United Ed States

The United Ed States is a large nation located in the region of the Jelly Bean Alliance.

About the Nation

The Constitutional Monarchy of the United Ed States is a form of Constitutional Monarchy, and it's government contains a legislative branch, a prime minister, a judicial and command branch, and a Royal figurehead, the King and his family. It is technically a new form of government, called a charakterpsephosarchy [pronounced: character-sef-oh-sarchy], a rough ancient Greek translation of "representative voters government", meaning elected officials elect most of the more elite government workers. In this case, the elected voters are the Representative Commune.

Facts

Present number of states: 5

Present number of provinces: 2

Present population (as of October of 2006): 585,000,000 people

National currency: Gem (As of October of 2006, 2.0046 Gems equalled 1 US dollar)

National animal: Harpy Eagle

National anthem: For thy King, Lord, and Country

National motto: "Freedom and justice is assured to law biding citizens"

National Capital: Edland Heights

Largest Cities (in order from largest to smallest, as of October of 2006):

• Edland Heights
• Riden Park
• Beenland City
• New Quinloin
• Gerbsob

Official language: English

Gross Domestic Product: G$5,881,486,608,372.38

GDP Per Capita: G$10,053.82

Defense Budget: G$648,992,164,593.09 (25% of the nation's budget)

Law & Order Budget: G$1,297,984,329,186.00 (50% of the nation's budget)

Independance:

Officialy proclaimed on June 22, 1718 after the fall of Canheir

"New Order (change in governmental ways and laws)" was officialy adapted on September 3, 1808

Government:

King (hereditary position): King Roger IIX

Prime Minister (served five of six terms as of September of 2006): Prime Minister Randolph Henry III

Vice Minister: Vice Minister Laurain Cantarberry

Head of Parliament: Congressional Chief Westman Fraiser

Head of the Representative Commune: Chief Communal Official Anthony W. Lynn

Head of the Central Court: Central Chief Judge Hellen Monskettler

The Prime Minister and Vice Minister are voted upon every six years in the month of November. There is no limit to the number of times ANY elected officials can run for re-election.

The Head of Parlaiment, the Head of the Representative Commune, and Head of the Central Court are elected every six years by their peers, whom are elected by Representative Commune yearly if needed.

Branches:

Executive: Contains Prime Minister and Vice Minister, whom are voted upon every six years by the people of the Ed States.

Judicial: Contains Lower Court (representing state level courts), High Court (representing provincial courts) and the most powerful, Central Court (the same as Federal Court, representing the national court), also contains the Head of the Central Court.

Representative: Contains Representative Commune, a elected assembly (of up to five whom are representated and voted upon by each state's population, depending on population number) which votes upon laws, acts, conflicts, and elections of high court members and the Head Chief of the Central Court. There are 20 officials counting the Head.

Legislative: Most powerful assembly when it comes to laws. Made up of the Parlaiment, who votes for the Head of Parliament every election. Parliament officials (100 in number) are elected by the Representative Commune.

Royal Court: Contains the King, Queen, and Princes/Princesses whom have virtually no power, but are frequently valued for their political opinion.

Politics:

Major political parties:

[NOTE: All major parties are at least moderately conservative. Example: The Liberal Party of the Ed States (National Libertarian Party) is equivilent to the Republican party in the US]

(34% of the population) National Libertarian Party {NLP} (liberal): Main interests include: Expanding literacy in the Ed States, more socialized welfare, expand more political rights to all.

(35% of the population) Conservative Party for a Progressive Ed States {CPPES or CP} (conservative): Main interests include: Further centralizing the government, more defense increase budget, increasing the production of Ed States made goods / being more self reliant.

Minor Parties:

Nationalist Party (2% of the population)

the Naturalists Party (6% of the population)

Copulo Liber (8% of the population)

the Socialists Party of the Ed States (less than 1%).

Ethnic Demographics

Caucasian: 88%

African American: 2%

Natives (island inhabitants): 4%

Assyrian: 1%

Other: 5%

States and Provinces

States: Beenland, Midland, Mountain Channel, West Midland, Riden Delta

Provinces (large area containing two or more states): Shrin Dure, and Island Ovray Heights

About the States:

Beenland: The first area ever settled in the island of Lanfalder. It was named after Governor Been, the first governor of Lanfalder Island during the 1600's. Today, Beenland is rich in history. It also holds the most industrial part of the nation.

