Fanaglia

The Kingdom of Fanaglia is a nation in southern Eilen on the north coast of the Vathic Ocean. To the north, it is bordered by (NPC Nations). To the south, it consists of the entirety of the Arvirar Peninsula, bounded to the south by the Vathic Ocean, to the northeast by the Favonian Sea and The Crowned Republic of Quibella, and to the southwest by Menid. The territory of Fanaglia covers some 2,587,324 km2 (998,971 sq mi) and is influenced primarily by a Mediterranean climate.

Settled by the ancient Cynfel civilization and a region of historic trade routes and vast kingdoms, the Arvirar Peninsula was identified with its commercial and cultural wealth for much of its history. Kraftenburg, the capital of Fanaglia, with its economically advantageous position at the confluence of the Little Snake and Blue Rivers with the Great River Arvirar, was for centuries the political and economic hub of Eilen. Modern Fanaglia was created in 1842 by unifying the five Arvirarian kingdoms under King DiMarco.

=History=

Unification
Main Article: Guerre de Transsablonneusie

Before the Unification, Fanaglia was five separate kingdoms: Arviragus, Cadwal, Pisiano, Polydore, and Cynfelyn. In the face of Mendean aggression over the Cynfel territory of Transsablonneusie, which eventually led to the fall of Cynfelyn, the exile of King Hugh IV who fled to Arviragus, and the siege of Ticciano in Pisiano, the remaining kingdoms saw no other choice but to unite to repel the invaders. King DiMarco of Arviragus had already become the de facto leader of their coalition after offering asylum to Hugh and commanding the largest and most-prepared of the four armies. In the meeting of what would become known as the Fellowship of Five on 24 September, 1842, DiMarco was declared King of the unified Kingdom of Fanaglia, with the other four kings remaining in positions of power as dukes under DiMarco's dominion. DiMarco's brother, Wilhelm took over his position as Duke of Arviragus. The combined forces of the new kingdom and troops from Keluchionga (a recently-liberated Arviragan vassal state) eventually overpowered and repelled the Mendeans, reclaiming all of Cynfelyn and Transsablonneusie and restoring Hugh as the Duke of Cynfelyn.

Early in his reign, DiMarco was revered for uniting the five kingdoms and saving the peoples of the Arvirar Peninsula from the Mendean hordes. He poured countless Krôms into science and agriculture and promised to pull his people out of the dark ages, making sure that every Fanaglian had fresh food, clean water, and a roof over his head and decades of economic prosperity followed under his rule.

The Great Coup
Perhaps it was greed, or perhaps it was madness, but Fanaglia became an absolute perversion of everything he had promised: lines of people a mile long waiting for stale bread, water that stank of sulfur, ten or more people sleeping shoulder-to-shoulder in public housing. Meanwhile, the king and his lords sat high in their castles, reveling in the spoils of all of their peoples' work.

When she was sixteen years old, Princess Autumn was disowned by her father for allowing a homeless mother and her children to sleep in his stable. It was then that she got to see the true plight of her people. She fled to the countryside, where she began recruiting dissenters for Libre Fanaglia.

At first, the rebels engaged in simple guerrilla warfare: raiding royal armories, robbing trains, and 'redistributing the wealth.' Gradually, as their numbers grew, they began to become more than a mere nuisance to the king. In 1872, all-out civil war had begun with the rebels' capture of Fort Benvolio and the small fleet of airships stationed there. Much to King DiMarco's astonishment, over one third of his army (which included Captain Prospero) defected to join the princess, leading to his defeat at the First Battle at Fort Benvolio.

Though the princess' rebels at one point far outnumbered the king's army, DiMarco had far superior weaponry, including a much larger and more powerful fleet of airships. The war wore on for two years and morale was low for the rebels; Autumn knew that if a victory did not come soon, she would likely lose the war. This is when it was decided to rush Castle Cynfelyn.

