Commonwealth of Cartesian Praetoria

The Official Flag of Cartesian Praetoria
Motto: "Libertas per utilitas"
National Anthem: "Through the Barricade"
Region	Wysteria
Capital	Castra
Largest city	Recartes
Official Language(s)	English
Government	Libertarian Capitalist
- President of the Commonwealth	Brennan Bentham
- Vice President of the Commonwealth	Philippe Broussard
- Congressional Chancellor	Timothy Sebastian
- Pro-Chancellor of the Common Assembly	Rodiggo Boyle
- Pro-Chancellor of the Senate	Carlton Miller
Commonwealth
Population	16 million
Currency	Tallent
Timezone	GMT-5
- Summer (DST)	GMT-5
NS Sunset XML

The Commonwealth of Cartesian Praetoria (CCP) is a growing country located on the continent of Shaharazia in Wysteria at the map coordinates SH3. The CCP has a long and turbulent history arising from three distinct cultures which formed five self-governing city states. It is an economically powerful nation, notable for its absence of drug laws. Its hard-nosed, hard-working population of 16 million enjoy extensive civil freedoms, particularly in social issues, while business tends to be more regulated.

The tiny, liberal government is mainly concerned with Defence, although Education and Law & Order are on the agenda. The average income tax rate is 3%. A substantial private sector is dominated by the Beef-Based Agriculture industry.

Cartesian Praetoria's children are widely acknowledged as the most foul-mouthed in the region, a large-scale revitalization of the education system is underway, the police force is on a recruitment drive, and gambling is outlawed. Crime is a problem, and the police force struggles against a lack of funding and a high mortality rate. Cartesian Praetoria's national animal is the Hedgehog, which teeters on the brink of extinction due to widespread deforestation, and its currency is the Tallent.

Cartesian/Praetorian history

Early Settlements

The first known settlement within Cartesian Praetoria was established in the early 13th Century A.D. at Pontifex Pointe on the Pontifex River. Most historians agree that the first settlers arrived at Pontifex Pointe from unsettled areas of Cascadia. The settlers made a vigorous four month voyage across the Merlin Sea toward the "untouched lands" of Shaharazia. Known as the "Crimsoned Few" because of the odd red color of their huge vessel, the estimated 250 passengers (all male) were likely seeking a more moderate climate and fertile soil for agriculture.

A few years later, the Pontifex Pointe settlement grew with the arrival of a second fleet of four ships. The fleet carried more than 600 passengers - most of whom were relatives of the men on the first ship. Within a few decades, the settlement had expanded into the modern-day city limits of Pontifex and had a population near 2,500.

By the dawn of the 14th Century, the City of Pontifex was a self-governing region of more than 4,000 citizens. It was at that time that settlers from the remote northern regions of Isa emigrated to Lyons following a devastating plague that wiped out 75 percent of the population. The surviving Isans - numbering somewhere near 1,000 people - met harsh resistance to their arrival in Lyons. In an attempt to assimilate, the Isans incorporated a great deal of the native Lyons culture with their own.

But following a flu epidemic in the Isan-settled region of Lyons, the settlers were expelled from the continent and told to settle elsewhere. Roughly 1,500 passengers then boarded nine ships destined for the unsettled lands to the west. The Isan settlers navigated up the western Gulf of Shaharazia and landed at the mouth of the Chamblee River; at the far south end of Cartesian Praetoria.

The Isan settlement was named Atterrisage Deuxième - "second landing" - and was located a few miles West of modern-day Breauxpierre. After a decades-long power struggle between the settlement's original leaders, the community broke into two distinct sects. Less than 50 years after Atterrisage Deuxième was established, the population had doubled to 3,000 but violent clashes between the Northern and Southern factions threatened to tear the settlement apart. Following a few years of escalated conflict, the Northerners agreed to a cease-fire before a full-blown war broke out. Many of the dissidents from the North, however, grew disheartened and left the settlement in large numbers to establish a home further inland on the Chamblee River.

Over the next few decades, the group established an outpost at present-day Wobegon. The settlers then followed a river branch southwest toward Lake Wobegon. The settlers passed Lake Wobegon and continued west through the heavily-wooded region. A settlement on the western edge of the forest called Robicheaux became a "wild frontier" for the large exodus from Atterrisage Deuxième. The Atterrisage Deuxième settlement progressively shifted east but population growth stagnated at 4,000 people.

