Angirisian Dominion

The Angirisian Empire, commonly referred to as Angiris or The Empire, is an empire comprised of thirteen provinces - the three "Core Provinces" of Angleterre, Aiuria and Athelon, the eight "Sanctuary Provinces" of Khanduras, Kehjistan, Aranoch, Xiansai, Scosglen, Arreat, Skovos, and Westmarch, and the twin "Imperial Provinces" of Ohiae and Virginium. The Empire as an entity is well over 1,300 years old but the earliest Angirisian civilization is at least 2,000 years old dating back to the ancient Galasian Empire. It shares no common borders with any country, but the Empire forms an arc-shape around the cusp of the Terran Sea. The Arreatian Mountains form a large part of the northern frontiers of the Empire, likely designed to be a physical shield from incoming land attacks on the coastal regions from the north.

Today, the Angirisian Empire is currently ruled by Emperor Tyrael as head of state, who was crowned Emperor in 1569, and by Aerandariel Apotecarius as head of government, who has been in power since 1576. A highly developed country and one of the first industrialized countries in the East, the Angirisian Empire is ranked in the world's top twenty economies (17th as of 1576) and has a high Human Development Index, which had been stunted due to constant warfare. Unlike many Western Brigidnian countries, the Angirisians have never been a colonial power, but remain a very strong civilized power whose influence stretches far beyond the borders of its dominions.

Etymology

The word "Angiris" was first coined to describe the combined group of the states of Cathedrium, Aiuria and Athelon, the states that would become the original Angirisian League. The term "Angiris" came into use by the historian Adrian of Westmarch, who was assigned by the Lord of Angleterre to chronicle the meeting between the Lord of Cathedrium, the Hierarch of Aiuria and the King of Athelon. In the League Parchments, Adrian wrote, "The three great Lords of their respective dominions affixed their names upon the sacred parchment, thereby birthing the Angiris League..."

The "Angiris" term is often used by officials from within the Angirisian Empire today and foreign ambassadors and other officials speaking about the Empire is short form. In 1510, the Coventus approved the "Angiris" term as the official shortened name of the Angirisian Empire.

History

The early Angirisians and the Angirisian League

The modern-day Angirisian civilization began to come together in 363 BCE, when the Athelonian tribes in the northeastern end of the Terran Peninsula created the settlement of Athelon. It was followed 8 years later in 355 BCE when Aiurian tribes in the opposite end of the peninsula built the city of Aiur around the mighty Citadel of the Praetoss, who are believed to be precursors to the Aiurians. Little is known about the societies of the two city-states before the foundation of Cathedrium in 76 CE. The city-states operated in relative peace until 321 BCE, when the Galasian Empire began to form in the heart of Eastern Brigidna. It was around that time that the Galasians conquered the future Angirisian states, including the razing of the city of Aiur and destruction of the Praetoss Citadel. Cathedrium was founded in 76 CE, approximately 350 years after the Galasian conquests.

The Galasian Empire began falling apart in 126 BCE, about 140 years after it reached its peak. Rebellions broke out all over the Galasian Empire, with the Menras and Valadrians picking apart Galasian installations in the south and the Aiurians, Athelonians and Cathedrians rising up in the north. After that, the former Galasian lands became splintered. The Mestran Imperium formed in the southern provinces while what would become the Angirisian Empire formed in the north.

