Voerdeland

Voerdeland, officially The Republic of Nova Voerda, is a nation situated between the Levidius Sea and the Caeruleus. Though physiographically part of northeastern Promethia, Voerdeland has been politically and culturally associated with Amplector for more than two hundred years. The country had a population of 23 million in 1889, but, following the Voerdish Genocide, that number was decreased to 17 million. Its capital is Beaufort and its largest city is Medale; most of its population concentrated along the southern and eastern coasts around these two cities, while the nation's interior is quite sparsely populated. The bulk of the Voerdish countryside is either taiga or frozen tundra due to its cold climate, which ranges from subarctic in the south to arctic in the north.

The predominant ethnic group in Voerdeland is the Métis, who trace their descent to mixed Zhaoan and Amplectorian heritage and grew out of the budding relationship between the East and West which was encouraged by the nearby Valorian Isthmus.

=History=

Confederated Tribes of Voerdeland
The Confederated Tribes of Voerdeland was established in 1603 by the chiefs of the Casbahat,Ashkhans,Rapovski, and Abanova tribes as a way of consolidating their power and wealth to protect their people and resources from the more powerful nations of Amplector and Zhao. The four chiefs would meet four times a year in modern-day Beaufort to discuss matters of state, but the four tribes remained largely independent until the establishment of the Free State.

The Voerdish Free State
In 1799, the Confederacy was decided to be inefficient and not sufficiently representative of the people living under it. On 4 June, 1799, the Constitution of the Voerdish Free State was drafted by the chiefs of each of the four tribes. Each man went home with copies to be read, edited, and agreed upon by their constituents before returning to Beaufort to compile their results into a single, uniting document. The final draft of the original Constitution was completed and signed by the four chiefs on 16 August, 1799. Today, this day is celebrated across Voerdeland as Ratification Day in recognition of the first time freedom was truly brought to Voerdeland.

Politics of the VFS
The Voerdish Free State was a parliamentary constitutional republic. Legislative power was vested in the unicameral Parliament, whose members were directly elected for an unlimited number of four-year terms. The President, who was the head of state and of government, was elected by the Parliament and needed to enjoy its confidence to remain in office.

Provincial and district governments were organised in a similar manner (with Councils instead of the Parliament and Premiers/Mayors instead of the President).

Free State judiciary was fully professional and non-partisan. There are four tiers of courts: the Supreme Court (national level), High Courts (one in each Province), Circuit Courts, and Police Courts.

War for Voerdish Soveriegnty
(Main article: War for Voerdish Sovereignty)

Following the investment by President Alexander Kitshoff in the Intercontinental Railroad, the Voerdish government had gone bankrupt before it was able to reap the benefits, in part thanks to Vjiayan trade obstructionism. The Voerdish people, enraged at the perceived lack of control their votes had over the way their tax dollars were spent and over the general perception of government corruption, began to lash out at Kitshoff's government. An organized rebellion finally arose in January of 1890, led by Jacqueline Beaumont, and successfully quickly took control of the east coast. Allowing the late president's cabinet to escape as an attempt at a show of mercy, the rebels drafted a new Constitution and established a New Republic, the Republic of Nova Voerda, and elected James Wayford as their new president.

The civil war was far from over, however, and dragged on for over a year longer. The exiled leaders of the "Old State," who took to calling themselves the "Voerdish Provisional Government" and who were led by President Jaurdan Melhurst, continued their campaign against the RNV. Seeing an opportunity in the region's instability, the nations of Khamul, Inesea, Cyprum Xecuii, and Servoth began to move in to seize Voerdish territory for their own.

In response to pleas from both Wayford and Melhurst, a coalition comprising primarily Amplectorian nations called the Voerdeland Allied Forces was formed by King Victor Emanuel Vinchero of Inoroth to deal with the invading Imperial Forces. The coalition was made up of military forces from Inoroth, Vitzenburg, Vjiay, Gratia Infinita, Mishmahig, and Fanaglia.

Mishmahigan Christian Exodus
During the course of the war, now-debatable reports of persecution of Mishmahigan Christians by the VPG were received by the rest of the world. In response, the Dominion issued a call for all of her MC brothers and sisters worldwide, especially in war-torn Voerdeland, to return home. A massive economic undertaking was begun to provide huge transport ships to ferry the refugees to their new home in the "Motherland."

=Politics=

Political Parties
There are three main political parties in Voerdeland.

Labor Party Ideology: Social democracy, democratic socialism, social corporatism, trade unionism

Progressive Party Ideology: Centrism, agrarianism, social liberalism, cultural conservatism, economic nationalism

Christian Democrats Ideology: Christian democracy, social conservatism, economic liberalism

=Economy=

Voerdeland is a moderately-developed nation with a mixed economic system. Oil and natural gas provide most export revenue, but the economy traditionally has been centered around agriculture and fishing.

=Culture=

Gender Roles
Law in Voerdeland is gender-blind. An increasing number of people (especially in urban areas) considers gender roles an outdated concept.

Voerdish Tradition
Most native Voerdish tribes relied on subsistence farming and fishing before the Confederacy. In these cultures, women owned the land and the livestock and picked their husbands (the sole exception being artisans, who were greatly respected could choose virtually any woman). In some communities polyandry was accepted.