However, the Wobegon region to the North was flourishing and the city of Robicheaux established a system of self-governance. Robicheaux grew to more than 7,000 people and by the middle of the 15th Century, incorporated all of the rural, agricultural Wobegon region. By the end of the 15th century, Breauxpierre had been peacefully annexed and all of the area south and east of the Chamblee River fell under the jurisdiction of the City-State of Robicheaux. With Robicheaux's population swelling to 25,000, the Pontifekian settlers on the northern tip of Cartesian Praetoria had fully established the bustling City of Pontifex and journeyed southwest down the Pontifex River, past San Lorenzo Lake, to present-day Praetor.

The new city of Praetor was thriving - population estimates were near or above 13,000 - and began establishing a government when a bloody coup d'etat from territorial-minded Pontifekian leaders sent the city into anarchy. While Praetor attempted to restore order, bands of Pontifekian-funded raiders crossed into the Praetorian jurisdiction to destroy and pillage. Tensions rose as territorial disputes between Pontifex and Praetor increased. When order was finally restored in the City of Praetor, a well-tested militia was dispatched to enforce law in all Praetorian claims. Following a brutal slaughter of 150 Pontifekian citizens on the northeastern tip of San Lorenzo Lake, Pontifex sent out a larger but untested militia.

The start of the 16th Century marked the beginning of the Trans-Pontifekian War. Militia from Pontifex clashed with militia from Praetor in the Pontifex River valley. The war lasted for nearly six years and was fought largely between the San Lorenzo Lake and the southwestern edge of the City of Pontifex. The combined casualties were estimated at more than 6,000; nearly one-fifth of the total population of Pontifex and Praetor. The war had a number of key battles and culminated with the surrender of the destroyed Pontifekian militia at the Battle of Whinster Farm. The depleted Praetorian militia hobbled back to Praetor victorious and battle tested. Pontifex was annexed into Praetor to form Antiquus Praetorius - "Old Praetoria." Within a few generations, the military experience of the Trans-Pontifekian War - coupled with the "baby-boom" that followed its conclusion - garnished the thunderous nation of Antiquus Praetorius with an elite military to protect its 100,000 citizens. Southern expansion would soon follow and a small outpost at Castra was established near the end of the 16th Century.

The rise of the Praetorian Empire in the late 16th Century paralleled the birth of the Cartesian Empire. Nomadic entrepreneurs from the southern expanses of Saturnalia sought territory to establish a new home. For some, it was a chance to begin anew, and for others, it was an opportunity to gain power. Whatever their motivation, a convoy of 19 ships carrying 1,200 passengers crossed the Azure Sea and arrived at the northwestern tip of the Hume peninsula. The commune of Empiricus was established at the beginning of the 17th Century and a governing charter was adopted soon after.

Upon the first landing, nearly 700 of the Empiricus settlers ventured east in search of a place to establish another settlement. Reaching the edge of a wooded region, the settlers headed north to where the Chatham River meets the agricultural region at the famous "horseshoe." The outpost was named Recartes after the group's unlikely leader, a blacksmith named Daniel Recartes. Recartes was not just the group's leader, he was a financial visionary beyond his time. Within a year of settling at Recartes, he established the first bank in Cartesian Praetoria - another one would not exist for nearly another century - and created a real estate market which gave rise to a booming population. Within two decades, Recartes saw an influx of nearly 1,000 immigrants from all over modern-day Cartesian Praetoria. The mass immigration brought the population to more than 5,000 and fueled an already booming economy.

By the start of the 18th Century, Recartes was the largest city in Cartesian Praetoria with a population of 30,000. With a strong economy to match the population boom, Recartes was unrivaled for the next two centuries in financial power. Although the region lacked a strong military like the Praetorians, it never-the-less was able to buy security through paid "protections" to the surrounding regions.