The city of Cathedrium wasted little time in seeking to expand its holdings and strengthen its hand in the balance of power in the Terran Peninsula. Cathedrium's leaders spent a little less than thirty years to build up an army and take advantage of lucrative trade routes to build up a sizable war chest for the Cathedrians could fall back on in case of trouble down the road. The expansion of Cathedrium's influence was enough to draw the attention of the Kingdom of Athelon and the Aiurian Protectorate, both of whom surrounded Cathedrium on all sides and also had been at war with one another off and on for about sixty years. In 154 CE, the Athelonians, attempting to break a stalemate between them and the Aiurians, tried to attack Cathedrium crossing the Terran Sea from the West. The small Cathedrian navy was overwhelmed almost at once, and the Athelonians marched on the Terran Peninsula nearly unopposed. Knowing their enemies were about to besiege an important city on the pivotal peninsula, the Aiurians rushed an army to Cathedrium's aid. After six months of harassing Cathedrium's surrounding towns, the Athelonian army laid siege to the city itself. Historical records show that the Cathedrians knew several weeks in advance of the Athelonians' plans and began preparing the city for a long siege. Because Cathedrium was built on hills, the defenders had superior defensive positions that could withstand any Athelonian frontal assault. Cathedrium also stored up supplies for several months leading up to the siege so that the city could better withstand being cut off from outside food supplies. Citizens had been warned days in advance to gather their loved ones and as many possessions as they could and be prepared to flee the city at a moment's notice if need be. The Cathedrians held out for four months, enough time to allow the Aiurian naval and ground forces to arrive and begin attacking Athelonian positions east of Cathedrium. By 157 CE, the siege on Cathedrium had been lifted and the Athelonians had been removed from the Halian Peninsula. Their navy also suffered a setback thanks to a revitalized Cathedrian navy, which had rebuilt itself after the Aiurians arrived and had gained sufficient enough strength to assault the Athelonian navy - then the strongest in the region - and sink several ships and killing hundreds of men on its way back to Athelon. With the victory over the Athelonians secured, the Cathedrians began expanding the city and by 163 CE the city's leaders began to openly expand Cathedrium's territory to form the Kingdom of Angleterre, although the state was still called by many as "Cathedrium".

By 175 CE, Angleterre possessed the entirety of the Terran Peninsula, knocking on the borders of the Aiurian Protectorate and the Kingdom of Athelon. Cathedrium outmatched Aiur and Athelon themselves as centers of learning and culture in the northern Galasian realm. The city's population at the time was bordering on 120,000 people, and had extensive shipping networks throughout the Near East and Brigidna. It was at this time that the Aiurian Protectorate began having some limited dealings with the Mahkal Empire that had some very dangerous consequences for Angleterre's interests. A brief conflict broke out in 178 CE between Aiuria and Angleterre that ended with a decisive military victory for Angleterre at the Battle of Haven Antioch. The Mahkal, noting Aiuria's failure to defeat Angleterre and several disputes between the Mahkal and native Praetoss, decided in 187 CE that the Protectorate was too weak to continue and attempted an invasion. The Aiurians, stunned by the massive invasion force marching nearly unopposed through Aiurian lands, called for aid from Athelon and Angleterre. While the Athelonians refused to help, the Angleterrans dispatched their navy to prevent the Mahkal from reinforcing their forces from bases in the former Lanlanian territory of Geinland. The Mahkal reached as far into Aiurian territory as to bear down on Aiur itself. Panicked, the Aiurians recalled all of their military forces to their capital and urged the Angleterrans to send troops. Aiur was under siege for nine months, but because the Mahkal could not seal the southern roadways heading into southern Aiuria and Angleterre, supplies from those areas could still reach the city nearly unabated. Finding the situation untenable, the exhausted Mahkal retreated from Aiur but refused to relinquish the northern sections of the Protectorate.

By 200 CE, Angleterre and Aiuria were allies, and both pressed Athelon to join them. But the eastern kingdom refused at every turn. Athelon had established itself as the strongest infantry power of the three Angirisian states and the city of Athelon itself was controlling much of the trade routes through the eastern Near East en route to Ustyara and Mestra. Angleterre wanted to expand its economic interests into the East, but a trade war between Angleterre and Athelon erupted that cost both sides immense amounts of treasure. Several dozen ships also had been lost, as some trade vessels and armed ships picked each other off in the Terran Sea. However, Athelon slowly began to change its position as the Mahkal aggression against Aiuria began. Seeing the Mahkal as a much bigger threat than Angleterre or Aiuria, the Athelonians began building up their military even more than it already was. Athelon already possessed the biggest army in the Angirisian realm, and it grew by nearly double before 200 CE. In 202 CE, sensing that the three states were drawing much more closer to one another than ever before, Angleterre offered to join the three states in a league, which would semi-unify them into one nation though each state retained a great deal of independence. After two years of negotiations, the League Parchments, were created and ratified by all three states. Thus, the Angirisian League was born.

