Duibhlinn

The nation of Duibhlinn is a federal republic situated on the island continent of Laderia within the region known as the YoungWorld. It has two official languages, Irish and Hiberno-English. Many citizens also speak a third language. The official name of the country is the Republic of Duibhlinn or Poblacht na Duibhlinne in Irish. In the most recent census the population was over 2.6 billion.

Duibhlinn

Flag:
Flag of Duibhlinn
Motto: Everyone in this graveyard has a right to vote
[1], Bilingual Map
Region	The YoungWorld
Capital	Duibhlinn
Official Language(s)	Irish and Hiberno-English
Leader	Prime Minister William Landson / Príomh-Aire Uilliam Mac Tíre
Population	circa 2.5 Billion
Currency	the Brown Envelope
NS Sunset XML

The National Flag

The flag of Duibhlinn is "The Harp". It is comprised of three horizontal stripes. The top stripe is light blue, the middle stripe is white and the third stripe on the bottom is navy. Historians differ about the meaning of the colours but it is commonly believed that they represent the Monarch (light blue) and the people (navy) with white representing harmony and order. It has been the flag of Duibhlinn since the Battle of Bulls' Meadow in 1014. The Golden Harp was added in 1782 after the Republic was declared.

The Climate

Most of the country lies in a Moist Continental Climate area. As a result Duibhlinn has cold winters and hot summers, especially inland. Proximity to the ocean tends to make the coastal areas warmer in winter and cooler in summer.

In the west of the country, in the province of Borders, there is a Highland Climate. This means that it is cold all year round and snow remains on the highest peaks even in summer.

The Provinces

Duibhlinn is made up of five provinces, Foxland in the North, Eastcoast (also known as Eastland), Southland, Greenland, in the heart of the country, and Borders in the West which all have autonomy in many areas including education and health. (See map for actual locations)

Foxland is the most populous province and it's provincial capital is also the national Capital, Duibhlinn (from which the country takes it's name). Foxland is both the political and industrial centre of the country. The population is cosmopolitan and cafés are the most popular social spots where Foxlanders sit and watch the world go by, or read from one of the various national newspapers. The Duibhlinn Daily and The Great Marshton Examiner being the two biggest dailys.

Eastcoast / Eastland is famous for it's beautiful coastline along the Taria Ocean with many beaches, bays and coves. Because of it's natural beauty, it's general lack of oppressive summer heat and the laid back attitude of it's people it has become the favoured destination of holidaymakers. However there is more to the Eastcoast than beaches as parts of the province stretch way inland towards the Great Forest. It's capital is Grassland.

Southland is Duibhlinn's smallest province but that hasn't stopped it from becoming the cultural heart of the nation. Traditional music is an obsession and it is believed that upwards of 70% of Southlanders can play a musical instrument. Theatre going is also extremely popular with the National Theatre situated in the provincial capital, Great Marshton. Duibhlinn's two most prestigious universities, the National College of All-Duibhlinn and the Sea-warriorson International University are both located here.

Greenland is situated in the very centre of the country. As the name suggests it's a green and feritle land. The south of the province is dominated by the farming industry whilst the centre and north contain The Great Forest. This is Duibhlinn's largest national park, with many wild animals including the national mascot, the secretive Maneating Purple Deer. Don't let the name fool you, though. The deer is actually more of a redish colour. The capital of Greenland is Middleford which holds a large rock festival, Rock the Forest, every summer that attracts up to 250,000 revellers.

Borders is in the far west of the country. Although it is huge, it is the least populous of all the five provinces. A large proportion of the population are writers, poets and artists who have come here to escape the world for long periods in order to perfect their work. The lack of a population is mainly due to the harsh terrain contained within it's boundaries, especially the impressive Black Mountains. For hundreds of years these mountains acted as barrier against marauding foreigners keeping Duibhlinn free from foreign rule. However nowadays the most violent thing that the mountains will witness is a skier loosing their balance during the winter months. The highest mountain in Duibhlinn, The Hook, is also here. The capital of Borders is Oldbridge, which is regarded as Duibhlinn's prettiest city due to it's 18th century architecture. It's main industry is adventure tourism.

