirate Lord Iron Chin, who set to a frenzy of activity seeking to throw the Aztek's off balance, even going so far to launch invasions of the Aztek mainland.

His strategy bore early fruit before this served to enrage the Aztek's who with a will destroyed the invasion forces and their supporting fleet forever changing the balance, it was however during this period that elements of the Pirate's who were not so sympathetic to Iron Chin, shifted their allegiance, shifting outright to the Aztek's causing something of a schism in the previously united Pirate front. As a result of this a healthy portion of the Pirates hoisted the flag of their former foe and took up arms against their would be lord, under the banner of Bloody Mary, Daughter of Blood Beard who sought to call to her side her father's lieutenant's, Lemon Coat, Teary Eye's and the Witchdoctor, out of three only one would answer the call requiring to be herself freed from her "position" as Iron Chin's new tactician and first mate, while Lemon Coat had passed away from Scurvy and the Witchdoctor having vanished into the ether never to be seen or heard from again.

After less than a year the Aztek's had bested the pirate's with many seeing which way the wind was blowing laid down their arms and surrendered, of Iron Chin however, there was no trace, having set sail to the far west, vowing to return one day and lay claim to the world's plunder, in the aftermath of this the Aztek's had managed to an extent to cultivate a naval tradition and the influx of pirate's further boosted and augmented this despite it's more than dubious origins. While this was ongoing expansion both north and south had not abated and integrations efforts continued apace, with an overwhelming success with most brought into the fold willingly having experienced a far better life under this new regime.


Major Events:

• Parts of the Caribbean become contested by a Pirate group, in the ensuing wars the Aztek's manage to bring their naval technologies, designs, tactics and technique's up to parity with that of the rest of the world through sheer necessity.
• The Aztek's solidify their hold over the southern pacific with the trading outposts flourishing into fully self sufficient holdings ruled from Tenochtitlan.
• Reforms of the government are undertaken as the primary needs of the nation begin to turn from war to prosperity.
• The various ball games of the Aztek's are formalised and codified into coherent sports.
• Overtures are made to various foreign nations through intermediaries for seeds and plantings of all types for the botanical gardens overlooking Texcoco.
• Tlacopan initiates wide ranging economic reforms with the official establishment of a central bank, with it's main body located within the city itself.

Persons of Note:

• Blood Mary, a former pirate who joined the Aztek's after a Jaguar Pride rescued her family from Iron Chins dungeons, her influence over the Pirate's caused several to wholesale join the Aztek's, she would later serve as an Admiral to the Aztek's and use her experience and influence with her comrades to greatly aid the Aztek Navy
• Xuxa "Teary Eyes", former first mate of Blood Beard, she was very much a fixer and tactician and brought her knowledge of European style tactics and methods with her when she joined at Bloody Mary's call.

General Time Period: 1700-1815
Description:
In the aftermath of the Pirate upheavals the government in Tenochtitlan sought a period of calm and stability, with the northern and southern expansions reaching their natural limits, with the main concern to the North being the predations of the inevitable, the Europeans having found the Aztek's a difficult barrier to breach, instead tried much further north and appeared to have made significant inroads, debate raged for weeks about the correct course of action, with the final decision being to continue the expansion but with an eye now for an eventual border with whatever nation they would encounter.

During this period they encountered the various native's of the land, many of whom had suffered greatly at the predations of the Europeans through displacement and clearly hollow words and broken treaties and promises, the Aztek's themselves offered words and actions, inviting them to move south, to join the Aztek Ascendancy and know safety, a small handful took them up on this offer, most refused and were eventually either wiped out by Europeans or finally acquiesced to the Aztek offer in a much reduced state. Those who did found the only caveats being they would be under Aztek law, and while their culture and customs would be allowed to continue, their children must submit to the same education as other Aztek's or they themselves must provide an equivalent which like the Aztek's own be regularly checked and verified, over the years there would be some friction with several peoples slowly integrating and others dispersing out across the nation.

