Inglo-Scotia
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| Victory, Bread, Liberty, Equality! | |||||
| Official Languages | Inglish | ||||
| Religion | No official state religion. | ||||
| Ethnicity | Inglish, Scotians, Éirens, Africans, Ozians. | ||||
| Capital | New Beaconsfield, population: 8.6 million | ||||
| Head of State | Lord Protector Stephen Crofts. | ||||
| Consul of Foreign Affairs | Erik Destler | ||||
| Area - Total - water (%) |
244,820 km² 1.34 | ||||
| Population - Total (June 2006) - Density |
60,209,500 243/km² | ||||
| Formation | Overthrow of the Empire of Inglo-Scotia, establishment of the Commonwealth, 2005. | ||||
| Government Type | Commonwealth | ||||
| Economic System | State-monitored capitalism | ||||
| National Symbols | National Animal: Lion National Colours: Black and Red | ||||
| HDI | 0.940 - high | ||||
| Currency | Commonwealth Pound sterling (£) | ||||
| Time Zone - in summer |
GMT +0 | ||||
| International Abbreviations - sport - government |
I-S | ||||
| Pronunciation | ING-low SKO-shia | ||||
| Naval Craft Classification | CSS (Commonwealth Service Ship) | ||||
| National Anthem | Men of Ingla, Men of Scotia by Herman Zeller | ||||
| Internet TLD | .is | ||||
| Calling Code | +44 | ||||
Contents
- 1 General
- 2 Prehistory
- 3 Inglish conquest of Éire
- 4 The Inglo-Scotian Wars, 1179-1600
- 5 The Act of Union
- 6 The Empire of Inglo-Scotia: 405 years of Cloutier Rule
- 7 William X and the rise of Stephen Crofts
- 8 The Victorious Revolution: The Inglo-Scotian Civil War
- 9 End of an Empire, birth of a Commonwealth
- 10 Consolidating Power
- 11 The Éire Crisis
- 12 Language
- 13 Administration
- 14 Religion
- 15 Military
- 16 Crime
- 17 Economy
- 18 Politics
- 19 Cities
General
The Commonwealth of Inglo-Scotia is a nation in Taijitu region. The nation is commonly referred to as "Inglo-Scotia" or, since the end of the Victorious Revolution, "the Commonwealth."
Prehistory
The two islands that make up Inglo-Scotia are known as the Eudaphalian islands, and have been inhabited by humans for hundreds of thousands of years. The first written account of Inglo-Scotia and its inhabitants was by the Romanarian navigator Pytheas in 325 BCE, who stumbled upon the islands in search of trade. Eventually the people that made up the islands' population would consolidate into three power blocks. The Kingdom of Scotia formed on the northern half of the main island, its first king being Edmund I in 1020. The Kingdom of Ingla formed in the south around the same time under Alfred I. The Éiren people of the tip of the smaller, southern island would form the small Kingdom of Éire under King Daniel I in 1059.
Inglish conquest of Éire
In 1170 the armies of King Alexander I of Ingla set sail for the island of Éire. Upon landing the Kingdoms of Ingla and Éire were locked in a bloody struggle for two years, before the death of King Peter III of Éire, due to wound suffered in battle. The death of their king demoralized the Éiren soldiers, a matter made worse when Peter III's son Matthew I proved an incompetent military leader. By the end of 1173 Éire had been integrated as a county of Ingla, with Matthew I being executed by order of Alexander I.
The Inglo-Scotian Wars, 1179-1600
After the conquest of Éire, Alexander I turned his sites northward to the Kingdom of Scotia, hoping to extend Ingla's domain over all of the Eudaphalian islands, from Erie to the northern shores of the main island. All though Alexander I probably thought conquering Scotia would be more difficult then his Erie campaign, he would never of thought that his attempt to invade Scotia would lead to more then 400 years of on-and-off warfare between the two nations. At first it seemed like Scotia would fall quicker then Erie, as Alexander I's forces pushed deep into the heart of Scotia, laying siege to Eldlewood, the Scotian capital. The tide quickly turned, however, when King John II of Scotia rallied his troops to a counter attack, pushing the Inglish forces across the Inglo-Scotian border. John II would continue to push deeper into Ingla, until an Inglish counter-attack drove the Scotian forces right back over the boarder. In the process of this retreat John II ordered his men to make a stand at the border-town of Beaconsfield. The resulting battle completely devastated the coastal town, with only the town's local assembly hall still standing when the smoke cleared. Thanks to it's location on Beaconsfield Bay, the city was an important trading rout along the Eudaphalian Gulf. This lead to an almost miraculous recovery for the town, which reached pre-battle levels of commerce and prosperity only a year and half after the battle. The new city was named New Beaconsfield. The Battle of Beaconsfield was devastating for both sides, but the Inglish were successful in pushing the Scotians out of Ingla. For the next 400+ years the two nations would engage in wars of conquest against each other, until 1545 when King Henry VII of Ingla and King Geoffry IX of Scotia signed a formal end to all hostilities between the nations. The two kings urged their respective citizens to engage in commerce with the other side. This resulted in both Inglanish and Scotians realizing that they were in fact two very similar people.