Geography

The Angirisian Empire is arc-shaped country that almost completely surrounds the Terran Sea, through which the Imperial Navy controls much of the shipping and freight services by sea. The most prominent physical geographic feature of the Angirisian Empire is the Halian Peninsula, which sticks out into the Terran Sea and contains a large amount of the Empire's citizenry. There are a series of small islands surrounding the Halian Peninsula, but are largely uninhabited. There are also a slew of islands under Angirisian control off the southern coast of Pythos, which are considered to be one of the few remaining remnants of the Empire's golden years.

Population

The Angirisian Empire has a total population of over 67.5 million people. The capital and second largest city of the Empire, Cathedrium, has a population of approximately 3.2 million. The largest city, Westmarch City, has a population of 8.4 million. The bulk of the country's population is concentrated in the "Core Provinces" - Angleterre, Aiuria, and Athelon - all of which hold a combined total of 39.22 million, while the remainder of the Empire holds the remaining 28.28 million.

The vast majority of Angirisian citizens are native-born; 90.1% were born in the Angirisian Empire itself or were born in another country or territory to Angirisian parents. Nearly all of the population, 95.2%, have some sort of ancestry dating back to the old Galasian civilization, hence the term "Galasian" is used as an umbrella term at times to refer to people of Angirisian, Ustyaran, Pythian and/or Mestran descent. 5% of the population is made up of Brigidnian nationalities, particularly Lanlanian and Oslanburgian, and 2.7% of the population is of South Ostaran descent.

Politics

The political structure of the Angirisian Empire has slowly evolved over the last several centuries. Although most Angirisian citizens had a large degree of political freedom, a large amount of political power still remained with the Imperial hierarchy. Beginning with the reign of Pepin II in 846 CE, the political power began to shift into a more democratic form after the end of the Second Civil War. Pepin II gradually downsized the size of the Empire and separated powers between the Throne and individual states and municipalities, beginning with the independence of Pythos in the first year of his reign. He also implemented the first divisions of the states into separate seats in the Curia, which better organized the Curia into districts and set a definitive number of seats that was allowed to be increased or decreased later. The Curia largely remained a body of 39 seats until 1568, when the City of Cathedrium was declared its own state and was granted a special seat in the Curia, increasing the number of seats to 40.

Much of Angirisian politics were described as being imperialist and expansionist, especially in the early years of the Empire. Over time, factions began to develop in the Imperial government that began to drive policy. It is not believed that these factions contributed any to the rampant civil strife in the Empire for the succeeding centuries, but they definitively could not have helped. These factions evolved into Angiris' first political parties. There are four major parties in existence today: the Conservative Party, Republican Party, Federalist Party and Nationalist Party. A fifth party formed in 1575, the Orthodox Conservative Party, as a separatist faction from the Conservatives.

The Emperor

The throne of the Emperor of Angiris has been the sole institution that has remained a complete constant throughout the history of the Angirisian Empire as a whole. The first Emperor of the Angirisian Empire was Cain I, who ruled Angiris from 242 CE to 284 CE. His reign of forty-two years remains one of the longest and most successful reigns in history. Cain I established Imperial precedent through the various customs in which the Emperor was to be addressed and how the Emperor conducts his own self. The last Emperor was Leoric I, who took the throne in 1562 and died in 1569. His son, Crown Prince Aiden, was crowned the new Emperor on 9 Tolven, 1569 and took the regnal name Tyrael. Only one Emperor in Angirisian history has ever reigned twice; Emperor Drognan III, originally from the city of Lut Gholein, Aranoch, reigned from 1002 to 1029, but stepped down due to failing health. Drognan III was returned to the throne by his successor, Hakan II, in 1039 in the aftermath of the sacking of Tristram. Drognan III's second reign lasted from 1039 to 1053. Drognan III is also the second longest reigning Emperor in Angirisian history, having reigned for a combined total of 41 years.

