Hamittia
Grand Duchy of Hamittia and its colonial holdings overseas Grande-duche d'Hamittia et coloniagli |
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| Motto: "Vive de Duxmagne!" "Long live the Grand Duke!" |
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| Anthem: Mille mars |
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| Region | Persekutuan | |||||
| Capital | Biscanne | |||||
| Official language(s) | English, French, Hamittian | |||||
| Demonym | Hamittians | |||||
| Government | Absolute Monarchy | |||||
| - | Grand Duke | HRH Viscount the Second | ||||
| Establishment | ||||||
| - | Establishment of the Grand Duchy | 370 BC | ||||
| - | Sanjarkan Reestablishment | 1454 August 3rd | ||||
| - | Declaration of Independence from the Vinitian Empire | 1889 February 18th | ||||
| Area | ||||||
| - | Total | 45,218,400 km2 17,458,922 sq mi |
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| Population | ||||||
| - | 2012 estimate | 4,000,000,000 | ||||
| - | Density | 88.5/km2 229.2/sq mi |
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| Currency | Troutpound (tp) |
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| National animal | Trout | |||||
| Date formats | yyyy-mm-dd | |||||
| Drives on the | Left side | |||||
| Internet TLD | .ham, .gdh | |||||
| Calling code | +900 | |||||
The Grand Duchy of Hamittia and its colonial holdings overseas is a monarchy situated in the Persekutuan region. Having reestablished its independence a century ago, it has quickly expanded nearly three times in size. As a nation, Hamittia's history has been very long and difficult, from golden ages to partitions which lead to various uprisings.
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History
The first mention of the name Hamittia as a state was in 441BC, after the wars over Bospha, the new Enerian Empire proclaimed that it "shall unite all of the lands that (natives) call Hamitea". Only after the Enerian Empire started its decline and Hamencian rebel forces captured many territories did Xamme Junius claim the throne, proclaim himself the Grand Duke of Hamittia and start the Junian dynasty which rules to this day.
The 3rd BC to 2nd century AD has been called The Golden Age of the Hamittian Peoples, however the Grand Duchy started to show signs of its decline in 255AD when, following the death of Daniel II, there was no suitable heir and the throne was claimed by a foreign dynasty, who called themselves Turcuk. This was a time when the nobles of the land were gaining more and more rights; the Councils decided nothing as each noble could veto a resolution, and the state deteriorated into anarchy. Only after the last Turcuk (the Third, or going by the monarch name of Vizier) was executed and the Junian Dynasty, namely Philip VI, regained the thrown were the rights of the nobles curtailed and the veto power annulled.
Philip VI is still called one of the greatest Dukes of the First Duchy, as his successors, Carol I, Carol II and Francis II, ruled during a steady decline and abdicated, died in exile and ruled during the Partitions of the Grand Duchy, respectively. The first partition was in 320, when the Kings of Hamernia, Hamencia and Niquea partitioned and annexed nearly a third of the Grand Duchy. The second partition happened in 397, after the abdication of Carol the First, leaving the crippled Grand Duchy in agony. The third and final partition was in 479, Francis II died in exile, and the Hamittian state would not be reestablished for a millennium.
Following the third partition, nearly the entire ethnic lands of Hamittians were now under the rule of the King of Niquea. This soon changed, as the balance of power shifted during the Hamencian - Niquean War of 521-544 in which the Hamencian Kingdom lost all of the gains from the partitions and the Niquean Empire was proclaimed. The Empire ruled over the lands until 1232; however it failed to unite the entire region as the Hamencian and Hamernian kingdoms fought bravely for their independence. It would seem unlikely, but the Niquean Empire was to collapse in less than a year, as the garrison commander Caenatis of Garumna rallied a hundred thousand Imperial troops to fight for their homeland. The rebellion (1231 - 1232) managed to get some early gains, but Caenatis of Garumna fell in battle and the rest of the Caenati Confederates were easily routed. The real impact was the fact that the Emperor of Niquea committed suicide when the Confederates started advancing towards the capital city, and this left no suitable heir from any of the royal families. Following seven years of bitter civil war, the Hamencian royal family of Viniti managed to usurp the throne and establish the Vinitian Empire (1239) which controlled the lands up until 1889.