The Act of Union
In 1600 King Edward II of Ingla died without an heir. The Inglish crown went to his cousin King Tobias V of Scotia. Tobias immediately entered bills into both the Inglish and Scotian parliaments to unify the two nations. Both bills were passed quickly, and on November 9, 1600 the Act of Union was declared and Tobias V of Scotia, I of Ingla was crowned Emperor Tobias I of Inglo-Scotia in the Inglish capital of Ustio. Tobias I's first decree was to name a new capital for the Empire. He chose New New Beaconsfield, the sight of the bloodiest battle between the two former waring nations. New Beaconsfield was also a border city, giving the city an image of being not completely Inglish or Scotian.
The Empire of Inglo-Scotia: 405 years of Cloutier Rule
Tobias I of Inglo-Scotia was a member of the Cloutier family, a family that had previously ruled Scotia for the last century. The Cloutier Dynasty would rule the Empire of Inglo-Scotia for 405 years. Cloutier rule led Inglo-Scotia into becoming one of the Eudaphalia region's most influential powers. War broke out in 1777 between the Empire and the United Republics of Pragmia, a fledgling republic in an era of monarchism. Inglo-Scotia was defeated, a defeat Emperor George VI blamed on Parliament, which was slowly gaining authority at the expense of the Imperial crown. George VI used the defeat in the Pragmian War as an excuse to limit the power of Parliament. By arresting various Parliamentary leaders George VI was able to impose his will upon the legislative body. Now Parliament could be dismissed at the Emperor's will, and all bills passed by Parliament had to be signed into law by the Emperor, Parliament could no longer override a veto with a 75% majority vote. As generations went by the Cloutier emperors of Inglo-Scotia used George VI's "reclamation of rights" to impose a de-facto authoritarian government over the Empire. Citizens grew tired of seeing their elected voice in the government bullied and ignored by the Imperial crown. In 1945 Alexander VIII was crowned Emperor. He kept with the 168 year tradition of authoritarian rule. The 1980's saw the rise of a man named Jacob Natalie rise through the ranks of the Imperial Tax Agency. He is credited with fathering the Imperial Tax Schemes, which involved tax collectors hiking tax rates in their districts. Alexander VIII looked the other way as long as he received monthly kickbacks. This resulted in a general recession for the Inglo-Scotian economy, one that wouldn't end until the Commonwealth had taken over. In 1987 what appeared to be a famine swept the Empire's farms. Alexander VIII panicked and ordered Imperial soldiers to take large amounts of food from all the cities and towns throughout the nation. The "famine" quickly resided, and crops were soon back to normal levels. This incident left an egg on the face of the Imperial crown.
