Brumen

Kingdom of Brumen Königreich Brumen
Flag Coat of arms
Motto: Einheit, Wohlstand, Frieden ("Unity, Prosperity, Peace")
Anthem: Vorwärts Brumen Forward Brumen
Location of Brumen highlighted in dark green Continent of Belisaria highlighted in dark grey.
Political Map of Brumen
Capital	Anfang
Largest Metropolitan Area	Gelddorf Metropolitan Area
Official languages	Brumen
Recognised regional languages	Losh Gariman Gresiye
Ethnic groups (2020)	Brumen 81% Lushyod 12% Ludz 3% Gariman 2.8% Greznean 1.2%
Religion	Irreligious 67% Aletheic Church 33%
Demonym(s)	Brumen
Government	Federal Parliamentary Constitutional Monarchy
• Monarch	Anne-Marie I
• Chancellor	Immanuel Vogel
• Chief Justice	Brigitte Schäfer
Legislature	Volksrat
• Upper house	Bundeskonklave
• Lower house	Bundeskongress
Establishment
• Allied Kingdoms Established	28 October 1198
• Articles of Union	10 June 1305
• First Reformation	3 September 1589
• Second Reformation	11 November 1791
• Constitutional Monarchy Established	15 January 1827
Area
• Total	334,912 km2 (129,310 sq mi)
• Water (%)	7.95
Population
• 2020 estimate	35,784,336
• 2020 census	32,893,755
• Density	98.21/km2 (254.4/sq mi)
GDP (PPP)	2020 estimate
• Total	$759 Billion
• Per capita	$23,074
GDP (nominal)	2020 estimate
• Total	$684 Billion
• Per capita	$20,800 (45th)
Gini (2020)	28.3 low (7th)
HDI (2020)	0.735 high
Currency	Bon (Bn)
• Summer (DST)	Not Observed
Date format	DD/MM/YYYY
Driving side	left
ISO 3166 code	BRU
Internet TLD	.bru

Brumen, officially the Kingdom of Brumen (Brumen: Königreich Brumen), is country located in  South-East Belisaria and is comprised of nine federal states. Its location at South-East Belisaria connects its entire coastline to the Periclean Sea. The country shares land borders with Garima to the north west, Drevstran to the North as well as a maritime border with Greznea to the north east. Brumen covers an area of 334,912 km² (129,310 sq mi) and has a population of 32 million people, making it one of the less-populated countires compared to its immediate neighbors. It is colloquially known as the "Drei Flüsse Reich" (Realm of Three Rivers) due to the three river systems that extend from Brumen's interior to the Periclean Sea. Brumen's exclusive economic zone (EEZ) extends 200 nautical miles from the continent's baseline and covers an area of approximately 764.876 km² (475,272 sq mi). During the classical and late antiquity eras Brumen was part of Tervingia, a gothic political state and significant cultural power in East Belisaria that existed from 323 BCE until its dissolution in 429 CE. Due to this the nation has strong-gothic roots. However after Tervingia's dissolution the gothic peoples that inhabited present-day lands of Brumen developed its own unique Gothic-derived cultural identity that is distinct from its neighbors. The nation's capital is Anfang whereas its financial center and largest city is Gelddorf.

Originally a decentralized collection of various kingdoms located in Brumen's present-day lands, the threat of Audonian invasions during the Conquest of Garima between the 11th and 12th centuries as well as during the Alban Crusades of the 12th and 13th centuries, prompted the most powerful of these kingdoms: the Principality of Waldreich to rally the smaller Kingdoms together. Formed in 1198, the Allied Kingdoms is often considered the predecessor of the modern Kingdom of Brumen and served as a military coalition led by Waldreich. The Allied Kingdoms repelled the Audonian invasions during the Conquest of Gariman as well as the Alban Crusades. Using the momentum from these victories, on 10 June 1305 Waldreich used its political capital to co-opt the other kingdoms and establish the Kingdom of Brumen, a sovereign nation uniting all the kingdoms with Waldreich elevated to a position of first among equals amongst its member states. Since its inception Brumen was established as a secular state, its constitution known as the Vereinsartikel (Articles of Union) intentionally omitting any mention of religion or a monarch's divine right to rule. This large shift from a religious to secular society as largely influenced from Brumen's observation of Audonia's conquests, where religion is used to instigate conflicts. The shift within Brumen's society as a whole however happened more gradually. Originally Brumen was a unitary absolute monarchy, but through various reformations and a decade long insurrection amongst its member states, the nation gradually transitioned first into a federation until eventually the monarch's powers were rendered largely ceremonial in nature.