After all but two of the flying monitors were damaged or destroyed, the HMM Banquo managed to crash-land within the castle walls. Led by Princess Autumn herself, the Banquo's crew rendezvoused with the other ship's crew, retook the castle, captured the king, and effectively ended the war. This day, 8 November, 1874, is forever remembered and celebrated as Liberty Day.

King DiMarco was executed two weeks later and Princess Autumn took power, being officially crowned Queen two years later.

Assassination of Queen Autumn and the Debate Over Royal Succession
While drinking tea in her favorite courtyard at Palace Evander with Miss Lucy Alans, Queen Autumn suddenly began convulsing. The charismatic queen was pronounced dead at 14:05 on 3 January, 1892; the cause of death was determined to be cardiac arrest caused by some form of poison -- likely cyanide or something similar. The initial suspect was Miss Alans, who was alone with the queen when she passed away, but she was quickly cleared. Everyone knew that the two of them were as close as sisters; those who knew them well knew that they were quite closer than that.

Next, a servant, Esther Brand, was suspect. But she was just as mortified as Miss Alans had been and cooperated fully with the investigators. The BNI eventually placed her into custody and secured her in a cell in Kraftenburg Maximum Security Prison, not because they actually believed she had intentionally done it, but because they feared for her safety until another suspect could be found. After some testing, it was determined that a whole shipment of tea leaves to Palace Evander had been tainted and the authorities sought to interview the young lad who drove the wagon that delivered them, but he seemed to have vanished without a trace. Some fishermen pulled up a severed human foot a few weeks later, but no one thought to make a connection between the foot and the missing boy.

When agents from the BNI returned to Kraftenburg Prison to interview Ms. Brand in hopes of gleaning any more information or clues out of the poor woman, they found her dead in her cell, a length of cloth torn from her dress wrapped around her neck and looped around the bars of her cell, an apparent suicide. Authorities noted, however, that Esther Brand stood at 167 cm, but she was hung from a point only 140 cm from the ground, which cast doubt on the nature of her passing, but there were no other clues and the case was never solved.

Meanwhile, there was much drama surrounding the question of Queen Autumn’s succession, for she passed away unmarried and without an heir. As Autumn was only the second monarch of a unified Fanaglia, and she had taken the throne from her father by force, there were no clearly-established laws or customs to define the proper line of succession, but Reiner Ziegler, Duke of Arvirar, cousin to Queen Autumn, and nephew to her father, King DiMarco, had long been assumed to be next in line. His father, Wilhelm Ziegler, was known to have envied his brother’s throne when his niece took it from him so defiantly, but it was never in the cards for him while he was alive; Reiner hoped to change that. However, while Autumn may not have left this world with an heir, she did leave it with a will, and in that will, she had declared her desire for her protégée and stepdaughter, Miss Alice Dufresne, to succeed her.

The news contained in Autumn’s will was a great surprise to Alice, Reiner, Miss Alans, the nobility, and everyone in the nation. Reiner and most of the rest of the nobility dismissed the notion out of hand, for Alice Dufresne was not of royal blood. But Miss Alans, the rest of the royal staff, and Imogen Findlay, Duchess of Cynfelyn (the only of the Six Dukes of Fanaglia not standing with the Duke of Arvirar) spoke in support of Miss Dufresne, pointing out that DiMarco, the first King of Fanaglia, was chosen out of necessity in the face of the destruction of the Five Kingdoms of Old; he was not descended from a long line of royals determined by Divine Right, so “royal blood” did not factor into the equation. “The blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb,” the Duchess of Cynfelyn stated in a press release, “and the bond shared between her Majesty, the late Queen Autumn, and her adoptive daughter, Alice, was just as powerful -- and just as legal -- as any bond between a blood-related mother and daughter.”

Reiner countered with his own press release, arguing that the Fanaglian monarch was, in fact, determined by Divine Right, and that it was the will of God that that monarch be descended from the House of Ziegler. Though always assumed to have been the position of the House of Ziegler, their sense of entitlement never sat well with the other four Dukes and, in the interest of keeping the peace and maintaining unity, it was understood to be something not to be spoken of. The other five Dukes were rocked by Reiner’s public assertion of superiority and the Duke of Arvirar promptly lost some of the most powerful voices supporting his accession.