William X and the rise of Stephen Crofts
In 1995 Alexander VIII died of natural causes, and the thrown passed to his son, William. William was crowned Emperor William X of Inglo-Scotia. William X believed very strongly in the "divine right of kings" and also embraced his father's acceptance of Jacob Natalie's tax scams. In 1993 a young man named Steven Crofts left his parents farm just outside Cambrington to join the Imperial Military Academy. Crofts had no interest in a military carrier, but the Military Academy offered him something he couldn't refuse, a decent and free education. This was too good to be true for Crofts, who's family had always rocked on the brink of lower-middle class and lower class. Crofts was not alone. Due to the recession more and more families lost the ability to pay for a universuty education for their children. The Imperial Military Academy, which promised free education and military training as long as one met the educational and physical requirements, became a popular option for many young Inglo-Scotians during the recession. Crofts would soon fall in love with military training, especially calvary formations, and he graduated second in his class, behind Andrew Theriot. The Imperial Military had high hopes for Crofts, but he promptly left the service to take over the work on his father's farm. Due to his father's ailing health, Crofts received an honorary discharge. Upon reaching the age that one can run for a Parliamentary seat, 31, Crofts decided to throw his hat in the ring for the Cambrington County, already a minor celebrity in the county due to his success in the Military Academy. It was a matter of being in the right place at the right time for Crofts, because this election happened to be an election to replace a Parliament that William X had dissolved because they had considered looking into the corruption in the Imperial Tax Agency. That was the final straw for the electorate, who turned to a new political party, the Action Party, who promised to turn Inglo-Scotia into a Constitutional Monarchy, as well as free the nation's African inhabitants from slavery. Crofts quickly throw his hat in the ring for the party's Cambrington nomination and won it, thanks to a passionate speech at a local party meeting. Riding the Action Party's wave of success, Crofts became one of that party's 100% majority in Parliament, under Prime Minister Stanford Pinn. It was during the first session of this new Parliament that Crofts met and befriended two MPs representing New Beaconsfield County, Erik Dessler and his cousin Nikki Thompson. This new Parliament's first act was to draft a constitution, one that limited the power of the Emperor to little more then a figure head. William X threatened to dissolve Parliament three times, each time being talked out of it by his advisers. William X then decided to just ignore the Parliament all together. Crofts seized this opportunity and lead marched through the streets of the capital, and ran picketing campaigns right outside the Imperial Palace's gates. William X responded by having Prime Minister Pinn arrested and tried in a secret tribunal. He was found guilty of treason and hung. In a letter to Parliament William X advised the Action Party to "Find a new leader who respects and understands the right our Lord has given me as your Sovereign and Emperor." At the leadership convention Crofts made a stirring and passionate speech, promising "This Emperor will pay for this extreme abuse of power!" Crofts was elected as the new leader of the Action Party, and hence the new Prime Minister of Inglo-Scotia. William X was outraged at Parliament's lack of respect for his orders, and immediately dissolved Parliament, and outlawed the Action Party by Imperial decree. Crofts and the other Parliamentary leaders fled the capital, meeting at Ustio. There Crofts delivered an address in which he declared the time of talking about a constitutional monarchy was over. He declared that monarchy and nobility were to be wiped from Inglo-Scotia forever. He ended with a promise of "Liberty, Bread, Equality!" This controversial statement, which flew in the face of thousands of years of monarchy, was met with rabid applause, not only from other Parliamentarians, but also from the population of Ustio, who promptly tore down the Imperial banner and raised the traditional flag of the Parliament, a white lion on a black field.
The Victorious Revolution: The Inglo-Scotian Civil War
Crofts had called for civil war. War against the Imperial crown. At first it seemed like the war would be over by the end of 2004. William X had a professional and well trained army. Crofts was traveling the country side trying to raise something even remotely resembling a fighting force. Crofts' first strikes in the Civil War were targeted at the nobles' estates. The goals of these strikes were to free the large slave units that worked the estates' fields. The Parliamentary army's numbers were growing thanks to the addition of freed slaves, but the growth was slow. Then it happened. Half of the Imperial Military turned on the Emperor. Led by politically active officers like Brigadier-General Adam Theriot, Commander Paul Moor, and Admiral Thomas Paine, entire divisions of the army joined the Parliamentary cause. The entire navy abandoned the Imperial crown after Moor and Paine led a sailors' and petty officers' uprising. Still, even with this newfound strength, the Parliamentary forces were defeated in the first formal battle of the Civil War, the Battle of Niteridge Hill. Crofts immediately demanded that two red "V"s be added to every Parliamentary flag, and he changed Parliament's slogan from "Liberty, Bread, Equality!" to "Victory, Bread, Liberty, Equality!" Crofts spent the the rest of the Civil War commanding troop movements and giving moral lifting speeches at the front. Suddenly the tide turned. First Kitchinton was taken, then Eldlewood. Crofts swung his army east, capturing Manchester and Windsington, in large thanks to a unit commanded by Mark Anderson, a freed slave. Advancing southwest Parliamentary forces took Sadlebrook, Lincoln, and Tobiasburgh, eventually ending up back at the Parliamentary base of operations, Ustio. Crofts had encircled William X, who's forces now only held New Beaconsfield and the surrounding area. William was surrounded on three sides by the Parliamentary army, and Beaconsfield Bay was under the control of the Parliamentary navy. On April 19, 2005 Parliamentary forces entered New Beaconsfield. As Crofts entered in a tank he was greeted with rabid cheers. William X, the rest of the Imperial family, and a few close advisers, including Jacob Natalie, tried to flee but were arrested by the local police.
