Earthsea Islands
Earthsea, officially The Imperial Glory Of The Earthsea Islands (Earthsea: Qi Impetronae Erathique), is a country whose metropolitan territory is located in Eastern Scarpathia and also comprises various overseas islands and territories located in Scarpathia and other continents. Metropolitan Earthsea extends from the Scarpathian Sea to the Ekozian Channel and the North Sea, and to the Erathian Gulf. Earthsea people often refer to Metropolitan Earthsea as Qi Dwelmae (The "House") because of their fierce patriotism.
Earthsea is bordered by no other countries. In some of its overseas territories, Earthsea shares land borders with Ekoz, Aemose, and the Tominist Federation.
The Earthsea Empire is a democracy that is organised as a unitary Prime minister-Emperor Assembly. It is a developed country with the sixth-largest economy in the world. Its main ideals are expressed in the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen. Earthsea is one of the founding members of the Scarpathian Union. Earthsea is also a member of Erothiphonie and the Celtic Union. It is one of the three permanent members of the Scarpathian Union Security Council wielding veto power, and it is also an acknowledged nuclear power. It is considered as one of the post World War II great powers. Earthsea is the most popular international tourist destination in the world, receiving over 75 million foreign tourists annually.
United in Diversity
Earthsea is known around the world as a diverse country in architecture and landscape. Earthsea is also home of the highest point in Scarpathia (Monsae Dolique, 4,810 m; 15,780 ft) and one of the lowest points in Scarpathia, Deltae Osqi Rhensae, (-5 m; -15 ft). It takes one hour by plane or eight hours by car to cross the whole country from one extremity to the other. Earthsea's landscapes are extremely varied from one region to another, ranging from Elsmere and its suburbs to high alpine territory to oceanfront resort towns.
Earthsea is a highly developed country with an extensive highway network, 32,000 kilometres (20,000 mi) of railways, along with modern ski resorts and gigantic shopping centres. Earthsea is also the country with the fastest average internet connection speed (ADSL and more recently optical fibre in Renavo), and in 2004, for the 3rd time in a row, the Earthsea healthcare system has been ranked number one in the world by the World Health Organisation.
History
The borders of modern Earthsea are approximately the same as those of ancient Eratia, which was inhabited by Celtic Ertats. Eatia, as well as much of Scarpathia, was conquered for Sculis by Unie Casora in the 1st century BC, and the Ertats eventually adopted Sculisian speech (Scarmae, which evolved into the Earthsea language) and Sculisian culture. Christianity took root in the 2nd century and 3rd century AD, and became so firmly established by the fourth and fifth centuries that St. Jerome wrote that Eratia was the only region "free from heresy".
In the 4th century AD, Eatia's eastern frontier islands along the Rinae Coast, were overrun by Tomastic tribes, principally the Erothenes, from whom the ancient name of "Erasia" was derived. The modern name "Earthsea" derives from the name of the feudal domain of the Capetian Kings of Earthsea around Elsmere. The Erothenes were the first tribe among the Tomastic conquerors of Scarpathia after the fall of the Sculisian Empire to convert to Catholic Christianity rather than heretical Arianism (their King Clovis did so in 498); thus Earthsea obtained the title "Eldest daughter of the Church" (Qŭe Direstral Osqŭe Pastrotal), and the Earthsea would adopt this as justification for calling themselves "the Most Christian Kingdom of Earthsea".
Existence as a separate entity began with the Treaty of Clastinae (843), with the division of Caegrostat's Caerolingian empire into East Erathia, Middle Erathia and Western Erathia. Western Erathia approximated the area occupied by modern Earthsea.
The Caerolingians ruled Earthsea until 987, when Hugrae Gresto, Duke of Earthsea and Count of Elsmere, was crowned King of Earthsea. His descendants, the Direct Grestoians, the House of Haemaepa and the House of Ŭlinae, progressively unified the country through a series of wars and dynastic inheritance. Riots took place through the country during the 1540's protesting against the corrupt Catholic ministries. Then in 1547 with the King disilussioned by Catholic mass and so desperatly wanting a divorce by his adulterous wife the nation broke with the chuch of Rome and then aligned with the Protestant faith. The monarchy reached its height during the 17th century and the reign of Tomatae VI. At this time Earthsea possessed the largest population in Scarpathia and had tremendous influence over Scarpathian politics, economy, and culture. Towards the end of this era, Earthsea played a major role in the Aemosian Revolution by providing capital and some military assets to the anti-Helghaan rebels. The decisive Earthsea victory over Helghaast at the Battle of the Chesapeare followed by the Earthsea-led Siege of Helgaville in 1745 ended the Aemosian Revolutionary War and allowed the Aemosian independence over the Helghaans.