City-States Era

In the early 18th Century, with Recartes flourishing and the population booming, the original government became antiquated and was unable to deal with the growing demands of every-day governing. Desiring a weakly confederated central government that was able to efficiently rule via a laissez-faire, capitalist approach, Recartes knew it would need to merge with another region or settlement. The most obvious neighbor was Empiricus. In an effort to maximize fiscal opportunity, the city's leaders proposed a Charter of Common Wealth with the Commune at Empiricus. Under the Charter, Empiricus would be annexed into a newly-created City-State of Recartes. As such, Empiricus gained unification with a financial powerhouse and would be ruled by a centralized but not overbearing government. The government, however, was weak, and relied heavily on local governments. But the novel idea introduced an entirely new way to govern; one which would dominate Cartesian Praetoria for the next 150 years: the City-State.

Trajanton

Praetor

Argonne

Robicheaux

The Common War

The Peasant Rebellion

Small bands of oppressed Trajantonians from the Peasant Class raid Castran villages to fend off starvation. In retaliation, Castran forces marched on the City of Trajanton, destroying Trajan villages along the way and threating complete destruction. Facing threats from both Castran and Rebel forces, the Trajan government abdicated; leaving the city in control of the Rebels.

The abdicated Trajan government officials joined the Castran forces who surrounded the city for nearly 12 weeks. The Rebels, starved and exhausted, surrendered after 81 days.

The Kafka Pact

The terms of the Kafka Pact left the city-state of Trajanton at the mercy of Castra. The defeated Tranjans were forced to join Castra in a full-scale invasion of Argonne.

Western Defense Accords

Knowing that the war would soon come to them, Argonne initiated talks of an alliance with Recartes. Less than a week later, Robicheaux, also vulnerable, joined the alliance discussion. The three city-states held a week-long alliance convention at a 40-acre ranch on Beauregard Bay in northern Robicheaux District. The first half of the week was spent defining the specific conditions of the pact, while the second week was spent planning strategy, developing structure and implementing new policy.

The pact between the city-states formed the Cartesian Power Trust and created a strengthened stance along the boarder with the Praetorian Empire. But although the Cartesians had a booming financial center in Recartes and a large economic base, it lacked the military technology, leadership and experience of the Praetorian Empire. Following the Eastern Defense Accords, the Cartesians scrambled to build-up their lackluster military; beginning with secret arms purchases from the neighboring nation South Nashville.

The Treaty of Chatham

Cartesian General Vincent Guilbeau Savoie de Chamblee leads peace treaty discussions with the Praetorian Empire. To meet with the Cartesian envoy, the Praetorian Empire sends famed Brigadier General Bruno Alonso. The two sides meet at an abandoned schoolhouse in the sparsely populated village of Earl of Chatham - 50 km southeast of Hawthorne - to discuss a lasting peace treaty and an end to the Common War. With both sides tired from nearly a decade of war, and an entire generation of men lost in the conflict, peace is all but assured. The treaty is drafted by a 29-year-old Cartesian Lieutenant Colonel named Gustav Francois, who would go on to become the Third President of the Commonwealth.

After less than two hours of discussion, the Treaty of Chatham was signed by Chamblee and Alonso on June 6, 1879 and the Common War officially came to an end. But losses on both sides were devastating and rebuilding the war-torn nation would take years. The Cartesian Power Trust officially had 976,539 men killed and nearly 2 million missing or wounded. The Praetorian Empire dead were listed at 1,068,203 with more than 2.5 million missing or wounded. Financial damages to each side could not be accurately calculated. The total number of dead - 2,044,742 - wiped out nearly an entire generation of males and severely impacted the total population (62 million at war's end) of Cartesian Praetoria.

It was at the Treaty of Chatham that Governor Andy Jackson and Ambassador Robert Kofe of neighboring South Nashville, representing their nation's interests, first met and befriended General Chamblee. Although having no official authority, it was at Ambassador Kofe's insistence that the newly-unified Cartesian Preatorian nation agree to call a Constitutional Convention.

Unification

As the convention got underway, Cartesian Praetoria descended into anarchy. Law and order broke down and the Cartesian Prateoria economy was experiencing hyperinflation. Vincent Guilbeau Savoie de Chamblee, now Congressional Chancellor, reached out to his new friend Governor Jackson for help. Jackson, determined to not let the fledgling democracy fail, proposed a summit between the two nations. Ambassador Kofe, busy with the Unified Constitutional Congress, appointed Jackson as lead negotiator. The summit was a success with both nations agreeing to exchange embassies and eliminate trade barriers between the two countries within the next decade. Jackson also agreed to send in troops to help stabilize the nation.