With the popularity of Alice Dufresne amongst the Fanaglian people (the common-girl-become-queen would have been a literal dream come true for many of them) and the waning support for Reiner Ziegler, it appeared that both the courts and the Church would come to a decision to support the stepdaughter of the late queen. To the surprise of nearly everyone, Ziegler gathered that May a large group of wealthy and powerful Fanaglians, as well as members of the press, in the courtyard of his home to announce his concession to Alice Dufresne.

It was decided. Alice Dufresne would become the new queen of the Kingdom of Fanaglia. When asked what she would choose as her regnal name, she said that Autumn hadn’t chosen a regnal name different from the name she was given, and neither would she. “‘Alice’ is the name given to me by my mother, the name lovingly used by my best friend and stepmother, the name soberly recognized by our Lord in Heaven, and the name the Fanaglian people shall call me.” Once the details and legal matters were settled, 22 October, 1892, was chosen as the date of Her Majesty’s coronation. When asked why she did not wish for more time for the coronation commission to plan for the event, she said simply, “This will be my last birthday present to Her Majesty, the late Queen Autumn, as a way of saying ‘thank you for all you have done for me.’”

Great War
(1893-1898) WIP

Reconstruction and Queen Alice's Abdication
WIP

Second Fanaglian Civil War
WIP

The Republic of Fanaglia
WIP

=Politics=

Major Leaders
The Crown

King DiMarco (r. 1842-1874)

Queen Autumn (r. 1874-1892)

Queen Alice (r. 1892-1905)

The Dukes

Wilhelm Ziegler, Duke of Arviragus (r. 1842-1880)

Reiner Ziegler, Duke of Arviragus (r. 1880- )

Giacomo Legno Cengia, Duke of Pisiano

Imogen Findlay, Duchess of Cynfelyn (r. 1870-1889)

George Ferdinand, Duke of Cadwal

Nicolas Princip, Duke of Polydore

Charles Cazeneuve, Duke of Dehui (1886- )

Colonial Governors

Winston Allan of Dehui

The Cabinet

Miss Lucy Alans, Chief of the Fanaglian Department of Agriculture (1872-1905)

General Richard Orsino, Chief Military Advisor (1872-1894)

General Jeaques Boudinot, Chief Military Advisor (1894-1905)

Miss Miranda Nell, Chief Education Advisor (1875-1889)

Mister Emmanuel Trudeau, Chief Education Advisor (1889-1905)

Doctor George Bartlett, Chief Medical Advisor (1872-1900)

Honorable Mister Adolphus Feist, Chief Justice (1872-1905)

Other Important Figures

Jonathan Voss, former Admiral of the Royal Air Service (1845-1884)

Captain Peter Gonzalo (1868-1904)

Jacqueline Beaumont, the "Pirate Queen of Dehui"

"The Ghost of Christmas Future"

Samuel Davies, Governor of Kraftenburg, capital of Fanaglia (1878-1886)

Alonso Tagan, wealthiest man in Fanaglia

Annette Tagan, columnist for the Kraftenburg Herald and wife to Alonso Tagan

Political Divisions
Main articles: Dukes of Fanaglia, Fanaglian Council of Counts

The Kingdom of Fanaglia is divided into six duchies and one colony.

The five original duchies follow the historical borders of the five old kingdoms, Arviragus, Cadwal, Pisiano, Polydore, and Cynfelyn, retaining those names. Until later in the 19th century, the Five Dukes maintained absolute control (within the crown's wishes) over their respective duchies, though the democratically-elected counts below them have gradually gained more favor in Kraftenburg and, by the turn of the twentieth century, most of the Dukes were little more than political figureheads.

Fanaglia possessed one colony, Dehui, which was headed by a governor who was appointed by the crown and maintained absolute control within the crown's wishes. After several protests, a popular vote was held for the first time in December of 1879, under orders from the Crown. The people of Dehui voted to become an official duchy, which was approved by Queen Autumn on 9 April, 1880, after which a sixth star was added to the flag.