Riden Delta: The most populated part of the island today, it was the second state founded in Lanfalder in the late 1600's. It's named after Major Riden, a explorer/governor/political leader who mapped out much of the Delta. Today, the Delta holds the capital, and loads of industrial sectors and ports for trade.

Midland: This is the third oldest section of Lanfalder. It was founded in the late 1600's. Today, it holds the last forests in the united Ed States, as well as most of the sgriculture of the Ed States.

Mountain Channel: This is the fourth oldest section of Lanfalder. It was founded in the early 1700's. It was originally named Holigyantium, but it was later renamed Mountain Channel, for the well known beauty of the where the ocean (channel) met the mountains and created fabulous cliffs and plateaus. To this day, it is a popular vacation spot, and much of the fishing industry lies here.

West Midland: Founded last of the states in the mid 1700's, the small unpopulated area in the 1700's held very few inhabitants. After it was declared that the eastern part of the state of midland was to become it's own state, a foreign cartographer, hired by the Lanfalderineans to redesign the state boundaries falsely labeled East Midland as West Midland after a bad translation. It hols the name West midland to this day.

In 1910, it was voted upon and decided that the states be split into two provinces. They were Shrin Dure (named for a famous merchant of the time), and Island Ovray Heights (Ovray- named for a generous governor of Lanfalder).

Geography

The Ed States is located in the Atlantic Ocean, several hundred miles from the Florida Keys and Cuba. It is parallel to the Bahaman Islands, although much further out into the Atlantic Ocean.

The average temperature is 72.5oF and usually doesn’t go below 60oF in the winter and doesn’t exceed 85oF in the summer. Rain is moderate and weather is usually fair.

Rarely tropical storms will hit, but because of the island’s tough building requirements, casualties are usually low if any. The island itself, Lanfalder Island, is a large island with chains of small islands spreading to the west and northeast. Most of the outside of the island is rough and filled with cliffs. Miles of mountains keep away many low storms and flooding waves. However, much of the center of the island is a plateau and regularly flat. Rivers don’t seem to typically penetrate too far inland.

History

The first people began appearing in the Ed States in 1568. A famous explorer for the European nation of Canheir, Duke Lanfalder IV, in his famous ship, the HMS Fox, named for it’s ability to sail fast for it’s somewhat small sail structure, was the first to strike claim on the island later named after the Duke following the discovery of the new world. Unlike the other islands in the Caribbean and near by places, Lanfalder island seemed to have no native ancestors, perhaps because of it’s location being much farther out to sea. However, modern archaeology has proven that natives may have inhabited the island before it’s 1568 discovery, but only used it for a hunting and trading outpost.

By 1614, over five hundred Canheirians lived on the island in the modern day province of Beenland. Most of these people were sailors and traders whom had settled here for work. It was in June of 1614 that the King of Canheir, King Bernard XI, decided that the island be officially inaugurated into Canheir’s borders. Rival nations in Europe, whom also wanted sizable claims in the new world, began to pressure Canheir to surrender the island.

However, despite this, King Bernard XI declared Lanfalder Island a port of Canheir and named the first governor to be a man named Lord Been, an old family friend of Bernard’s.

Until about 1653, Governor Been watched Lanfalder flourish. The population around this time grew to approximately 1,800. The island was a frequent stop of ships of all nations and soon the main port, later named Port Been, became a huge moneymaker for the nation of Canheir. However, with the coming of the 1600’s, a new threat came to rise.

From about 1620 to 1820, prates were a huge threat to the island. Large portions of the island were unexplored and uninhabited, and a perfect place for pirates and raiders to hide. Although the area around Port Been was relatively secure, the rest of the island became notorious for crime and piracy. Canheir imperial navy ships were constantly having battles between pirates, and innocent merchants were always being harassed out at sea.