Concurrently, refugees in East Argonne and South Nashville Station began to return home, bringing with them the South Nashville currency, the tallent. As the nation began to rebuild, the sudden influx of tallents into the economy served to drive out the various unstable currences of Cartesian Praetoria and tallents soon became the primary medium of exchange.

In the Summer of 1880, one year after the Treaty of Chatham, each of the five former City-States sent four delegates to Castra to form a Unified Constitutional Congress. The 20 delegates elected Chamblee to the newly-created post of Congressional Chancellor. As Chancellor, Chamblee was the interim chief executive until a governing document was ratified and a unifying government officially established. The delegates then re-apportioned the new country into the 12 districts in use today. Each district was alloted four delegates for the Unified Constitutional Congress of 1881, and the Congress adjourned for the remainder of the year.

In the Spring of 1881, the Unified Constitutional Congress again assembled to begin drafting an interim governing document. The document, called the Cartesian Praetoria Charter, established a basic set of rights for citizens and outlined a rudimentary governmental structure. Under the Charter, each of the 12 districts would retain two delegates in all future sessions of the Unified Constitutional Congress and another 24 delegates would be alloted by population; Recartes had the most delegates with 8 and three districts had the least with two. The Congress would also function as the nation's legislature. The Congress would continue to elect a Congressional Chancellor - who served as the Chief Executive - every three years. The Chancellor, however, had little real authority outside of Congress. His ability to mobilize the Chartered Militia (the unified military) was weak at best.

When the Unified Constitutional Congress met for the final time in the Summer of 1882, William Saxby, a delegate from Recartes, argued that it was, "necessary for the further existence of this common nation that we put aside diversion for a path toward unity, liberty and justice." He appealed to his fellow delegates that a permanent Constitution with a strong, unified, centralized government was necessary for the survival of Cartesian Praetoria - and it had to be soon.

In the Spring of 1883, the Congress formally reported out a draft for ratification of the Constitution of the Commonwealth of Cartesian Praetoria. The ratification process would prove to be another drawn-out burden, as it required all 12 districts to ratify the document before it would become the law of the land. By the end of 1883, the Constitution had been ratified by six of the districts; Empiricus (June), Recartes and Avicenna (July), Argonne (Sept.), Chamblee (Oct.) and Robicheaux (Dec.).

In February 1884, Chatham ratified the document and Mill followed in April. But by the summer, with four districts withholding ratification, the future of Cartesian Praetoria was in doubt. At the behest of Trajan District, the Unified Constitutional Congress met in August to amend the constitution by adding the "Fiscal Conservatism Doctrine" dealing with the government's ability to levy taxes and concerning other economic policies of the Commonwealth. The amendment was passed by more than the required two-thirds vote, and Trajan became the ninth district to ratify the Constitution in September.

While the Unified Constitutional Congress had been in session during the Summer of 1884, the Ambassador from South Nashville, Andy Jackson, began lobbying the People's Assembly of Pontifex to ratify the Constitution. Jackson spent long days - and often restless nights - wining and dining legislators from the district, working on behalf of Chancellor Chamblee to persuade Pontifex into ratification. Jackson knew that Pontifex was the most likely of the three holdout districts to ratify, and he understood that once it did, Praetor and Antioch would likely follow.

Jackson's work paid off and in December 1884, Pontifex became the tenth district to ratify the Constitution. But Praetor and Antioch were not so easily swayed. They put up a unified front demanding that they would not ratify until provisions were made reducing the potential for unilateral executive decision making by the President of the Commonwealth. The districts were also worried that a Cartesian power block may retaliate against Praetorian citizens.

The Unified Constitutional Congress met in February of 1885 to address the issue. The solution came from the Ambassador from South Nashville, Robert Kofe, who read aloud from Anthony Locke's Treatise of Human Tendency in an address to the Congress. Kofe referenced a section pertaining to compulsory civil rights, human rights, property rights and political rights. The section was drafted - nearly verbatim - into four separate amendments and unanimously passed by the Unified Constitutional Congress. The final draft was ratified two months later by Antioch.