End of an Empire, birth of a Commonwealth
William X and his advisers were put on trial for crimes against the people of Inglo-Scotia. William X refused to say anything during the entire trial, save for it's illegality in his mind. All were sentenced to death by beheading, and the Imperial family would be killed by firing squad. Crofts signed the order. On April 30, 2005 William X and his advisers were beheaded, and his family was shot. The Imperial seed had been washed away from Inglo-Scotia forever. Following the death of the Emperor Crofts called a session of Parliament. Parliament immediately dissolved the Empire and reorganized Inglo-Scotia into a Commonwealth (republic). A constitution was written, replacing the office of Prime Minister with Lord Protector, who would hold the power of both head of government and head of state. New elections were held, with Action winning an other complete majority. Crofts therefore became Inglo-Scotia's last Prime Minister and first (and to date only) Lord Protector. Soon afterward Crofts married Nikki Thompson in what is considered the first official marriage of the Commonwealth.
Consolidating Power
Soon after gaining power, the Commonwealth faced it's first threat. Supporters of the old regime, calling themselves Tory Unionists, had organized under Jacob Natalie's brother Thomas Natalie in the north of the island. Using the north as a base they launched raids onto Commonwealth military bases and train stations, sometimes full of people. Crofts used these attacks to form the Major-General Department of Investigation. The Major-Generals were and still are ruthless in their pursuit of political enemies, rather they be real or imagined. Crofts also passed the Articles of Allegiance, which required all Inglo-Scotian citizens and legal aliens to pledge loyalty to the Commonwealth. The Security of Information bill outlawed dissent in the media, as well as nationalize all the country's television networks into the Commonwealth Network Syndicate. In late 2005 Thomas Natalie was arrested, tried, and executed, effectively ending the Tory Unionist resistance.
The Éire Crisis
Beginning in early 2007 an Éiren terrorist group, the Érien Republican Army (ÉRA) launched a series of bombings against Commonwealth government building within the province of Érie. The ÉRA was lead by an Érien patriot named David Collins who actually supported Crofts' revolution against the Empire, hoping it would result in an independent Érie. Instead Crofts consolidated his power in Érie as he had in the rest of the former Empire.
Soon after taking power in New Beaconsfield Crofts issued a statement freeing all remaining colonies of the Empire from the colonial yoke. He stated, however, that Érie was not a colony, and would therefore be kept under the Commonwealth regime. Soon after Collins founded the ÉRA, issuing a statement demanding Érien independence. Crofts responded by elevating Érie from the status of Inglish county to a full province, in theory putting the Celtic island on even terms with Ingla, Scotia, and Rolland. Another ÉRA statement was issued claiming the provincial status of Érie was nothing more then lip service, and that the ÉRA was formally declaring war on the Commonwealth of Inglo-Scotia.
For almost five years the Commonwealth had its hands tied fighting the Tory Unionists and Communists in Inglo-Scotia proper and Rolland. The local police force and a few army units were left to deal with the ÉRA problem on their own. Just as the Communist and Tory Unionist threats had been defeated the ÉRA blew up the Commonwealth armoury in the Érien city of Cork. Crofts ordered the Érien parliament dissolved, and the province placed under military government lead by Colonel Michael Johnson. After months of planning Collins ordered an all-out assault on the Érien capitol of Béal Feirste. The ÉRA was slaughtered, and Collins escaped. He would sneak into New Beaconsfield where he would destinate a dirty bomb in the city's downtown district. He was latter captured, tired, and executed. Colonel Johnson has since been promoted to the rank of Lieutenant-General.
Language
The official language of the Commonwealth is Inglish.
Administration
The Commonwealth of Inglo-Scotia is devided up into four provinces. They are the Province of Ingla (from the old Kingdom of Ingla), the Provice of Scotia (from the old Kingdom of Scotia), the Province of Rolland (from the old Duchy of Rolland), and the Province of Éire (from the old county of Éire). All four provinces have their own parliaments that deal with matters that only concern their province. Any provincial parliamentary ruling can be overturned by the Commonwealth Parliament. Since the Éire Crisis began the Éiren parliament has been disolved, and the province is being run by a "provisional" Commonwealth military government lead by Lieutenant-General Michael Johnson.
Religion
During the Empire the official state religion was the Church of Ingla. Officially people were free to worship as they saw fit, but only the Church of Ingla received government funding. Despite the government's "toleration" stance, Catholics and Jews were sometimes targeted for persecution.
With the overthrow of the Empire and the establishment of the Commonwealth, the Church of Ingla was stripped of its status as the official state religion. Any policy of persecution towards any particular religious group was ceased immediately. Officially the Commonwealth has no state religion. 72% belong to the Church of Ingla, 10% are Myrorian Catholic, 9% consider themselves Deist or atheist 5% belong to the Ozian faith, with Jews making up the remaining 4%. It's believed that Lord Protector Stephen Crofts is a Deist, all though he rarley, if ever, discusses his religious convictions.