There are a total of 104 counties in Fanaglia. A count is usually the democratically-elected mayor of the county seat, which is usually the largest city in a given county. This of course is not always the case and is decided by the voters. The Council of Counts all meet bi-monthly in the capital, Kraftenburg, to discuss matters of national politics and effectively act as domestic advisers to the crown.

Kraftenburg is Fanaglia's one independent municipality. It is the nation's capital, home to the crown and the House of Lords, and is exempt from the taxes of any duchy, making it a greatly desirable location for business and industry.

Political Parties
There are no formally established political parties due to the lack of democracy above the county level until the establishment of the republic, but there are several fairly prevalent philosophies.

55% Royalists (right-leaning moderate) -- Favor the current absolute monarchy under the benevolent Crown

15% Whigs (liberal) -- Favor the establishment of a constitutional monarchy

15% Republicans (liberal) -- Favor the dissolution of the throne to be replaced by a parliamentary republic

10% Zieglerists (conservative) -- Wilhelm Ziegler, Duke of Arviragus, made it no secret that he opposed the current queen's fairly liberal tendencies, favoring instead the old regime under King DiMarco. After his death and the death of Queen Autumn, his son, Reiner Ziegler, asserted a claim to the right to the Fanaglian crown when Autumn passed without any apparent heirs, since he was the nephew of DiMarco. When the throne controversially went instead to Alice Dufresne, who later abdicated and attempted to establish a republic, Reiner Ziegler reasserted his claim to King of Fanaglia and led the attack on the Republican forces in the Second Fanaglian Civil War.

5% Other

Military
Main article: Fanaglian Armed Forces

The armed forces of Fanaglia were also sometimes known as the Armed Forces of the Crown until the abolition of the monarchy. They consist of four professional service branches: the Royal Naval Service (RNS) (including the Royal Marines), the Fanaglian Army, the Royal Air Service (RAS), and the Joint Medical Service. Following the end of the monarchy, the branches were renamed the Fanaglian Naval Service (FNS), Fanaglian Marine Corps (FMC), and the Fanaglian Air Service (FAS), respectively. The forces are managed by the Department of Defense and controlled by the Defense Council, chaired by the Chief of the DoD. The Commander-in-Chief was the Fanaglian monarch until that responsibility was granted to the Chancellor, to whom members of the forces swear an oath of allegiance.

According to an 1890 audit, military spending was estimated to be approximately 4.4% of GDP. In 1890, The Armed Forces of the Crown employed 241,500 active-duty soldiers and 563,500 reserve troops. Reservists are available to the Armed Forces and participate in defense exercises and deployments abroad.

Until 1915, military service was compulsory for men over the age of nineteen who had chosen not to pursue an education beyond secondary school, and conscripts served six-month tours of duty; conscientious objectors could instead opt for an equal length of civilian service, or a six-year commitment to (voluntary) emergency services like a fire department or the Red Cross. On 11 July, 1915, conscription was officially suspended and replaced with a voluntary service. Since 1872, women may serve in all functions of service without restriction, but they are not subject to conscription. There are presently some 36,200 women on active duty and a number of female reservists

=Law and Criminal Justice=

Law enforcement in Fanaglia is primarily the responsibility of local police and constabularies, with the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) functioning as the national criminal investigative body and intelligence agency (both internal and external). The Supreme Court is the highest court in Fanaglia for both criminal and civil appeal cases, though the right to pardon is asserted by the Crown. There have also been a number of pardons by some of Fanaglia's dukes, though whether they even have such a right is disputed. At all levels of Fanaglia's judicial hierarchy, jurisprudence operates on a common law system. County courts conduct most criminal trials; duchy and royal courts handle certain crimes as well as certain appeals from the county systems.

Fanaglia boasts a very low national crime rate. Many attribute this to the progressive policies imposed by Queen Autumn, including the decriminalization of all recreational drugs and the legalization of many of them, legalized (heavily regulated) prostitution, and an emphasis on rehabilitation rather than punishment.