The lone holdout, Praetor, threatened to again return the Constitution un-ratified, but a suprise vote but the district's legislature barely met the two-thirds majority for ratification and the Constitution of the Commonwealth of Cartesian Praetoria officially became law on July 2, 1885.

The newly-chartered nation quickly scrambled to institute the document and held elections in October. The Unification Party won large majorities in both chambers of the Congress and its leader, William Saxby, became the First President of the Commonwealth. The new capital was established in Castra as part of the compromise with Antioch District, and because of its central location within the commonwealth. The interim government was formally dismissed and the first government of the Commonwealth of Cartesian Praetoria took office on January 1, 1886.

Troops from South Nashville remained stationed throughout Cartesian Praetoria until the end of 1886 when order was fully restored. Upon departing with his soldiers, at the Inauguration of President Saxby, Ambassador Jackson presented a copy of Locke's Treatise of Human Tendency. The gesture was a symbol of the common past shared by the two nations. The book was also a reminder that the future of both nation's rested in the ideals of Liberty, Justice and Utility. "Though noble men have come before us and will surely come to rise beyond our Earth-bound years," President Saxby said in receiving the gift. "It is the notion of liberty, through utility, that shall truly guide us for all eternity." With that, the motto of the Commonwealth was born: "Libertas per Utilitas."

Georgraphy

Cartesian Praetoria is divided into 12 distinct districts. Each district has one to three major cities.

Largest Cities

1. Recartes
2. Castra
3. Argonne
4. Trajanton
5. Praetor
6. Robicheaux
7. Pontifex
8. Avicenna
9. Cardoza
10. Hawthorne
11. Calico
12. Breauxpierre
13. Fort Reddington
14. Cardinale
15. Empiricus
16. Fort Beauregard
17. Kafka
18. Wobegon

Districts (Largest to smallest)

1. Recartes
2. Antioch
3. Argonne
4. Trajan
5. Praetor
6. Avicenna
7. Robicheaux
8. Pontifex
9. Chatham
10. Mill
11. Chamblee
12. Empiricus

Governmental Structure

Executive

The President

The President is directly elected by the nation in a popular vote. He retains sole executive powers with the lone exception being the Department of the Military. Presidential terms are for a length of four years and not exceeding three consecutive terms. He runs as part of a ticket with the Vice President and appoints cabinet members once in office.

With regard to military matters, the President and Congressional Chancellor retain shared powers in mobilizing CCP forces. All executive orders to the Department of the Military must posses both signatures to be enacted.

Presidents of the Commonwealth of Cartesian Praetoria

The Vice President

Cabinet

Congressional Chancellor

The Congressional Chancellor is directly elected by the complete Congress. He serves a minimal legislative role - primarily guiding legislation during conference committee. The real power of the Congressional Chancellor lies in that he serves as a Co-Commander-in-Chief with the President.

Legislative

Congress

With anywhere from three to eight parties holding seats in each chamber of Congress during each session, majority is determined by the establishment of de facto allied voting blocks - often along geographical and historical lines as well as political loyalties.

Senate

Each district elects two Senators by popular vote. Senate terms are for a length of six years and elections are scattered so that four Senators are elected each year. The leader of the Senate is the Pro-Chancellor of the Senate. The Pro-Chancellor is elected within the Senate at the beginning of each legislative year.

Common Assembly

Each district is allocated a proportional number of Assemblymen based on population. Assembly terms are for a length of two years and are scattered so that half of the Assembly is elected each year. There are a total of 50 members in the Assembly - 25 are elected each year. The leader of the Assembly is the Pro-Chancellor of the Common Assembly. The Pro-Chancellor is elected within the Assembly at the beginning of each legislative year.

Common Assembly Districts (Assemblymen in parenthesis)

Recartes (10), Antioch (7), Argonne (6), Trajan (6), Praetor (5), Avicenna (4), Robicheaux (3), Pontifex (3), Chatham (2), Mill (2), Chamblee (1), Empiricus (1).

Judicial

Supreme Court

A panel of 12 justices sit on the Supreme Court - the highest court in the nation.

Note from the Argonne Archives

Cartesian Praetorian historians are working around-the-clock to update the history of the CCP following a massive fire at the archives complex. Please bear with them as they scramble to gather all the necessary information. The government thanks you for your patience.