The Chancellor

The office of Chancellor was originally called the office of "Praesus", which in Old Angirisian meant "president". The position was inaugurated by Emperor Leoric in 1563, appointing William Regal, the Speaker of the Curia to the position. But, the position had no formal identification within the Imperial Code, and thus Regal began abusing his privileges as Praesus. Realizing Regal could inflict irreparable damage to the government's foundations, Leoric removed Regal from power after only 11 months in office. This forced the Emperor to assume direct control of the government again, a move that was highly criticized by many in the domestic and foreign press. Two years later, Leoric again ceded control of the government. This time, he created the position of Chief Minister, thereby declaring defunct the position of Praesus and installing Erius Jeremius Brett.

Brett served as Chief Minister for four years from 1564 to 1568. In that time, Brett asserted forceful but efficient control of the government. Over time, Brett proved to be a popular Chief Minister and his positions began reflecting a growing change within the Angirisian people for more democratic reforms. Brett's personal popularity also greatly legitimized his position and it reflected well on Leoric, who received much praise for his sudden hands-off approach to the government. In 1572, the office of Chief Minister would be replaced by the new position of Chancellor of the Empire, which required an election to decide the first officeholder. Erius Jeremius Brett would win that election to become the first Chancellor, defeating Demiphones Sorex. He would only serve in office one term, retiring in 1576 and handing the office to Aerandariel Apotecarius.

The Chancellor is effectively the head of the Angirisian government, and thus is in control of all of its day-to-day operations and is responsible for the management of all government personnel. The Chancellor is also recognized as the commander-in-chief of the Angirisian Armed Forces, including the Imperial Legion, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard and Homeland Defense.

The Imperial Senate

The entity known as the Imperial Senate today was originally the Imperial Curia. The first known meeting of the Curia is dated as 1213, but this is disputed. It is known that the Curia was made an official part of the Imperial government in 1324, with elections to take place every two years. For much of the Senate's history, it has been dominated by the Conservative Party, except for periods where it was forced into a coalition with a weaker party or lost it to an opposition coalition often led by the Republican Party. The Curia was renamed the Imperial Senate in the wake of the 1570 elections, a few years after the Republican Party secured an outright majority in the Senate for the first time ever. Ever since then, save for the 1574 election, the Republicans have held control of the Senate. In 1574, the Republicans won the most seats in an expanded Senate but had to utilize a coalition with the Federalist Party in order to remain in control. The 1574 election also was historic in that independent candidates began winning seats in the Senate; heretofore no Independent had ever been a Curiate or a Senator and in 1574 Independents won eight seats and in 1576 held onto five seats.

The Curia originally was a 13-seat body; one Curiate for each state. In 1490, the Curia was expanded to include three seats for each state, raising the total seats available to 39. In 1568, the capital city of Cathedrium, considered a special district and thus not a state, was given its own voting representative in the Curia. In 1570, talks again arose to expand the Senate again and for the 1574 elections the Senate was indeed expanded to six seats per state, increasing the total number of seats to 79 seats.

Culture

Sports

Sports have proven to be a unifying force in the Angirisian Empire since the Civil Wars. Football and rugby have proven to be the two most popular sports in the country, with a myriad of others slowly growing in popularity.

Football

Football is one of the two most popular sports in Angiris and is the only one Angiris plays internationally as well as domestically. The national team, officially called the Angirisian Imperial Football Team, and nicknamed the Legionnaires. The Angirisian Empire is part of the Confederation of National Ostaran Football Associations. The placement was considered controversial as Angiris had in many circles been considered both culturally and politically a Brigidnan country, however the decision has been eventually accepted by the Angirisian National Football Association and by the team itself.