In the year 1654, a group of rebels attempted to seize the crown. The rebel effort was unorganized and the rebels couldn’t decide who truly deserved to become the new King. The rebellion was completely crushed within six months, with very little government lives lost. However, the rebellion did show the world that the people were unhappy with the old regime…

By 1698, the government had begun to lose power, due to the rising in power of the great European nations. England, the Dutch, Spain, France, and many other nations had grown in political and military power and were now ready to fight for land, although smaller nations like Canheir couldn’t consider this, and had no choice but to begin to surrender more and more to the bigger nations. By 1698, the population of Lanfalder was about 3,200. However, during this year, several nations declared unofficial sea war with Canheir to drive them out of Lanfalder. Privateers attacked Canheir ships left and right. The people of Lanfalder would often receive no mail or goods from the motherland for weeks, because it was so hard for ships to get through the pirates. The economy of Canheir, which had come to rely on products from Lanfalder, collapsed. The government went into a deep state of depression. Poverty increased in the nation by about 20 percent in one year.

Things just got worse until three years later, in 1701, when the present King of Canheir, King Charles VI, died of old age. The next in line was Prince Fellio II, but he was known for his cruelty and carelessness when it came to his people. The Prince’s cousin, Duke Dolil of Quinloin, protested the Prince’s inauguration and raised the people against him. The Prince, not even yet officially sworn in as King, ordered his cousin killed immediately. The Duke evaded captures long enough to raise an army and rally much of the Canheir population. However, the Duke was finally captured one day on a road traveling to a war rally.

The King originally ordered him to be brought to the Canheir Castle (a famous fortress high in the mountains of Canheir) and quietly executed. However, the followers of Duke Dolil begged the Prince to have mercy and kill him in a humane way. Simply to spite the Duke’s followers, he told them he was not only going to kill the Duke in a barbaric and dishonorable way, but he was also going to take all known members of the Duke’s followers and kill them, along with there families. One day after his crowning of King, the new King Fellio had the Duke publicly beheaded, and left his head to rot where it fell. The outrage of the villagers became evident in the days to follow, when they began to attack government caravans. Soon, all out civil war was occurring. The people of Lanfalder Island watched hopelessly as there motherland was torn apart. By 1706, several thousand people died, and a victor was not clear. They officially split into two in October of 1707. By 1708 King Fellio II was exiled and lived out the rest of his days on a small island. The north of the nation was eventfully taken over by a new regime entirely, and the southern part was split into several smaller Kingdoms. The parts on the nation became parts of Prussia and Poland is later years. After years of war and turmoil, the borders changed drastically. Today, Canheir is located somewhere within parts of Poland, the Czech Republic, Russia, Germany, and several other neighboring countries.

As of 1708, the Island of Lanfalder was free of its motherland. The people were now free to govern themselves. The governor of the day, Governor George I of Lanfalder, a man born and raised in Lanfalder, decided it would be best to rule the island as Canheir was ruled. He created a small Parliament and had a cartographer divvy up the island into several “states”. By now, much of the island was populated and people were concerned about fair representation no matter where their location on the island should be. Governor George I insist he be titled Governor, although many believed he should be called King. The country was however ruled as a monarchy for the next several years. Once Canheir was taken over by several European powers in 1718, it was evident that the old nation would never be coming back. Lanfalder would be it’s own nation for now and forever. Of course however, the nations of Europe had there own ideas.

Lanfalder’s location was superb, seeing as it could serve as a last stop out into sea from the Caribbean for ships heading to Europe. It was also a rest stop for European sailors who had recently spent months out in the Ocean. Lanfalder increased its military size and defense strength over the next few years.

A famous event occurred in October 4th, 1719. Prior to this, the idea and fear of a more powerful and stronger European nation taking over the weak island of Lanfalder was common in all, and it became known as “the highers”, a common term used to this day in The United Ed States to describe fear and dread. Finally, on October 4th of 1719, the highers occurred. A small band of Spanish privateers, armed with Spanish rifles and equipment, and under the command of Spanish admirals attacked Lanfalder. Several hundred men from the Spanish armada, most of them mercenaries and privateers, created a blockade of Lanfalder’s main ports and cities. Then, after a brief bombardment from the Spanish ship’s cannons, several hundred men, believed to be numbered somewhere between 800 and 1,200 men loaded up onto light ships and stormed the beaches of New Quinloin, the newly named capital of Lanfalder. The small army of militias fell back to the city. Meanwhile, the Spanish privateers waited outside the city walls, laying siege to the city, believing that if New Quinloin were to fall, the rest of the cities would surrender.

