First Commonwealth Era

First Commonwealth Era
1855–1915
Âśenbaumen-Plaas, Eleinasburg, Aalmsted in 1876.
Location	Azmara
Leader(s)	Mikel Hankssun Herman Hermanssun Jorś Wilhjâlmssun Alan Mikelssun Þurisas Jonssun Aansgaar Freissun Maþeis Alekssun Aarne Leifssun
← Preceded by Kingdom of Azmara Followed by → Realignment

In Azmaran history, the First Commonwealth Era (Azmaran: Ânde-Gemenwelþ Tyyden) refers to the period between the overthrowing of the Azmaran monarchy and the establishment of a liberal democratic regime in 1855 and the political fragmentation and 1915 switch to parliamentarianism as a result of the Great Collapse, largely overlapping with the Prachtvolle Epoche in Werania and the Long Peace in Estmere.

The period is commonly seen as a time of great economic and social change as continued to rapidly industrialise leading to urbanisation on a large scale, with the rapid growth of the central Bojnersteden conurbation around Aalmsted and the rapid development of railroads and canals being seen as key examples. Many politically and socially progressive reforms were enacted during the period such as universal male suffrage, state-funded mandatory primary education, separation of church and state and ultimately primitive forms of unemployment and disability insurance. Furthermore, the removal of the political censorship that had characterised the preceding monarchical era and increasing literacy led to many breakthroughs in Azmaran art and literature as realism came to dominate both fields.

The era's name was adopted retroactively in order to distinguish the era politically from the post-1933 Second Commonwealth Era, with the eighteen-year period between the two commonly being termed the Realignment due to the rapid political changes commonly seen as a transitional stage between the two that occurred.

Establishment of the Commonwealth

The Commonwealth would first be declared on the 19th February 1855 as a provisional government after radical and republican forces cemented their control over the city of Aalmsted. This provisional government would be headed by Mikel Hankssun and Jorś Wilhjâlmssun, two popular radical members of the Folksmot who had been expelled from the Alþing for their opposition to the government of the Kingdom of Azmara.

Much of the course of 1855 would be dedicated to the consolidation of republican control over the rest of Azmara. While the industrialising central region would be brought under republican control quickly with little struggle and the provisional government was able to form a somewhat uneasy alliance with peasant uprisings in Haadland and Sompland, much of rural Azmara would prove significantly harder to bring under republican control - in large parts of Hytklif, Nordberg and northern Westmaark, ideas of noblesse oblige remained strong amongst the populace and thus much of the common class felt an affinity for the previous monarchical government.

While it would not be until 1858 when the republican government would fully establish its control over the entirety of modern-day Azmara, by the autumn of 1855 the government controlled a significant portion of the country and would attempt to further consolidate its power by authoring an official republican constitution heavily inspired by classical liberalism and similar constitutions issued in Asterian nations such as Aucuria. This constitution was ratified on the 19th October and established a presidential system, universal male suffrage and separation of church and state, leading to the 19th October being celebrated as Commonwealth Day in modern Azmara.

First election and Hankssun-Wilhjâlmssun split

This would be immediately followed by the organisation of an election for both President and the new Folksmot on the 1st November in the territories controlled by the Commonwealth, leading to the creation of the Progress Party as a vehicle for liberal-nationalists, radicals and republicans to run under. While initially the election was intended to coronate Mikel Hankssun as the first President and was not expected to be sincerely contested, disagreements would emerge within the liberal movement as Hankssun's hardline secularism and nationalism began to conflict with Wilhjâlmssun's more conciliatory attitude towards the church, advocating for the concept of sphere sovereignty and subsidiarity.

This split would emerge in the constitution drafting period - while both men could agree to the disestablishment of the Church of Azmara in principle, they disagreed over the extent to which separation of church and state should apply - notably on the 26th October Wilhjâlmssun would give a speech decrying the "mandated atheism" of Hankssun's ideal government, facilitating tensions in the runup to the official election. While Hankssun would be elected as the inaugural President and the Progress Party would win a supermajority in the Folksmot, after the results were fully counted on the 20th November Hankssun would lead many of his followers out of the Progress Party to from the Alliance for the Commonwealth in support of his vision for the republic.