On the world stage, Angiris has had arguably mild success, both as a competitor and as a host. In the 1526 Kyrland World Cup, Angiris posted one of its best international showings, winning third place for the first time, defeating Lausten 5-5, and 7-6 in penalty kicks. For the 1530 World Cup, the Angirisian Empire played host, holding matches in Cathedrium, Tristram, Westmarch City, Caldeum, Kurast, Harrogath, and Columbiana. That year, Gehenna won the World Championship, defeating Valland 1-0, and Akitsu won third place. The Angirisian team, as hosts, automatically qualified and made it to the quarter-finals before being defeated by Akitsu 3-2. Angiris would subsequently qualify for four of the next six World Cups (it did not qualify in 1538 and the ANFA decided not to field any team for 1554); in all four, the Angirisians reached the knockout round but were subsequently eliminated. After not participating in the 1554 World Cup in Detectatia, the Angirisian team returned and qualified for the 1558 World Cup in Dagroth. There, the Angirisian team secured it's second third-place finish, defeating Sainam 3-2 in a year where Severyane won the World Championship over Nyland. Angiris has qualified for every World Cup since. In the 1562 Drahen World Cup, Angiris reached the quarter-finals again but was defeated by eventual second-place finishers Oslanburg, 3-2. The Angirisians qualified again for the 1566 World Cup in Taeunas but was absolutely embarrassed in the group stage. Angiris was placed in what was called a "group of death", with heavyweight Alamannia plus Gehenna and Lanlania. Angiris failed to win a single match, and was one of three who did not win. The disaster forced coaches and the manager to drop the more conservative approach the team had wielded for years and become more aggressive on both offense and defense. Subsequent campaigns in the 1571 and 1575 Ostaran Gold Cups, and the 1574 World Cup have proven more successful. The Angirisians have already qualified for the 1578 World Cup and are scheduled to be the hosts of the 1582 World Cup.

The national team has historically had better luck in regional competition. In the Ostaran Gold Cup, the Angirisian team has been in the top four teams in the Gold Cup tournaments eleven times and have been to four finals games. The Angirisians are the inaugural winners of the Ostaran Gold Cup, winning the 1527 Ostaran Championship over the Mestrans by a score of 1-0. The Angirisians then won the Ostaran Championship in 1555, this time by defeating Tiejungo, making the Angirisian Empire a two-time Gold Cup Champion. They would reach the finals in 1551 and 1571, only to lose to Mestra and Kyrzbekistan respectively. Their most recent Gold Cup performance in 1575 was another rousing success, as the Angirisians defeated A'sir in the finals to win the Ostaran Championship for the third time.

Domestically, Angiris boasts a well-rounded national league, called the Angirisian Football Association. It is a league of sixteen teams, and follows a divisional-playoff format where the sixteen teams play in two divisions of eight. The top two in each division play in the Final Four, and the winners of those determine who will play for and eventually win the Angirisian Championship. The team that has won the most Angirisian Championships is the Columbiana City Blue Jackets (formerly Columbiana City) , which was won the Angirisian Championship a record eight times, far eclipsing its nearest competitor, the Harrogath Berserkers (formerly Harrogath FC), which has collected three Angirisian Championships. The most recent champion for the 1575 season is the Cuyahogium Saints, who are in their first reign as Angirisian Champions after years of futility.

Role in the world

Despite several centuries of tepid growth and even periods of near self-destruction, the Angirisian Empire of today is a surging, growing power. Though not likely to be able to regain a majority of the Empire's old lands it once held, Angiris is beginning to return to its position as an economic and cultural powerhouse. Politically, the recent democratic reforms in the governance of the Empire in shifting political power from the Emperor to the Chief Minister have proven that even a thirteen-hundred year old Empire can change itself without undergoing extremely violent revolution, not counting the three civil wars the country has fought over that time.

The Angirisian Empire's continuing alliance with Mestra, now in effect for over a millennium, has largely kept aggressors from the West at bay and has served as a bulwark against aggressors within the former Galasian realm. The two countries have leaned on one another for political support in several regional issues. For example, during the recent crisis between Ga'bath, Zargistan, and Mithraina, Angiris threatened military action against the former two countries in response to their attacks on Mithraina, to which Mestra voiced its support for Angiris. Later on, during the same crisis, Mestra called for a summit between the powers of the region - Angiris did not attend - to help bring about a peaceful solution to the matter. Despite its lack of representation at the summit, the Angirisian government signaled that it would support any accord struck at the summit.