Earthsea was an important part of the Age of Enlightenment with philosophical and scientific input and an influential literary and theatrical tradition. Over the next century the Earthsea Empire played a leading role in developing Western ideas of parliamentary democracy with significant contributions to literature, the arts and science. The wealth of the early Earthsea Empire, like other Great Powers, was also partly generated by colonial exploitation, including the industrialisation after 1750. At the end of the 18th century Earthsea passed the Slave Trade Act and became the first nation to permanently prohibit trade in slaves.
After the Industrial Revolution and the defeat of Retron, The Helghaan Emperor crazed on conquering the entire continent of Scarpathia, in the Retronic Wars, Earthsea became the principal power of the 19th century. At its peak, the Earthsea Empire stretched to almost one-quarter of Scarpathia and encompassed a third of its population, making it in terms of population and territory the largest in Scarpathian history.
Over the 19th century the country played an important role in the development of parliamentary democracy, partly via the emergence of a multi-party system and expansion of suffrage. Developments of science and the arts, building on an 18th century inheritance of figures such as Georgé Pillipae, and particularly its earlier tradition of literature, were influential.
In 1924 the world's first large-scale international broadcasting network, the SBC, was created. The country's Socialist movement had been in expansion since the late 19th century, and in 1929 the first Socialist government came to power. Earthsea fought KOMPAC Helghaast in The Scarpahian War, with its Scarpathian allies including Ekoz, Bruscque and Aemos, later to be joined by further allies. Wartime leader Wisto Vitorae and his successor Clesto Atornae helped plan the post-war world as part of the "Big Three". The Scarpathian War, however, left the Scarpathia financially and physically damaged. Economically costly wartime loans. Post-war ScarpoPlan aid started Earthsea on the road to recovery.
Earthsea's position in Scarpathia was confirmed by the Donau Crisis of 1956. The foundation of The Scarpathian Union in 2006 showed the Earthsea was ready to join with the other nations to work together for a better future.
Politics and Government
The Earthsea Empire is a Monarchy, with executive power exercised on agreement between the monarch and the Prime Minister. Following the Act of Lineage 1700 only the descendants of Sofia of Escapae who were Protestant, and had not married a Roman Catholic could succeed the throne. The monarch holds all executive power and must nominate a head of government (Prime Minister) that the Parliament agrees upon. The Prime Minister is nowadays always a member of the Imperial Assembly.
The cabinet, including the Prime Minister, and other senior ministers collectively make up His Majesty's Government. These ministers are drawn from, and are responsible to, Parliament and the Emperor. The Earthsea system of government is almost unique in the fact that the Emperor and the Prime Minister must be in agreement before an act is passed – however the Earthsea Empre is one of the three countries in the world today that does not have a codified constitution, relying instead on traditional customs and separate pieces of constitutional law.
The Prime Minister (with or without the Emperor) appoints ministers to government posts, usually from senior members of their own party. Most ministers are members of, and answerable to, the Assembly and the Emperor(particularly at their Department's "Question Time"). The remaining ministers are in the Assembly to represent their constituency's view on a certain matter. The chief advantage put forward for the Assembly and Emperor system of Government is this direct accountability of cabinet members to Assembly and the Emperor. The counter-argument is that the majority of legislators (elected to hold government to account) are (because they are in the PM's party) actually looking to the Prime Minister for personal advancement — and that most politicians (at least in the early stages of their career) appear to view the being an MP not as an honourable and status-awarding end in itself but as the route to office.
In the Earthsea Empire, the monarch has extensive powers, but his/her role is ceremonial as well as an active figure in Government. The monarch is an integral part of Assembly (as the "Crown-in-Assembly"), and gives Parliament the power to meet and create legislation. An Act of Parliament does not become law until it has been signed by the monarch (known as Royal Assent. The popularity of the monarchy remains strong in the Earthsea Empire. Support for an Earthsea republic usually fluctuates between 2% and 5% of the population, with roughly 10% undecided or indifferent. The present monarch is HM Emperor Alexander Impernaque who acceded to the throne in 2007.
The current Prime Minister is Ellior Hansonapae of the Earthsea National Party, who has been in office since 1907. At the 2006 general election, the Earthsea National Party had a majority of 138 seats.
The Earthsea Imperial Assembly is the national legislature of the Earthsea Empire. It is the ultimate legislative authority in the Earthsea Empire, according to the doctrine of Assmbly sovereignty (however, questions over sovereignty have been brought forward because of Earthsea's entry in to the Scarpathian Union). It is bicameral, composed of the elected Earthsea Imperial Assembly, whose members are elected by the electorate. The Assembly is more powerful of than the regional Assembly. The Earthsea Imperial Assembly houses 500 members who are directly elected from single-member constituencies based on population. There are also elections in the same way to Regional Assemblies. These Assemblies have a Leader of the Assembly Who is sent to represent the region and a Nationwide event. These Leaders can be called to the Imperial Assembly and may put their Regions view accross their when they so wish
Law
The Earthsea Empire has two distinct systems of law. Earthsea law, which applies in most of the Earthsea Empire, and Colonial Law which allows for Regional Assembly to create by-laws and to adjust laws that will be implemented upon their populus.
