Roodswood
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| Flag of Roodswood | |
| Motto: Ora et Labora | |
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| Region | Catholic |
|---|---|
| Capital | Haslemere |
| Official Language(s) | English, Spanish |
| Leader | King Bernard II |
| Population | 430 million and growing |
| Currency | Pound-peseta |
| NS Sunset XML | |
The Kingdom of Roodswood
The Kingdom of Roodswood (The Kingdom of Roodswood) is a Nation of the Catholic region, member of the UN, member of the Catholic Council and signer of the Catholic Charter. The capital city of the Kingdom is Haslemere, which was founded in 1577 by Captain Leo Haslemere, an English explorer and Catholic. The Kingdom's shortened name is Roodswood.
The region where Roodswood is situated was simultaneously settled by both English and Spanish frontiersmen, but after the Guerra de Tres Uniones, the ruling families of both groups came together to form the nation more or less as it stands today. Because of this, both English and Spanish are official languages, and most people are bilingual. Most people are also of a mixed Spanish-English ancestry (70% of the population), though there are significant numbers of people who remain primarily of one ethnic group: Spanish 10% of the population and English 17% of the population. There are also two very small minority groups, Catalans (2% of the population) and Irishmen (1% of the population).
People from Roodswood are called Roodswoodsmen, and the adjectival form of the nation is Roodswoody.
The flag of Roodswood is a slightly right of center cross of Burgundy with a small, red Cross of St. George to its left. All of these are on a white field.
Government
Like most nations until 1789, more and more power was being consentrated in the hands of the King and the central government. After being horrified by the French Revolution, however, King Manuel VII issued the Feudal Reform Decree, as he came to believe such centralization was a major factor in the Revolution. This decree greatly decreased the power of the monarchy and essentially reestablished a feudal, regional government. There are no serfs, however, and people are free to move about the country (with some important exceptions, noted below in Religion). Instead, commoners are considered vassals of the most local aristocratic holding where they have established permanent residency. There is no standing army, and the lack of a strong central government makes taxes very low (ranging from anywhere between 1 and 5% of a person's income).
The King has special power to call the General Cortes, a dictatorial legislature whose decisions cannot be challenged by anyone, though the King can dismiss it at will. The General Cortes consists of elected representatives of the 3rd estate (commoners and life lords) and the 2nd estate (hereditary nobility), and delegates of the 1st estate (Clergy appointed by the Bishops of Roodswood). Each faction has one vote on matters brought before the Cortes. The General Cortes was last called in 1900 due to the Masonic Plot of 1900.
The Royal Family
Excluding King Bernard II's siblings, aunts & uncles, cousins, nephews & nieces, etc.
His Majesty, King Bernard II, Marquis of Thornberry, Marquis of Valdepenas, etc. (b. April 2nd, 1955)
Her Majesty, Queen Beatrice of Nasuti, Marchioness of Thornberry, Marchioness of Valdepenas, etc. (b. January 15th, 1960). Married to King Bernard II June 1st 1979.
His Majesty, Prince Simone (b. September 8th, 1999).
Her Majesty, Princess Lydia (b. February 28th, 1984). Engaged to foreign royalty, to be married in Summer 2008.
His Majesty, Crown Prince Wesley, Marquis of Ribadesella, etc. (b. July 6th, 1980).
Her Majesty, Crown Princess Elvira, Marchioness of Ribadesella, etc. (b. December 20th, 1982). Married to Prince Wesley June 17th, 2006.
His Majesty, Prince Bernard (b. May 12th, 2007). The son of Crown Prince Wesley and Crown Princess Elvira.
Religion
The official religion of the Kingdom is the Roman Catholic Church, which claims 85% of the population as adherents. The Kingdom was founded by English Catholic expatriates and Spanish (primarily Castilian and Leonese) settlers, so this is hardly surprising.
About 10% of the population are Waldensians, a religious group that made a number of converts of Catholics in Roodswood in the 17th century. Today Waldensians are typical "mainline" Protestant Christians. 4% are Atheists, Agnostics, or Non-religious, and 1% are members of the Anglican Communion. The Declaración Real y Aristocrático de la Uniformidad Religiosa issued by King Wesley IV in conjunction with most landed aristocrats in 1700 requires all non-Catholics to have permanent residence in Glabados Free City, the largest city in the Kingdom.