See also: National Standards Questionnaire

=Geography and Climate=

Fanaglia sports flat plains, low hills, many rivers, and a forested plateau region to the east. The coastline is mostly a low, sandy shore backed by plains and scrub and intersected by several rivers and streams, while the northern part of the country features high plains and mountains.

Much of Fanaglia was once volcanic, though no geological activity has been recorded in over 100 years. The most recognizable extinct volcano is Mt. Stratford on the Pisiano Shore.

Images of Fanaglian countryside
=Demographics=

Population
The Kingdom of Fanaglia is a colossal, cultured nation, ruled by Queen Autumn with an even hand, and notable for its museums and concert halls. Its hard-nosed, hard-working population of 298.4 million have some civil rights, but not too many, enjoy the freedom to spend their money however they like, to a point, and take part in free and open elections, although not too often.

Ethnic Groups
88% Caucasian/White

5% North African

3% Hispanic

2% Sub-Saharan African

2% Other

Gender and Sexuality
Sexuality of Citizens

85% Heterosexual

8% Bisexual

7% Homosexual

Gender of Citizens

57% Female

43% Male

Languages
Both Cynfel and Arviragan are official languages in Fanaglia. All schoolchildren must take at least five years of either Cynfel or Arviragan prior to taking the Abitur and all businesses in the public service industry are required to print their materials in one of the aforementioned languages. Recognized regional languages are Rothian, Dehuiian, and Lechian (Lechszczyzna).

Dominant languages in the Six Duchies

Arviragus -- Dehuiian, Arviragan, Lechian (Lechszczyzna) (north)

Cadwal -- Dehuiian (northwest), Rothian (southeast)

Pisiano -- Rothian, Dehuiian (north)

Polydore -- Cynfel, Dehuiian (northeast), Lechian (Lechszczyzna) (north)

Cynfelyn -- Cynfel

Dehui -- Dehuiian

Religions
41% Rothian Catholic 15% Eastern Orthodox 10% Muslim

9% Agnostic/Atheist

8% Jewish

7% Mishmahigan Christian

5% Other Christian

5% Other =Education=

Before the Great Coup, education was strictly for boys from wealthy families. In February of 1875, shortly after seizing power from her father, Queen Autumn appointed Miss Miranda Nell as her Chief Education Adviser. Nell was a young, radical schoolteacher whose innovative pedagogical ideas Autumn saw made her the perfect candidate for the reforms she felt the Fanaglian education system desperately needed.

Her first act, with the help of the queen, was to establish "Common Schools," free public education for everyone, boys and girls ages 5-12. Schools were originally mandated to educate boys and girls separately, though it became clear early on that in some poorer or sparsely populated areas that this was simply not economically feasible; co-education was legalized in May of 1876, though single-sex education is greatly preferred wherever possible.

In March of 1876, Queen Autumn made education compulsory until the age of 12, though this was later raised to 19. In 1881, Kindergartens were made compulsory as well, though these remained privately-owned (if a students' family is unable to pay the modest tuition, the schools are compensated by the Crown).

Nell worked for more and better-equipped school houses, longer school years (late August -- mid April), higher pay for teachers, and a wider curriculum. In April of 1882, Nell published her article, "On Fanaglian Educational Disparity," which discussed the need for a more standard curriculum. Six weeks later, it became law.

On 28 August, 1882, she opened the Kraftenburg Normal School, the first Fanaglian college for teacher education. Realizing the need for more well-educated teachers, she made the decision for the school to be free of tuition for any student who passes the Abitur (the final exit exam for secondary schools), provided that the student signs a contract to contribute at least 1/3 of his or her salary back to the school for the next four years. Unfortunately, those who drop out of the program must pay upon exiting the program.

Fanaglian schoolchildren are educated in kindergarten at age 4-5, in primary schools from 5-12, and in secondary schools from 12-19. Students who are not able to graduate at 19 (grade 13) may choose to either drop out or continue their education for free until they are able to pass the Abitur. Those who fail the Abitur may retake it as many times as they need to; the first two times are free and all subsequent tests cost a nominal fee.