For days, the local militias within New Quinloin threw back attack after attack, all the while being out gunned and out numbered. As the days went by, more and more privateers landed on the island. Meanwhile, several militias in the other towns of Lanfalder threw together a makeshift navy of old Canheir warships and fishermen boats. The makeshift navy arrived outside New Quinloin on October 16th, at about 3:00 am. The privateers were caught off guard and most of their ships were badly damaged before they had a chance to fire back. As the makeshift navy attacked from the sea, the remaining militias outside of New Quinloin attacked the privateers. The militias within New Quinloin threw back the siege and attacked the Spanish privateers. By about 9:00 am, the privateers had gone into full retreat. They got onto there light ships and made way for the warships. However, the Lanfalderinean makeshift navy was clobbering the warships. One famous account of the battle indicated that some of the makeshift Lanfalder navy ships’ cannons were destroyed, and so the sea men would sail alongside a enemy ship, get within several feet of it, and toss burning ammo canisters and black powder barrels onto it, literally blowing holes into the ship’s body.

By noon the next day, the last of the privateers left on Lanfalder whom hadn’t managed to escape had surrendered. The battle was very bloody for both sides, but it was celebrated as a victory for Lanfalderineans for driving out the invaders. The conflict would forever be known as: The Siege on New Quinloin. The day the counterattack on the privateers started, October 16th, is today a national Ed States holiday, known as Victory Day, to commemorate the day the Lanfalderineans fought back, eventually resulting in victory.

This proved however that Lanfalder was not safe and needed a strong government and military to protect it. The governor of the day refused for this to happen. It is believed he didn’t want to stray away from the old ways of Canheir, and believed things to be fine the way they were. After his death, things were changed for the worse. On June 17th, in 1785, the new governor, Governor Menos II, grandson of George I, declared himself a King. He took away the powers of Parliament and made them a virtually powerless and useless branch of government. He had all people who had spoken out against him killed by the order of the government, claiming they were committing acts of treason and it was his right as king to sentence them to death on account of treason. From 1785 to 1803, he ruled mercilessly. The nation fell into a depression and work became scarce. People lived in fear of the government. Most of all, the King’s word was law.

After seeing the positive result of the American Revolution in the late 1700’s, people in Lanfalder began to wonder about living free and without a King. On December 15th, 1803, a small group assassinated the King as he was walking to his mansion one day. The assassination sent government workers all over searching for the assassins, who had ran up to him, shot him and his two bodyguards, and ran off. Seeing the opportunity, hundreds of men took up arms to fight against the tyrannical King. Holigy IV, one of Menos II’s generals declared himself King in January of 1803, and ordered all traitors and revolutionaries of Lanfalder to be killed. Hundreds of the King’s military soldiers ran away to fight against the King. It was said that the only reason the amount of soldiers that stayed in the King’s army was as great as it was is because of the fear and death threats from the King to all his men, telling them to remain loyal or be killed. Almost immediately however, government forces were being defeated. Rebels were everywhere and only suffered one major defeat.

At the battle of Gene, a small city deep in the island, government forces threw back advancing rebels in a charge remembered in the famous Ed States novel written in the late 1800’s, a novel named The Tousier, a name given to elite soldiers who often lead charges and went on dangerous missions during the time period. Thousands were killed on this day (2nd of May in 1805) and to this day Ed States citizens remember those who gave there lives for the free Lanfalder. On August 29th, 1808, in Far Kensee, Been, the last of the forces loyal to the King had there backs to the Ocean. The rebel army advanced under the command of Robert Edwards, a general who had worked his way up from the rank of private in the rebel army. The rebels finally captured the last of the loyalists within three days, and took out the recently captured King Holigy IV to New Quinloin, where he was tried for murderous crimes against the people of Lanfalder, and not surprisingly found guilty, then hung to death like a common criminal. The rebels then continued to put the rightful King, Rafnel I into power. However, a constitution was put into power, and a new government was formed.

The government was modeled just like the United States’, except for the role of King. Later on, it adapted into a government very much like a constitutional monarchy, like one found in Britain. The President, later renamed Prime Minister, was declared to be Robert Edwards, the famous general in the Lanfalder Revolution. He had helped write the laws of the new nation, and was elected first Prime Minister of the nation. The Constitutional Monarchy of the United Ed States, as it was later renamed in 1935, after the great Robert Edwards, went into isolation for several years. However, it has become a world power within the last century, and is now trying to become a super power in the world today.