History- ancient times to 1200AD

Early History

The first settlers to Duibhlinn arrived 6,000 years ago but not much is known about them. What remains of Duibhlinn's pre-written history are large stone monuments and passage tombs from when the Sun God, Beal, was worshipped.

Over time communities developed and got larger until Kingdoms were formed. By the 5th century various warlords and chieftains fought over large areas of land, mainly in the pursuit of fame and gold. These warlords shared a common language, legal system (the Judge Laws) and religion but not a common identity. As no Warlord could prevail over all others, the country remained fractured until the 8th century.

Christianity arrives, Duibhlinn Monastery and Town Established

In 555 St. Secundinus brought a new religion, Christianity, to the country. On his arrival he converted a local ruler and was given a piece of land to build a monastery. The site he was given was called Duibhlinn and consisted of about 5 acres. On this land he built a monastery and within a century it had grown into a small town.

It is also because of St. Secundinus that Duibhlinn got it's name. Often he would report back to Rome about his sucesses or failures, and as he did not know the name of the various tribes and clans, he referred to them collectively as Duibhlinn and the name stuck. Apart from bringing Christianity to Duibhlinn he also introduced writing, and new ideas about life and government. St. Secundinus would later become the Patron Saint of Duibhlinn.

First King of Duibhlinn

In 700 a Christian King emerged from Camas, in what is now Southwestern Greenland. His name was Niall and he wanted power and to spread the word of God. To this end he set about the conquest of Duibhlinn.

His life's dream became reality with his final victory at Oakchurch in 729 over the pagan warlord Cuala. Soon after Niall was crowned King of All-Duibhlinn and took Duibhlinn City as his capital. He created a new central government that he controlled with an iron fist. This earned him the nickname, Niall the Hammer. Also under his rule the pagan religion was superceded in it's entirety by Christianity, the first coins were minted and a credible historical system of written records was established.

Provinces Formed in 957

All remained peaceful for the next couple of hundred years with the descendents of King Niall ruling as Monarchs. However their rule began to be seen with increasing envy by petty rulers throughout the land. On June 2nd, 957 they rebelled and marched an army to Middleford. The then King, Art I, donned his armour and marched out to meet them with his own army, but instead of fighting, the King and the rebel leaders held a meeting on the battlefield. In return for their loyality the King granted the rebels several concessions. The main concessions amounted to the creation of five provinces, with five Princes ruling over them. Art I became High-King over the Provincial Princes. Although the monarchy no longer exists the five provinces created on that day remain.

Foreign Invasion

For a time in early 1011 the Moon turned a reddish colour. This was seen as a bad omen and so it turned out. Later that year Duibhlinn came under serious foreign attack for the first time. From the far North a large group of merciless warriors, known as Lakelanders, landed and attacked the monastic settlement of Old Cove on Duibhlinn's Eastcoast, killing everyone they encountered whether man, woman or child and loothing the whole site. Throughout the remainder of the year other attacks occurred leaving the coastal population in a state of panic.

Much worse was to follow though. In 1012 eighty ships landed, again at Old Cove but this time they were not raiding they were here to stay. Led by their Prince, Blacktooth they had come to seize land and establish a permanent settlement. Their bloodthirsty reputation meant that they encountered little resistence and advanced inland capturing the town of Littleton before encamping for the winter. Over the next year and a quarter they seized more and more territory, defeating the High King, Brian I several times in large pitched battles at Greycastle (April 1013) and Yellowridge (February 1014) until they neared the capital Duibhlinn.

Brian the Lion

As both sides knew that the next battle would be decisive the ranks of their armies grew in number. Brian's army swelled to 25,000 while Blacktooth mustered together an army of 30,000 Lakelanders and 8,000 mercenaries. On the 24th of April 1014 the two armies faced each other at Bulls' Meadow, two miles from Duibhlinn city. Although Brian was outnumbered he had learned from his previous defeats at the hands of Blacktooth. He knew that if he could break up Blacktooth's battle formation he could use his cavalry to annihilate the Lakelander infantry in the open.

On the morning of the battle he gave a rousing speech to his troops telling them that God was on their side and that they would prevail. He also told them that they were all the one people and that foreign tyranny could never be allowed over free men. He had made a new banner which he carried with him. Before, the King had always used their own family crest as the flag of Duibhlinn, however now Brian carried with him a flag with three horizontal stripes, light blue at the top, white in the middle and navy at the bottom and the battle cry "Bua nó Bás!", meaning Victory or Death!, emblazoned upon it.