Civic Life
Education
As of May 24th, 2007, public (that is to say government run and funded) education was abolished in the Kingdom of Roodswood. By 2009 all public schools will either be closed or turned over to the Catholic Church for administration. Parents will be expected to either homeschool their children or send them to Church run schools. Educating one's children formally was only mandatory in Roodswood from February 1901 to April 1902. Modern public education was brought to the nation by the Tyrant Congress of 1901 and proved to be the most resiliant of that short lived institution's actions. After the Tyrant Congress was overthrown in 1902, universities were immediately returned to the Church's control, but public primary and secondary schooling remained fairly popular until the mid 1990s, so it was kept in place. Declining grades and discipline problems led to the current decrees. Glabados Free City is the only location where government run schools will be retained.
Entertainment
The most popular entertainment in Roodswood is soccer, which is followed by Roodswoodsmen of all social classes. Roodswood's Primera División del Soccer has both a national and an international following. Fans of this or that team are the closest thing Roodswood has to political factions. The bottom three teams at the end of the season face demotion to the secondary division, depending on how many goals they scored during the season.
Primera División del Soccer, according to 2007 Rankings
1. RSC Haslemere (Royal Soccer Club of Haslemere)
2. Glabados (Glabados Football Union)
3. Sporting Millstipe (Millstipe Castle Sporting Association)
4. DC Edgeboro (Ducal Charter Club of Edgeboro)
5. FC New Liverpool (Club de Fútbol New Liverpool)
6. Allende (Deportivo Allende)
7. RSC Sahagun (Royal Soccer Club of Sahagun)
8. Rugby (Tyne Rugby Club [Fomerly a Rugby team, converted to Soccer in the 1940s])
9. Tyne SC (Tyne Soccer Club)
10. Deportivo (Deportivo de Haslemere)
11. County Rainham (County Charter Club of Rainham)
12. Rainham FC (Rainham County Football Club)
13. Manor Glaveston (Lord of the Manor Glaveston's Charter Soccer Club)
14. Manor Illescas (Club de Fútbol de Lord of the Manor Illescas)
15. Cortes SC (The General Cortes of 1900's Charter Soccer Club)
16. Sporting Algeciras (Algeciras Sporting Association)
17. Waltham Palace (Waltham Pallace Soccer Association)
18. Lindisfarne (New Lindisfarne Football Club)
19. DC Pendelhaven (Ducal Charter Club of Pendelhaven)
20. Manor Algeciras (Lord of the Manor Algeciras's Charter Football Club)
Bull fighting, cock fighting, and dog fighting are also popular amongst Roodswoodsmen. The recent ban on animal fighting entertainment by the UN has caused a great deal of public outrage in Roodswood, though the law is almost universally ignored. King Bernard II has publicly attended many bull and dog fights since his youth, and the dogs from the royal kennels are often seen in the rings of Haslemere.
In addition to soccer and animal fighting, aristocrats generally enjoy sports related to horsemanship, especially polo and fox hunting. Commoners enjoy a good boxing or rugby union match now and again, but these fall far short of the popularity of soccer.
Important Fiefdoms
Probably more important than major cities in Roodswood are its major fiefdoms. Here are the fiefdoms that are either royal holdings (Marches) or have the Crown as the only lord above them (usually Counties or Duchies)
A: The County of Palencia
B: The March of Cranleigh
C: Glabados Free City
D: The County of Epsom
E: The March of Valdepenas
F: The County of Camberley
G: The County of Llanes
H: The March of Thornberry
I: The County of Reigate
J: The County of Sevilla La Nueva
K: The Duchy of Edgeboro
L: The County of Benalmadena
M: The County of Castrocalbon
N: The County of Oxted
O: The County of Fabero
P: The March of Cobham
Q: The March of Ribadesella
R: The County of Esher
S: The County of Chertsey
T: The County of Hellin
U: The March of Sheerness
V: The March of Teruel
W: The Duchy of Faversham
X: The March of Toledo El Nuevo
Y: The County of Matfield
Z: The March of Tomelloso
AA: The March of Romney
BB: The Duchy of Havana
CC: The County of New Surrey
DD: The Duchy of Alicante
EE: The County of Hextable
FF: The March of Elda
GG: The Duchy of Pendelhaven
HH: The County of Graus
II: The County of Tunbridge
JJ: The County of Barbastro
KK: The March of Dyvers
LL: The March of Olba
MM: The County of Rainham
NN: The March of Golosavo
OO: The March of Dunmow
PP: The March of Nerpio
QQ: The Duchy of Tilbury
RR: The Duchy of Villatoya
SS: The Manor Allende
