African Wakesburg
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| Flag of African Wakesburg | |
| Motto: A Land of Unbridled Riches for our Fatherland | |
| Region | Romagna Wakesburg |
|---|---|
| Capital | St. Justiniopolis |
| Official Language(s) | English, Native African |
| Leader | Lord-Magistrate Byron Wake-Riminsky |
| Population | C. 500 million |
| Currency | Wakesburg Bezant (B) |
| NS Sunset XML | |
Contents
Overview
African Wakesburg was founded by the various trading outposts originally settled by merchants from Wakesburg. Innitially, it acted as a direct arm of Wakesburg power, but shortly after the downfall of the Grand Duchy of Southern Romanga, it was granted to the Emperor's cousin Byron to hold as a Colony of the homeland. While the Emperor of Wakesburg is the technical leader and depicted on all the currency, the Lord-Magistrate is the nominal administrator and head of state.
History
Foundation
The colony of St. Justiniopolis was settled by Romagnan Traders sometime in the Middle Ages to celebrate their patron saint. While the settlers spoke Greek and Latin, it was the native tongues collectively called Native African that began to dominate the culture. Several major plays, written in Native, became very popular during the Renaissance. This culture attracted many of the great thinkers of Europe, including the political theoretician Alexander Kroton of Nicholagrad and the artist Ptolemy of Rimini.
Stagnation
In the 17th Century, The Executor of Nicholagrad dispatched an army and captured St. Justiniopolis, incorporating it into the holdings of the Territory of Nicholagrad. This marked the decline in culture for the Romagnan colony, and many people left the oppressive rule of the Wakes to the nearby cities, such as M'Tumbo or Arcovideo.
Imperial Period
The stagnation continued until the territory was incorporated into the new Empire of Wakesburg, when the new Emperor, Nicholas I visited St. Justiniopolis. Lamenting on the dilapidated and crumbling Middle Ages and Renaissance palaces and churches, implemented a complete restoration of the old city and expanded the burgeoning industrial sector. He also set about colonizing the surrounding area, which was found to be rich in Iron, Coal, Oil, and more importantly Timber. This brought about conflict with the surrounding independent cities, and fired of the War of Unification of 1901. The War was fought mainly by Wakesburg's Imperial African Corp against the various militias. M'Tumbo surrender as the army approached, but Arcovideo refused to submit and was burned to the ground. This marks the beginning of the Colonial Period of St. Justiniopolis and the official creation of the Colony of African Wakesburg.
Independence
The Imperial African Corp eventually became very powerful after World War II and began to exercise political power. Corp representatives were found in the halls Wakesburg and had their officers appointed Governor of African Wakesburg. They ruled the Colony until 1966, when a populist movement forced the Governor, William Bel-Thomson out. This event broke Corp power and brought the various abuses of power in the Colony to the eyes of the Emperor, who disbanded the African Corp and created the office of Lord-Magistrate of the Colony of African Wakesburg. This lasted until Emperor Nicholas II Wake took the throne in 1994. At the time, the empire was suffering massive economic upheaval and cultural distress. The Emperor, noting that many of the problems in his African domains were a result of corrupt Imperial officials exploiting the Natives and disregarding laws, issued the March Manifesto, granting semi-independent rule, connected to the Empire only by the Emperor's Name. Sending his cousin to establish the new state, Nicholas hoped it would help to stabilize the region.
Autocephalous State
Byron Wake-Riminsky, who was half-Native, went to St. Justiniopolis in 1996 and established what he described as an Autocephalous State, subject only to the will of the Emperor through through the Lord-Magistrate. It was the beginning of the new Colony of African Wakesburg, and marked record growth. Eventually, the Colony became a political powerhouse, eventually out pacing the Empire proper. In April of 2007, Lord-Magistate Byron was visited by a delegation for political freedom and the right of assembly. They were swiftly executed, securing Byron's hold on the government.
Government
Lord-Magistrate
The position of Lord-Magistrate was created by the Emperor Maurice in an effort to stifle the unrest in the Colony. It was a half-hearted effort that Maurice had implemented as a stop-gap so he could continue his pursuit of Church Unity. It was essentially an appointed official, just like the former Governor, but it was a native of the Colony, not an Army officer or Imperial Overseer. Eugenius Constantine added power to the position after taking power in the 1970s. It was still a glorified governor until 1996, when the 1996 March Manifesto granted semi-independent rule, allowing the African Wakesburg Lord-Magistrate to pass laws and rules, to appoint officials and to enforces its own laws. This change allowed the Colony to become its own nation, united only under the titular claims of the Emperor as its overlord. However, to keep it in communion with the Empire, Emperor Nicholas II appointed his relative Byron Wake-Riminsky as the Lord-Magistrate, who acts as operative head of state.