There are several private colleges in Fanaglia (most notably the Tagan College of Science and Technology in Cynfel City) with varying tuition costs, but all colleges are required by law to offer the first semester for free. University Fanaglia in Kraftenburg is the only publicly-funded school of higher education in Fanaglia; a very prestigious school, students must pass an entrance exam and interview with the headmaster, but the only cost to the students' families is a modest fee for books and supplies.

=Culture=

Food and Drink
Fanaglians are mostly coffee drinkers, though tea is popular as well. Orange, apple, and grape drinks are also popular.

Fanaglians -- men and women alike -- are well-known for their fondness of strong drinks of all kinds. Popular alcoholic drinks include fanamedu, cannamedu, Green Faerie, scotch whiskey, spiced rum, saké, wine, and stout.

Fanamedu is a thick, distilled clover honey liquor similar to krupnik that is made with hops and hempseed. Fanamedu is very iconic of Fanaglian culture, especially among women, as we have a very agro-centric economy - particularly in regards to what truly is a miracle crop, hemp.

Fanamedu can also be made with cannabis (then called cannamedu), but a license is required in Fanaglia to purchase or possess anything containing tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, and it is also significantly more expensive due to the high tax on THC products, so this drink is not nearly as popular.

Green Faerie is a domestic brand of absinthe made with a Fanglian strain of artemisia absinthium which grows rather commonly, making the drink relatively cheap to produce.

Fashion
Fashion has been an important industry and cultural export of the Fanaglian region since the 17th century, and modern "haute couture" originated in Cynfel City in the 1840s. Today, Cynfel City is considered one of the world's fashion capitals, and the city is home or headquarters to many of the premier fashion houses. The expression Haute couture is, in Fanaglia, a legally protected name, guaranteeing certain quality standards.

The association of Fanaglia with fashion and style (French: la mode) dates largely to the reign of Pierre IV when the luxury goods industries in Cynfelyn came increasingly under royal control and the Cynfel royal court became, arguably, the arbiter of taste and style in Amplector. But Fanaglia renewed its dominance of the high fashion (French: couture or haute couture) industry in the years 1840–1960 through the establishing of the great couturier houses such as Tagan, Coco, Christian, and Hubert.

Fashion Styles (1885)
Both Fanaglian men and women are by custom very proud of their hats, which are often displayed as a projection of both their personality and their wealth. A sense of pride is also taken in a man's facial hair, which is seen as indicative of a man's "manliness."

Music
Popular musical styles include Classical, Blues, Ragtime, Jug Band, Appalachian-style Folk, and Post-Industrial Neo-Folk.

"A Cinematic Soundtrack of Fanaglia"
Johann Strauss II - Hofball-Tänze

Korobushka

Hasapiko

[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e8PJsjO1u5w Chopin Mazurka in b minor Opus. 33 No. 4]

Zorbas

Earl Scruggs & Steve Martin - Foggy Mountain Breakdown

Soggy Bottom Boys- I Am A Man Of Constant Sorrow

Vermillion Lies - She Comes

Richard Wagner - Ride of the Valkyries

Einstürzende Neubauten - Die Interimsliebenden

Rasputina - Momma Was an Opium Smoker

Abney Park - Airship Pirate

Scott Joplin - The Entertainer

Abney Park - Dear Ophelia

Scott Joplin - Maple Leaf Rag

Voltaire - Almost Human

Joe Black - Child Catcher

Death and Dying
The dying are usually taken care of by their families in their homes. Heroin or laudanum are often prescribed to those in pain, as both allow the patient to retain his or her mental capacities more readily than morphine. Wealthier families often will have a physician make regular house calls or even a resident nurse to help make their loved ones more comfortable before they pass on. The deceased are traditionally buried, though cremation has seen increased popularity in recent years. Many families in rural communities maintain a family plot on their own private properties.