Madrinet originated as a fief of the Holy Roman Empire, initially governed by the Dukes of Bavaria; however, Madrinet eventually rose to become a Duchy in its own right in the 10th century, becoming an Imperial State with a powerful sovereign subordinate only to the Emperor himself. This relationship with the Empire remained until 1797 when, as part of the Treaty of Campoformio, the Hapsburg Emperor was forced to renounce his claims to certain territories and recognise them as sovereign, including the newly-formed Kingdom of Madrinet.
Madrinet is governed according to the apparently paradoxical system of 'constitutional autocracy' wherein the King (currently Amadeus X) rules absolutely as both head of state and head of government; however, although the rights of state power in their entire extent belong to the King, He does not directly exercise all those powers. The King self-limits His autocracy by delegating certain rights and responsibilities to other institutions acting in His name, by His orders, and within the limits laid down for them by law - such as the Royal Senate, the unicameral parliament of Madrinet to which each of the twenty provinces elect two Senators; and the Prefectural Councils, local assemblies responsible for the government of their particular regions. This system allows power to be exercised expediently and without delay when necessary, but with due public consultation and representation in matters that directly affect Madrinetan subjects.
Madrinet's economy is highly developed, with a GDP of 38 billion florins (around 46 billion USD) in 2017. Despite contractions, metallurgy and shipbuilding remain the largest industries in Madrinet, supported by King Mordecai's metalgintza project in the early 1970s; arms manufacture, textile machinery, machine tools, and automobiles still make up the bulk of Madrinetan production despite a significant decline at the turn of the century. These large firms, some of which are international leaders, notwithstanding, the majority of Madrinetan industry is centred on small and medium-sized enterprises; each industrial district in Madrinet is generally recognised for its excellence in a specific area of light manufacturing; for example, Marisco specialises in textiles; the Marzglatz (now separated into the Marques of Baileaul and Caulmont) specialises in ceramic tile production and mechanical engineering; while Mauvin is known for its wooden furniture.
Agriculture, forestry, and fishing also play key roles in the Madrinetan economy, with some 37,000 hectares dedicated to the production of fruits and vegetables (particularly wheat, olives and grapes) for both domestic consumption and export. Madrinet is one of the world's largest exporters of olive oil, which together with wine enjoys a positive trade balance.
Madrinet is a neutral state with a universally recognised vocation to cooperation, understanding, and friendship with other countries in order to safeguard Madrinet's sovereignty and create the best possible conditions for the Kingdom's development and the happiness of its subjects.
As Madrinet has grown on the world stage, the goodwill and close relationships it has fostered with neighbouring countries, as well as with friends further afield, have allowed the Kingdom to champion the Madrinetan way of life across the globe; far from being purely economic in nature, the principles of environmental awareness, protecting human rights, and combatting poverty underline Madrinet's domestic and foreign policies.
Although Madrinet is not a member of the World Assembly or signatory to any international agreements relating to diplomatic protocol, the immunities and privileges afforded to diplomatic agents and their families as well as the administrative and technical staff of the Mission broadly overlap with international convention and are more thoroughly elucidated in the Decree No. 760 05-2664 MOR 64 "On Diplomatic Privileges". It is generally expected that these provisions will apply reciprocally.
His Majesty's Collegium of External Affairs is responsible for handling all aspects of international relations through the Department of Diplomatic and Consular Affairs. The Department is headed by Sothséne di Mesniel, Count of Bélogne, to whom all queries relating to establishing embassies or legations within Madrinet should be addressed.
An up-to-date list of addresses and contact details of all embassies within Madrinet can be found in the Clarault Diplomatic List.