The first major instabilities were the Sanjarkan Uprising of 1421 - 1456 when the Hamittian soldiers in the Imperial legions would once again rise up against their masters and achieve far more than the Caenati Uprising had done before - reestablish the Grand Duchy of Hamittia. Albeit the rebellion was suppressed and the Grand Duchy reconquered in two years, this proved to be the apex and the start of the decline of the Vinitian Empire. Later instabilities were the election and rule of Emperor John the Hamittian, who tried to improve civil rights but was executed. A Transitional Senate was called and ruled from 1711-1714, when Emperor Ferdinand IV reached the suitable age to rule - 16. The Transitional Senate also changed the way the Empire was governed and transformed it into a constitutional monarchy, which it remained to until its demise. The third, and most influential, uprising was the Mille Rising (1798 - 1802) when following a decision to create regiments based on their ethnicity lead to a quarter of the Imperial Army being regrouped into Hamittian-only regiments, Auvergnot Mille - a commander of such a regiment - lead these regiments to battles against the Imperial regime, only being stopped after the entire Imperial Army is rallied and shows up in full force. The decision to exile all of the regiments that partook in the uprising decisively crippled the Vinitian military, a loss of manpower from which it could not recover. In fear of provoking a fourth uprising, the Senate of the Empire passed the Homerule Law (1887) which allowed for more political, economical and social freedom for all of the ethnicities in the Empire. This soon backfires as Grand Duke Viscount the Great reestablishes the Grand Duchy of Hamittia (1889) with the support of the Homefrontist Party, Hamernian Republic Party, Vinitian Reactionaries and the Imperial Army and successfully annexes the Vinitian Empire.
Under the leadership of the Homefrontists and Viscount the Great, the Grand Duchy quickly started building up its industry, its exports doubling in a decade. However, this period was not without conflicts. In 1911 the Republic of Hamernia and the People's Federation of Hamencia declare themselves independent from the Homefrontist Duchy. The "communist dictat" in Hamencia quickly started reconquering their "lost territories", most of which were ethnically Hamernian. Only after the People's Army crossed the ducal border in 1915 was a state of war declared - the Iron Pact of Hamernia and the Grand Duchy against the People's Federation. The War of Independence was a hard struggle as only when the People's Army was within 100km of Biscanne did the Army of the Grand Duchy bravely attack the invaders and not only repel them, but annex the People's Federation as a result. This, however, cost the life of Viscount the Great - the founding father died after severe wounds from shrapnel during the fights near Biscanne. His successor Wilhelm III continued industrializing the country.
During the reign of Francis the Third (1957 - 1997) the only major conflict was the Communist Riot or the Eastern Unrest of 1967 - 1971, when the Communist Party of Hamencia, disgusted by the corrupt government and recent unexplained catastrophes (various crashes of passenger airplanes carrying Communist Party members, disappearance of HRN Colossus and four thousand soldiers onboard) managed to start riots in the eastern portions of the Grand Duchy, during these events tens of thousands of civilians died. In 1982, the Republic of Hamernia asked to join the Grand Duchy and was incorporated into it. The current Grand Duke, Viscount the Second, rose to the throne after the death of his father in 1997.
The Great Industrialization in 2001 - 2008 and the Colonial Expansion during the same time period greatly improved life standards within the Grand Duchy. The most notable colonial expansions are the Incorporation of Winkowism, following the fall of the government in 2010 and the vassalization of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania after it broke the Personal Union it had with Poland and tried to defend against Imperial Russia.
Government
Although officially it is an absolute monarchy, it is far closer to a diarchy or even a military junta in the way the government functions. The Grand Duke, along with the Archduke, have total power over national matters, although a meeting of the noble families which have special rights in designated areas (the houses of Junius, Simericz, Leopold and Kofte) is arranged every three months to discuss the possible solutions to national problems, at which point, if an agreement is reached, the solution is laid out and sent to the Grand Duke. Then the Grand Duke may heed their advice or simply ignore it.
At provincial level, the council is held by a designated gentleman, sent by the house of Junius; a nobleman from the house that has special rights in said province, and a group of three elected spokespersons. Minor issues are solved at this level, however major ones, that may affect the nation itself, are passed on through to the National Council and then, hopefully, fixed by the order of the Grand Duke.
Military
The Armed Forces of Hamittia (Garde de Nazionale) consists of the Grand Armee de Duxmagne, Oceanaflotte and the Fuerza Avion de Ducale. Albeit not terribly large, it is a well trained, disciplined and brave force ready to defend or conquer for the glory of the fatherland and the royal family. The Grand Armee de Duxmagne is the branch that encompasses all of the ground forces - the Grand Armee, Coloniale Garnizon and the AEOCI (The Air and Navy Corps of Infantrymen, the Hamittian equivalent of marines, paratroopers and various spec. ops soldiers). The first divisions were formed in 1889, following the Declaration of Independence, and this branch has been active ever since. 10 040 000 men are currently serving within the Grand Armee de Duxmagne. Oceanaflotte is the main naval force of the Grand Duchy, although it is regarded as "suitable for colonial defence" it isn't a particularly effective force, lacking submarines and any sort of missiles as they are viewed as being cowardly. This branch dates back to 1721, making it the oldest branch within the Armed Forces, although it wasn't a military fleet but rather a tea trading one. 3 500 000 men serve in the Oceanaflotte. The last branch, the Fuerza Avion de Ducale, is the airforce of the Grand Duchy. It dates back to 1947, following the Joanite military reforms of the 30's. Any airplane formations earlier than 1947 were assigned to the Grand Armee and fought alongside the land forces. Suffering from the same lack of missiles as the navy, it has started to make use of jet aircraft and the old Morane-Saulnier M.S.406, while they still are used, are officially obsolete. 4 000 000 men serve within this branch.
Culture
Although the Grand Duchy of Hamittia is a vast nation, its culture (in the “civilized” areas) is largely the same. Religion is a minor part of the life, as there is no deity defined and there are no temples built for the “old gods”, but the few that such beliefs have their sacred groves where they celebrate and sacrifice various inanimate objects to the “old gods”. Etiquette is a very vague term in the nation as most of the people are rather unpleased to be close to (this stems from the rather egoistic and self-centred attitudes of the people) however it is not rare for guests to be well accommodated and a feast to be held in their honour. Cuisine features dishes made from products like meat, potatoes with little to no vegetables being used, owing to the desert landscape around the densely populated areas by Hamittians in the 16th century and earlier. One of the most popular dishes include the "remple-feullie", or the "filled leaf", which is essentially a cabbage roll, traditionally served with a large mug of kvass, and the "le diesordre noble", "a nobleman's mess", a stew made of various vegetables, beans, served with slices of bacon. As far as drinks go, black tea is still one of the most popular drinks, beaten only by kvass, whereas such drinks as soda and lemonade are virtually unheard of. Music is very prominent in Hamittian culture, with the genres of R&B, progressive, psychedelic, instrumental and surf rock being the most popular genres. Sometimes called "the only proper sport", football is very popular in Hamittia, with matches between the Hamittian-based DFC Hamentienne and Hamencian FC Aragon attracting millions of viewers.
Geography
There are four different geographical areas in mainland Hamittia: the western plains, midlands, south-western highlands and eastern highlands. The western plains are the most fertile regions, with small valleys and evergreen forests being the prominent features. It is not unusual to see lynxes, deer and various other animals grazing in the western forests. The midlands are most prominent for its central desert, which occupies a sixth of the entire country. South-western highlands are by far the most diverse area, featuring high mountain ranges by the coast, low valleys going northwards and even dense jungle areas. Most of these are now nature reserves. Eastern highlands are known for their “natural wall”, a vast mountain range (at its highest point over 8000km), which separates mainland Hamittia from the rest of the continent.