Eventually the Aztek's would clash more violently with their new neighbours, or rather their new neighbours would do so, while the Aztek's had managed to exercise all due restraint, the ensuing conflict saw the Aztek's fiercely hold their lines utilising new tactics and arms while retaining their old methods and ferocity, After several years with Aztek casualties light in comparison and European casualties considerably higher peace was achieved, with the only blemishes on Aztek Pride involving European usage of Cavalry to which the Aztek's had few ways to respond, in the end the Aztek's had their border and an extreme level of friction with European settlers being forced back by force of arms and an extreme amount of restraint to not pursue any further.

During this time a new revolution began, an Industrial revolution as technology had advanced yet further, beginning slowly in Texcoco, and swiftly adopted and refined by Tlacopan, who sought to spread this new engine of prosperity far and wide, the process was slow as Aztek society itself had to shift and adapt which it was swift to do so, with new groupings created societally to relay their thoughts and concerns to power.


Major Events:

• The Northern Aztek Borders reach their modern limits which are eventually recognised by colonial powers after a masterfully fought defensive war on the Aztek's part, during this war a heavy toll is reaped upon the aggressors by the Aztek's tactics, which are unfamiliar to the Colonials, between that and their different methods and technologies the Aztek's could have pushed past their lines, but were restrained from doing so by the political leadership, wishing to avoid overstretch.
• The Industrial Revolution begins in the Ascendancy with the three centre's working in harmony in accordance with their long established spheres and it begins to radiate out throughout the nation.
• The emergence of proto workers unions begins as a natural evolution of the guilds of old which had likewise been reformed and reorganised.
• Lake Texcoco is further dredged and the areas of brackish water reduced, with likewise efforts at lake and water management undertaken throughout the nation.
• Studies are made of methods to connect the two seas of the Ascendancy.

Persons of Note: [list]

[The Industrial States of Columbia]

Tag for Joseon

[Wasi State]

Am intrigued with the concept, and immediately had a really dumb, yet entertaining idea of just transferring the Enclave from Fallout, but having it of course be limited to the confines of early 19th century tech. Which in my mind translated to a bunch of Ned Kelly LARPers roaming around with flintlocks with unstable "teslas coils" haphazardly strapped to them with questionable benefits at best. How best would such a faction fit into this setting I have to ask, given a realistic enough suspension of disbelief?

[Tracian Empire]

Am intrigued with the concept, and immediately had a really dumb, yet entertaining idea of just transferring the Enclave from Fallout, but having it of course be limited to the confines of early 19th century tech. Which in my mind translated to a bunch of Ned Kelly LARPers roaming around with flintlocks with unstable "teslas coils" haphazardly strapped to them with questionable benefits at best. How best would such a faction fit into this setting I have to ask, given a realistic enough suspension of disbelief?

I'm sure how that would work. By "we are willing to accept everything as long as it is fully explained", we mean that we are ready to accept all potential alternative history concepts as long as they are well and realistically explained. Fundamentally, bringing the Exclave over would not be proper alternative history, it would be bringing an alt-history concept from another world and another time into this. It wouldn't fit within the rest of the world and its history.

If you would like to create some sort of scenario that leads to order breaking down in the eastern US, you could, but even then some things wouldn't work - this is 1812, 80 years before Tesla coils became a thing. The hottest new thing in terms of electricity would be the Voltaic pile.

[The New Byzantine II]

Reservation

Nation Name: Federal Republic of Brazil (La République Fédérale du Brésil)
Territory: Brazil, Uruguay and French Guiana
#AltDiv (Do not delete this, it is used to keep track of the apps)

*Note: Reservations will last for 48 hours. The OP board reserves the right to be subjective in regards to accepting and removing reservations.

[Tracian Empire]

Reservation

Nation Name: Federal Republic of Brazil (La République Fédérale du Brésil)
Territory: Brazil, Uruguay and French Guiana
#AltDiv (Do not delete this, it is used to keep track of the apps)

*Note: Reservations will last for 48 hours. The OP board reserves the right to be subjective in regards to accepting and removing reservations.

Reservation accepted

[Alaska Hawaii and the Aleutes]

Full Nation Name : The Queendom of the Qha
Majority/Official Culture : Qha (A mixture of Hawaiians and Yupik)
Territorial Core : Hawaii, Alaska, Cascadia, Chukotka
Territorial Claim : More Pacific Islands, more north american territories, east russia
Capital City : Honolulu, Hawaii
Population : 5 Million

Government Type : Monarchy, but with a parliament (similar to german empre)
Government Ideology/Policies : /
Government Focus : The government is focused on defending its nation from Colonizers, so they can preserve their culture. Culture is probably the most important part.
Head of State : Aliʻi nui Keaka ('Supreme Ruler'/Queen Keaka)
Head of Government : Chancellor Cungagnak
Government Description : The Monarchy has executive and judiciary power, The parliament legislative power

Majority/State Religion : Yasneism
Religious Description : Yasneism is a tradionslist poly-theistic belief. There are many gods and goddesses. Notably: Marraya (Goddess of the seas), Shaya (Goddess of the peaceful wind), Yasne (Main God, God of the Storms, Fire and War), Qhaya (Yasne's spouse, god of peace and unity), Mane (God of creativity and money).

Economic Ideologies : Traditional economic system
Major Production : Tropical fruits, gold
Economic Description : Based on goods, services, and work, all of which follow certain established trends; It relies a lot on people

Development: Industrializing
Development Description : Many things that were needed to evolve from primitive development weren't there. They only became available when cattle was imported from Russia after those two had met. The Qha got a view on Europe and started mimicking them.

Army Description : The Imperial Qha army is the land armed force of the Russian Empire, active from around 1752. Currently there are 250 thousand active duty and about 150 thousand more irregulars. The army is devided in certain army districts (Aleut, Chukchi, Yupik, Hawaiian, Cassa, Ziya)
Army Weakness : A fifth of the army still uses primitive weapons
Naval Description : The Imperial Qha Navy operates as the navy of the Queendom of the Qha since 1975. It developed from a smaller force that had existed prior to Ayuluk IV to a great navy on par with some European nations (excluding France and Britain) in 1800.
The Imperial Navy drew its officers from the Hawaiian (and Alutiiq) aristocracy of the Queendom, who belonged to the Yasneist church. Young aristocrats began to be trained for leadership at a national naval school. For big expeditions only Hawaiian (or Alutiiq) officers that are part of the Yasneist church are allowed to go.
The Qha also have one of the biggest military ships, the Qha Lotus.
Naval Weakness : Lack of many ships, many ships imported.
Further Military Description : /

National Goals : Preservaion of culture and sovereignty, expansion of territory.
National Issues : Alaskan Minorities are looked down upon, many of the nation's views have been forced upon by the Russians
National Figures of Interest : [[OPTIONAL]] [[Are there any Mother Teresas or Moses that we need to know about?]]
National Ambition/Aspirations : A world where the Qha reach to the skies and can evolve into the spirits which are described in the Book of Xaye

History :
[spoiler=it's long]In 663 A.D, the Polynesians, already settled in Hawaii were comfortable to sail out in exploration of more of the Pacific ocean. Some of the tribal wise women told tales of a huge island, directly to the east.
And so, the new Polynesian pioneers took off in their longboats, and set sail for this 'new world'
On a dark, foggy night, where the storms gathered and the waves got larger and bigger, the floatilla was sent adrift. It was only a few days later, when the stormclouds finally subsided did the people realise that they were headed North, rather than to the east.
The experienced Polynesian pioneers knew better than to divert course now. Though they knew they were heading north from the direction of the sun, there was no telling how far they had been sent adrift. The longboats continued north for days, weeks even.
Slowly, the waters grew colder and colder as the Polynesians continued sailing north. It took weeks, months even until the lost crew finally spotted land. A collection of islands, further north than the Polynesians had ever seen, no less colonized. Hungry, no less freezing, the lost group had to stop on the island, no less their boats go any further north...
By this time, the Hawaiian Polynesians knew that something was amiss. The elders foresaw the lost group, and where they ended up. Scholars still are clueless as to how the Hawaiians knew where to look. The only thing that can be said for certain is it was a stroke of absolute luck that the elder's predictions were right. A rescue group was sent out, after the lost Polynesians.
By now, the lost group had landed, on an island now known as Kiska. The resourceful Polynesians found a way to live in the cold climate, something that they had barely experienced before. They upturned their longboats on land for shelter, and started to construct tents that more resemble native American tipis, with a cultural Polynesian flare.
Unfortunately, the lost group wouldn't be rescued. The rescue flotilla is agreed upon by scholars to avoid the Aleutian island chain, instead finding themselves on the Kodiak peninsula. This marked the first contact between the Polynesians and the native Alaskans, the Yupik.
The Yupik are the closest relatives to the first Siberian Hunter - Gatherers that crossed the Bering land bridge many millennia ago. A small Polynesian settlement was built, named 'Faʻatulagaina o Fanua i Matu' or simply 'Northern Land Encampment'. Around three quarters of the Polynesian rescue group stayed in Faʻatulagaina o Fanua i Matu, whilst the other quarter successfully returned to Hawaii. They reported no sightings of the lost group, but said they found a grand landmass of ice and forests far to the north. When they requested for more settlers to explore the mysterious land, to their surprise the Polynesian elders agreed.
This is the common story for the Polynesian discovery of Alaska. After a few convoys of Polynesian settlers reached the shores, the Kiska lost group was finally discovered, and to one's surprised, had developed into a settlement. A struggling settlement, but one nonetheless.
The Yupik and Polynesians found peace with eachother. Under the guidance of the Polynesians, some Yupik developed civilisation, a new concept for them. The Yupik taught the new arrivals how to best survive off the Alaskan lands. This was the first step of becoming the modern Qha.
The Yupik and Hawaiians interbred into the Qha and in about 900 A.D. they formed a queendom. The two main leaders of the Hawaiians and the Yupik were decided for that role. The first queen was a Hawaiian, the second one a Yupik and so on. With time they conquered many lands and eventually met the Aleut in 1000 A.D. The Aleut were the most successful in their resistance. After many talks with them, Queen Zaira I decided that they will be a part of the queendom and that every third queen has to be an Aleut.
(Lots of stuff happened, but I'm going to continue from 1744 because that was the first meeting with the Europeans.)
In 1744 the pretty isolated Queendom met the giant Russian Empire. The Queendom didn't want to be a territory, so they asked for diplomacy and succeeded to a certain extent. Queen Yara II managed to get a deal that it will be considered Russian lands for the Europeans, but be completely autonomous from Russia. It was hard to get that deal and still many wandered into Qha lands without being allowed to.
After just a few years later Queen Yara ordered the "Europanization" of the Qha while preserving culture. An almost impossible task which was completed two decades after her death in 1755.[/spoiler]
RP Sample: (part of the NAM disbanding and WRAPT forming dispute in Blackstar)
QNC
Chancellor Marray Zeve declares the closure of the Qhayü embassy in Salvador, Empire of Wells Fargo. The reason: unexplained passive aggressive behaviour towards the Qha Federal Republic. The closure is expected in 1 month. If Wells Fargo explains its behaviour (OOC: Can be a telegram) to Alaska, the closure will be cancelled. Nations not associated with the problem will be asked to stay out of it.
-
The Federal Qha Republic asks the Neutral Swiss confederacy to improve relations again in the future. "It is sad to see our nations part when we need to protect the status of neutrality the most. We apologize for disbanding NAM, but it was the only way to reach a goal our nation had since its existence. Instead of NAM we propose a loose Swiss-Alaskan Neutrality Alliance to still protect the neutrals. We believe our nations can work well in the future if put aside our past and flourish into a wonderful future" -Marray Zeve

#AltDiv (Do not delete this, it is used to keep track of the apps)

[Tracian Empire]

I'm sorry, but as it is marked on the map, in the reservations list, and in the apps that was posted, all the territories that you are trying to app for belong to either Meiguo or the Wei.

[Tracian Empire]

Full Nation Name : Meiguo | Republic of Meiguo | 美民國 | Mei Minguo


#AltDiv (Do not delete this, it is used to keep track of the apps)

Accepted