In the present day Brumen is a federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy with a directly elected bicameral legislature known as the Volksrat holds legislative power. Meanwhile executive power is divided between the Chancellor who serves as the head of government, and a monarch who serves as a ceremonial head of state. Brumen maintains a mixed economic system which is reflected in the significant presence of both private enterprises and state owned enterprises playing significant roles in the nation's economy. The government exercises some degree of econmic intervention in order to promote the general welfare of the people. Brumen is a developed country and provide a wide range of benefits for its citizens such as: a universal healthcare system, various social welfare programs, free tertiary level education at public universities and vocational schools. Brumen considers itself as a middle power of the Belisarian continent. The nation's unified military arm is the Große Armee des Reiches (GAR) comprised of the Landstreitkräfte, Luftwaffe, Königliche Marine, Küstenwache and the Staatsgarde, the latter forming the nation's organized militia component. The armed forces is comprised of a relatively small number of personnel with approximately 180,000 active personnel across all branches except the State Guard and is supported by a substantial domestic arms manufacturing industry.

History

Early History

Not much is known about the details of the region during ancient times. What is known however is that Tervingia used to hold influence over the region.

Establishment

Prior to the 11th century, the lands of modern-day Brumen was inhabited by various city states and small kingdoms and fiefdoms. Over the centuries prior to Brumen's establishment one kingdom rose to a position of significant influence over the region and is known as the Principality of Waldreich. Prior to the Audonian invasions there has been little to no regional integration between these kingdoms, although relations between them were amicable. Established in 1198, the Allied Kingdoms is often considered as the predecessor of the Kingdom of Brumen and its establishment was spearheaded by Waldreich. The Allied Kingdoms originally served as a military alliance in response to the first Audonian invasion during its Conquest of Garima. After its first victory Waldreich sought to establish itself as the dominant political, military and economic force of the region. The level of economic & political integration under the Allied Kingdoms was minimal with each kingdom was largely free to pursue its own foreign policies. During this time religion was one of society's central pillars with all members of the Allied Kingdoms adhering to the Aletheic Church as the state religion of the area. However the Alban Crusades of the 12th and 13th centuries would lead to significant changes. Experiencing first hand of the effects of wars of conquest caused by religious beliefs, the Allied Kingdoms sought to diminish the influence of religion within its day-to-day and strategic decision making process. The Allied Kingdoms was dissolved and in its place the Kingdom of Brumen was formed. Led by Waldreich the founders of the Kingdom wrote down the Vereinsartikel (Articles of Union) establishing Brumen as a unitary absolute monarchy representing nine constituent states. While the autonomy and responsibilites of each member state was largely unmentioned implying a high-degree of autonomy for states, Waldreich's status was elevated as first among peers as it spearheaded the defense of the Allied Kingdoms with the Monarch of Waldreich serving as the supreme monarch of Brumen. The Articles of Union explicitly left out the usage of divine right, or God's will, strongly implying the separation of the church and state.

First Insurrection

See main article: First Insurrection

The First Insurrection was an undeclared civil war in Brumen between several factions in the Kingdom. The First Insurrection was relatively bloodless and began in the January 1588 and ended in August 1589 and was caused by disgruntled member states of the Kingdom who perceived Brumen's unitary government structure as unfavorable towards the member states except for Waldreich. While the constitution implies each state has a high degree of autonomy, as a unitary state, by law the Monarch of Brumen held supreme authority to bestow or revoke autonomy from each member state. The powers of the Crown, while written and specified in the nation's constitution, was written in a largely vague manner which gave the Monarch broad and near complete authority over the states. Initially only the states of Frieden, Kusten, and Tauberg voiced their concerns in the Oberhaus (House of Lords), the predecessor of the ''Volksrat''. These states advocated for greater autonomy to be granted to the states and that the central government should be restricted from intervening in internal state affairs. Under the original constitution, the Oberhaus (House of Lords) was established as a forum of dialogue between the highh and low nobles from Brumen's states and the reigning Monarch. Membership within the Oberhaus was largely hereditary in nature, with the direct families of nobles inheriting a position after a previous member either passed away or appointed a member of their family to replace them. While the Oberhaus lacked any legal powers to propose, block or create laws, it served as an important bridge between the Monarchy and its subjects and by tradition all Monarchs have consulted with the Oberhaus before enacting a new law. Members of the Oberhaus and therefore the states has been generally split between those who were politically aligned to Waldreich and those who were more independent of Waldreich's influence.