The ferocious battle began just before midday and carried on for several hours without anyone gaining the upper hand. As the evening drew near Blacktooth launched an attack on the centre of the weakening Duibhlinn line. Brian now saw his chance and ordered a withdrawal. The Lakelander army gave chase but began to lose it's shape. Blacktooth, seeing what was happening tried desparately to regain control of his army but it was too late. Brian now ordered his infantry to reform and sent his cavalry charging at full speed into the Lakelanders. It was a slaughter. Lakelanders began to die in their hundreds. Blacktooth now realised that his only hope for victory would be to kill Brian. He and his royal guard mounted their horses and charged across the battlefield. Most of them were killed before they could reach Brian but Blacktooth himself got through and using his lance, speared Brian in the chest. With his last morsel of life, Brian swung his sword cleaving Blacktooth on the head and both fell mortally wounded. The remnants of the Lakelander army fled and were cut down.

Victory was won but Brian was dead. The fallen King, forever known as Brian the Lion after that day, was taken back to Duibhlinn and after twelve days of mourning, entombed in the newly constructed Cathedral of St. Secundinus. Til this day, Brian's banner has been used as the national flag and April 24th is celebrated as the national day.

Peace and Learning

With the threat from the Lakelanders receeded Duibhlinn now entered a long period of peace. During this time both trade and the arts flourished. Towns grew larger and merchants came from near and far with exotic goods and spices. Barons, Princes and Provincial Kings became extremely rich and showed off their wealth by building new churches and sometimes even whole towns. They also payed artists, sculptors, musicians and storytellers to create works so that they would be remembered forever.

All Kings since 1014 had taken the name Brian hoping that some of Brian I's greatness would rub off on them. However these Kings were more competent than spectacular. They collected taxes, ruled the country without ever upsetting the order of things, but also without ever doing anything that would make them really worthy of remembrance. One minor exception was Brian V, who in keeping with the age, spent a small fortune building Duibhlinn's first and second Universities, Trinity College in 1185 and the University of Saint Secundinus in 1192. Brian V was also the king who first introduced surnames into to Duibhlinn. Instead of people simply being called after their father they took a permanent surname, usually after a famous ancestor or sometimes toponymical.

History- The Age of Empire 1200-

First Parliament

When Brian VI died in his bed aged 49 in 1210, his twenty two year old son, Cormac, became king. Cormac was the youngest king in a hundred years and was eager to become as great as Niall the Hammer or Brian the Lion.

In 1212 attacks along the Duibhlinn's southern border became more frequent and troublesome. Over the years Duibhlinn had increasingly become a target for raiders and pirates due to it's wealth and neglected defences. Cormac now saw his chance and set about organising an army to invade the foreign tribal lands to the south. However a major obstacle stood in his way, funding. The King's coffers were not sufficent enough to support a military campaign. Over the years King after King had failed to spend money wisely and due to the Middleford agreement, between Art I and the Provincial Princes in 957, he was unable to compel his subjects to fight for him without payment. Cormac however was undeterred. He turned to the Provincial Princes and Barons for money and they obilged but at a cost. They demanded more power in the form of a parliament. Kings in the past had had advisory councils but could dismiss their advice if they so decided. The parliament meant that the King could be forced to do things he didn't want to but Cormac had no choice and accepted. On the 14th of March 1213 the first Parliament met and established itself. Only rich Princes and Barons could attend with no election required. It promised to meet again within the year.

The next day Cormac and an army of 30,000 men crossed over the southern Duibhlinn border onto foreign soil.

Banba and Anna

Within two years Cormac had captured the lands to the immediate south east of Duibhlinn which he named after his wife Banba. On the site of his final victory, near the Taria Ocean, he built a town and called it Bluefield which eventually became the provincial capital. Banba remained Duibhlinn's most enduring conquest, as it did not gain independence until 1959. Over the next five years Cormac added to his victories conquering the land of the Painted People in 1220 which he renamed Anna, after his eldest daughter. Soon after though, Cormac was killed in a riding accident. His cousin, Seán replaced him as King. This marked the end of the first period of empire as Seán and subsequent Kings spent most of their time maintaining their grip on power, caring little for the military campaigns so beloved of Cormac I.

Rift with Rome

In 1314 religious strife enveloped the Kingdom as the Pope in Rome sought to impose his will on the Duibhlinn church. Up until that point a blind eye had been turned to certain practices, such as married priests, priests becoming fathers, and legal divorce. But now Rome wanted these to end, bringing Duibhlinn into line with the rest of Christendom. The King at the time, Oscar III, eventually agreed to the Papal demands declaring that all those under his control should stop these abhorrent abuses. Many priests were rounded up and put in prison and a few who refused to do as the King ordered were exiled from the country. However in many areas outside the walls of Duibhlinn city, beyond the immediate influence of the authorities, the priests continued to marry in secret and the church remained very much an independent entity from Rome.

The First Civil War

On the 29th of August 1403 King Filib IV died. What was remarkable about this event was that with his death so ended the line of Kings that had dated back to Niall the Hammer. Filib, known as the Saint had never married preferring to live a pious life devoted to his faith. The House of Niall, which had ruled for seven hundred years, had no heir and Duibhlinn was without a King. For the next ten years the Provincial Princes fought one another in an attempt to gain control of Parliament and thus the Crown. This war, known as the First Civil War, left the country broken and divided. Duibhlinn city was the only part of the country not badly affected as it had been deemed neutral ground. That isn't to say it wasn't a battleground though. The Princes paid members of the Parliament to support their claims and several factions were formed that would often fight both inside and outside the Parliament building.

Cormac II

By 1413 Cormac, Prince of Southland, had conquered most of the country, including Eastcoast, Banba and Anna and had bribed most of Parliament into supporting his claims. His only remaining rivals Barra, Prince of Borders, and Conn, Prince of Greenland, seeing their claims wither, accepted an invitation to dine with Cormac at Strongfort Castle. They believed that Cormac had invited them in order to bribe them into submission and so arrived with demands of land and titles. Cormac had no desire to do any deals with them but instead had them poisoned. The infamous Black Dinner of Strongfort finally ended the war and one week later Cormac was crowned in the Cathedral of Saint Secundinus, becoming Cormac II. He first act as King was to abolished Parliament rounding up it's leaders, which he then had executed. Parliament would not meet again for another sixty years.

Cormac's main problem now was what to do with his large army. He couldn't afford to pay them but he also couldn't disband them for fear of a revolt. In order to avert this potential crisis Cormac invaded the lands that bordered Duibhlinn to the west and north. He promised his men great wealth and large estates if only they would follow him one last time. His campaigns would extend the Duibhlinn Empire to the far side of the continent capturing Alba and Danaland. These fertile lands enriched the nation like never before and helped to rebuild all that had been destroyed by the Parliamentary War.

The Death of Cormac II

By 1433, now nearing seventy, Cormac II gathered together an army of 100,000 men. Once again he marched north in search of conquest but by now his warring instincts had deserted him. The Tribes of the North had a very cunning and calculating leader called, Corcra who set a trap that would be the end for Cormac. He lured the old King into the forest of Laderia and over the next two months picked off the Duibhlinn army in a series of large and elaborate ambushes, until Cormac was forced to retreat leaving 80,000 dead soldiers behind. Cormac was now a broken figure and died a month later, possibly poisoned by his ambitious son who was also called Cormac.

Cormac III

In a short coronation ceremony Cormac was made King Cormac III immediately after the funeral of his father, Cormac II. He was the only King not to be crowned in Duibhlinn city. In fact he never even visited the city and his own town of Victoryfort in Alba was effectively the capital of Duibhlinn during his reign. Like his father before him, war and conquest drove him, and he proved himself to be a brilliant tactician, never once losing a battle.

For the next thirty years he drove the Northern Tribes back further and further, clearing the thick woods as he went. In all he fought seventy six battles always leading from the front and always remaining undefeated. Aged eighty he died on campaign in his tent in 1472. In accordance with his wishes he was buried with his horse, dressed in armour with his sword in hand. The location of his grave remains a mystery to this day.

Flann's Reforms

Cormac III's son Flann became King twelve days after the death of his father. He rode to Duibhlinn city where he was crowned and in an unexpected move he restored Parliament but this time it would be more representative of the people than before. Unlike his father he wished to concentrate on modernising the country instead of making it bigger. In his lifetime he set up the Bank of Duibhlinn, abolished all forms of slavery, introduced the currency which we still have today, the B.E. or Bonn Eangach (lately referred to as the Brown Envelope by wags, due to recent political corruption) and modified many of the Judge Laws the most important of which was the introduction of a jury of peers to deliberate in cases in place of a single judge.

He did not neglect the defence of the nation either. He had built a series of fortifications along the extremities of the Empire to keep out warring tribes and bandits which became to be known as Flann's Wall.

The Reformation

The Current System of Government

Duibhlinn is a representative democracy, although it is legally required that the government hold a referendum when it wishes to change the constitution. Elections for the Presidency are held every seven years, for the National Senate every five years, and for Provincial Parliaments every four years. Elections make use of the Proportion Representation Single Transferable Vote system.

The President

The Head-of-State is a President elected every seven years for one term only. The President, who does not have an executive or policy role, exercises them on the advice of the Government.

There are some specific instances where the President has an absolute discretion, such as in referring a Bill to the Supreme Court for a judgment on its constitutionality or in refusing to dissolve the National Senate on the advice of a Prime Minister who has ceased to retain a majority. Additional functions can be conferred on the President by law.

The President appoints the Prime Minister on the nomination of the National Senate; and the other members of the Government on the nomination of the Prime Minister after Senate approval.

Other office holders appointed by the President, on the advice of the Government, include Judges, the Attorney General and Commissioned officers of the Defence Forces. The President also checks the credentials of foreign ambassadors and sometimes is called upon to represent the State at national and international functions. The President also delivers a speech, known as the State of the Nation, to the National Senate every April 23rd.

The current President is Pierce Riverson, elected two years ago gaining 57% of the popular vote.

The National Senate

The Senate has only one House. It comprises 500 members, 180 from Foxland, 120 from Eastcoast, 100 from Southland, 70 from Greenland, and 30 from Borders. The national government is formed by a majority of it's members.

The Provincial Parliaments

There are five provincial parliaments. Each has 100 members from which the various federal governments are formed.

The Constitution

The current Constitution of Duibhlinn came into being in 1959. It is the fundamental legal document that sets out how Duibhlinn should be governed through a series of Articles. Duibhlinn has had two other republican constitutions before this one and as such the republic is referred to as the Third Republic.

The Constitution creates the various branches of government and the courts and it also sets out how those institutions should be run. It also has another important function; it describes the fundamental rights that every citizen of Duibhlinn is entitled to.

The Constitution consists of two main parts:

1. ====The main institutions of the State====

The Constitution of the Third Republic establishes and describes the main institutions of the state. The power to run the state is divided into three separate powers: the legislative power, the executive power, and the judicial power.

The legislative power is the power to make laws, i.e., to introduce, remove or change legislation.

The executive power is the power to carry the laws into effect, i.e., to execute or carry out the laws with the assistance of a police force, a military force and the civil service. Executive power lies with the National Government ie, the Prime Minister, the Deputy Prime Minister, and the cabinet of Ministers. Certain Executive powers are controlled by the five Provincial Governments ie, the State Govenors, the Deputy State Govenors and the State Ministers.

The judicial power is the power to interpret and apply the law to disputes and conflicts that arise between the state and the individual and disputes and conflicts that arise between individuals.

2. ===The fundamental rights of the each citizen===

The Constitution recognises and declares that the citizens of Duibhlinn have certain fundamental personal rights. These rights are natural human rights and are confirmed and protected by the Constitution.

Fundamental rights are not absolute - they can be limited or restricted by the National Senate on the grounds, for example, of the common good or public order.

Every constitutional right has the same status and value. If there is a conflict between the constitutional rights of individuals, the courts will look at all the circumstances and weigh all of the factors to decide which constitutional right is more important in that particular case.

Constitutional rights include:

Equality before the law

The right to life

The right to trial by jury

The right to bodily integrity

Freedom to travel

Personal liberty

Freedom of expression

Freedom of assembly

Freedom of association

Religious liberty

Property rights

The right to earn a livelihood

Inviolability of dwelling

The right to fair procedures

The right to privacy.