Military
The Commonwealth Armed Forces is the name commonly assigned to the military of the Commonwealth of Inglo-Scotia. In total the entire Commonwealth Armed Forces comprises of 20, 968, 833 regulars, with the rest of the population serving as reserves, seeing as military service is required of a citizen under the Commonwealth.
Commonwealth Army 6, 989, 611 regular soldiers.
Commonwealth Navy 2 Global Super Carriers CSS Gallant CSS Cyclops
10 Carriers CSS Republica-A CSS Guardian CSS Lion CSS Revolution CSS Fearless CSS Storm CSS Avenger CSS Daring CSS Excellent CSS Pegasus
10 Dreadnaughts CSS Titan CSS Invincible CSS Jupiter CSS Hercules CSS Kraken CSS Magnificent CSS Colossus CSS Majestic CSS Illustrious CSS Leviathan
15 Battle Cruisers CSS Ingla CSS Essex CSS Ace CSS Lightning CSS Bandit CSS Raptor CSS Pursuer CSS Seahorse CSS Resolution CSS Jaguar CSS Counterguard CSS Phoenix CSS Advantage CSS Sussex CSS Courageous
20 Aegis Cruisers CSS Activity CSS Hornet CSS Daring CSS Themed CSS Spartan CSS Vigilant CSS Ulysses CSS Thunderer CSS Scotia CSS Force CSS Minotaur CSS Action CSS Loki CSS Adamant CSS Sirius CSS Triton CSS Swordfish CSS Kingfisher CSS Glory CSS Voyager
30 Destroyers CSS Defiant-A CSS Liberty-A CSS Cambrington-A CSS Daedalus CSS Dagger CSS Horizon CSS Elkins CSS Danube CSS Fearless CSS Warrior CSS Huron CSS Bello CSS Odyssey CSS Challenger CSS Bradbury CSS Excelsior CSS Repulse CSS Prometheus CSS Ranger CSS Relativity CSS Crofts CSS Hood CSS Bonaventure CSS Athena CSS Thunderchild CSS Revere CSS Glia CSS Anderson CSS Mobius CSS Thrasher
20 Frigates CSS Equality-A CSS Emancipation-A CSS Perseverance CSS Action CSS Virtus CSS Intrepid CSS Warspite CSS Leveller CSS Chatham CSS Shearwater CSS Spithead CSS Leopard CSS Albion CSS Northumberland CSS Harvestshire CSS Vengeance CSS Richmond CSS Kent CSS Defender CSS Blake
20 Attack Subs CSS Suffrage-A CSS Victory-A CSS Pinn-A CSS Black March-A CSS Conqueror CSS Neptune CSS Livingshire CSS Windsington CSS Ustio CSS New Beaconsfield CSS Echo CSS Sovereign CSS Worcester CSS Windsington CSS Wessex CSS Eldlewood CSS Maco CSS Bruce CSS Kensington CSS Vendetta
Crime
Crime has almost disappeared form daily life in Inglo-Scotia, thanks to the harsher laws of the Commonwealth. Also, all children must enroll in the Victorious Pioneers Youth League. This provides structure and meaning in the lives of Inglo-Scotia's young, dramatically reducing the crime rate. All teenagers must take an Abstinence Pledge when they are 13, which expires on their 18th birthday.
Economy
The Inglo-Scotian economy has completely rebounded form the recession caused by the Imperial Tax Scams. It is now performing better then it was pre-Scam. The currency is the Commonwealth Pound sterling (£).
Politics
In theory Inglo-Scotia is a true republic. Citizens can vote for whoever they want to represent their county in Parliament, and the leader of the party with the most seats is declared Lord Protector. The reality is slightly different. Right after being elected Lord Protector after the formation of the Commonwealth, Crofts outlawed all political parties other then the Action Party, except one, the Cavalier Party. The Cavalier Party is mostly made made up of supporters of the old regime who want to apply its principals to the new Commonwealth system. There were some hardliners in the party that wanted a restoration of the Emperor, but they were arrested during the anti-Tory Unionist Purges. All though the elections to Parliament are free in theory, the Cavaliers currently stand no chance at wrestling power from the Action Party.
Cities
The five largest cities in Inglo-Scotia are New Beaconsfield (capital), Ustio, Republica (formally Tobiasburgh), Windsington, and Eldlewood.