The root cause of the First Insurrection could be traced back to 1585 when Eckhard IV of house , the then-King of Brumen and known for his extravagant and lavish life style, announced his intention to reform the Oberhaus's membership from an inherited hereditary position, to be a directly appointed body by the Monarch themselves. By doing so, the Monarch would effectively transform the Oberhaus into a rubber stamp consultative body. While reaction amongst the states was mixed with states that were geographically closer to Waldreich unwilling to voice their dissent, this would change when the King's announced his decision to revise the nation's taxation laws in 1856 in order to funnel more gold for his extravagant lifestyle. The new laws imposed uncompetitive tax rates to the states compared to Waldreich. The tax reforms proved to be the catalyst to the First Insurrection, both formal and informal protests by the states against the decision was left largely unheard by the King. Citing an unfair political system, in January 1588 the states of Bewahren, Sudentor, Frieden, Sturmwolf, Tauberg and Hoffnung refused outright to pay any further gold from their treasuries for the crown and demanded an amendment to Brumen's constitution. Eckhard IV sent the Grand Army to occupy the Bewahren and obtain the payments by force. While each state have dissolved their standing armies, each state were permitted to maintain a paramilitary arm for strictly defensive purposes comprised primarily of infantry and cavalry elements although their numbers paled in comparison to the Royal Army. To compensate their military disadvantage, Bewahren enacted policies of passive resistance and civil disobedience against the Grand Army which greatly hindered the King's efforts to retrieve taxes.

Eckhard IV had hoped that a show of force to Bewahren would bring back the other states in line. This was proven to not be the case as the nobles & officials of Bewahren refused to aid the Royal Army in their task of obtaining their gold. State officials & nobles refused to cooperate with the army and even fed misleading information. However not all states adhered to the policy of passive resistance. Reports of low-level skirmishes in the states of Sudentor and Bewahren were reported. While not large-scale in nature it was enough to tie down resources and personnel from the Grand Army in both states, preventing them from achieving their primary objective which was to retrieve gold for taxes. Meanwhile Eckhard IV's popularity and domestic support in Waldreich began to wane with the other noble houses of Waldreich openly questioning the legitimacy and necessity of the King's policies and actions. Eventually on August 1588, the various high noble houses of Waldreich launched a coup against the Eckhard IV, forcefully removing him from the throne.

Government & Politics

Anne-Marie I, Queen of Brumen since 2018

Brumen is a federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy. Its system of government is a unique hybrid model incorporating elements of both federalism and a constitutional monarchy. Since the 17th centuries Brumen has been able to maintain a stable democratic political system with citizens at the age of 18 and above granted universal suffrage although this was not achieved until the mid 19th century. Under the constitution Brumen is a federation of nine constituent states under the permanent presidency & guidance of Waldreich, the largest and most politically influential state. In spite of having a monarch, this position has been largely rendered ceremonial in nature with the functions of head of government held by the Chancellor and legislative powers transferred to the Volksrat, Brumen's bicameral legislative body. General Elections are held once every five years where both houses of the Volksrat are dissolved and citizens elect new members to establish a continuing or even new government. The government is divided into three distinct branches: executive, legislative and judicial.

• Executive: The Monarch of Brumen is the ceremonial head of state of the nation. Within this capacity they serve as a guarantor of the Kingdom's constitution, holds limited reserve powers in the event of a political instability and can veto unconstitutional laws before they become law. The Monarch does not have the power of legislative initiative and by tradition are expected to refrain from commenting directly towards current issues especially political related ones. By doing so it is hoped that each Monarch can provide an unbiased voice of reason when it comes to matters related to the constitution, legislation and others. The Monarch of Brumen is a hereditary position from Waldreich, the line of Monarchs in the modern era have all came under the House of Braun. In 2018, Anne-Marie I was crowned as the Queen of Brumen, at 30 years old she is also the youngest female to be crowned as monarch. The Monarch of Brumen also serves as the commander-in-chief of the nation's armed forces with all soldiers swearing allegiance to the Monarch. Howevever in spite of this the Chancellor of Brumen holds the authority to make decisions on how to utilize the armed forces. The Chancellor of Brumen also serves as the head of government and the director of domestic governance, policy-making, and foreign affairs. The Chancellor also chooses a council of ministers who is required to not be affiliated with any political parties.
• Legislative: The Volksrat is the supreme bicameral legislative body of Brumen. Members of the Volksrat are all democratically elected and is comprised of an upper house and lower house known as the Bundeskonklave (Conclave) and Bundeskongress (Congress) respectively . The Congress shares the powers of legislative initiative together with the Chancellor, all laws proposed from within Congress and/or the Chancellor must be approved by members of Congress. It also monitors the nation's executive body. The Conclave meanwhile is vested with significant powers as all legislation approved by Congress must be approve by the Conclave first before it becomes law. The Conclave is given the capacity to pass or block legislation that has been passed by Congress. The power of impeachment rests with the Conclave. [[ At its early years, the Volksrat did not exist yet and so the Bundeskonklave acted as the nation's de-facto unicameral parliament. Its duties were similar to a modern upper house, representing the voices of each noble house from every member state of the Kingdom, with the monarch of Brumen bound by law to listen to their advise and opinions on certain matters. Over time this evolved and in the 16th century both the Bundeskongress and Volksrat were established to represent the voices of the common citizens and host both seats of parliaments respectively.
• Judicial: